A Newcomer ALT in Japan

The life of an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Japan.

Being an ALT is a very fulfilling profession here in Japan. Honestly, I am still new to this line of work, but so far I can already say, I’m loving this job.

Seeing kids every day energizes me, and teaching them English is what drives me to my goal which is that by the end of the school year I would somehow see an improvement with their English communication skills.

It is a challenging task, but this a goal I would like to achieve. Seeing children’s growth and improvement in learning the language is my motivation to do my best every single day. I would like to inspire these children to try their best as well.

I am actually assigned to three schools this year, two are elementary schools and one is a junior high school.

So far, all the schools have been welcoming and I can really feel all the teachers wanting me to be part of the family - they’ve been really friendly and accommodating. I can really feel their support for the goals and tasks of me as an Assistant Language Teacher.

The students have been really friendly and sometimes ecstatic as well, every time I see them at school and especially when we are in their classrooms.

Talking about the ALT’s daily tasks at school, I would say, it varies to the English teachers or the Japanese teachers of English (JTE) you’re paired with.

Some teachers just want you to follow their lead and support them with the lessons as discussed. Basically, you’re there to be part of the English activities and games, also you are tasked in teaching the students the proper way to pronounce and enunciate English words and phrases.

The JTE could also have some clarifications about the English grammar and just random questions from creating simple sentence patterns to explaining the meaning of some English words and terminologies. So, you had better prepare and be attentive at all times so you can maintain your connection to your JTE and to the students during the entire session.

Basically you and the JTE should have a constant communication before, during, and at the end of the class. You should be a team, and make sure the students see it as well.

I usually arrive at school 30 minutes before 8:00 am. That way I have plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming lessons. I always talk to the English teachers or to the JTE before we start the class for me to know what the JTE’s plan for the day is. I have to make sure we are on the same page before we head to the classroom and start the class.

I am still learning a lot of things about this job each day, and I can’t wait to share more about my other experiences as an ALT in Japan in the future.

All I can say is that a job that inspires people is a fulfilling job such that you feel like you’re not actually working anymore. It’s like the school is your second home, somewhere that you want to visit every day, and the students are your kids whom you would want to meet and talk to every day.