Prepping for the
Japanese Interview

Understanding How Your Japanese Check is Scored 

In order to better prepare for the Japanese Interview itself, it is important to understand how the Japanese Interview will be scored. 

1. The score-able part of the Japanese interview is broken into two main sections: 

   1. • • The "jikoshokai" or self-introduction phase 

        • and the follow-up questions and basic conversation
          
          

2. For the "jikoshokai", your score is affected by a number of factors such as: 

   1. • • Did you come into this well prepared? 

        • Do you have your self intro memorized? 

        • What was the level or quality, was it above or below average?

        • How many different points did you include in your "jikoshokai"? (4 or 5 are average, such as hometown, hobbies, interests, family, etc)
          
          

3. Each follow up question you are able to get through is worth 3 possible points 

   1. • • Can you understand the question?

        • Can you respond to the question?

        • Were you able to smoothly and appropriately answer the question?
          
          

4. The more questions you are able to answer, the higher the possible score you can achieve. 

Understanding the Progression in Question Difficulty 

Our Japanese Interview was designed based on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) system, which is an International standard for assessing language ability. 

1. Since the "jikoshokai"is something that can be prepared and memorized in advance, that covers the very basic A1 level.
   
   

2. All follow-up questions are designed to increase in difficulty from there to A2 to B1 and so on.
   
   

3. Some of the later questions may be simplistic in nature, but if your level does not match what we are looking for from the expected CEFR Level, then points may not be awarded in that case.
   
   

4. Those with no Japanese ability will be given a guide to help them create a basic "jikoshokai" structure and are expected to memorize it.

Helpful Vocabulary 

Here are some helpful Japanese vocabulary and phrases for doing a Japanese self-introduction, or Jikoshokai (自己紹介 - じこしょうかい): 

Basic Phrases You May Encounter in Your Japanese Check 

• こんにちは
  konnichiwa
  Hello
  
  

• おはようございます
  ohayougozaimasu
  Good morning
  
  

• こんばんは
  konnbannwa
  Good evening
  
  

• わたしのなまえは [your name] です
  watashi no namae wa [your name] desu
  My name is [your name]
  
  

• [Country] からきました
  [Country] kara kimashita
  I am from [country]
  
  

• [City] にすんでいます
  [City] ni sundeimasu
  I live in [city]
  
  

• [Job/Role] をしています
  [Job/Role] wo shiteimasu
  I am a [Job/Role]

Personal Information You Will Need for Your Japanese Check 

• わたしは [your age] 歳です
  わたしは [your age] さいです
  Watashi wa [your age] sai desu
  I am [your age] years old
  
  

• 私の趣味は [your hobby] です
  わたしのしゅみは [your hobby] です
  Watashi no shumi wa [your hobby] desu
  My hobby is [your hobby]
  
  

  • • 音楽を聞くこと (おんがくをきくこと) - ongaku wo kiku koto - Listening to music

    • 読書 (どくしょ) - dokusho - Reading

    • 旅行 (りょこう) - ryokou - Traveling

    • スポーツをすること (スポーツをすること) - supootsu wo suru koto - Playing sports

• 私の好きな食べ物は [your favorite food] です 

わたしのすきなたべものは [your favorite food] です)

Watashi no suki na tabemono wa [your favorite food] desu

My favorite food is [Food]

• 先生 (せんせい) - sensei - Teacher

• エンジニア (エンジニア) - enjinia - Engineer

• 学生 (がくせい) - gasuksei - Student

• [university name] に通っています 

[university name] にかよっています

[university name] ni kayotteimasu

I go to [university name]

• [your major] を専攻しています 

[your major] をせんこうしています

[your major] wo senkou shiteimasu

I am majoring in [your major]

Closing Phrases to Finish your Japanese Check 

• どうぞよろしくお願いします
  どうぞよろしくおねがいします
  douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu
  Nice to meet you (loosely translated)
  
  

• ありがとうございます
  arigatougozaimasu
  Thank you
  
  

• 今日はありがとうございました。
  きょうはありがとうございました
  kyou wa arigatougozaimasu
  Thank you for today

Scheduling a Second Japanese Interview

One of our goals with your Japanese check is to help you better prepare for the Japanese language you may encounter in schools as an ALT. So we also want to offer you a chance to improve your Japanese interview score by studying, practising, and retaking the Japanese check, which in turn should make you a more attractive candidate for any potential positions. 

To book your redo - and it's typically just 1 redo that we allow - just send an email to Richard at recruit@altiacentral.com with several dates and times you are available to speak with our Japanese colleague. Please note that these interview slots are limited, so providing multiple options will help us accommodate your schedule.

Gambatte ne!