Job Discussion Forums

[A2I2]

Hello,
I live in the UK and sent in my JET application in early November and I recently got the letter from JET telling me I won't be getting an interview. It was pretty brief and vague and it stated that I can't contact JET for specific details on why I didn't make it. I know that it's competitive now more than ever and I know there are a handful of reasons as to why I wasn't offered an interview, but one thing's been on my mind from the moment I started compiling my application.
I received a police caution a few years ago for possession of 2 E pills and this obviously had to be mentioned in my application. In the guidelines it said something like, 'depending on the nature of the incident, it won't necessarily disqualify your application...'.
That's the only item on my criminal/police record and I'm still very interested in getting the chance to teach English in Japan so I'll happily apply to the other programmes there. Japan would be my first choice, but I'd also be interested in China, South Korea or elsewhere. However, I don't know whether my caution is something that will just hinder my chances or something that will automatically rule out the possibility of getting a position with any of the programmes.
If anyone knows anything about the selection process and how my caution affects my chances, please fill me in. I'd really like to hear from you.
Thank you

[Conor_Ire]

Were you under 18 when you got the caution? As you said it's very competitive so i reckon they will look for any reason at all to filter out applications. Do you REALLY have to mention it? That would be a big distraction for any employer. I've seen posts here with people who have masters degrees and years of experience and still have trouble with finding work in Japan. I don't know too much about the JET scheme so i'm not your most valuble advisor but i'm going to Japan in less than 2 weeks looking for work and if i had a caution like that i wouldn't mention it really. Is it something that you can't avoid mentioning by law or what?

[seklarwia]

If it was a formal caution, it will appear on his police record for about 5 years. And as I understand it, Japan takes a far harsher stand when it comes to all illegal substances than here in the UK, with even cannibis posession possibly leading to long term incarceration. So it may very well affect your application.

However, as it states all over the JET application, supplying false info or omitting things will result in immediate disqualification from the programme. And since they will probably ask you for a police check at some point, there's no point trying to hide it now. You will just have to bite the bullet and if you get asked about it, assure the potential employers you have learnt from the errors of your ways.
Hopefully, if you were young enough at the time of the caution you could claim stupidity and immaturity.

Even with Interac I was made to submit a police check so I don't think there is much he can do to avoid mentioning it just like if you were trying to apply for any education position here in the UK.

[A2I2]

Thanks for your feedback. It happened almost 3 years ago, but I was well over 18. I checked with the constabulary and they said that cautions now stay on your record forever. Unfortunately, not mentioning it is not an option. The programmes ask for you to mention all convictions, cautions, reprimands, etc and inform you that they will run criminal checks and if anything shows up that wasn't mentioned in the application, the candidate is disqualified.
To be honest, things don't seem too promising, but the JET website even states that even if you have a conviction, it won't necessarily be grounds for automatic dismissal depending on the nature of the crime. Everything I've read so far implies it will seriously reduce my chances of securing an interview, but I've yet to read anything that confirms my application would be automatically nullified.

[seklarwia]

In my group interview with Interac, drugs did come up as a joke. The interviewer was explaining that drugs charges are extremely serious in Japan and especially if you are going to be an educator in schools as you are supposed to be a role model to the students.

She did mention that as young uni students, many will have had some drug encounters but they wouldn't immediately cast you aside for that. She said that obviously the severity of the drug charge would be taken into considersation but to be aware that the schools had every right to ask you to submit to drugs screenings.

I'm no drug expert but I once heard that you can still get cannabis readings six months after on hair sample tests. I have no idea whether trace reading of other substances can be found elsewhere for long periods of times. So if you are still a user, it might be in your best job interest to stop. It would be awful if you managed to secure a position then got fired on your first day due to a failed drugs test (I'm being taken straight to the hospital as soon as I step off the plane this month to attend a medical, which is almost certainly going to include a drugs screening).

I'm guessing that if you only got a caution and haven't gotten anything else against your name since then, sure it may make it harder to get a job, but probably not impossible. I think you need to just keep trying. I truely wish you the best of luck.

[Hoser]

A caution goes on your record forever? Wow that is pretty harsh.

[fhsieh]

I was told for my Interac application that the police record check was more as a company policy, not anything concerning the visa application. They even suggested obtaining a mail-order criminal background check (one that you can order online and simply print out and bring to the interview) as they are often processed faster than state- or federal-issued CBCs. IIRC, the Interac application also allows you to write an explanation for any incidents you may have on your record, which I presume is an indication that they might be more lenient towards "lesser" incidents.

This is of course through the North American Interac recruiting branch, so I can't say if it will apply for other branches as well.

[seklarwia]

I was told that any school position had the right to ask for a police check and since JET asks for your full criminal history, at some point they will want some kind of verification.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Korea requires criminal records check for a visa. Asian countries (and Asian cultures) consider drug offences to be much more severe than 'the West'. In one ESL class (in Canada), we polled the students about what punishment they thought would be fitting for crimes. European students thought 'light' drugs (??? Is that the opposite of heavy drugs) shouldn't even be an issue. Every Asian student thought the death penalty was appropriate. The exact opposite was the result of a hypothetical situation in which a 17year old got angry and drowned one of his friends (to death). The European students thought that he should be given a life sentence. The Asian students thought 'oh, he's 17, so he's just a child. Maybe he didn't understand what he was doing. He should be sent to his room without video games for the evening'.

The JET program also states in the application that if you have any mental disease that won't automatically disqualify you either. But it basically does, because one of the primary things they are checking in the interview is if they think someone will be able to 'hack' a year in the inaka with access to nothing at all (no: internet- a big chunk of rural Japan is still dial up only and dial up costs per minute even for local calls here, English language TV, English language speakers, fast-food places, insulation in the housing etc).　They also want to be sure that you are the kind of person who probably won't actually need much help during this period of isolation (because it's entirely possible that the majority of people in a small town may not help or even talk to you. There's usually at least one super friendly person though- even if they don't actually speak much or any English!).

In fact, urban JETs complain all the time about the number of JET prefectural conferences over the course of a year. The primary reason for them isn't even professional development (although that's what they are billed as, of course). It's to allow the very rural in the prefecture who may not have spoken to a single other English native speaker from ANY country for a few months a chance to interact with the JETs in the prefecture. They tend to show up as either non-stop talkers (often coupled with a sort of strange look in their eyes, and probably non-stop talking about very superficial sorts of things) or very, very quiet and just sort of sit and look at people (followed by possibly turning into the non-stop talkers at the after party once they get some alcohol into themselves). Urban JETs from the second year on will be much much more understanding, but newbie urban JETs are sometimes a little wierded out when they show up and see someone who's been in the inaka for possibly over four years.

[G Cthulhu]

[G Cthulhu]

[seklarwia]

[Apsara]

Nova had a similar "random drug testing" clause when I worked for them- I believe it came up in court and was found to be legally unenforceable.

Incidentally I have never had a background check/police check for any of the jobs I have had here, so it's not a given.

However in this day and age of 200+ applicants for each job, declaring something like that, which is still fairly recent, is likely to mean an automatic "no".

[GambateBingBangBOOM]