Free Resources for Rookie ALTs and Veteran Educators Alike

Photo elmimmo 

This autumn, social media have been abuzz with news that Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) participants are preparing to arrive to start their 2020 placements late in these pandemic times. Dispatch agencies hiring new ALTs from abroad are likely backed up for some time due to travel restrictions.

ALTs, You're on Your Own

The JET Program provides an orientation on arrival in Tokyo, and some guidance once ALTs are placed in their prefectures. You’ll see the acronym ESID, “Every Situation is Different” to account for the inconsistency of training and myriad situations ALTs find themselves placed in. Dispatch companies "train" teachers, but again, the trainers may not have preparation in language education or cross-cultural issues. 

So as a rookie ALT, you may not have a lot of resources, either monetary or professional, at your disposal. You’re in a new working and cultural environment, and even if you’re experienced with some Japanese language proficiency and perhaps teacher professional development or crash courses in TEFL, you’re still facing a big challenge to adjust to a new cultural and academic environment.

These are some go-to resources, generously provided by corporate and academic organizations in Japan. And they're free.

Cross-Cultural Insight

Japan presents foreign workers with very different institutional and professional organization. Some practices may boggle you. Others make sense once you see them in practice. A resource I have a glance at periodically is Japan Intercultural Consulting. It’s an organization that provides practical insight into Japanese organizational practices. Their website provides free resources – articles, podcasts, and videos that open a window into Japan's work world.

Associations for English Educators in Japan

Japan Association of Language Teachers has 3000 members across Japan working in language education. While membership costs, and is well worth it, non-members can freely access a wealth of resources on their website. Have a look at the archives of Young Learners and My Share columns.

English Teachers in Japan, ETJ, is an umbrella group for English educators in Japan. This loose organization with free membership hosts regional groups and email discussions. You can join events in person and online announced on their ELT calendar.  I’ve occasionally joined events and my comments and questions were welcomed. It’s a friendly community of educators.

Teacher Training and Open Lectures

ALT Training Online is a comprehensive project to provide free online training for ALTs working in elementary, junior, and senior high schools. TESOL educators and experienced ALTs have pooled their resources to deliver an overview of working in schools and focused courses for specific skills such as teaching listening and speaking. For experienced ALTs and educators, it’s worth a look as there are modules exploring teaching approaches and further professional development. 

In big centers, universities have lectures open to the public. Check out symposiums and public lectures at Temple University and Kanda University of International Studies.

Help Yourself

Whether you're starting a career in education, taking a gap year or two, or getting a foothold in Japan to move into another field, you can get more satisfaction out of what you're doing if you have resources and guidance.  You can't rely on employers to give you the whole picture. You'll have to help yourself to the resources that are out there. So have fun, don't stress, and see where your ALT experience takes you.