The Benefits

Overview of the ALTIA CENTRAL ALT Position

One of the best benefits of being an ALT with ALTIA CENTRAL is that our salary is paid in full each month of the year, and paid on time every time. We don’t prorate your salary during the lengthy summer and winter breaks, we pay right through to the end of the contract, and of course we have paid sick-days, all of which are increasingly rare benefits with other employers in this industry. During winter breaks and most of the summer, the ALT may not be required to be in school nor do they have to work in our head office or do other English teaching in the evenings etc. as some companies would have you do, and this helps to rejuvenate the ALT so they can continue to provide high quality classes on a consistent basis over the course of the year. Sundays, National Holidays and, all but a few Saturdays are also given off in accordance with the Board of Education's yearly schedule.

Since ALTs teach in the public-school system, all working days are set in advance in accordance with the ALT's host institution and ALTIA CENTRAL's yearly academic schedule. ALTs are basically required to be in school from the opening to the closing ceremonies in each semester, between the beginning of April and late March the following year. The 1st semester usually ends around the 25th or so of July and starts again the first week of September, this generally means at least several weeks in a row of summer break while still being paid in full. Typically, ALTs are not required to be in school during summer break, except for maybe a few days of Speech Contest support or Teacher Training events. Add another couple of weeks or so during the winter break and about 1 week at the end of the school year during the spring break and it adds up to quite a lot of fully paid downtime in most of our contracts to help with a reasonable work-life balance.

At ALTIA CENTRAL, we offer more than just accommodation assistance for most of our contracts. We will locate, secure, act as guarantor, and cover ALL initial rental deposits (key money) for an ALTIA CENTRAL sponsored apartment. In many cases, these are the most difficult things for foreigners to do on their own in Japan, especially outside the biggest cities, as many foreigners cannot find apartments or guarantors easily on their own. It's changing to be sure, but securing an apartment can also be expensive, so in order to help the ALT get settled quickly and easily we feel it is a vital point of support.

Please note, ALTIA CENTRAL sponsored accommodations are chosen at the sole discretion of ALTIA CENTRAL and thus cannot be selected or inspected by the ALT prior to moving in. Location, of course, is most important and we typically find apartments with easy access to the school(s) the ALT teaches at, as well as, trying to look at the convenience factor of the neighborhood.

ALTIA CENTRAL typically places new recruits into LeoPalace apartments, which are already furnished with a table and chairs, fridge, microwave, air conditioner, washing machine, and TV with instantly accessible internet and wi-fi included. They are small and compact, but also very clean, convenient, and very easy to move into and live in.

Moving costs and utilities are the responsibility of the ALT, and after receiving the first month's rent up front from a new recruit, subsequent months' rent will be deducted directly from the monthly salary and paid to the real estate agent by ALTIA CENTRAL. Though we do pay the key money and other deposits up front, there is a small management fee of 3,500 yen per month which helps us to cover some of the overheads of the apartments plus things like fire insurance, reform costs, cleaning fees, etc.

ALTIA CENTRAL offers support with travel to and from schools by either reimbursing costs for public transportation, supplying a company car, or paying a stipend each month to use your own car.

For those ALTs able to access their schools using public transportation, we subsidize that each month, and can support the purchase of your own bicycle for the commute as well. For positions that require driving, ALTIA CENTRAL can typically provide a car for travel to and from schools, school functions, Teacher's Meetings, etc.

In order to gain the privilege of using an ALTIA CENTRAL vehicle, the ALT must possess a current and valid driving license in Japan. International licenses are also acceptable, but can only be used for the first year you move to Japan. At some point during that first year, the ALT will need to secure a Japanese driving license to continue driving in Japan. Though not all positions require the ability to drive, a majority of them do as many of our contracts are in suburban areas and smaller towns, and schools are typically not located near stations but rather out in the various residential areas.

We pay for the car lease and offer a variety of driving plans to suit your needs (up to and including fully paid plans where we pay gas, insurance, maintenance, etc.), and more. If you prefer, our company cars can also be used for limited personal use under Work Plus Personal Use plan. Personal use of company vehicles is very rare in Japan, but for an ALT it is an extremely useful benefit.

The base salary for an ALT position with ALTIA CENTRAL is typically 240,000 Japanese yen per month. There are a few rare exceptions in locations with fewer working days per year, but this is our normal salary for all full-time positions we offer. As mentioned above, your salary is paid in full each month, including August when there may be no school days at all, and months like December, January and March when there are typically only 2 or 3 weeks of school during each month. This is an increasingly rare benefit in this industry unfortunately.

ALTIA CENTRAL offers a comprehensive benefits package with paid annual leave days. That can be used throughout the year as sick days or personal days.

Bonuses are also paid at the successful completion of your contract, and bonus amounts do increase over the first few years as well. Other minor benefits include: a monetary gift for passing the Japanese Language Proficiency Test during your employment with us, reimbursements for school related parties, lunch money at Orientation/Training, and fully reimbursed transportation costs to and from Follow-Up Training and Professional Development days.

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