"Message from CIR"
My Job as a CIR on the JET Programme
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by Christopher Cameron (Chris)
Coordinator for International Relations (CIR)
Age: 22 years
Home country: New Zealand
Hobbies: Basketball, Touch rugby, Hiking.
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I would like to share with you some of the work that I do at the Hiroshima Peace Culture
Foundation (HPCF) and my experiences of living in Japan over the last 9 months.
I first heard about the JET Programme 5 years ago when I was in my final year of high school. At
that time I was only aware about the ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) position of JET. It was not
until my second year of my Japanese language studies at university that I found out about the
Coordinator for International Relations position, (CIR for short) from my teachers. Immediately it
drew my attention. Having long aspired to travel to Japan to improve my Japanese and deepen my
knowledge of the culture I decided that the CIR position was something that I would consider
applying for. I applied for the JET program in 2010 and was assigned to a CIR position at the HPCF
in August 2011.
Many people have never heard about CIR before and those who have often believe that it
involves sitting in an office ever hour of the day doing nothing but translation. This may be true
with some CIR positions in Japan, however quite often this is not the case.
My job at the HPCF focuses on the development of grass roots cultural understanding and
exchange. I work in the International Relations and Cooperation Division of the HPCF so my office is
directly involved with the planning of international events held in the City, as well as organizing
interpreters and providing assistance and information to foreign residents in the city. In a typical
work day my job responsibilities include school visits, involvement in the planning of international
events for the city and editing and translation for the Hiro Club English language newsletter. I also
do a monthly Soudanbi, or consultation day where citizens can come to ask questions and get
advice on foreign cultures, or ask questions about English.
A large part of my job involves doing visits to schools, kindergartens and community centers, with
primary schools making up the bulk of my visits. During busy parts of the year I may have 2 or 3
schools visits a week. At these visits I give a presentation about my home country with a focus on
the key cultural and geographical differences between Japan and New Zealand. This is often
followed by some games and lunch with the class. During the presentation I do my best to keep the
audience interested by showing many photos and teaching them about fun and interesting things
rather than about facts and figures. This is to expose young children to foreign countries and
cultures in order to promote cultural understanding at a grass roots level and also to help them
become interested in the world in a wider sense. I believe that this is especially important in
today's world as advancement in technology brings us closer and closer.
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One of the highlights for me last year was being
invited to participate in a Christmas party for a
kindergarten. I was asked to come as "special
guest" Santa Claus. The kindergarten staff
provided me with a Santa outfit complete with
beard and all. The kids were all very excited to
see Santa and they couldn't believe that I came
all the way from the North Pole just to see
them! Some of the younger children even cried
when I left.
Last year I had the opportunity to be involved
with several events held by the city including
the PEACE and LOVE day and the Day of
International Exchange and Cooperation.
The PEACE and LOVE day event is a day when
foreign residents of all different nationalities
bring their traditional culture and cuisine to
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Santa Claus Visit
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a one day event held every October in Chuo Koen (Park). There is also a large stage where many
groups perform traditional dances and music from all over the world. I was asked to do interpreting
from Japanese to English on the main stage. This was my first major event and the first time I ever
did interpreting on stage. So naturally I was incredibly nervous. However everyone was so friendly
and helpful and my nerves soon calmed down. I made a few embarrassing mistakes but all in all I
felt like I did a good job. I was just so pleased with myself for getting up there and doing it.
The Day of International Exchange and Cooperation is held every November and is one of the
major annual international events held in the city. Groups engaged in international exchange come
together to create workshops and displays with a learning theme. This helps to raise interest in
international exchange activities amongst citizens, while also strengthening ties among groups that
are invested in international exchange and cooperation. Last year more than seven thousand
people attended the event. For this event I helped with translating the information pamphlet for
the event into English as well as acting as a go-between, providing information to foreign residence
taking part. I took part in the event myself by setting up my own "New Zealand" corner with photos
and information about New Zealand culture and history. I had a lot of fun with this event and now
that I understand more about the proceedings I am looking forward to getting even more involved
with the event this year. I have plans to set up a Facebook page with my colleagues to help
promote the event to a broader range of people.
My opinions, future aspirations and advice for aspiring CIRs
I am very happy with my position at the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. My job responsibilities
are varied so there is never a dull moment. I feel that I am actively engaging in international
relations and making an influence in the community because I get to go out of the office and into
the schools and community centers. Because of the visits that I do as part of my job my skills in
delivering presentations in front of large groups of people has greatly improved and I feel much
more confident about doing presentations now. I have also gained very valuable insight into how
large events are organized and the process that goes into planning for them. Furthermore I have
gained important experience in translation and interpreting.
When I finish my contract with JET I hope to go back to New Zealand and work in the tourism
industry. So, all of these skills will be invaluable to my intended future career path.
If I was to offer any advice to aspiring CIR’s, I would say be prepared for anything. Every CIR
position is different. Some CIR’s spend all of their time in the office doing translation, while others
will plan events or in some cases mostly teach English. The key thing to remember is that all CIR
positions require a certain degree of proficiency in Japanese. Usually the requirement is either Level
one or two of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), or a level of proficiency that is
roughly equivalent, such as a degree in Japanese. However this is not compulsory. I myself do not
possess any level of the JLPT. I think a major factor in being accepted into the JET Programme is
personality. If you have the right attitude then you shouldn’t have any problems.
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(Contributed in May 2012)
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