What do Assistant Language Teachers do? The daily life of an ALT in Japan

Congratulations! You’ve just entered the realm of teaching in Japan. Whether through the JET program or a dispatch company like RCS, Borderlink, and Interact; you are now settling your life as an ALT at school.

In the beginning, new ALT’s will typically get an orientation and training period. You will be told what your daily, weekly and monthly tasks would be. But experiencing these tasks can be entirely different for each school, and there are nuances to each. It’s good to have a clear direction.

Daily duties of an ALT in Japan

Firstly, our daily duties. In the mornings, you should be at the school promptly at your designated time. Greet all teachers and students in the hallways. Prepare for your lessons by assembling the tools, textbooks, flashcards, etc; (note that some schools will ask you to clock-in via magnets, wood boards, or name writing)

The mornings are usually hectic for HRT’s (Homeroom Teachers) so it’s advised to have meetings 5 min before class or done the previous day. If you have a JTE (designated Japanese English teacher) this is the perfect time to refresh your daily or even weekly schedule.

Starting Lessons in Japan

Once you’re done, now it’s time for the actual teaching. In the classroom, you are responsible for teaching in ALL English. Firstly, help the JTE/HRT set up (laptop mirroring/flashcards/dates/weather/expressions). Then start lesson with the morning greeting.

Each school has a variation of different greetings, but we follow the same format of:

 • Hello. How are you?
 • How’s the weather?
 • What day is it today?
 • What’s the date today?
 • Let’s start English class!

Then you must follow the JTE/ HRT’s lead by vocalizing vocabulary, practicing pronunciation or helping students . You will also help in passing out worksheets, checking if students have all of their materials or establishing rules for activities. During this period, it is essential to promote positive affirmations like Nice! Good job! Nice try! so students have more enthusiasm in the classroom.

After the 2nd period, there is usually something called ‘nakayasumi’,. This is a 20-25 minute break period where students have fun playing outside and give a breather to teachers. This is prime time for a break yourself. Get a cup of water, chat with your colleagues and prepare for the next lesson. Rinse and repeat.

Some schools have different schedules, so some hours you would not have a lesson. This is a good time to do something all teachers love: grading. Typically in elementary school, 5th and 6th grade have listening paper tests, so you (alongside the JTE) would grade them. You would also be grading or ‘hanamaru’ finished worksheets or ‘furikaeri’ (daily reflection writing). This is also time for preparation of other classes. This may include printing out worksheets, making slides on the computer, or coming up with different games and activities. The JTE will always be there to assign tasks for you if you don’t know what to do.

 

Lunch schedule for ALTs

Lunch time is usually between 12 – 1pm. Some ALT’s get assigned to eat with a class in rotation with other teachers. You will eat in the classroom at the HRT’s desk and watch over the children.
Some other schools will have a designated eating spot for teachers, so you sit there with them or you will eat at your desk in the teacher’s office.

In some schools you must check in your name or put your name tag in a box to signify that you have already taken today’s lunch. This helps the lunch staff know who has already eaten and could portion the food so that everyone gets a plate.

A usual lunch period would be 30 minutes to an hour. So relax and enjoy a hearty meal.

Some schools would input your lunch schedule yearly, while others will ask for a monthly order. You will fill out the order form and submit it to the ‘jimishitsu’ which is the school office in charge of filing, accounting, and school supplies.

Cleaning Time in Japanese Schools

After lunch, students have cleaning time. They each have a priority room per week, so most ALT’s would just look out for stragglers who are playing or even helping students by sweeping or mopping. ALT’s do not need to be responsible for cleaning, but please check with your affiliated school if they want you to do so.

Cleaning time is usually finished in 10-15 minutes and now it’s Lunch Break!

There are various things you can do. You could keep preparing for upcoming classes, have meetings with the HRT’s or JTE about future classes, roam the school and interact with the kids or even go outside and play. It’s entirely up to you. A usual lunch break is 30 minutes so use this time to unwind from the day’s stresses.

 

Final Lessons

Now it’s class time again. Keep up the good work during class and help as much as possible. After the 5th and 6th period is over, so is the day. As it draws to a close, finish up the loose threads with the JTE, finish up preparing for the next day and clock-out the way you clocked-in.

The last phrase you should say as you leave is ‘otsukaresamadesu!’ which means ‘thank you for your hard work.’ which it definitely was.

 

Weekly Tasks for ALTs

Secondly, our weekly tasks. As mentioned, you will have meetings with either the HRT or JTE which can be a concurrent daily task or you can have a big once a week meeting. We need to make sure that all grades have an aligned schedule, which part of the textbook we should be at, and gather information about the children’s ability for this specific unit/goal. It’s good to know these things so that both you, the JTE and the HRT are on the same page.

 

Monthly Tasks for ALTs

Lastly is our monthly tasks. In our weekly tasks, we must gauge the students’ level for improvement. This information is insightful and can help the JTE with grading for each term. Each memo of a student can be used for their end of the term report cards. It’s not your responsibility as an ALT to complete the final grade, however it’s good to have the information on hand to make the workload easier.

Depending on the dispatch company, each month the ALT’s will have an ALT Meeting. ALTs come together from the same location city and discuss upcoming activities, new rules and regulations, and talk about how their school. This lets the managers of the dispatch company know about the treatment of the ALT and about the school so they can make apt decisions regarding the situation.

Lastly is the monthly report. Some dispatch companies have various ways for ALT’s to input this information for the BOE. In the monthly report, you must record all of the classes you have done within the timeframe of a month so that data collection of English classes can be tallied. This lets the school, the company and the BOE know about how many lessons for each grade have been done up till now.

 

Role and responsibilities How to draw the line between Teacher and Assistant Teacher.

Many ALT’s start out with fresh eyes, a glimmer of hope and a dream of taking it easy in Japan. However that dream is shattered after long hours standing up, eyes blurred from the computer screen and the constant worry that Student A hasn’t submitted anything for the last 2 months. Being an ALT is not a joyride sometimes, but you can’t let that get to you.

Your role as an ALT is vital to the furtherment of English to the children of Japan. It is a heavy burden to bear. But it can also be increasingly rewarding.

Your most distinct role is to be a shining role model to students. You are promoting a language many feel is not needed. You have to smash and bury that mindset to a pulp and pump those kids with enthusiasm for language.

Being an “ASSISTANT” teacher comes with its drawbacks. You may not having the authority on some things, and only being delegated as a loudspeaker. There has to be a balance between being an Assistant teacher and a Teacher. Putting in 50/50 of the work. It takes time to have a good rapport with the Japanese teachers, but over time setting boundaries becomes easier as you gain more experience. In the beginning of the year, you must set out your expectations of what you have to do. If the workload becomes too difficult or you cannot complete your assigned tasks by the end of the day, let your JTE or HRT know.

How to be a Cultural Ambassador

You are there to make English fun and exciting.

Your responsibility is to maintain lessons and activities consistent with the schools.

Many ALT’s feel disconnected with both teachers and students. However, it is your uniqueness and being a foreigner that can get your foot in the door. Talk with students about your experiences from your home country. Outside of class, during lunch, while cleaning the toilets, you can express all of the different cultural norms of your country. This not only improves curiosity of other places, you are also promoting thinking about places and languages outside of Japan.

You can show your traditional clothes, show pictures of you experiencing something cool. The kids are usually in awe of this and ask funny questions. You can break stereotypes down.

You can also interact with the students outside of lesson time. Play soccer on the field, promote your own unique country’s game/sport and speak English in a natural way. All of your efforts can culminate into not only being a role model, but also someone the children would remember years from now.

Ready to Become an ALT?

If reading this has you picturing yourself in a Japanese classroom—teaching, learning, and making a real impact—it’s time to take the next step.

RCS ALT supports teachers every step of the way, from placement and training to ongoing guidance throughout the school year. Whether you’re new to teaching or looking for a fresh start, RCS offers a supportive path into life as an ALT in Japan.

 

Apply to RCS for an ALT job in Japan here