Job Description

The position you are considering applying for is a full-time Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) position in Japanese public junior high schools (JHS), elementary schools (ES), and even kindergartens in certain areas.

ALTIA CENTRAL ALTs work in 1 specific town or city teaching at 1 or more schools, typically between 2 and 5 schools on average per ALT. We do have a few positions where the ALT teaches at only 1 school, 5 days per week, but there are also rare positions where the ALT visits up to 10 or 12 schools over the course of the year.

Roughly 1/3 of our ALTs work in JHS only positions, 1/3 in ES only positions, and the remaining 1/3 work in MIXED positions at some combination of JHS and ES or with some kindergarten visits mixed in as well.

The ALT workweek generally consists of up to 25 classes per week, scheduled between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. On average, the start of the day is not before 8:30 am and finishes no later than 4:30 pm, though there are a few variations depending on the area. Many ALTs are voluntarily present at their schools even after their work schedule ends to build a relationship with the other Japanese teachers.

ALTs engage with students outside of class through opportunities like joining in club activities. The classes themselves are 45 minutes long in elementary school, and 50 minutes in junior high school, with 3 to 5 lessons in an average day. Slow days with just 1 class and busy days with 6 lessons are also possible, so ALTs do need to be prepared and flexible for almost anything.

ALTIA CENTRAL ALTs are also required to attend scheduled Follow-Up Training and Professional Development Events arranged by ALTIA CENTRAL, which occur at various times throughout the school year. These high-quality events are scheduled well in advance with plenty of notice and support the development of our ALTs, as well as prepare them for the ever-evolving role by covering topics such as new ideas and methods for teaching as an ALT. It is also a great opportunity to get together with other ALTs to share success stories, discuss problems, and get advice. Most importantly, it is a chance to meet with your supervisor and ALTIA CENTRAL staff, face to face in a professional and comfortable environment.