A warm welcome on behalf of myself and the other Yamaguchi PAs. My name is Stephen Jones, I am a second year ALT, currently living in Hagi in Northern Yamaguchi. In July I will move to Yamaguchi City to take up a new position, part of which involves being a Prefectural Advisor. The remaining three PAs for 2003-2004 have yet to be announced, but you will have the opportunity to meet all of us at the Newcomer's orientation on the 7th and 8th of August.

So what is a PA? Most PAs are just normal ALTs and CIRs. The PA system is co-ordinated directly by CLAIR, and all PAs receive specialist training to allow them to provide assistance to the JETs who ask for their help. We will try our best to help you with anything. Sometimes the PA will not be able to help you directly, but he or she can put you in touch with someone who can, or speak on your behalf in certain situations. Whether you are having trouble with your employer, experiencing difficulty adjusting to life away from home, or even reading the gas bill, a call to your PA may help to put your mind at rest. It doesn't matter how trivial you think the issue may be, rest assured that you will always find someone willing to listen and point you in the right direction. In addition to receiving specialist training from CLAIR, PAs are usually experienced ALTs/CIRs who have live in Japan for at least a year, have some knowledge of Japanese and the availability of all kinds of services in their communities.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE ARRIVING IN YAMAGUCHI
The new PAs will be formally introduced at the Yamaguchi Orientation in August. As you prepare to leave your home countries for Japan you probably have many questions. If you have questions about your specific placement (town, contracting organisation, etc), then I suggest you contact your predecessor on the JET programme. If you don't have their contact details yet, don't panic, they will be in contact with you soon. For more general enquiries, you can e-mail me anytime at stephen@yamaguchi.email.ne.jp. Naturally, any correspondence or communication between you and your PA will be kept in strictest confidence. You can also call me on 090-5704-2515 should I be able to help you in any way.

Finally, I wish you the best of luck with your preparations and a safe journey to Japan and Yamaguchi. I very much look forward to seeing you in August.

Stephen Jones
June 25th, 2003.