Expectations and Realities of being an ALT in Japan
Compiled by Kalista Pattison (Oita)
It’s that time of year! The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program applications are open and people from all around the world are applying for the chance to move abroad and teach English. From the outside looking in, JET is a pretty impressive program. As of July 2024, applicants from 28 different countries have been selected to move to Japan and become Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs). Not only do people from all over the world get to participate, but this program boosts the diversity of its applicants by inviting people from teaching and non-teaching backgrounds.
This is all great stuff, but from the inside looking out I’ve found some disconnect between the expectations and realities of actually working in the classroom. People very familiar with the program will know the phrase “every situation is different” or ESID, and that is very much the case here. However, there are still some shared experiences amongst ALTs that can shed some light on what it’s like to be in our shoes.
ALTs on the loose!
For David Diaz Aguirre (ES/JHS, Kumamoto) his job meant freedom. He says “I thought there would be a little more structure, but I had very little supervision or oversight in the Elementary Schools (ES). Planning the lessons and pacing the classes over the course of the school year so that we finished the textbook by the end was left entirely up to me.” David was an ES ALT though, which is surprising because this feeling of freedom seems more prevalent for Senior High School (SHS) ALTs. Stella Sterling (SHS, Oita) says, “My expectation was to be an assistant! To my surprise I am fully in charge of all my classes. The first year sucked but then I figured out what works and what doesn’t.”
So what exactly are these SHS ALTs doing when they’re leading the class? Michael Gayle (SHS, Oita) also gets to be fully in charge, but he surprisingly doesn’t spend it following the textbook or teaching grammar like he thought he would. Other SHS ALTs I’ve talked to mention these opportunities to lead the classroom but usually it’s anything but a lecture. Instead, these higher-level classes focus on gamifying English and getting the students talking and creating. Some SHS ALTs are explicitly told not to follow any sort of textbook. In these cases, the ALTs are mostly brought in to have fun with the students.
Just smile and wave boys, smile and wave.
David was just one example of what it’s like to be an ES ALT. It seems more common for ES and JHS ALTs to spend a bit more time in the shadows of their Japanese Teacher of English (JTE). Sean Gardiner (ES/JHS, Osaka) says “I had expected to have a much more hands-on approach in the classes. However, in my experience so far, the JTE has handled the majority of lesson planning.”
Given how many ALTs don’t actually have much teaching experience, sitting back and letting the JTE lead isn’t a big deal. That is . . . for the first year or so. After that, it’s easy to get restless or even bored during class. Jemima Lewis (ES/JHS, Shizuoka) is on the right track when she says “I should be available for students when they need individual help during class.” Maybe next time you find yourself twiddling your thumbs in class, why not walk around and check in with students who might need more help!
If you somehow find your way out from the shadow of your JTE, you might just be stepping into the shadow of your textbook instead. Cristen Braun (ES/JHS, Oita) says “I was expecting more of an effort in elementary education, as I find the books and approaches, especially in third and fourth grade, to be frustratingly ineffectual. The books themselves literally say that students should not learn how to write the alphabet in third and fourth grade. I’ve basically had to learn to pick my battles as many teachers are too concerned with sticking to the status quo than letting me practice things like phonics in third grade.” It isn’t immediately obvious to many new ALTs, but the way English is taught in Japan leaves many things to be desired. The chains imposed by the textbook can become frustrating to some who have too much time on their hands and no way to implement their ideas.
Forget everything you know!!
Prior teaching experience isn’t required to become an ALT in Japan and many ALTs learn how to teach through trial and error, but there are some that come in with a background in education.
Noah Langley (ES/JHS, Oita) is someone with an extensive background in both English and secondary education. He says, “While I’ve taught ESL learners before, I am by no means a certified TEFL educator and many of my established lesson plans and strategies aren’t applicable to this environment—they rely on too many given assumptions and preconceptions about the students’ reading and writing levels.”
Noah also mentions feeling odd giving up control of the classroom to his JTEs. ALTs without backgrounds in teaching are asked to lead and ALTs with backgrounds in teaching are asked to assist. What’s up with that? It’s a big part of the aforementioned ESID and you just have to get lucky to be put in a position that utilizes you the best. That, or you speak up to push for more responsibilities or to set boundaries.
Some ALTs who come into the program with a background in education may find the teaching methods to be less than ideal as they ride heavily on things like the High School entrance exams. Lagurenh Janse Van Rensburg (ES/JHS, Oita) says “I knew and was told that the language teaching style was very much ‘learn by translation’ based, but I didn’t expect it to be so much. The amount of textbook drills that there are really surprised me . . . I come from a standpoint where I believe that’s not how you properly learn a language.”
You got this.
Even if you had zero preconceptions about the job, I hope you can come to Japan and create a classroom environment that is both comfortable and challenging for you. It’s hard to know what to expect when the program is so heavily defined by ESID but that’s a part of what makes it exciting!
Kalista is a third-year JET in Oita Prefecture. She is currently trying to romance every character in Stardew Valley and can be found in an onsen or hunched over a pottery wheel in her free time.