The nonlinear stability of the flow in a jet adjacent to a wall is investigated using the modified Stewart-Watson method with the customary assumptions regarding the quasi-parallel nature of the flow. It is shown that the external branch of the neutral curve is characterized by a ″soft″ mode of excitation of self-oscillation, whereas both soft and hard modes can be observed on the internal branch. For the hard mode of excitation, terms all the way to fifth-order smallness are taken into account in the expansions in the amplitude.