The JET Program has confirmed its 2027 application opens in fall 2026, and it is the most document-heavy application in TEFL. The teachers who get placed are the ones who start collecting paperwork before the portal goes live. Here is everything on the board this edition.
Premier TEFL's TEFL jobs report, published on the 4th and the 18th of each month. Each issue lists the programs and schools hiring now, what they pay, and the deadlines about to close, with every figure checked against an official source and dated. This is issue 002, the current edition. The live board, the desks and the full archive are on the hub.
JET 2027 opens this fall, and the paperwork is the hard part
The 2026 JET application has closed. The official US program page now states that the application for 2027 departures to Japan will open in fall 2026, so the window is weeks away rather than months. JET runs on a one-year term of appointment, extendable to a maximum of five years, which is why it draws teachers who want a career rather than a gap year.
What makes JET different from a language-center job is not the interview, it is the file. The official application asks for all of the following, and several of these take weeks to obtain rather than days.
- The JET application form and a self-report of medical conditions
- A statement of purpose, two pages, double-spaced
- Two letters of recommendation, academic or professional
- College and university transcripts from every institution you attended
- Proof of graduation, or of expected graduation, with a bachelor's degree
- Proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate
Order the transcripts now. Every institution you have ever enrolled in has to send one, and a single slow registrar is the most common reason a strong application misses the window. Ask your two referees this month as well, while the fall term is calm, and draft the statement of purpose before the portal opens so you are editing rather than writing under a deadline.
Pay is set by your contracting organization and rises with each year of appointment, and housing is subsidized in most placements. Check the current figures on the official contract terms before you decide, because the year-one rate and the top-of-ladder rate are not the same number.
France: TAPIF returns in November
France's teaching assistant program reopens for the next academic year in early November. The contract runs from 1 October to 30 April, teaching up to 12 hours a week, and it asks for intermediate French at B1 on the CEFR scale. It is the most affordable legal route into a French classroom, and the B1 requirement is the part people leave too late.
Source: official TAPIF call for applications · verified 22 Aug 2026South Korea: EPIK is still reviewing on a rolling basis
The Spring 2027 intake we led with in Edition 1 is still open and still reviewed as applications arrive, so the placement pool shrinks every week. If Japan's fall timeline is too slow for you, this is the faster route into a public school classroom.
Apply: official EPIK site · see Edition 1 for the full packageTaiwan: TFETP hiring outside Taipei
Taiwan's government program is rolling, and demand is strongest away from Taipei. If you are flexible on city, this is one of the few government routes with no fixed annual deadline to miss.
Apply: official TFETP siteThailand: the November semester is being staffed now
Schools recruit through September and October for the November semester, so this is the month to be in front of them rather than the month to start thinking about it. International schools sit at the top of the range, government schools at the bottom.
Live listings: Ajarn jobs boardChina: private centers hiring year-round
China has no seasonal window to miss, which makes it the fallback when a government program's dates do not fit your year. You need a degree, a clean background check and a 120 hour TEFL certificate for the work permit.
Apply: EF careers| Program | Window | Contract | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan · JET 2027 | Opens fall 2026 | 1 year, extendable to 5 | GATE OPENS SOON |
| France · TAPIF | Opens early November | 1 Oct to 30 Apr, 12 hrs/week | GATE OPENS NOV |
| South Korea · EPIK | Rolling, open now | 12 months, Spring 2027 intake | BOARDING |
| Taiwan · TFETP | Rolling | 12 months | BOARDING |
| Thailand · schools | Sep to Oct hiring | November semester start | BOARDING |
| China · centers | Year round | 12 months | BOARDING |
| Spain · NALCAP | Reopens early 2027 | Academic year | CLOSED |
Plan the whole move rather than just the application: what each destination pays on The Pay Desk, the visa you need on The Visa Desk, and the apostilles and police checks that take longest on The Paperwork Desk. Not sure where yet? Try the destination Explorer.
Subscribers read this before it lands here
The Departure Board goes out on the 4th and the 18th with every opening, salary and deadline that matters, from official sources only.
