Post-JET Panic & Paving My Path: Finding the Right Graduate Program with Middlebury

From the Classroom to the Office

I knew before graduating college that I wanted to participate in the JET Programme. In addition to my major in Asian Languages and Literatures, I minored in TESL and earned a TESL certificate to gain more experience in an EFL classroom. This prepared me well for my start on JET in 2019 as an ALT in Hofu, Yamaguchi. I worked at three elementary schools, teaching 3rd-6th graders, and took great joy in being the first non-Japanese person many of them had interacted with more than once or twice. I arrived in 2019, meaning the COVID-19 pandemic began less than six months later, which certainly threw an unexpected wrench into classroom teaching and afterschool activities. However, helping those kids begin their English journey, showing them it’s okay to make mistakes, and demonstrating that English is more than just a test score, was profoundly rewarding. All those challenges were worth it.

After several years as an ALT, when contract renewal season came around for my fourth year, I decided I wanted to gain more experience in a business setting in Japan. I loved teaching and my students, but I also felt a strong desire to remain in Japan post-JET, and continuing to work with internationalization in Yamaguchi, my Japanese hometown, was a huge goal. After some requests and interviews, I was able to transfer to the Yamaguchi Prefectural Office to serve my fourth and fifth years on JET as a CIR. This was a significant boost to my professional experience, providing me not only with training and hands-on experience in translation and interpretation, but also in a Japanese professional environment. I also had the opportunity to continue interacting with students through lecture programs, traveling around the prefecture to everywhere from preschools to post-retirement communities to talk about English, the U.S., and international exchange and collaboration.

Decision Paralysis

However, when my fifth and final year approached, I was struck by the dreaded thought: “What do I do now?”

I knew I wanted to stay in Japan, but beyond that, I had very little idea. I had originally anticipated going to graduate school immediately after finishing JET, but I didn’t know where to go or which programs would be right for me. I had also built a strong foundation for myself in Yamaguchi, serving on the board of the Yamaguchi Japan-America Society, being a member of the prefectural choir, and participating in local activities. I’d connected with many people through my ALT and CIR roles, and I didn’t want to sever those connections. I also wanted to continue supporting international coexistence promotion efforts in the prefecture. I eventually found work at Yamaguchi Prefectural University’s Global Center managing the incoming exchange student programs. Being back in a university environment further solidified my desire to continue my own education.

But where to go from there? I could stay in Japan, go abroad, or attempt something hybrid. I knew I didn’t want a fully online experience, as the social and networking aspect of higher education was very important to me. Within Japan, there were many options, and I preferred to stay, but I was also much more familiar with the U.S. education system. I’d heard that building a relationship with professors pre-application was very important in Japan, and I didn’t know how to go about it. The breadth of options was overwhelming, leading to the dreaded decision paralysis. I knew I would need financial assistance to make this dream a reality, so on a whim, I decided to look into USJETAA’s University Partnerships. I’m so glad I did.

Finding the Right Fit

They feature a number of programs, from fully online to fully in-person, across a range of fields and institutions. However, when I found Middlebury’s hybrid MA program in Japanese Language and Culture, I knew it was perfect for me. It offered the opportunity to stay in Yamaguchi for most of the year and continue working while taking classes online, while also incorporating two in-person summer sessions in Vermont to connect with classmates and professors. They also offered an application fee waiver and a generous scholarship program, so I felt I could give the application my all with nothing to lose.

When I was accepted to the program, I was absolutely elated. The program starts with a summer session in Vermont, so I talked with my employer several months in advance to work out how that could work logistically and how to take extended leave, but given that I work for a university, I didn’t have to do much convincing about the importance of further education. I headed back to the states for the six-week program in Vermont, but because of the language pledge, not only instruction, but after class activities and socializing all happens in the target language. The graduate program summer session is at the same time as the 8-week immersion school, so it was a great opportunity to talk to Japanese language learners of all levels from all walks of life, which really gives a broad overview and perspective on language learning. The instructors also live and eat on campus with the students, so it’s an incredible opportunity to network and meet the amazing professionals there as well.

Putting Theory into Practice

Returning to Yamaguchi, I jumped right back into work, and started the online portion of the degree. The first class I took online was Academic Japanese, where we read academic papers and had to create our own academic paper and conference presentation on a research topic of our choice. As I am in charge of a community exchange program here at Yamaguchi Prefectural University, I took that opportunity to create a survey-based research project on the community exchange program’s impact on second language acquisition, and was able to use the information gleaned from that project directly in my job. It was a really unique experience that I was able to have thanks to my situation working while attending classes online.

I was also glad it was a program created as a hybrid program. I had the opportunity to spend a summer in Vermont last year and will again this year, but the online courses are designed to be asynchronous and in an online format. It doesn’t feel like they are compromised versions of classes originally meant to be taught in a classroom, but courses that take advantage of the benefits of being online.

I’m about halfway through the program now, and I am so excited to see where the rest of it takes me. It’s enriching my experience at my current position, and I know that when my contract ends this degree is going to open so many doors to new and exciting opportunities for me. It’s motivated me to continue my studies and to do more deep exploration in Japanese. I also think I’m part of an amazing cohort of students, and I’m so glad that we all ended up together last summer. It’s an amazing group with vast and different backgrounds, so we can really use our differences as strengths in class discussions and projects.

My experiences with JET and Middlebury Language Schools have been amazing. I know that my experiences in the MA program, like my experiences on JET, are meaningful not only as they happen, but as a strong foundation for my future growth as a person. I know that the path post-JET is daunting, and you don’t have to have everything figured out. Take it one step at a time, paving the way to your own future as you go.

About Sydney Michael (Yamaguchi, 2019-2024)

A five-year participant on the JET Programme (ALT and CIR), Sydney Michael is a Yamaguchi Global Ambassador and professional JPN↔ENG interpreter. As a regular news commentator for TYS mix and featured on NHK, she focuses on bridging the gap between Japan and the world through language, media, and cultural insight. Learn more about her work at www.sydneymichael.com.