May 18

Job: Program Manager – Penn Abroad, University of Pennsylvania (PA)

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Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Program Manager
Posted by: Penn Abroad, University of Pennsylvania
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Type: full-time

Job Duties:

The Penn Abroad Program Manager administers Penn-approved undergraduate study abroad programs for an assigned portfolio. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: advising undergraduate students interested in studying abroad, application management, coordinating participant selection, collaborating with relevant academic and administrative offices both on-campus and abroad, preparing budget sheets, initiating student account billing and adjustments, Read More

May 16

JET alum launches publishing site and contest that pays you for your short stories

Contest, LifeAfterJET, Writers Comments Off on JET alum launches publishing site and contest that pays you for your short stories

Have a short story? Upload it to www.fictionarcade.com to earn royalties and the chance of winning a chunk of the nearly $10,000 award pool between May and December!

Alan Shelton (Ibaraki-ken, 2000-03) is an Australia-based translator and former CLAIR Tokyo employee.  But more importantly, he has, along with a few other folks including JET alums, created FictionArcade.com, a pioneering new online publishing site geared specifically to short stories.  And he’s encouraging JETs and JET alumni to contribute their short stories as a way to earn money for their writing.  Read on for more info and to hear Alan’s story.

I trained to be a writer. Japanese was just a class I chose to fill out my first semester schedule. Now, fourteen years later, Japanese is my bread and butter and writing is just a hobby. Feel free to insert your cliché of choice about the unexpected nature of life.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I enjoy translation. It pays well; the work is steady; and I get to work at home in my underwear. What’s not to love?

Okay, I used to complain, but my wife eventually called my bluff. “If you want to be a writer, go for it. Take a break from translation, write some stuff and try to sell it.”

“It’s not that simple,” I would whinge. “Nobody buys short stories. That’s what I write, and it doesn’t pay. You give them away for free on the Internet. Maybe if its a long short story you can get it up on Amazon for 99 cents, but no one’s going to pay a buck for six pages.”

“So sell it for 20 cents,” she said.

“There are no websites that sell stories for less than a dollar,” I retorted.

And then I had a eureka moment. I would build that website. I had to build that website. Heck, the movie montage music was already playing in my mind where a team of tireless programmers were working round the clock, overcoming obstacle after obstacle until that moment when my lead programmer – who would bear a striking resemblance to Mark Zuckerberg – leans back in his chair and says, “Alan, it’s finally done.”

Of course, in reality there are no training montages, and my lead IT guy looks more like Steve Jobs, but the site is done, and it’s called Fiction Arcade. I want it to be an oasis in a digital desert for paid short fiction. I want all those time-crunched, former JETs who pay the bills with translation and interpretation but who harbor a frustrated writer inside to discover it and say, “Watch out world. A new literary flower is about to bloom!”

Here’s how Fiction Arcade works. Anyone can upload a short story for free. The author sets the price between one and four tokens (which is equivalent to between 20 and 80 cents). Readers get to preview the first half of the story for free. If they want to read the rest, they purchase tokens and then spend them to download the story.

In an age of ubiquitous social media, good stories get noticed, they get talked about and they get purchased. A dynamite 20 cent story can get hundreds or thousands of downloads. This adds up to serious money and a fan base – a fan base that will be more than happy to download the author’s next offering. It may seem counterintuitive at first, but a good, cheap short story has the potential to earn more than a higher-priced novel. And even if it doesn’t, a writer can knock out a polished short story in a few days and then let it accrue money for her over the span of months or years.

Of course, if Fiction Arcade’s virtual shelves are bare, readers aren’t going to be terribly interested. Which is why Fiction Arcade is running a series of big money story contests between now and December in order to fill those shelves. Each month the overall top author according to reader downloads and ratings will get $250 dollars on top of what their stories earned. Also, the top author in the genre of the month – sci-fi in May – will get $250. In December, the top three authors overall between May and December will get $1,750, $1,250 and $750, respectively. And in each genre, the top author will win $250.

If you’ve ever thought about writing or already have some short stories lying around, now is the time to do something about it. You have nothing to lose and only money, fame and the adulation of the crowd to gain. Come check it out at www.fictionarcade.com or find us on Facebook!

May 16

Job: Homestay Accommodation Coordinator/Student Services Counselor, EC San Francisco Language Center (CA)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Homestay Accommodation Coordinator/Student Services Counselor, EC San Francisco Language Center (CA)

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Homestay Accommodation Coordinator/Student Services Counselor
Posted by: EC San Francisco Language Center
Location: San Francisco, CA
Type: full-time

Overview:

EC San Francisco is one of 18 schools in five countries that are part of EC English, a dynamic, innovative and fast growing group of Intensive English Programs. Read More

May 16

Job: Study Abroad Advisor, University of Vermont (VT)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Study Abroad Advisor, University of Vermont (VT)

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Study Abroad Advisor
Posted by: University of Vermont
Location: Burlington, VT
Type: full-time (11-month contract)

Overview:

The University of Vermont seeks a talented study abroad advisor to join our team. Reporting to the assistant director for study abroad in the Office of International Education, the study abroad advisor has the following general responsibilities: Advise UVM students about study, internship and service-learning opportunities abroad; serve as primary point of contact for students navigating university and government processes related to preparing for study abroad; organize and facilitate events and programs, liaise with campus and off-site partners; and maintain administrative records. Read More

May 16

Job: MUDEC Program Coordinator, Miami University European Center (Oxford, OH)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: MUDEC Program Coordinator, Miami University European Center (Oxford, OH)

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: Program Coordinator 
Posted by: Miami University Dolibois European Center
Location: Oxford, OH
Type: full-time
Salary range: $48,000 – $52,000

Overview:

In the Office of Global Initiatives, the Program Coordinator for the Miami University Dolibois Education Center (MUDEC) is the lead Oxford based staff member and liaison to the Luxembourg campus of Miami University. The Coordinator manages the activities of the program and works closely with the Luxembourg faculty and administrative staff.  Read More

May 15

AJET Professional Development Call with JET alum Anthony Bianchi

Audio, Career Update, Celebrity, Interview/Profile, Japan Local, LifeAfterJET, Local Government, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on AJET Professional Development Call with JET alum Anthony Bianchi

Via the AJET website:

On May 7th, we held our fourth AJET Professional Development Conference Call. Our guest speaker was former JET, Mr. Anthony Bianchi (Aichi-ken, Kiyosu City, 1989-91) who now serves as a city council council member in Inuyama City, Aichi prefecture. Mr. Bianchi is often highlighted in the Japanese media and is well-known for being the first American-born elected official in Japan. Click here to read a short interview with him on AJET.net.

Anthony Bianchi (Aichi-ken, 1989-91)

Mr. Bianchi discussed the inner workings of his current position, various initiatives to improve English and international communication in his community and how JETs can potentially get involved with local politics in their communities.

Click here to listen to the recording of the call on the AJET website:  http://ajet.net/2014/05/13/professional-development-call-anthony-bianchi/

May 14

Job: Asst Dir, Teaching In English Program – Montclair State University (Montclair, NJ)

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Position: Assistant Director
Posted by: Teaching In English Program – Montclair State University
Location: Montclair, NJ
Type: full-time
Salary: $60,000-70,000
Start Date: August 1, 2014
Apply by: June 1, 2014

Overview:

The Marketing and Program Coordinator of the Teaching in English Program (TIE) is responsible for promoting and marketing the program to overseas academic institutions.  TIE is an intensive training program offered by Montclair State University overseas and on the university campus.  Taught by MSU faculty members, the program is designed to strengthen academic English proficiency for international university instructors.  Read More

May 14

Job: International Student Advisor, Syracuse University (NY)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: International Student Advisor, Syracuse University (NY)

Via JET alum Carleen Ben.  Posted by Jayme Tsutsuse (Kyoto-fu, 2013-Present), organizer of Cross-Cultural Kansai.  Click here to join the JETwit Jobs Google Group and receive job listings even sooner by email.

Position: International Student Advisor
Posted by: Syracuse University
Location: Syracuse, NY
Type: full-time

Overview:

Advising students and facilitating the monitoring of institutional compliance with federal regulations of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State. Creation of immigration documents for F, J, and other visa statuses. Advising, counseling and educating students on topics related to their sojourn in the United States, including immigration, employment, travel, personal, financial and social concerns. This adviser plans and coordinates orientation programs for students; cross-cultural training across campus; electronic communications, including both an electronic newsletter and website. Serves as Designated School Official for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Alternate Responsible Office for U.S. Department of State. Read More

May 14

【RocketNews24】Kawasaki donut shop goes beyond cat sweets with cute alpacas, penguins, and killer whales

Article/Journalism, Writers donuts, doughnuts, Kawasaki, RocketNews24 Comments Off on 【RocketNews24】Kawasaki donut shop goes beyond cat sweets with cute alpacas, penguins, and killer whales

Posted by Michelle Lynn Dinh (Shimane-ken, Chibu-mura, 2010–13), editor and writer for RocketNews24. The following article was written by Casey Baseel, a writer and translator for RocketNews24, a Japan-based site dedicated to bringing fun and quirky news from Asia to English speaking audiences.

If we’re speaking honestly, we don’t really need much of an added incentive to eat a donut. Really, a sweet, inexpensive indulgence that we can eat with our hands is pretty much a laser-guided strike on our willpower.

Still, we can usually muster enough self-control that we don’t plow through a half-dozen in one sitting. But when you take donuts’ numerous preexisting merits and add the visual appeal of shaping them like cats, penguins, alpacas, and even killer whales, that’s when we stop even trying to resist them.

Click here for more on these adorable donuts and to find out where you can get some.

May 14

DISCO International Japanese company Job Fair – Sat, June 14 (NYC)

Career Comments Off on DISCO International Japanese company Job Fair – Sat, June 14 (NYC)

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Overview: 

JET Alumni– Companies Are Seeking You at an Upcoming Career Forum Hiring Event

Want to put your experience in Japan to work and use your Japanese language skills right here in the U.S.? Register now for the first ever Career Forum for working professionals featuring domestically-situated companies and positions. Participating companies are specifically seeking highly-qualified Japanese/English-speaking candidates ready to work throughout the U.S. Take advantage of this ground-breaking event and don’t miss a beat in finding exciting employment opportunities tailor-made to your skills and experience. Read More

May 14

Job: Admin Asst, Econ Section at Embassy of Japan (DC)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Admin Asst, Econ Section at Embassy of Japan (DC)

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Overview: 

The Embassy of Japan is seeking an individual for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Economic Section. The Embassy offers group health insurance coverage, paid vacation, and sick leave. Salary is commensurate with experience.  Work hours are Monday through  Friday 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Read More

May 14

Job: Program Associate, Corporate Programs at Japan Society (NYC)

Jobs Comments Off on Job: Program Associate, Corporate Programs at Japan Society (NYC)

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Overview: 

The Program Associate will work with the Corporate Program Officer on managing logistical and administrative aspects of approximately three programs per month. He/she will also assist in program execution, future program planning, research, program outreach activities, and interact with leaders and distinguished speakers in the academic and business community, as well as thousands of Corporate Members. Read More

May 14

TOMODACHI 2014 Emerging Leaders Program Info – Apply Now

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Overview: 

Deadline: June 15!

The U.S.-Japan Council’s TOMODACHI Emerging Leaders Program invites a select group of young Japanese American professionals from across the country to participate in a leadership orientation program and attend the U.S.-Japan Council’s Annual Conference and Annual Members Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. Selected applicants will receive transportation, hotel accommodations and complimentary Conference registration. Read More

May 14

WIT Life #269: Japan Day @ Central Park

Events, Music, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #269: Japan Day @ Central Park

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

Japan Day @ Central Park celebrated its 8th year this past Sunday, and 50,000 attendees came out on this warm, beautiful day.  As it coincided with Mother’s Day, many families enjoyed the events together.  In addition to the free food and culture booths, an assortment of performances were featured on the main stage.  There was some stellar taiko drumming and an interesting Matrix-like duo, but many in the crowd were waiting excitedly for the crooner Jero, who I wrote about and got to interview when he came to Japan Society two years ago.

This Pittsburgh native began his career singing enka (Japanese traditional ballads) as a youngster with his Japanese grandmother, and his official career started in Japan six years ago.  Jero treated the audience to his debut single 海雪 (Umiyuki or Ocean Snow) as well as Read More

May 13

JETs in the News: Matt Cook featured in hometown paper

Interview/Profile, JETs in the News, LifeAfterJET, Local Government, Notable JET Alums, Return on JET-vestment Comments Off on JETs in the News: Matt Cook featured in hometown paper

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Very nice article on JET alum and former AJET Chair Matthew Cook (Osaka-fu, 2007-12) that recently appeared in the newspaper of Matt’s hometown, Danville, Virginia and describes his path from the JET Program to becoming a key player in Osaka’s pioneering English education reform efforts.

Danville man appointed to Japanese board of education

By DENICE THIBODEAU
dthibodeau@registerbee.com
Thibodeau reports for the Danville Register & Bee.
May 10, 2014

When Danville native Matthew Cook headed to Osaka, Japan, in 2007 to take a job as an education specialist and trainer in the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, little did he realize he would end up working for a Japanese government agency to completely reform how English is taught in the city.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article:  http://m.godanriver.com/news/danville/danville-man-appointed-to-japanese-board-of-education/article_1b9620f2-d972-11e3-8adc-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm#.U3A0DN98uYw.facebook