If you’re thinking about teaching English in Japan, you should be looking into the JET Programme. Sithembiso is a South African currently living and teaching English in Japan. 2025 is his third year on the JET Programme. Here he tells us about his experience in this fascinating country.
Read more: What Is An Assistant Language Teacher In Japan?
My name is Sithembiso Nkosi from Mamelodi, Pretoria South Africa. I have a degree in Sport Science from the University of Pretoria as well a 120-hour TEFL certificate. On the JET Programme itself, I have 3 year’s of experience teaching at two senior high schools in Toyama Prefecture.Why the JET Programme?
I spent a month in Japan in 2018 at the University of Tsukuba, in Ibaraki, for a study abroad programme. On my last day in Japan at Ueno station I bumped into a fellow South African who was in the JET programme. He told me that joining the JET Programme was the best decision he had made in his life. From that conversation I was sold that I needed to apply upon to the programme at the conclusion of my Master’s degree.
First impressions of teaching in Japan
My first day of school was very interesting.
I met the principal of the school first and gave him omiyage, which is a gift from my own country. In this case the omiyage was Rooibos tea. I was then officially welcomed to the school at the assembly.
Japanese students are well behaved so I received a warm welcome. Then I was introduced to all the English teachers I would be working with at school. After that my supervisor ushered me away to get registered at city hall, get a bank account and sort out household utilities.
In Japan, unlike in South Africa, there are no janitors in schools. After 6th period every day the students, with the supervision of the homeroom teachers, clean up the classroom, staffrooms and bathrooms. This was the biggest culture shock for me.
Another surprise was how shy Japanese students are, when asked to answer questions in class. Japanese classes can really be a quiet place so that got some getting used to as I had to change the way I asked questions in my lessons.
Read more: What Is The Cost Of Living In Japan? We Asked Our Teachers
Life beyond the classroom
I am situated in a town northwest of Tokyo. On the bullet train it’s around two hours from Tokyo. My city is called Takaoka, which forms part of Toyama Prefecture. Takaoka is a mid -sized town with around a population of 170,000. Takaoka is a combination of a rural and urban settlement. As a foreigner you become quite popular in town as students notice you on the commute to school on the train and bus.
Overcoming the language barrier
I was fortunate in my first year on the JET Programme because my friend spoke Japanese so that made it quite simple going out to different restaurants on the weekend. This though also made me lazy to learn Japanese. In my first 18 months I used Google Translate to communicate, but since my friend left last year April I have been learning Japanese.
On Mondays I have online classes on Zoom then on Wednesdays I have classes in Toyama City. Additionally, every day I use a podcast to learn Japanese (Japanesepod101.com) and every Sunday I have a language exchange club with my friend when we practice English and Japanese for 2 hours.
The most important skill for me to learn is to speak Japanese in ways that I could be understood for everyday basic conversations in the workplace and outside school.
The challenges I have faced outside of work have been related to communication challenges I have faced when going to the supermarket. Another challenge has been asking for directions to a specific place from the train station – catching the wrong train!
Teaching on the JET Programme
I teach at two senior high schools, twith students 16 to 18 years old. The ability levels of the students is low. I teach several English subjects at the schools, such a:
- English Logic and Expression,
- English Communication,
- Conversational English,
- Global English, and
- Practical English.
I am a T1 teacher at my base school, which means I lead the classes. We work from the textbook or I create a lesson plan for the classes – I’d say it’s a 50-50 split. Over the last few years I have focussed on functional English lesson plans, like a dialogue between two people checking into a hotel, ordering food at a restaurant, shopping, or catching an international flight. I believe that these kind of lesson plans are beneficial for learners as they are used in everyday English.
My schools provide me with resources such as textbooks and a computer to create lesson plans, and I have the freedom to create my own lesson plans.
The teaching skills I have developed whilst being on JET include cross cultural communication, adaptability in lesson planning and execution, team teaching with a Japanese counterpart, lesson planning using fun and interactive methods, classroom management, and curriculum design.
Read more: What Is An Assistant Language Teacher In Japan?
Cultural exchange and growth
In the first week of school, I gave a presentation to the students about who I am, where I come from and my culture. I mentioned to them that in South Africa there are 11 official languages and that I can speak four of them. Furthermore, I brought realia and money from South Africa for the students to see.
I presented at a local cultural festival called JET Festival where I had a South African booth with a flag, some photos of popular tourist destinations to go to in South Africa, and rooibos tea. I did a PowerPoint presentation at the annual Talking Salon where foreigners present to the locals of Takaoka.
To learn about Japanese culture, I’ve been to Japanese festivals and done lesson plans on Japanese etiquette which has helped me understand Japanese traditions and culture.
Highlights and challenges
There are too many to mention! Being on the JET Programme has allowed to me to travel, both in Japan and internationally.
I went to the Sapporo snow festival in Hokkaido, which was an amazing experience. I travelled internationally to the USA for the FIFA World Cup in June 2025 and to South Korea in August for a short vacation to Seoul.
I’ve made friends with several Japanese and foreigners and twice a month we play football together, which is great. In addition, I look forward to every Sunday when we have a language exchange club. We then go to a different family restaurant and have a cultural exchange whilst eating lunch.
The hardest part of my job has been to create lesson plans that are appropriate for the students – plans that are not too difficult for the students and not too easy either. These lesson plans need to be fun, engaging and relevant to things that the students like and are interested in.
That’s probably the most difficult part of my job: creating fun and engaging lesson plans for the students.
Furthermore, job growth is a drawback of the programme because you can only ever be an Assistant Language Teacher. And there’s no additional revenue that you can earn on JET in the form of a bonus or a 13th cheque. This is why the JET Programme is particularly suited to new teachers who are looking to get teaching experience under their belt.
Teaching overseas teaches you to be resilient, one bad day or week shouldn’t overcloud an amazing teaching experience abroad, so when challenges arise I don’t allow then to worry me for too long.
Where to now?
As a result of my experience of working in the JET Programme I aspire to coach soccer and work in ESL globally.
I have earmarked countries such as Spain, France, Portugal, Argentina and Brazil in which to teach ESL and to learn about youth football from these countries.
As for JET, I have two years remaining on my contract to complete my five years on the JET programme. I will then immediately apply to Spain for the Conversaspain programme to become a Language Assistant.
Read more: How To Successfully Apply To The JET Programme
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