Frequently Asked Questions

Fukuoka is the northernmost prefecture of Kyushu, the southern island of Japan. In Japanese, Fukuoka Prefecture is 福岡県 (fukuoka-ken). The largest city in the prefecutre – and all of Kyushu – is Fukuoka City 福岡市 (fukuoka-shi). It is the hub of the region and is bustling with young people and things to do. The second largest city is Kitakyushu City 北九州市 (kitakyūshū-shi) on the Northern tip of the island. Other big cities include Kurume 久留米市 (kurume-shi), Iizuka 飯塚市 (iizuka-shi), and Omuta 大牟田市 (ōmuta-shi).

Fukuoka Prefecture contains a wide range of attractions from beautiful, tranquill inaka towns to big, bright, and bustling cities. Fukuoka has mountains, beaches, and shrines galore. There are plenty of opportunities to pick your own fresh fruit, partake in one of many local festivals, and learn about the rich cultural history of your area. Also, larger cities have popular downtown areas with a staggering number of shops, an exciting nightlife, and an ever-expanding repertoire of delicious cuisine.

Fukuoka is bordered by three other prefectures: Saga, Kumamoto, and Oita. It is also a ride, drive, or walk to the main island of Japan, Honshu, through Shimonoseki City of Yamaguchi Prefecture. Fukuoka has a developed public transport system and plenty of opportunities to travel within the prefecture, to other parts of the country, and abroad.

You will be offered at least one of four housing options depending on your placement: prefectural teachers’ apartment (kyōshokuin jūtaku), prefectural employees’ apartment (kenshokuin jūtaku), a public corporation apartment (kōsha), or a privately owned apartment leased through the prefecture (minkan). Rent for both kinds of jūtaku housing and kōsha are relatively cheaper than privately owned apartments, but the exact costs, locations, and conditions of all are highly variable. For more information about your specific housing option, be sure to speak with your school/ office and predecessor – the person you’ll be replacing!

If you would prefer not to accept the offered housing options, you can arrange alternative housing yourself. Please note that your school or office is not required to help you beyond the initial options (they might provide some limited support if they want to go above-and-beyond, or they might not), so if you decide to look for a new apartment please be prepared to do this independently.

Understanding Japanese apartment sizes:

• L = Living ; D = Dining ; K = Kitchen area
• LD is usually one room, a living-dining room. K can either be in the same room or separated.
• A number represents the number of rooms in addition.
• All apartments will also have a small toilet room and a shower room. These are usually separate rooms.
• Most apartments will also have a balcony/veranda.

eg: 1LDK = An apartment with a living-dining room, kitchen area, and one other room (plus toilet room and shower room).

It is difficult to give a general answer about any one JET’s specific day-to-day work duties. This is because the JET Programme is responsible for hiring you, but once you are in Japan, each office or school (called Contracting Organization, or CO) has its own expectations and responsibilities. This is oversimplified, but does express the gist.

We have provided a rough idea of what you might expect at work, depending on your job type:

Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs)
If the Contracting Organization (CO) on your JET placement sheet ends in “-shi”, then you are most likely a Municipal ALT. If your placement ends in “-ken”, then you are likely a Prefectural ALT (Junior High or Senior High). Your CO may also be a specific school designation, or a “Kitakyushu City” designation.

Click here to read about ALTs in Fukuoka.

Coordinator for International Relations (CIRs)
Click here to read about CIRs in Fukuoka.

Since answers will vary dramatically for individual people, schools, and offices, the best way to get an idea of what your work conditions will be like is to connect with your predecessor.

The key point to remember is that Fukuoka is home to the sixth-largest city in Japan, so weekend shopping trips are relatively easy compared to some of the more rural placements in Japan. When packing electronics and/ or worrying about non-Japanese clothing sizes, you don’t have to pack for a remote mountain village.

That said, the region is very hot and humid in the summer and cold and dry in the winter. You can find out more through our page on Packing for JET.

Most JETs will arrive from Tokyo Orientation and be greeted by staff from your Contracting Organization at Fukuoka Airport. Your first day in Fukuoka may be tiring, as you will likely be taken to a school or office immediately. Wear a suit or business attire to your school and be prepared to say something nice to important people almost immediately after you get off the plane.

After visiting your school, you may be taken to create a personal stamp, open a bank account, register as a citizen at your ward/town office, and other errands.

From there, you should be taken to your apartment. Make sure to ask someone to show you how to use the hot water, shower, air conditioner (if you have one), stove, and other major appliances.

On another day, you will most likely receive your Letter of Appointment (辞令 jirei), otherwise known as your formal document announcing your employment in front of all your colleagues. Be prepared to do a more thorough self-introduction in front of staff at this time.

As an ALT arriving in August, your first week in Fukuoka will probably be spent in an quiet office, as students and many teachers will be on holiday. You should use this time to prepare lesson plans, make a self-introduction for your students, explore the school and get to know the coworkers who are present in the office.

Arriving in September will put you at the beginning of the Autumn Term, and arriving in April will put you at the beginning of the school year. You may have less free time in order to prepare lessons and jump straight into teaching classes, so it would help to have at least a rough self-introduction planned in advance.

As a CIR, your work is likely to begin immediately. The amount and nature of work you will be given depends on your office, so make sure you communicate with your predecessor if you have one to get a better idea of your responsibilities.

Just after summer arrivals, there is a Fukuoka-specific Orientation meeting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be held online through a series of videos created Fukuoka JETs. Usually, this is a full-day meeting in Fukuoka City, designed by JETs for JETs in order to give you a more detailed insight into your new life here in Fukuoka.

Most of your first month at home will be spent waiting for set-up to be completed. You should be prepared to spend some time without a phone or Internet in your home. This can be a challenging period! Prepare to pass the time by exploring your area or bringing books to read (Japanese textbooks are a great start!) and try to keep up your excitement, patience and energy until you’re finally settled in. In order to avoid a lack of internet, you could rent a Pocket Wi-Fi or buy a data only SIM card for your first month in Japan.

Many ALTs join the JET Programme with no formal experience in teaching and no knowledge of teaching theory. Being an assistant language teacher, you should never be expected to teach the principles of English grammar to your students alone. An ALT’s job is variable from situation to situation, and your skill in this position will grow over time as you better understand your role in your school.

The amount of responsibility an ALT holds in a classroom can range from chatting to students and helping them complete their activities to preparing lesson plans and work sheets, leading practical English classes, and helping the English department make tests. You may be expected to do any level of work within this range. The content of your lessons will vary by position, age group, and school, as will the length and number of classes and the skill level of your students.

Many ALTs have the consensus that it will take about four to six months to feel fully integrated into your job and comfortable in your abilities and roles as an ALT. If you work at the same school(s) regularly and are engaged with your students, it will also take about this long for the students to open up to you. It is natural to hit a few bumps along the way during the beginning of your time as an ALT, but give it a bit more time and those bumps can be flattened out with patience and practice.