The JET Program Survey

Question: What help have AJET ever provided you?

Responses...

None - but after the first year I didn't renew my membership.

Who are AJET? Are they americans? If so, most americans provide me with a source of entertainment.

Nothing. I have had no contact with them. I do not even know what they do.

In Hokkaido, we do have a seperate body called HAJET which I know about, this does provide services but no real assistance when problems arise.

There are "counselling services" which are discussed in my Prefectural Newsletter, but I do not need to be told yet again that being a victim of racism is my fault or that I am not doing the right thing when I do not accept that lying is perfect acceptable behaviour.

I haven't needed any help.

social support, daily life skills hints, tips

zilch.

I have just started my term as the new AJET Database Administrator. While I can not speak for the actions of any previous council, I can ASSURE you that this year's council is here to help. Please do not disregard AJET as an invisible and unworthy cause. We, in fact, work very hard to resolve issues at both the national and local level. We are your representatives to CLAIR and MEXT. Each year we address the issues that JETs are experiencing face to face with CLAIR and MEXT. This issues included everything from problems in the workplace, underutilization, driving regulations, housing conditions, etc. The list is endless. If you have issues with CLAIR, MEXT, BOEs, or the JET Programme in general, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the council. We will make sure your voices are heard. All of our email addresses can be found at www.ajetonline.org. I encourage all JETs to take the time to look at the site, contact the officers and find out what AJET!
has to offer you. All AJET members with an email address will receive a monthly update as to the activities of the National Council. Please take the time to read this carefully and respond if you feel it is necessary. We can only help the JET community if they let us know that help is needed.

Ajet? Ajet does something other than organizing soccer matches?

I belong to some email groups. They put out some goo dpublications (Team Taught pizza). They have some information worth reading on their site, they have some events with JET's in my prefecture. However, I'm not sure what they really do for JET's as before I came I couldn't even get the Block representative to provide me with any info or help via email. I think block reps should help inform new JET's or what do they do?

NONE- did not even send any information about any of the clubs I was interested in when I signed up for some in Tokyo

Not much, but I never asked for any.

Never requested help.

And AJET does what? Besides throw parties? I've heard of people abusing Tatami Timeshare and assaulting their hosts.

National AJET have been completely invisible. I joined at th conference when I arrived. Since then I have had one or two emails from them. There was no mention of the recent AJET Presidential Elections, which seemed to have taken place with out anyone realising. I never received a membership card, despite emailing my address details to the requested address.

Our local Ken chapter have been great. They have organised tons of events for us, from the annual Fuji climb, to Dinners, rice harvesting and now leaving parties.
The organisers worked really hard to ensure all the newbies were made to feel welcome.

I have never needed AJET to help in any such matter.

I haven't really turned to AJET for help, so I can't say much about how helpful they are. The new national president lives in Kagoshima though and he seems like he's working hard to improve national AJET, so hopefully if things were bad before they will be taking a turn for the better now. As far as our local Kagoshima AJET goes, that seems to be pretty good.

Some Kick-Ass Bar-BQ's
A few great trips.
A cool newsletter...

nothing special

Not much... never did ask them about anything. They put out good publications, though. Their Team-Teaching book (my copy had the red cover), full of lesson plans, is very good. I basically joined so I could get the book discount ^_^

Peer support.

The help line was good when I was having problems with my JHS supervisor.

I don`t think AJET is there is a support group. AJET is there to organize activities and be a little club within JET. If I had any problems, I would go to one of our PAs, I guess. AJET has done an OK job in my prefecture of organizing some activities, and our newsletter is fun to read, but that`s about it.

have not asked

National AJET has done nothing really, but my prefectural AJET group works fairly well and gets things done.

Never needed any.

None. But I have never asked for any.

None whatsoever. When are we getting a union?

I have never asked for help.

MIE AJET - excellent guidebook, many resources available, activities etc.

National - no contact

None. PA's,AJET - none of them can really do anything.

Nothing.

on the prefectural level - just a source of social events, and someone to ask questions to about national AJET, and JET stuff in general.

none at all

AJET?

AJET is for self-serving party-kids. It provides no real support to JETs that I know of.

It perhaps whould be an ideal opportunity for the JET community to be strong, but it is being squandered.

The local AJET have been very good at organising events and distributing both information on the prefecture and local education. I dont have any complaints about them whatso ever. I dont have much contact with national AJET but thats my own doing and I'm not complaining

None- but they did take all the money away from JET and Beyond. Who does GRAFT help?

That's a loaded question if I ever heard one. I have only ever received what AJET promised me, not much at all. AJET is not a promise of support. AJET is as limited as it's membership/administration. They (we) are not professionals and should not be viewed as such. We are volunteers and cannot possibly deliver professional support that a labour union might in Australia for example. Having said that, there should be such an organisation for JET.

The prefectural AJET throws good parties, and I have never really asked the National org. for anything.

None - I never asked for any.

None, I stay away from AJET, and from what I can see, they never seem to do anything to make things better.

I've never needed any help. If you do need help and you got to your block representative - i.e. you representative on teh National council rather than your local prefectural ajet people - I'm sure you'd get lots of help.

I work for AJET and see the reports that go to CLAIR. There's been a report on sexual harrassment at least once a year for the past 5-6 years if not longer. Just this year, there have also been reports on driving issues, underutilization, nenkyuu, etc. I'm not sure what you're intending to do with this survey, but, most of the time when we take things to CLAIR, they tell us to take it to host prefectures. JETs have to get organized at local levels if change is really going to take place.
Beyond that, if you do take anything to CLAIR, it is REALLY REALLY important to not only be caring a whole load of numbers, stories, etc. Make sure that you site specific ways that CLAIR policy can change to help JETs. Know there policies as well as you know JETs' experience.

Some moderately useful ideas for lesson planning.

never asked

provided a breathe of fresh air via the monthly newsletter.

i have never asked for their help, but I am sure that they would oblidge

None really but, then again, I haven't asked for any yet.

Not much, but I never asked...

Never really asked for any direct help. But primarily,they provided a wealth of information

Nothing. I think I may have called a "helpline" but it was anonymous and I felt that I needed to talk to people that weren't just interested in "counseling" me. I needed action.

Who?

Bar the newsletter, sod all. But I think that's because I don't check rather than because they're not doing it.

As a bisexual female JET with a girlfriend, AJET is the only support that I have for issues relating to my sexual orientation. They haven't really taken that seriously, still using the "maybe this is a joke and you should laugh" voice when announcing Stonewall SIG workshops and meetings at conferences...but the new president seems dead on, and after a bunch of us queer JETs talked to him he seems pretty supportive. The AJET workshops at orientation--vegetarianism and being gay--were very useful and helpful.

I have never contacted AJET about my problems.

Advice

None. AJET in Nara is only interested in putting out parties.

peer support. Just seeing the postings help. Provide valuable information at meetings.

I don't really pay attention to national-AJET activities, but local AJET has provided area information, organized parties and events, sponsored area volunteer activities, actively put out a local newspaper, provide a network to keep people in touch, involved, and in-the-know. of course, its up to individual JETs in regards to how much/how often they choose to utilize this information.

none even though i paid money for the prefectural ajet.Kumamoto was the most expensive at 2000 yen to join and I think I have received nothing in return

A stupid newsletter that has since folded

Organised some more than decent parties.

They are there to organise social events and any support needed. Whether anyone uses the support function I don't know.

the teaching resource manuals they sell

the prefectural chapter has been very good at providing information on Hyogo, a peer support network, and good social events. National AJET haven't really done anything for me

Zip. Oh...no, wait, drinking and bitching nights.

None whatsoever.

not a damn thing

social contact, networking, perspective

None, but I haven't asked either.

no help, but I never asked so I cant complain.

I did not ask AJET for assistance with my job/school; social contacts only.

ZERO!!!

Not much. But it's not like I miss their help or anything either...

Have never seeked help from AJET

I have never asked for help

Organised some useful activities!

Don't know if it exists in Kanagawa. They organized a barbeque last year, and a sumo trip that was cancelled. The strange thing is that despite there being no AJET in Kanagawa, AJET still accepts money for Kanagawa JETS at the Tokyo Orientation. I think that some volunteers will be planning to try and start AJET up again this coming year.

I have not told AJET, I do not think they would do anything to help as they are already aware that these problems exist and do nothing to solve them.

Was able to join JET Christian Fellowship. A great connection for remote ALT's

AJET provides help to me by organizing events/trips/parties which are a great way to meet people and experience Japan.

zilch

national ajet are who?

local ajets main focus is on organising activities

Other teachers are helping with the situation so I have not contacted AJET.

none but had not asked for it

None whatsoever. Do they exist?

They haven't been of much help, although I haven't personally asked. They *are* pretty much invisible.

never related to AJET since it seemed like they were out to create a clique of foreigners bent on criticizing Japan. It seemed like such a negative group of people who reminded me of grade school in that you were made to feel nerdy if you studied Japanese diligently and didn't party every weekend with your fellow gaikokujin.

zero

What? AJET? You mean they do something other than publish vapid newsletters?

Nothing. Never sought help. It is unclear what they do and to what extent the are in cahoots with CLAIR. I am a little distrustful of AJET--not knowing exactly how they fit in. Many problems can be dealt with by gathering information from sempai. I'd be very happy to learn more about AJET and how they fit in.

Havent asked. My issues are with the BOE.

they provide lots of useful information in their newsletters and website (eventhough that was really outdated last year). They also publish some really good resources for teachings, and life after JET.
Mostly they are an information pond.

Who the hell are AJET?
Oh that's right, they're the power hungry tossers who have to feel important, so they took on "important" roles within AJET. More would get done if a one armed migit crocodile was in charge!

None. Nothing. I paid for membership last year in Tokyo, yet never received even an e-mail from them. It was just a way to get rid of that 1000 yen I had been lugging around all day.

All AJET did for me was mail me the Tatami Timeshare listings.

I have not personally had reason to contact AJET... however, any assistance that AJET may have had in selecting or training the Prefectural Assistants should be considered as "help" as the support provided by these individuals has been invaluable to me.

not sure where they are involved but the hokkaido version has been very helpful and supportive

AJET isn't active in Yokohama. I've never heard much about them.

AJET? I discontinued my membership to AJET after my first year. Seemed completely pointless to me, and most of the other JETs were a bunch of dicks.

I am a prefectural representative for AJET. One of my responsibilities this year is to pass on any greivances to CLAIR via the block representative. To be fair, many JETs do have complaints but unless they are addressed to AJET, we cannot pass them on. It seems obvious but unless we receive specific complaints, there is nothing we can do. This year, I will be compiling a list of complaints (submitted anonymously of course). These will be passed on accordingly.

The local reps have made the JETs here more sociable and given us the opportunity to get together and chat by organising various social events. This has helped all our morale.
Nationally, AJET has published the AJET Across Japan, which has excellent articles.

AJET Yamaguchi are an excellent group this year. However it depends greatly on the leadership of the association e.g. the person in charge last year failed to register anyone for or give any information to participants in the Tatami Timeshare programme nor did he keep any accounts for the year instead leaving everything to the incoming rep. There needs to be far more discipline and accountablity in the organisation so that idiots can't be put in charge.

My supervisor agreed in February to a couple of demands like travel time to far away AJET meetings and kenshu for the summer. In April she left and I got a new supervisor. Of course I was told that whatever we agreed upon earlier is null and void since that was an agreement with the old supervisor. Now that is a big fat lie.
They have aided and abetted the destruction of my liver.

I served last year as the Treasurer for National AJET, so I'm going to answer this question a little differently. AJET is out there and available, but they get a horrible reputation. People complain that they are not visible, yet they're some of the first people you meet in Tokyo and publicise as best they can. Those who think that AJET is a to-the-door service expect a little too much. Also, AJET is just that ... JETs. They can help with some problems, but why think they're any better than you are? Some of the AJET representatives had the worst situations I've seen in Japan and couldn't get them fixed.

On the flip side, AJET has a long way to go in terms of helping JETs. In recent times AJET has become a bit like an exclusive club, though the people in office this year are working hard to fix that. If you are looking for help from AJET, what have you asked for? Was it reasonable? I know that AJET has helped many, many people, but I also know that people expect AJET to work miracles while simultaneously complaining about how ineffective it is. Take AJET for what it is ... a VOLUNTEER group of JETs who try to coordinate things across an entire nation and help when they can.

Stepping off the soapbox now ... sorry.

cool events

community, work contacts and ideas, activities

a forum in which i can bitch to my friends

Who?

none; AJET is a bunch of members of the disenfranchised group, in my opinion, I can't even imagine them having had ANY power to fix my situation.

good question

None, but it really isn't their place to. As much as AJET would like to help, they don't really have any jurisdiction at the school board, and it can't really be expected of them. AJET can make peole aware, but bombarding the BOE wouldn't do anyone any good.

made Nagano ken a better for their members through social activities, kenpai for 1st year

kanagawa has no ajet; a group of us are trying to resurrect it this year.