The Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Programme: Sports Exchange Advisor (SEA)
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
Application deadline 24 March 2025
The JET Programme was established by the Japanese Government in 1987 to promote internationalisation at the local level and New Zealand was one of the four original countries invited to participate. On 31 July 2024, the Programme included 5,861 participants from 51 countries, including 182 (170 ALTs, and 12 CIRs) from New Zealand in locations throughout Japan. Since 1987, over 3,500 New Zealanders have participated in the JET Programme.
Most participants are selected as Assistant Language Teachers, mainly at public schools. Others join the JET Programme as Coordinators for International Relations (CIR) or Sports Exchange Advisors (SEA).
JET Programme promotion video
Sports Exchange Advisor - SEA
Sports Exchange Advisors (SEAs) work for local governments, coaching and promoting internationalization through the universal language of sports. They are sports professionals whose role is to assist with sports training and the planning of sports-related projects.
Role:
Field Hockey - Community hockey coaching, international exchange
activities through hockey, coaching (men and women) in conjunction with the establishing of
an inter-university field hockey club, participation in municipal sports events.
Placement:
The successful applicants will be placed in Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture.
Contracting organisation:
Akaiwa City Board of Education - Social Education Section
Akaiwa City, Okayama Prefecture
Akaiwa City is located in east-central Okayama. Famous for its hot springs, tranquil parks, and delicious peaches, the city is known for its abundance of nature and history. Somewhat separated from the more well-known hubs of Japan, Akaiwa offers a slice of authentic, rural Japan.
Akaiwa City Council Website: https://www.city.akaiwa.lg.jp
Eligibility Criteria
Successful candidate must meet all the following criteria below.
- Be a New Zealand Citizen with a coaching certification/qualification or 3 years coaching experience
- Excel at and have practical experience coaching Field Hockey
- Have an interest in living and coaching in Japan
- Driver's license holder
- Be able to depart to Japan sometime between August and September 2025
- Conversational Japanese speaker
Please check that there are further criteria in the guidelines below for more details.
Contracting
Successful candidate will work for the following organisation
- Contracting organisation: Akaiwa City Board of Education
- Department to work: Social Education Division
The contracts are for one year, renewable twice by mutual agreement (the maximum term allowable as a JET participant is 3 years in most cases). If after careful consideration the contracting organisation deems the JET's work performance, level of experience and ability to be of an exceptionally high standard, they may choose to extend appointment an additional two times (altogether five years). If all parties are in agreement, the JET participant will stay on at the same contracting organisation, in the same role.
Remuneration per annum is approximately ¥3,360,000 in the first year of appointment, ¥3,600,000 in the second year, ¥3,900,000 in the third year, and, in case the Contracting Organisation reappoints a participant whose work ability is deemed excellent more than 2 times, ¥3,960,000 in both the fourth year and the fifth year. In cases in which income and resident taxes are imposed (see application guidelines for details), participants must pay these taxes from this remuneration. This remuneration is a sufficient amount to cover average living expenses in Japan.
Airfares to and from Japan are paid by the JET Programme, providing all conditions of the Programme are met.
Time line
| 14 January 2025 | Applications open |
| 24 March 2025 | Applications close |
| Late March 2025 | Second stage of screening process (interviews) |
| May 2025 | Notification of selection (results announced) |
| Late July - Early August 2025 | Depart to Japan |
JET Programme SEA Guidelines & Application Forms
-
Download the 2025 SEA Programme Application Guidelines
. Read through carefully. - Download and complete the 2025 JET Programme
Application Form - SEA
in the free
Adobe Reader.
Do NOT use any PDF viewers or editors other than Adobe Reader. This form cannot be completed in preview mode in your browser, please be sure to download and complete in Adobe. Note compulsory fields are highlighted with a red border.
- Use "Instructions for Filling out the Application Form
" to
assist with completing the
application form. - Save the PDF Application Form, and send it as an e-mail attachment to "jet@wl.mofa.go.jp
with "2025 JET Programme Application - SEA" as the subject. Do not use the "submit"
function on the
adobe form.
- Please note that this digital Application Form does not require a signature at this stage.
- Print out your completed Application Form PDF (single-sided), hand-sign it in pen,
and
follow
further instructions as stated in the "2025 JET Programme Application Guidelines (SEA)".
- Ensure all answers are clearly legible when printed (i.e. all text is contained within textbox borders, and font size is reasonable).
-
Follow "Application Procedure" (page 3 of the Guidelines) and "Applicants' Checklist" (pages 3 & 9 of the Guidelines) before you submit your Application Pack.
- All completed Application Packs MUST ARRIVE PHYSICALLY at the Japan Information and
Cultural
Centre, Embassy of Japan in Wellington, New Zealand by 5:00pm
NZST, Monday 24th March 2025,
either by post, courier, or hand-delivery.
- This deadline will be STRICTLY OBSERVED, and late applications will NOT be accepted. Early applications are appreciated.
Other application documents
Statement of Physician
- ONLY IF you currently
have, or have ever had any physical or mental condition or illness.
Application document submission
JICC, Embassy of Japan
Level 18, The Majestic Centre, 100 Willis Street
PO Box 6340, Marion Square, Wellington 6141
Attn: JET Officer (SEA)
Contact Details
Enquiries relating to the JET Programme are welcome at the following offices but applications must be submitted to the Japan Information & Cultural Centre, Embassy of Japan in Wellington.