I applied online. The process took 7 months. I interviewed at JET Program (Phoenix, AZ) in Jan 2016
Interview
Interview process was great overall. In person with a panel of staff and Japanese ministry interviewing. Lasted one hour. More of a conversation than series of questions. Be prepared to talk about educational background and reasons for wanting to be in Japan. They will ask placement preferences including cities and age range teaching preference. They will ask questions about past teaching experience and why you will be a good fit as a teacher in Japan. They will also as a few situational questions such as describe a time you managed conflict between two people.
Smooth. Interviewers were kind. Asked questions about why I wanted to join, asked me some questions in Japanese, asked about ways I could contribute as an ALT, and that was that.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What methods do you plan to use to get students interested in English outside of the classroom?
Panels consist of three to four members, stay calm and remember what you wrote in your SOP, you will do fine! Just be professional and polite. Don't worry about the Japanese portion, it does not effect your acceptance.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you teach a lesson about animals to elementary schoolers?
Quite straightforward- questions came by no surprise. Just have to know yourself well and show enthusiasm for both Japan and Teaching. It lasted around 20 minutes and was conducted by both an alumnus, as well as someone from CLAIR.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How would you engage students' interest in English?
