TJET Committee

What is TJET?

In 2014-2015 the Japanese government and CLAIR, in order to boost English proficiency in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, implemented a rapid expansion of the JET program in Tokyo with the mass settlement of over 350 JET participants (up from a mere 10 JETs in 2013).

To combat growing pains and to create a network of support for Tokyo JETs who face fundamentally different challenges than their friends in other prefectures, 2014 Tokyo JETs partnered with the Tokyo Board of Education to create the Tokyo JET (TJET) Committee in spring of 2015. Since then the committee has expanded to include the private school JETs.

The TJET Committee is comprised completely of volunteers and aims to enrich the lives of all fellow Tokyo JETs by helping them stay informed and connected to both the JET and greater Tokyo communities.

Among other things, the committee supports orientation and settlement efforts for new JETS, organizes professional development opportunities, plans social events, and manages the website.

Current Contact Information

Updated February 2nd, 2025
Contact the TJET Committee through Facebook or our collective email: tjetcommittee@gmail.com

Committees You Can Join

T-JET is looking for volunteers!

As 2025 begins, T-JET is changing and looking for volunteers who are planning to recontract through 2026 to help run T-JET events and initiatives.

Anyone who would like to get involved is welcome to join T-JET. “Joining” mostly just means being part of our LINE group chat and contributing to meetings once every month or two. Beyond that, you can choose how much to participate.

Please contact the TJET Email (tjetcommittee@gmail.com) if interested.

Current Executive Committee Heads

The T-JET Executive Committee is a group of volunteered JETS to address issues of concern and organize JET events and activities. The Executive Committee is here to help, so feel free to approach them with any concerns!

TJET Committee Members	Bio
	President: Jonathan Romaniuk Sworn: 2025 BIO IN PROGRESS President’s responsibilities: • facilitating Executive Committee meetings and meeting minutes (typically monthly) • assisting the Tokyo PAs in making announcements and sharing information within the JET community • overseeing Committee Chairs and their committees’ progress with projects • serve as the tie-breaking vote in the event of any major decisions made by the Executive Committee Please contact via: tjetcommittee@gmail.com
	Mentorship Chair: Christine Davis Sworn: 2025 Hi! ꒰✩'ω`✩꒱◞ I'm Christine, a first year CIR at the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. I came to Japan from the UK in August 2024. As a CIR I am involved in organising orientation and training for public school JETs as well as translating and interpreting. My hobbies include journalling, bouldering and photography. This February I took over the role of Mentorship Chair, making me responsible for organising the Mentorship Program which typically runs from around September-March. In this program experienced JETs are paired with new JETs to help them adjust to life in Tokyo and foster a supportive community. Mentors must have at least one year of experience. Both public and private school JETs can get involved. Please keep an eye out for when applications for the Mentorship Programme start this year! I'm in the Tokyo JET Discord and Line group chat so if you have any questions or just want to chat feel free to send me a message~! Mentorship Chair’s responsibilities: • running the T-JET Mentorship Program • organizing T-JET Mentorship meet-ups • planning and sending e-blasts to the mentorship participants Please contact via: tjetcommittee@gmail.com
	Social Media Chair: N/A Sworn: N/A This position is currently unoccupied. Social Media Chair’s responsibilities: • attend monthly TJET Executive Committee meetings • organize and preside over regular Social Committee meetings • attract new members to the Social Committee, hold annual open meeting for prospective members • oversee Social Committee subcommittee operations • attending all major events and attending at least 33% of smaller events Please contact via: tjetcommittee@gmail.com
	Information Chair: Temporary Position - Avery Devlin Sworn: 2025 Hi there! I'm Avery, a 2nd year public school JET in Shibuya-ku and I'm from the Coachella Valley, California USA! You might see me around on the Tokyo JET Discord! I'll be leaving JET this year in July, so until then, I'll be updating this wiki and streamlining the digital presence of TJET. If you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, please feel free to send an email to our TJET email or message me on the Tokyo JET Discord. Information Chair’s responsibilities: • attend monthly TJET Executive Committee meetings • organize and preside over regular Information Committee meetings • attract new members to the Information Committee, hold annual open meeting for prospective members • oversee Information Committee subcommittee operations • moderate the Wikia • share the duties of updating the Wikia with important information, rotating main page content, and adding creative content with the subcommittee • communicate and coordinate information with PAs • assist with the posting of updates to social media outlets while transitioning to a wikia-based transmission system Please contact via: tjetcommittee@gmail.com
	Social Chair: N/A Sworn: N/A This position is currently unoccupied. Social Chair’s responsibilities: • organizing of T-JET events and meet-ups • sharing social intra-JET events • sharing community events from outside T-JET Please contact via: tjetcommittee@gmail.com
	Professional Development Chair: Jessica Bessner Sworn: 2025 Hello, I’m Jessica Bessner, a fourth-year ALT at a public high school in Nakano-ku. I’ve been teaching at my current school since December 2021. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, I hold a CELTA certification and have over seven years of experience in English language education. Before JET, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine for over two years, where I taught and supported local community education projects. I’m excited to take on the role of Professional Development Chair for Tokyo JETs this year. In this position, I aim to: Support ALTs in building classroom confidence Share information about training opportunities and events around Tokyo Contribute to the development of a collaborative lesson resource bank Outside of work, I enjoy hiking around Japan and discovering new cafes in Tokyo. I live in Nerima-ku with my partner and our two cats. Feel free to connect with me via the Tokyo JET Discord or LINE group. Professional Development Chair’s responsibilities: • attend monthly TJET Executive Committee meetings • organize and preside over regular PDC meetings • attract new members to the PDC, hold annual open meeting for prospective members • oversee PDC subcommittee operations • evaluate programming run by the PDC • maintain historical documentation of PDC programming for future reference • attend events organized by the PDC (i.e. Orientation, PD) Please contact via: tjetcommittee@gmail.com
	Feel free to contact any of us as you need!

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