Assistant Language Teacher
From Free net encyclopedia
Assistant Language Teacher, often abbreviated to ALT, is a term used primarily by the JET Programme to identify native speakers of a language employed to assist in teaching that language in elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan. When English was the only foreign language taught by JET participants, teachers were called Assistant English Teachers, or AETs.
ALTs can be assigned to a single "base" school, and teach virtually all of their classes there, or be assigned to an office or base school, and visit several schools on a rotating basis. ALTs at senior high schools (grades 10-12) tend to have a base school, while those teaching junior high (grades 7-9) and elementary (grades 1-6) tend to visit several schools.
ALTs have fewer responsibilities than their Japanese colleaguges. However, ALTs do not receive the semiannual "bonuses" that Japanese teachers do. Many ALTs complain of being underutilized, but most have fewer qualifications and less experience than professional teachers. On the other hand, few Japanese teachers of English have any training in team teaching, and receive little or no guidance in how to maximize the presence of an ALT.
Some Japanese, particularly teachers, complain that ALTs are overpaid. However, many forget that ALTs are willing to leave their home countries for an extended period, and while they are expected to learn Japanese, many have no Japanese language ability before arrival. The high salary is one way to compensate for the many challenges of living in a truly foreign country whose language they do not understand.
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Overview of the Private ALT System in Japan
In 1999, Dispatch Law was deregulated to allow dispatch companies to enter into other fields of work aside from the traditional industry of manufacturing. Education was one of these fields. Since then more and more local boards of education have turned to private ALT dispatching firms rather than using the JET program. In 2005, the Ministry of Education reported at shunto meetings that there are approximately 1500 ALTs from private dispatching companies teaching in Japan.
However, many of the contracts that local boards of education have signed with these companies are gyomu itaku (service) contracts. In the opinion of some these contracts violate Edcuation Law since the principal must be in charge of the teachers at his/her school, yet with such contracts the company is actually in charge, not the principal. Yet this seems to be the model of choice for many boards of education, because with the outsourcing of recruting and management of the ALT, principals of schools can have an unsatisfactory ALT removed and another put in place quickly, without the bureaucratic holdups that would be in place if the ALT was a direct hire of that board.
Some companies do have dispatch licenses, yet they may still sign a gyomu itaku contract with the local board of education. In order to find out if your city is using these contracts, you can ask your local city hall to see the contracts. It is the right of any resident (non-Japanese or Japanese) to see these contracts.
Some consider these gyomu itaku contracts to be illegal, because they do not require the employee to enrol in the Japanese national health care and pension system.
However, since many ALTs plan on spending a short time in Japan, mandatory contributions to a pension system are to some an onerous burden. All reputable dispatch companies provide their ALTs with private health insurance, which is catered to an expatriate and therefore includes certain benefits unavailable under the national health insurance plan. These other benefits include repatriation of the ALTs body, for instance, in the event of his/her death, or worldwide coverage, meaning that if an ALT should require medical attention while on holiday in Thailand, their private health insurance would cover those expenses, whereas the Japanese national health plan would not.
At this point ALT dispatch companies are, along with private tutorial centres like NOVA, engaging in a soft application of Japanese law to allow more money into their ALTs pockets up front. Naturally this also helps these companies' bottom lines, as they then can avoid paying a matching contribution on behalf of their employees.
In February 2005 a notice went out from the Ministry of Education to prefectural boards of education to advise them to tell local boards of education to hire ALTs directly and not to use gyomu itaku contracts which violate Education Law. Clearly this is a contentious period in the history of the ALT occupation in Japan, with both the government and the private sector at odds as to how to move forward. Since the JET Programme has declined as the sole source of ALTs in Japan, how this sector of Japan's labour market changes will be a strong indicator of the way in which Japan will treat foreigners in the 21st century.
Private Dispatch Companies
Interac is by far the largest company in the private ALT business and the industry leader with hundreds of ALTs throughout Japan. As of April 2005, they still have not been automatically placing their ALTs into the national health insurance and pension program (shakkai hoken) which is required by law. Instead, they have made such enrolment optional, while providing a private health insurance plan created specifically for expatriates living in Japan. This decision has angered some long-term expatriate residents. In May 2005, the National Union of General Workers officially declared a branch at Interac.
Often, smaller companies who do not have work rules, a properly selected employee's representative, or who otherwise violate Labor Standards Law continue to do business cheaply and undercut other bidders for ALT contracts, driving down the monthly salary from the Ministry of Justice's standard of 250,000 yen a month. The Union has fostered improvements for ALT companies such as Heart Corporation, TRILS and RCS, among others.
Local Boards of Education
The Union has been involved with several boards of education in the Kanto area including the Tokyo Board of Education, the Koga (in Ibaraki) Board of Education and the Fukaya (in Saitama) Board of Education. In the case versus the Tokyo Board of Education, the Union won a decision stating that the concerned directly hired ALTs were indeed legally classified as "workers" (rodosha) and not simply contractors. Further victories were achieved through the private companies that had contracts with the Koga and Fukaya boards of education