AJET Elections > Application Guidelines

Application Guidelines

Please read the following carefully before submitting your candidacy application for the 2019-2020 AJET National Council

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer) APPLICATIONS

BLOCK/CIR REPRESENTATIVE APPLICATIONS

APPOINTED OFFICER APPLICATIONS

RULES

  1. All candidates must be current JETs who are re-appointing for the 2019-2020 JET year.
  2. Applicants for the Block Representative positions must be residents of one of the Prefectures within the respective Block. Click here to see which Block your host prefecture belongs to.
  3. Applicants for the CIR Representative position must currently be a Co-ordinator for International Relations.
  4. Applications for all positions must be submitted to  and  by 23:59 (JST) by Sunday, March 31st, 2019.
  5. National AJET will hold an election for the Executive Council and Block/CIR Representative Candidates from Friday, April 5th to Friday, April 19th.
  6. Candidates for Appointed Officer positions will be chosen by the outgoing Executive Council and the current holder of the position.
  7. All parts of the application must be submitted together. Incomplete or late applications will NOT be accepted.
  8. As a member of the AJET National Council, you may be asked to perform duties for the council during your normal work hours, such as attending the Opinion Exchanges with CLAIR and the Three Ministries. As such, all candidates must discuss applying for the position with their Supervisor or Contracting Organisation.
  9. All candidates MUST contact both the current occupier of the position they are interested in applying for as well as the  to state their intention of applying. This will also provide an opportunity for candidates to ask any questions they may have.


EXECUTIVE COUNCIL APPLICATIONS

 The three positions on the Executive Council are:

1. Chair

2. Vice Chair

3. Treasurer

Members of the Executive Council are chosen by popular vote, and once they have assumed office are responsible for overseeing all of the work National AJET does to support JET participants. Executive Council members also have the power to take in National AJET Council votes on issues including how the council is run, and the work we do within the JET community.

The application is simple – just write a 400 word “platform” telling us:

  1. What position you are applying
  2. A little bit about yourself
  3. What motivates you to apply for this position
  4. What skills, experiences, and personal qualities make you a suitable candidate for the role

Click here to see examples of Executive Council Platforms. For more advice, please see Platform Examples.

We will also need:

  1. A recent photograph of yourself (this should be a clear photograph showing your face)
  2. A “fun” fact about yourself in one sentence.

During the voting period, your platform will be published online, and on our social media outlets, which will help voters get to know you!

Finally, to make sure you’re a current JET participant, please provide the following information:

  1. The city and prefecture you are placed in
  2. The name of your contracting organisation

Please be aware that National AJET will NOT be contacting your Contracting Organisation and all information regarding applications will be kept confidential. Though, it is advised you ask your CO for permission. Some positions may require participation in Opinion Exchanges and Tokyo Orientation – requiring travel to Tokyo. To avoid potential conflicts, it is advised you ask for permission before taking on this additional role.

Please send your applications to  and  with the subject “Platform Submission: Executive Council Election”. Applications open Thursday, February 14th and the deadline for applications is Sunday, March 31st, at 23:59 (JST).

! Please note – candidates must not begin campaigning until the voting period has begun. Negative campaigning against other candidates at any point in the process is grounds for disqualification!

If you have any questions about the application or voting process for the Executive Council positions, please feel free to email  and .

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BLOCK/ CIR REPRESENTATIVE POSITION APPLICATIONS

Under the AJET block system, Japan’s 47 prefectures are broken up into 11 blocks of 3-4 prefectures, each of which has an elected Block Representative. In addition, there’s an elected CIR Representative for the JETs working as Coordinators for International Relations.

AJET Representatives work to support their communities by representing the concerns of local JETs to the National AJET Council, fostering networks between them and planning great events!

Aspiring Block Representatives must live in one of the prefectures of within the block they are applying to represent. To find out what block you are in, please click here.

Click here to find out more about the roles.

How to apply

Please write us a 300 word “platform” telling us:

  1. Which position
  2. A little bit about yourself
  3. What motivates you to apply for this position
  4. What skills, experiences, and personal qualities make you a suitable candidate for the role

For more advice, click here to see examples of Block/CIR Representative Platforms.

We will also need:

  1. A recent photograph of yourself (this should be a clear photograph showing your face)
  2. A “fun” fact about yourself in one sentence.

Finally, to make sure you’re a current JET participant, we need you to tell us:

  1. The city and prefecture you are placed in
  2. The name of your contracting organisation

Please be aware that National AJET will NOT be contacting your Contracting Organisation and all information regarding applications will be kept confidential. Though, it is advised you ask your CO for permission. Some positions may be asked to participate in Opinion Exchanges and Tokyo Orientation, requiring travel to Tokyo. To avoid potential conflicts, it is advised you ask for permission before taking on this additional role.

Please send your applications to  and  with the subject “Platform Submission: Block/CIR Representative Election”. Applications open Thursday, February 14th and the deadline for applications is Sunday, March 31st, at 23:59 (JST).

! Please note – candidates must not begin campaigning until the voting period has begun. Negative campaigning against other candidates at any point in the process is grounds for disqualification!

If you have any questions about the Block/CIR Representative positions, or about the application or voting process, please feel free to email  and .

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APPOINTED POSITION APPLICATIONS

In addition to the elected representatives on the AJET National Council, there are also a number of council members who are appointed by the current council.

JETs who work in these positions carry out specialist roles, such as website management, communications, or community relations, in order to support the work of the AJET Council.

Appointed positions on the AJET National Council currently include:

Applications open Thursday, February 14th and the deadline for applications is Sunday, March 31st, at 23:59 (JST). Applications should be sent to  and .  Applications will then be evaluated by the outgoing executive council and the current holder of the appointed position.

How to apply
Please provide one half to one full A4 page giving information on qualifications, professional experience and personal qualities relevant to the position for which you are applying. Please see Platform Examples for more advice.

Finally, to ensure you’re a current JET participant, please provide us with the following information:

  1. The city and prefecture you are placed in
  2. The name of your contracting organisation

Please be aware that National AJET will NOT be contacting your Contracting Organisation and all information regarding applications will be kept confidential. Though, it is advised you ask your CO for permission. Some positions may be asked to participate in Opinion Exchanges and Tokyo Orientation, requiring travel to Tokyo. To avoid potential conflicts, it is advised you ask for permission before taking on this additional role.

If you have any questions about the Appointed Positions, or about the application process, please feel free to email  and .

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Any inquiries?
Please send an email to .

Quick Election Links
Main Election Page
Election Rules
Elected Positions
Appointed Positions
Application Rules and Guidelines
Advice for Candidates
Platform Examples

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As May dawns, we’re now well into springtime in Japan. The cherry blossoms might be fading, but you can relive those petal-filled moments by reading the stories of ALTs experiencing their first hanami across the country, or attending unique festivals ranging from big and famous to small and local. Another article reminds us that sakura aren’t the only beautiful seasonal flowers worth checking out. Apart from the beautiful nature of the season, spring is the perfect time to reinvigorate your hobbies. We also have articles on moviegoing, street fashion, and cooking, as well as writeups on returning to old JET placements and some insights into the LGBTQ experience in Japan. There’s all this and more in the newest issue of Connect. Enjoy!

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