Ian Cheung

Welcome back to our JETAA Spotlight Series, where we proudly feature the exceptional journeys of our alumni. Each story in this series gives us insight into the diverse paths that JET participants embark on after their time in Japan. Today, we highlight an alum whose career has flourished through innovation and cross-cultural collaboration - Ian Cheung was an ALT at 3 schools in Karatsu-shi, Saga-ken, 2007-2010.

Ian and Clearspring were very kind to let us sample some of their delicious goods at the JETAA AGM last week. We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our alumni; JETAA is a not-for-profit organisation that strives to serve the alumni community

Memorable moments were certainly the Karatsu Kunchi festivals where the townsfolk pull large wooden floats of various designs through the streets. The city is not that big and we had lovely beaches, Kagami-yama and Karatsu Castle all within walking distance. Karatsu city is a lovely place.

I went fishing with a couple of the Japanese primary school teachers and we fished/harvested what I could only describe as alien egg spawn but they called it ‘namako’ or sea cucumber... It's a type of sea vegetable! When you squeeze it in your hand it tenses up and becomes hard! We actually sliced it up fresh and ate it with a bit of soya sauce... not recommended but highly memorable.

The freedom and support provided by JET predecessors, the local community and the schools I worked at allowed me to explore some other hobbies such as Breakdancing, Kyudo and Shorinji Kempo. All fantastic experiences that provided some of the best memories in my life so far.

Oh, did I mention I met my wife in Japan? Being on JET also allowed me to build a relationship (using only Japanese!) with a lovely Korean lady. Long story short, we have now been married for 13 years and have two feisty kids with very international mindsets!

I now work in the food industry as a sales person and also manage a sales team at Clearspring ltd. as their Head of Sales. Clearspring is a family run business (not mine!) that supplies Organic, Vegan food produced using traditional and sustainable ingredients and methods. Half of the range is authentically sourced from Japan and many of the colleagues are Japanese. There is a big demand for healthy food across the globe so things are going positively. You may find our Clearspring brand products in many UK supermarkets and independent retail stores. Waitrose, Ocado, Whole Foods Market to name a few. Our best selling item is our Organic Japanese Silken Tofu, certainly the best throughout the world!

My JET experience certainly helped develop my intercultural relationship skills. Most JETs will know that challenges of working with low motivated Japanese teachers of English let alone school students. Amidst cultural differences and the language barrier trying to build rapport, finding mutual ground and wrestling for clarity was a constant challenge. This helped build a great deal of resilience and patience within me but made me use "both ears" to really listen to what was needed and to discern what may be needed without it being mentioned. I now take advantage of this quality when working alongside Japanese and Western colleagues, often helping to project manage where necessary. This quality also helps manage relationships at an international level when dealing with Clearspring customers in almost 60 different countries.

Every JET placement is different. As a JET you are in Japan, currently the MOST POPULAR country to visit in the world! Take the opportunity to explore the country, culture and also make note of the challenges the Japanese culture and people face when dealing with matters that involve international people. I can guarantee that there are governments and companies around the world that treasure people with the ability to build rapport and navigate relationships to achieve a goal. In the end, most professions require us to work with other people and that is exactly what JET thrusts upon us. We can be the bridge between people, communities and countries.

I look forward to the next time I can head back to Japan and Karatsu with my family!

Are you a JET alum with a story to share? Get in touch to be featured in an upcoming Senpai Spotlight.