The ALT Job's Past and Current Reality Part 1

Have a seat. This is a two-parter. Image Ajari

Are you employed as an Assitant Language Teacher (ALT) in Japan? Does some other acronym describe your employment situation, perhaps Native English Teacher (NET) or Assistant English Teacher (AET)? This type of employment is a can of worms for many people both new arrivals and long-term residents. So, let’s take the lid off.

ALT Origins

The origin of ALTs goes back to the 1970s when precursors to the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET Program) brought British and American teachers to participate in Japan’s elementary and high schools. At that time, there were less than a million foreign residents in Japan, so these early cohorts of a few thousand young people made a huge impact, participating in life in towns and cities all over Japan.

My partner credits his interest and success in English language learning to one of those early JET Program participants who brought a lot of enthusiasm and authenticity to his high school’s English classroom. I’ve talked to other people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who tell me that the early experience of communicating with a young foreign teacher put them at ease with learning the English language.

My own experience as a JET Program participant was just before the peak of the JET Program in 1999 when there were 6000 participants. I had a one-year experience in a small city where I got to assist Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs) in junior high schools.

In 1999, just as I started my JET year, Japan deregulated some industries, allowing boards of education to contract with dispatch companies. The result is that today, there are about 20,000 Japanese and foreign ALTs. About 5,700 of them are JET Program participants. 

ALT Realties

While my JET year was culturally and personally stimulating, I wasn’t given a lot of responsibilities, so I used my desk warming time in creative ways. 

Much later, I worked directly for a board of education where I was run off my feet with a packed schedule teaching lessons plus coaching JTEs and ALTs. I learned a lot in those few years working with a great team of Japanese and foreign resident teachers, but it was hard to sustain the energy. I was lucky I could pace myself with a mix of teaching duties and office hours.

Some of the ALTs were relegated to "human tape recorders" - expected to stand in the corner and speak when prompted. Others were integrated into their classrooms and mentored by JTEs.

This disparity in the job duties is the result of the lack of a clear job description and regulation for ALTs and spawned the acronym ESID - Every Situation is Different.

Paul Borg, a professor at Gifu Kyoritsu University explored the consequences ESID. The conclusion - JET Program ALTs are remunerated equally but their workloads vary so much that the compensation and work conditions are unfair.

ESID extends to direct hire and dispatch ALTs, too, whose working conditions vary widely. The inconsistency takes a toll on the morale of experienced ALTs and noobs alike.

The Dispatch Can of Worms

The changes in the dispatch laws brought a whole new set of problems to ALT employment. Next time, I'll tell you about the ongoing issues created by dispatch ALT employment.