Prefectural Advisors (PA)
The role of the PAs is to support both JETs and contracting organizations by providing consultation and mediation when needed. The also provide information to JETs about daily life in Japan, and can contact CLAIR on the behalf of JETs and COs when necessary.
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*For Senior High School ALT placements
**For Municipal ALT and CIR placements
**For Municipal ALT and CIR placements
Regional Prefectural Advisors
There are over 80 JETs placed all over Gifu Prefecture, which means that it is difficult for the PAs to maintain close contact with all of them directly. For this reason, the Regional Prefectural Advisor (RPA) system was created to ensure there are advisors in each of Gifu Prefecture's five regions - Gifu, Seino, Chuno, Hida, and Tono.
WHAT DO RPAS DO?
RPAs are experienced ALTs and CIRs who volunteer as area leaders and local resources on top of their normal ALT/CIR responsibilities. Their duties cover the following:
RPAs, whether by request or their own volition, may also help organize events in their region to promote culture and foster a sense of community.
Please contact your supervisor first for any issues or concerns related to your workplace before reaching out to the PA or RPA team. RPAs are also not personal translators/interpreters, and are not trained in mental health counseling. We highly recommend seeking professional resources for mental health support. You can find relevant information on the Mental Health Support page.
I'M INTERESTED IN BECOMING RPA, HOW DO I APPLY?
Application forms will be available to all Gifu JETs around December/January. If you are interested in becoming an RPA, first please let your CO know you would like to be considered for the position, get their approval, then fill out the application form. Applicants will be taken into consideration by the PAs and RPAs, who will then nominate candidates in February to be approved by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education.
WHAT DO RPAS DO?
RPAs are experienced ALTs and CIRs who volunteer as area leaders and local resources on top of their normal ALT/CIR responsibilities. Their duties cover the following:
- Meeting monthly with the PAs to discuss regional issues
- Performing monthly check-ins on JETs in their region
- Providing region-specific information pertaining to daily life (e.g. transportation, groceries, etc)
- Answering inquiries and directing JETs to the appropriate resource(s)(e.g. You are looking for a gynecologist, but your supervisor is a middle-aged man and you do not feel comfortable asking him about local clinics. In this situation, your RPA can assist in informing you about nearby OBGYN institutions.)
- Assisting with and presenting at JET-related orientations as well as conferences or orientations
RPAs, whether by request or their own volition, may also help organize events in their region to promote culture and foster a sense of community.
Please contact your supervisor first for any issues or concerns related to your workplace before reaching out to the PA or RPA team. RPAs are also not personal translators/interpreters, and are not trained in mental health counseling. We highly recommend seeking professional resources for mental health support. You can find relevant information on the Mental Health Support page.
I'M INTERESTED IN BECOMING RPA, HOW DO I APPLY?
Application forms will be available to all Gifu JETs around December/January. If you are interested in becoming an RPA, first please let your CO know you would like to be considered for the position, get their approval, then fill out the application form. Applicants will be taken into consideration by the PAs and RPAs, who will then nominate candidates in February to be approved by the Gifu Prefectural Board of Education.
Nine JET participants form the Regional Prefectural Advisor (RPA) Committee, one to two JETs for each of the five regions in Gifu.
Meet Our Advisors
Meet the Gifu JET Advisors for Fiscal 2023
PA Team
Ria Marifosque
ALT PA Ria is a second year JET from the Philippines. She is a SHS ALT in Gifu Norin in Gifu City but used to be assigned to the high school in Gero City. She graduated with a degree in Literature in English and has a long history of teaching English, but she always feels like a new teacher at the start of every year. She loves reading and Kpop/Kdramas, and she believes this is the reason her Nihongo progress is going at a snail’s pace. She absolutely hates stairs and winter but would always be down for a good meal. She is almost always online, so people can reach out to her easily if they need any help or support or just want to chat.
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Sam Keane
CIR PA Sam has been part of the Prefectural BOE team since November 2021. Having taught English in Osaka and Japanese in his home of west Ireland, he has always sought out ties to local international communities, including organizing welcome exchange events for Japanese students at the University of Limerick and becoming embedded in the international community in Belfast. As CIR PA, he hopes to promote a JET lifestyle based on mutual understanding, dedication, and cultural exchange. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, visiting galleries and museums, and generally having the craic.
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RPA Team
Dabira Falola
Seino RPA Dabira Falola is a first year JET ALT from London, England. She is an ALT at a SHS in Ogaki City. She enjoys traveling, reading (does anyone else love villainess isekai manga?), going to museums, trying new things, socializing, and enjoying life to the fullest. Her number one goal in Japan is to turn Sleepy Seino into Gifu’s most trendy party hub. She watches way too much Bridgerton and is convinced she would have absolutely killed it as a socialite. You can find her enjoying wine of all kinds at home after work, doing pilates in Nagoya, attending a cooking class in Gifu City, singing with all her heart at JoyJoy or watching the latest Marvel movie at Corona World Ogaki. She looks forward to making many memories with the current and incoming JET programme participants—she’s always just one call away.
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Connor Keane
Seino RPA Connor is a municipal ALT from New Jersey, USA. He works at a junior high school and an elementary school in historic Sekigahara, just west of Ogaki. Before coming to Japan, he received his B.A. in English from the University of Delaware and his M.A. in English from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He enjoys cycling, creative writing, petting stray cats, and eating entire watermelons in one sitting. His Japanese skills are weak but his vocabulary is growing! Connor is excited to give his best support to the JETs of Seino.
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Matthew Sinar
Gifu RPA Matthew is a first-year ALT from a small seaside town on the northeast coast of England, splitting his time between Kano SHS in Gifu City and Kakamino SHS in Kakamigahara City. Back home, he did a BA in Modern Languages, focusing on Japanese and Spanish, before subjecting himself to an MA in Translation and Interpreting. Before arriving in Japan, he worked full-time as a barista whilst doing some translation on the side. When not at work, you will often find him in a karaoke booth or complaining about coffee or some of the finer details of translation.
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Muffy Tirona
Gifu RPA Muffy loves a nice cut of beef, making her placement in Gifu City perfect for the self-confessed food lover. Ramen comes in at a close second, but she’d rather not have to choose if she can help it. Being an avid athlete since elementary school, Muffy earned her Early Childhood Education degree in her hometown of Quezon City, Philippines. Her love for sports continues well into her 2nd year as a JET dabbling with cycling, football, and tennis when she can. Initially looking reserved and quiet at first, Muffy is a ball of energy once you get to know her as her students in Gifu Johoku High School and Yamagata High School can attest to. She’s always up for a game of football or tennis so feel free to message her anytime. If you’re lucky you may even get to taste Filipino food she likes to whip up every once in a while.
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Colin Jones
Chuno RPA Colin is an Argentine American second year JET from Houston, Texas. He is currently working at Mugi and Sekiuchi SH in Mino and Seki. Before coming to Japan, Colin studied at Texas Tech University, graduating with a Bachelor’s in History, with a Minor in Secondary Education. In his free time, Colin likes to play video games, read, and study Japanese and Spanish. More recently, Colin has started to get his feet wet with photography. If there’s ever anything you need help with, or if you just want a taste of Texas Sweet Tea or Argentine mate, just let him know!
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Harry Gray
Tono RPA Harry is a first-year ALT from the south of England currently teaching at a High School in Tajimi. At university, he studied Politics and International Relations, where he helped with events for international students and studied abroad in Amsterdam and Seoul. This experience inspired him to apply for JET. Highlights so far include playing a cat in the school play, appearing on local TV and seeing his favourite band in Tokyo. Harry enjoys experiencing unique Japanese festivals, eating onigiri and butchering the classics at karaoke. He’s looking forward to helping JETs with anything so please get in touch whenever!
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Lindsay Lamp
Tono RPA Lindsay Lamp is from St. Louis, Missouri, home of Budweiser, Fitz's, Imo's Pizza, Ted Drewe's, toasted ravioli... probably some non-food things, too. She majored in Psychology at Truman State University, and minored in Asian Studies. Before she came to Japan, she was working (and far more often, playing) as a behavioral therapist for children with autism. Lindsay moved to Japan in August of 2019. She lives in Mizunami (same as Clint), and teaches at three different junior high schools in the area. She usually cooks or plays video games, and she also loves hiking, music, watering her plants, and wandering around Nagoya. She looks forward to getting to know everyone, so please feel free to contact her.
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Madeline Allman
Hida RPA Madeline is a 4th year JET working in Toki City. She graduated from SUA with a major in Environmental Studies. While in college, she trained to become a firefighter for three years, but decided to move to Japan and fulfill her childhood dream instead! When she isn’t going skydiving, running on all fours, climbing everything possible, bungee jumping, hang gliding, or doing some other daredevil act, you can find her being a local cryptid making creepy pottery with her elderly pottery club (tokidokipottery on Instagram!). She has a lot of resources for pottery and local activities so please don’t hesitate to reach out! Fun facts: She can stand on her head for 11 minutes but really shouldn’t, she did track for 11 years (rest in peace back and hips), and she is OBSESSED with making super creepy costumes and running around on stilts.
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Elizabeth Pang
Hida RPA Elizabeth (Eli for short) is a Taiwanese-American CIR based in Takayama. Born and raised in a sunny suburb near Los Angeles, CA, she was a Literature/Writing major and Japanese Studies minor at UC San Diego. Currently, she is in her second year of JET, and is also a junior editor for a Sino diasporic literary magazine. When she's not thinking about what to eat for dinner, she enjoys writing, trying local delicacies, and collecting goshuin (commemorative calligraphy from shrines/temples). Here is one of her favorite poems. She looks forward to fostering a sense of community in the Hida region and advocating for her fellow JETs. Whether it's a question about daily life in Hida or school-related concerns, feel free to send her a message!
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