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In the previous blog of this series, you've learned the result of my application. Now, I will be sharing with you what happened during the Third Stage.
Well, literally nothing much! Haha. This is because during this stage we only need to submit the additional requirements the program asked for:
- Reply Form (recent passport size picture attached) - if we will be accepting the position being offered to us (either as a final short-list ALT candidate or Alternate) or not.
- Passport Copy
- Certificate of Health
- JET Accident Insurance Form
- NBI Clearance
The first two had to be submitted earlier than the other three. The deadline was April 14, 2023. But, I think most of us submitted the Reply form and Passport Copy way before the deadline. Haha. Also, we were asked to send digital and physical copies of these two. CoE, Insurance, and NBI Clearance's deadline for Submission is on May 31, 2023. So, we still have ample time to accomplish them.
Sir JC took the lead in creating the Messenger Group Chat for JET PH 2023. At first, we were only 35 in the group. Now, on May 3rd, we are already 46 in the group. The first Three (3) upgrades were added on April 11th which is pretty fast because it was just more than a week from when we got our acceptance e-mail from JET. Then, while Abby Sensei and I are talking to Carl Sensei of Carl Benson Vlogs on Tiktok, we met two more final short-listed JETs who didn't know that there is a GC for short-listed participants. haha We weren't sure if there were more because they have not contacted Sir JC yet so they can be added. If there are, we will probably know them later on once we are asked to go to the embassy for other matters. We learned that there were also around 35 people in the JET PH 2023 Alternates GC.
On the night of April 2nd, we had our first batch Kumustahan Zoom Session. Not all of us are present for some have other appointments scheduled, but they promised to join us the next time we have another Zoom Virtual Kumustahan. Each of us shared our experiences in applying and the preparation we had to do in order to get short-listed. Some of us are second-time applicants. What's surprising is that many are first-time applicants (I, included) and one is even a kawaii fresh graduate (sugooiiii!). Most of the short-listed candidates are teachers or do have a teaching background (ESL) or qualification (TESOL) if not (because there are some who weren't! Don't lose hope!). Some of those who are not teachers but have teaching backgrounds are accountants, psychologists, and virtual assistants to name a few.
A number of the candidates also had something related to Japan. I was surprised to hear that like me, some of them worked for a Japanese company and some were referred by a Japanese boss or professor. This is one of the reasons why I kept thanking Sir Toru for agreeing to write me a recommendation letter. I really think working for Let's Talk Inc and Mukogawa and being recommended by Sir Toru are some of the biggest factors why I was chosen as an ALT candidate for Batch 2023. Since I will be working with Japanese kids and teachers, my experience as a remote overseas lecturer for the MWU - Skype Room will be a big help in fulfilling my role in the future. But I can also be wrong. haha. Because JET is very unpredictable like that.
On April 3rd, I submitted my Reply Form and passport copy via GRAB same-day delivery and sent the soft copy to the JET e-mail as instructed.
I had to get a new copy of my NBI Clearance because the forgetful me forgot where I kept the one that I got last November 2022. I booked an appointment for April 4th. Of course, I knew that I had to go back after two weeks. I was not wrong. The officer stamped that I had to go back on April 19th for its release.
On April 5th, I finally received Sir Toru's reply to my message. haha. He said that he missed my message and didn't know why he didn't see it when I sent it to him. He was so happy that I got accepted and he said we should meet in Japan when I get there. I plan to give him something special for omiyage, but I still haven't decided what to give. Maybe, I should ask Jae since she knew Sir Toru for quite some time.
On April 6th, I have an appointment with a dentist. My godmother/dentist was still in the USA on vacation so I cannot really go to her at the moment to have my teeth checked. I had minor oral surgery for one of my teeth. I will have to go back after a week to have it checked again. I am planning on having my Medical Exam to get my Certificate of Health filled out as well as get a Medical Certificate for DMW either in the last week of May or the first week of June.
Aside from accomplishing these forms, we are also waiting for the news of our placements and JET number which will be needed for the JET Accident Insurance Form. We are all very excited about this.
On April 16th, we had our second Zoom Virtual Kumustahan. Sir JC is still our facilitator. We got to know our newly added upgrades and talked about the batch jacket. Abby and Chris Sensei got to join us this time, too. Abby shared a lot of very informative and useful Japan-living hacks with us. She even made a checklist for us with annotations.
I woke up really early to have my lab tests done in a clinic around our neighborhood (ARDI Clinic in Pasig). I waited at Starbucks Mercedes until one o'clock in the afternoon and rode a motorbike to the hospital to have it checked by my doctor. I had to get another test done because the first chest x-ray saw suspicious densities in my left lung. Since the second x-ray result will be available the next day and the next clinic schedule of my doctor is Friday, I opted to get the result on April 28th instead. My doctor signed my Certificate of Health. So that's four out of five ticked from our list:
- ✅Reply Form - sent (soft/hard copies)
- ✅Passport Copy - sent (soft/hard copies)
- ✅Certificate of Health - hard copy on standby (sent soft copy)
- 🕗JET Accident Insurance Form - hard copy on standby (sent soft copy); still waiting for my JET number
- ✅NBI Clearance - hard copy on standby (sent soft copy)
Most of our days were spent waiting for our placement and JET number. lol. So while waiting, we continued on with our lives and made 'tambay' at our JET senpais' live sessions. Haha. Since Carl Sensei's very active to go on live, we've been watching his lives very often. It's fun to talk to him because he is very kind and very patient at answering questions from people who are interested in applying for the program this 2024 and of incoming JETs like us. haha. Joey Sensei also sometimes goes live, but I don't often come across it. T^T Jara Sensei promised to have a hangout session with us this golden week. I'm kind of shy though, and I hope I can already speak well (after my dental session haha) before May 4th.
That's it for now, I don't know what to write anymore. haha. I will tell you about my placement, visa application, and DMW medical experience for OEC in my next blog!
Toodles!~
