Started working at the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR)

August 2023

After two years of enrolment in the JET Programme as a CIR in Nara Prefecture, I applied for work at CLAIR, the main body administering the JET Programme, along with three Japanese Ministries (MIC, MOFA, and MEXT).

The move to Tōkyō from the suburb of Nara was a complete change in atmosphere, but I like the urban life.

I work in the Training and Counselling section. We manage yearly training for current JET Programme participants, conferences, and several grants related to Japanese learning or mental health counselling.

It has been a slow start with many new things to learn, but I am finally starting to feel confident in the role and improve where I can.

I have been learning a lot about Microsoft tools, not only the Office suite, but also SharePoint, Teams, Power Tools, and how they all integrated together. I never had the chance to work with these tools at that level prior to this experience, so I am grateful for this wonderful learning experience.

Additionally, I am indirectly learning about how to make work happen in a Japanese bureaucracy: the different processes of approval, budget review, competitive bidding, working with and establishing precedent, etc.

A big chunk of the work is tied to project management, which is both rewarding and beneficial for the rest of my career.

Here are some of the highlights of my time as a Programme Coordinator:

  • Managing a 3-day in-person training seminar with a budget of almost 7 million yen, leading a team of 15 people and coordinating 13 different lectures with more than 400 Coordinator for International Relations (CIR) attendees from all 47 Japanese prefectures.
  • Digitalising our JLPT grant application system, lowering the barrier of entry for eligible participants while reducing our paper footprint. Making full use of IT tools, I managed 500 applications in a fiscal year.
  • Compiling and managing an online database of more than 400 CIRs throughout Japan to help foster peer communication and support.
  • Introducing fully digital curriculums for training seminars, further reducing our paper footprint without compromising ease of use or design.
  • Spearheading the migration of our operations from a shared folder to SharePoint, allowing for file versioning, sharing of live files, and multiuser editing, contributing to a more seamless workflow.
  • Reorganising and filing hundreds of emails from our primary inbox, creating a clean environment and helping prevent the omission of important emails.
  • Redesigning and unifying our visual identity assets to adhere to our visual charter.
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