If you’re interested in spending at least one year in Japan, then you’ll inevitably hear that becoming an assistant language teacher (ALT) is one of the easiest ways to begin. This is largely true, since the company that hires you deals with the visa process and helps you get set up. But what is being an ALT actually like?
I’m currently an ALT working at Interac living in a semi-rural area, but everyone’s living/working situation varies depending on company and program. I really enjoy my life as an ALT, but I’m hesitant to wax poetic about that since the life of an ALT is frequently idealized in popular media. Many people end up disappointed and some even quit because it doesn’t live up to their expectations.
Here’s what you need to know.
What to expect with Interac as a program
As far as the application process goes, it is fairly simple. You fill out an online application, and if you pass the resume screening, you will be asked to submit a six minute teaching demo based on one of two lessons provided by the company. Then, there is a phone interview and a video call interview which were fairly relaxed, as far as interviews go. It felt like it was more about preparing you for what the job would entail rather than screening you as a potential employee. From there, you are put in a pool of applicants that regional companies pick from, and you receive an offer of employment from the specific regional branch of Interac.
Then you can begin the visa process. If you have all of your papers in order, then the company will get you a Certificate of Eligibility(CoE) that you then need to take to an embassy to turn it into a visa. If you don’t live close to an embassy, then this might be a bit difficult because even though I received an offer of employment around June, I didn’t get the CoE until February, a month before I needed to arrive in Japan. With processing time and the speed of the mail system in the U.S., that can be a very tight turn around.
Even after you’ve been hired and have your visa sorted, there are a lot of questions, and a lot of uncertainty. Where will you live? Where will you work? How many schools will you go to? What age of kids are you working with? Personally, I found out the answer to the first two questions about 2 weeks before I was scheduled to arrive in Japan for training, but I knew others in the program that didn’t find out until training was over. The company will assure you that they’re doing their best to get everything arranged and will send you the information as soon as they have it, but I’m afraid that with as many people as they are working to manage, uncertainty is just part and parcel of a new ALT’s experience. I’m fairly laid back, but being told to arrive for training, not being told how long the training would last for and only receiving the schedule the night before training started was a bit grating even for me.
As for the day to day experience, you’ll often hear it said that “‘Every situation is different’”. This is true. The thing is, as an ALT, a lot of the things about your life will be completely out of your control. Will you be in the city, or in a rural area? How will you get to work? How long is your commute? What is your apartment like? Will you have to furnish it? The company arranges a lot of the life things, which makes it easier on you, but you also can’t really expect that you’ll get your dream Japan life when so many things are out of your control.
It’s common for these questions to take up some attention during training, but even if you ask, it’s likely that if the information has not been given to you, it has not been finalized yet. Rather than answer these questions, initial training is more about getting to know some of the people working at the company and preparing for your job. Overall, I’d say about half of the training was about understanding the role of an ALT, and the other half was about teaching and appropriate ways to interact with students and teachers. In the weeks after initial training, you will receive a schedule for the entire year telling you which days to go to certain schools and which days you have company training, so once you receive your assignment, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect. I’ve found that the aspirational way that the company portrays the role of an ALT is something that is helpful to keep in mind, but not extremely relevant to the job on the day to day basis. It’s helpful to understand what the company expects of you, but at the end of the day, the company has very little oversight over what you do at your schools. What’s more relevant is learning and adjusting to the varying expectations found in your individual assignment(s).
For example, most ALTs are assigned to 3-5 schools, but I work at only 1, and I know someone who works at 17. Due to these differences, we have very different levels of familiarity with our students and the teachers that we’re assisting. The company does its best to help you get set up though. After initial training, each ALT had someone to help them declare their new residency, set up their bank account, and take them shopping for the major the initial set up of their apartment. This took a lot of the was very helpful, as it takes a lot of the logistical nightmare of moving off your shoulders, which I thought was extremely helpful.
Is an ALT’s salary liveable?
When you convert the yen to dollars, it doesn’t look like you’re paid much (~$1460 per month, but only about half of that even touches your bank account) but the short answer is yes. 5 months in, I’ve been able to pay for everything each month and have a couple hundred dollars left over to save. This is true even with me going out on day trips and (now that it’s summer) going on a couple longer trips to major cities. Rest assured, as long as you’re not spending recklessly, you should be fine to live off your salary. I’d save up what you can though, since if you plan to stay for more than a year, you’ll have to start paying Japanese taxes.
You should save up some money before you move to Japan too. The amount suggested by my company is ~$3,500, but I would save more than that if you can because unexpected expenses like dental fees can crop up, along with the fact that you have to pay for the first 3 months of rent all at once and might have to furnish your apartment. especially since you won’t get your first paycheck until about a month after you move. I consider $5000 to be a good save goal, though having more than you need is always better.
Do I need to know Japanese?
There’s no language requirement to become an ALT, and Japan is convenient enough that you could manage most of the daily life things without using much Japanese or by using Google translate. At schools you’ll be expected to speak with the students, but ALTs are asked not to use Japanese with them even if you know some. Students’ English level is relatively low, so drawing and pantomiming is your friend. The English teachers know English, but you can’t assume that any of the others will be conversational in anything other than Japanese. They will appreciate your efforts to communicate with them, but teachers are very busy people, so you’ll always need to keep in mind that they have work to do. Unfortunately for me, Japan has a lot of indirect communication, so they probably won’t tell you if you’re taking up too much of their time or committing some major social faux pas.
Social life in Japan as a foreigner
Making friends and acquaintances in the community can be a challenge. I attend a church, so most of my outside of school socializing comes from there or from spending time with other ALTs. The best thing you can do to meet new people is join some sort of organization, like a club. There is also the tried and true method of putting yourself in a public space and trying to strike up a conversation, but results, of course, will vary. I would also suggest checking your mail and the posters that are put up in places like the library or the community center. It’s a good way to find out about local events that you can attend.
Now, I look Asian, so as long as I don’t say anything, I can be and have been mistaken for Japanese. This means that I don’t visually stand out nearly as much as most other ALTs. From what I have observed, Japanese people are fairly accommodating to foreigners, and if you look foreign some people may even start a conversation with you (usually by asking where you’re from). It can be quite challenging to become part of the ‘in’ group though. In addition to that, people will be people wherever you go. This means that a good majority of people will be nice and fairly normal. A fair share of the other ALTs (especially the girls) have stories about running into people who were ‘creeps’ though, both at work and just in random stores.
Life as an ALT is not for everyone, and I think a lot of people have some idealized version of Japan in their heads. Life may not live up to your dreams, but as long as you enjoy working with children, I think there’s a good chance you can lead a fulfilling life here in Japan. My advice is to have curiosity about what is around you. Japan has a lot of things that are specific to the region or towns, so go out and explore the things that are around you for yourself. Be curious about wherever you end up and learn what you can about it. Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with something that you never came across at home.
Sophia Puang
Sophia Puang in an ALT through Interac in Japan. Before teaching, she graduated with a degree in English creative writing from Swarthmore College.
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