Support
It is essential that JET participants maintain good communication and work cooperatively with the members of their contracting organisations: supervisors, superiors and colleagues. However, in any international setting, from time to time difficulties and misunderstandings may arise. Assistance for JET participants in resolving difficulties can be found at any level, but often the closer the support the easier it is to help. Of course, JET participants are welcome to contact any of these resources directly.
Contracting Organisation (CO)
Those in your contracting organisation, such as a supervisor, are more likely to be aware of local problems, and can help deal with them quickly.
Prefectural Advisor (PA)
Prefectural Advisors are placed in each Host Prefecture/Designated City and often work in the Prefecture or Designated City's International Affairs Division or Board of Education. They provide support and counselling to JET participants and contracting organisations, as well as giving useful information to JET participants about everyday life in Japan. PAs are not professional counsellors, but they do receive training from professionals. If the need arises, they are available to provide support. JET participants can consult Prefectural Advisors about any issue (with the exception of illegal activities), secure in the knowledge that their confidentiality will be strictly maintained.
If a PA has reason to believe that a JET participant is in danger of hurting themselves or others, or if the JET participant is a victim of a crime, etc, the Prefectural Advisor will contact CLAIR or the Counselling System Committee for advice on how to proceed. Moreover, as stated above, PAs cannot provide any advice on how to conduct or conceal any criminal activities, nor are they bound to keep confidentiality in the case where a JET participant is engaging in illegal activities or significantly damaging the JET Programme. These matters fall outside the range of what Prefectural Advisors are intended to handle. Keeping these qualifications in mind, we hope you will make use of the PA system.
The JET Line
The JET Line is a phone line specifically for JET participants, which is answered in English by Programme Coordinators. Programme Coordinators are all former JET participants and are available to answer inquiries and provide counseling. Conversations are confidential and callers can remain anonymous. The line operates during regular office hours: Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:45, (03) 5213-1729.
Counselling System Committee (CSC)
At times, some JET participants find the challenges of struggles that invariably accompany adjusting to life in a foreign country amid a foreign culture too much to handle alone. At times like this, members of the CSC, a four-person committee of professional mental health specialists are available to assist JET participants in working through their problems.
Members of the CSC have been working with the JET Programme for over 10 years, and have a thorough knowledge not only of the Programme's goals and structure, but also with the particular stresses that most trouble JET particiapants .The CSC also works closely with the PCs and PAs for counseling training and advice. If you would like to speak to a member of the CSC, please contact a PC via the JETLINE.
Self-Support Group Leader (SGL)
The Self-support Group Leader system was established with the aim of providing support to those JET participants whose native language is not English. SGLs are available in the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Self-support Group Leaders are asked to attend the same twice a year counselling training that Prefectural Advisors attend. JET participants who speak any of the above languages are able to consult with the appropriate Self-support Group Leader in that language.
Other Sources of Support
Family and Friends
Do not forget that your family, friends and fellow JET participants can often provide you with the best support you can find. Keeping in touch with them regularly is very important.
AJET Peer Support Group (PSG)
This group is not related to CLAIR, but it is a network of JET volunteers affiliated to National AJET. A member of the Peer Support Group is available at night from 20:00 to 07:00, 365 days a year. All calls are confidential and callers can remain anonymous. The phone number is 050-5534-5566 (toll free).
Tokyo English Life Line (TELL)
The Tokyo English Life Line is a non-profit organization unrelated to JET that was created in 1973. They offer free and anonymous phone counselling and information at 03-5774-0992 daily from 9:00am to 11:00pm.