A chance to identify your real strengths

A British-Japanese team is preparing an initiative that is designed to offer English speakers from many countries -- including former and current CIRs and ALTs on JET -- a chance to explore their true potential and to find jobs at companies operating internationally. The team is currently planning a pilot version of the initiative in order to gauge its appeal to potential sponsors, and the purpose of this questionnaire is to gather information that can be used in preparing the pilot.

You would be a member of a group of trainees based about 90 minutes from Tokyo. You would not be trained on the premises of a specific company but instead would tackle diverse study objectives in a variety of locations, and also contribute to the local community through your work. By tracking a continuous assessment of your performance by fellow participants, by trainers, by administrators and by members of the local community, potential employers would be able to monitor your progress and consider your potential.

As the sponsors would include well-known Japanese companies, one special objective would be to gauge and enhance your understanding of cultural attributes that are widely regarded as important in Japan. Target sponsors already employ English speakers, but in many cases they are eager to identify new people with a firm grasp of Japanese cultural expectations.

In addition to learning and adapting, your aptitude for teaching and leading would also be assessed. Along the way you'd have a chance to foster skills that potential employers see as essential to their future success -- and you'd be gaining insights that would serve you well in any career in the global arena. You might even have a chance to pay off some student debt!

If you are interested, or know someone else who might be, please take a few moments to fill in the questionnaire or send them the link. It is important for this initiative to appeal to sponsors and participants alike, and you can help to make that happen by completing this questionnaire. Thank you very much!

NOTE: While most of the questions require an answer, all personal details are optional. However, any personal details you can provide would help potential sponsors to form a clearer mental picture of potential participants -- and an e-mail address would make it possible to contact you directly. Your personal details will not be passed on to third parties or used for any purpose other than planning this initiative.

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1. Personal details (all optional)

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2. What languages do you speak?

  Native speaker Fluent Basic No
English
Japanese

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3. What do you see as your ideal job?

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4. What university degree or degrees have you completed, and in what department(s)?

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5. If you could take a degree in a completely different subject, what would it be?

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6. Do you have any student loans to repay? (Assume 1,000 USD = 600 GBP = 750 EURO = 100,000 YEN)

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7. What would be your minimum monthly subsistence wage in yen?
Assume no rent, no utility payments, no transport costs (including round-trip airfare to Japan), no medical or other insurance payments.

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8. How long would you be willing to devote to this training?

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9. At the end of the course, any of the following might happen. Which would you accept?
(Choose as many as you like.)

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10. Which of the following areas interest you?

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11. Given a clear objective in each case, would you enjoy the following?

  Definitely Probably Not sure No
Work experience (farm, shop, craft workshop)
Regional consulting (craft design, tourism, community development)
Business workshops (start-up basics, leadership, business development)
Hands-on experiences (making plastic food, getting massage, doing calligraphy)
Workshops on traditional culture (tea ceremony, religion, walking tours)
Accessibility workshops (mobility, hearing, sight)
Community service (trash collection, meal delivery, kindergarten English)
Facility tours (sponsor offices, community facilities, factories)
Science and technology seminars (with leading scientists, engineers, designers)
Socialising with sponsor employees (coffee, meals, sports)

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12. What other information would you like to receive before deciding whether or not to apply to take part in this initiative?

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13. Would you be willing to participate in a pilot initiative for 7-10 days with no financial support?

T