Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)

Job Description

Heart teaches in elementary, junior high, and high school mainly in the Kanto area. Our job is to give the students a window into the world of English. Our number one goal is to help motivate the student to feel comfortable using real English communication and to get used to being in an English setting. To accomplish this goal, you will work side by side with the Japanese teacher to help with games and activities, role-playing, and assisting the teacher with giving them the help they need to try to perfect their English curriculum. Our company values aspiring and experienced teachers looking to learn how the Japanese style of teaching works. We provide ways to get you prepared for public schools and regular training to further develop your skills. Our dedicated bi-lingual staff will support you from the application process to your daily life at school. The role of an ALT has two main duties: Providing fun and effective English lessons and Internationalizing Japanese youth. Japanese youth are indeed exposed to many Western influences through TV, movies, music, and fashion, but the population in Japan is approximately 98.5 percent Japanese and only 1.5 percent foreigners. Therefore, Japanese youth have very few opportunities to interact with foreigners, let alone practice English communication. Having direct experience and interactions with foreign people and their culture often has a more visceral and lasting influence. Therefore ALTs need to help bridge this gap by giving students first-hand knowledge and experience of different cultures, as well as providing fun and effective English lessons. However, the nature and responsibilities of an ALT are slightly different in terms of teaching in elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools (*Positions are mostly available for elementary and junior high schools. There aren’t many positions in high schools). The ALT will usually take a more active role in the classroom, ranging from complete lesson design to a more passive, assistant role to the Home Room Teacher. The emphasis in elementary school is on speaking and listening only. Although having the children learn proper English is important, it is not the only objective; the primary purpose of English class is to get the children to have fun and for them to get interested in English. Therefore, playing fun activities and keeping a light, fun atmosphere is more crucial than producing fluency.