Home / Main / P Aintro
What is the PA system?
It's a group of people within the prefecture who are here to help get information and advice to our JETs, provide counseling where necessary, and organise and run the Arrival Orientation for new JETs, the Mid-year seminar for ALTs and the regional ALT meetings that we hold twice a year in September and April. We are also responsible for having a disaster implementation plan in place should the worst happen. Fun stuff!
Every prefecture has a similar system set up to support JETs all across Japan. We receive special training twice a year to help us help you.
What does PA stand for?
Although various alternatives have been suggested, it's Prefectural Advisor.
Who are the PAs?
The JET PA is Tiffany Dyer. The Japanese PAs are Fukuzawa sensei at the General Education Centre (GEC) and Sakai sensei from the International Affairs & Japan Sea Region Policy Division. Fukuzawa sensei looks after prefectural JET business and Sakai sensei is responsible for the CIRs, private ALT and Junior High School ALT business. Tiffany is the main contact for JETs while Fukuzawa-sensei and Sakai-sensei handle business from the Japanese end of things. We are also supported by the GEC ALT, Alison Bruni.
What can the PA system do for me?
At no point during your time in Japan should you feel like you have nowhere to turn; like a problem is too big for you to handle and cannot be solved. Basically, this is why the PA system has been set in place. We are here to support you and provide you with important information during your time on the JET Programme. However, while the PAs are here to help you with various issues, we are not here to hold your hand. We aren't an information service and need you to take the responsibility of trying to solve a problem or find information yourself before contacting us. You have a lot of information available to you already. There is the General Handbook from JET, your Insurance Policy Handbook (which I encourage you to read!) and also the Toyama Handbook which you can download or browse online (see the Guides and Info section of the website). If you have an issue or question, talk to your supervisor and other people at your school/work first; they are the most knowledgeable people for issues which are specific to your school or region.
Tiffany, the JET PA, can offer counseling services if you ever need them. She is not a professional counselor but has been trained as a peer counselor by professionals through CLAIR. Everything you tell her will be treated in complete confidence and she can offer lots of information regarding your health and well-being whilst in Japan. Please, feel free to call anytime you need to talk! If you don't want to talk to the JET PA for any reason, there are a variety of other places you can receive counseling and advice. See the link from the main PA page or your General Information Handbook for a list of contact numbers.
Due to the way that Japanese schools/employers are set up, there is a limited amount we can do when it comes to contract matters unless your contracting organisation (CO) is in breach of your contract. The most common, and difficult matters have to do with taking paid leave and sick leave. We can, however offer a mediation service between you and your CO if communication breaks down.
Who are the Regional Reps and what do they do?
There are four regional reps in Toyama. Their job is to be your first contact for region-specific questions, minor contractual or work-related issues which your supervisor can't answer for some reason, issues pertaining to living as a foreigner in Japan (for example, questions about taxes, about pension refunds, traveling, travel insurance, etc), and sometimes just to lend a friendly ear when you need it. They are also valuable sources of information and can offer you practical advice based on their own experiences. Additionally, the reps assist the PAs in coordinating and carrying out the various meetings which are held throughout the year. The regional reps for the JET year of 2010-2011 are: Nicole Meanor (Takaoka), Van Tran (Toyama), Marissa Takazawa (Niikawa), and Kieran Murphy (Tonami).