The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET)

The Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program is an opportunity for college graduates to assist with international exchange and foreign language education throughout Japan as either Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) or Coordinators for International Relations (CIRs).
 

Founded by the Japanese government in 1987 to help promote internationalization within rural Japan, JET began with less than 1,000 participants but has grown to become one of the largest cultural exchange programs in the world. Today the program has more than 5,900 current participants and over 80,000 alumni.

JET Program participants travel to Japan as representatives of their home countries and play an integral role in helping to promote grassroots internationalization and understanding. For those interested in teaching English in Japan, teaching experience and Japanese language ability are not required and we encourage people of every major and background to apply!

 
JET is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA); the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Technology (MEXT); the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC), and local governments throughout Japan, in cooperation with the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR).

For the latest information, please visit the JET Program USA Homepage. 
 

If you are a resident of Northern California or Nevada, you can contact the San Francisco JET offices at (415) 780-6087 or by e-mail at jet@sr.mofa.go.jp. For those interested in applying to the JET Program in the future, you can sign up for our 2026 JET Program Recruitment mailing list here.

If you are not a resident or Northern California or Nevada, please contact your nearest Japanese consulate or embassy. You can find the contact information for your local consualate or embassy here.