JAPAN

Japan does not have an official Au Pair Program.  The progam is recognised as a "Japan Holiday Work Holiday Visa".  Japan who currently has arrangements with Australia, New Zealand, Canada, france, Korea, Germay and the United Kingdom.(UK)

To be eligible for the "Working Holiday Visa" you should be from one of the above countries and currently residing in your country of citizenship.

JET Program

An excellant opportunity for graduates to teach English for up to 3 years in Japan is to participate in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, which is operated by local authorities in so-operation with the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Tele-communications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, and the Council of local Authorities for International Affairs (CLAIR).  The JET Program was established in 1987 with the purpose of promoting internationalisation in Japan's local communities by help to improve foreign language education and developing international excchange at the community level.  The number of JET participants who are currently working in Japan is over 6,100, and the number of ex-JET participants from approximately 50 countries totals well over 40,000.

Anyone interested in obtaining further information on this program should consult the following website www.jetprogramme.org or jet@embip.ie.  Application materials for 2006 JET Program will be available from Japan Embassy or Consulate from September 2005, and the successful applicants will depart for Japan in July 2006.

INTERAC

This is a private company call INTERAC which places Assistant Language Teachers in Elementary and Junior High schools in various locations throughout Japan.

For mor information on this programme visit http://www.interac.co.jp.recruit/cgi-bin/indx.cgi/welcome/home.html to look up the company.