My predecessor seems like an amazing person, very active and engaged with the community.
Volunteer work, taking on as many classes as they can, just going above and beyond. While I think this is great, I also feel like I have big shoes to fill. I don’t know if I will be able to commit to all their volunteer obligations?
Any advice for being the successor of a Super ALT? I feel like expectations will be rather high upon arrival.
18 comments
Don’t worry about what they did, you just do you. Figure out what works for you and stick to it. You aren’t them and don’t have to be them. If they chose to go beyond their pay grade then great but you’re only required to do what you can.
Just dont. I wouldnt. I would do as little as possible (unless its an activity I enjoy). Its called “volunteering” for a reason, unless its part of your contract you dont really have to be a bad copy of this super ALT. Be yourself, do your thing!
From day one say, “I am NOT [insert predecessors name].” Set firm boundaries and stick to them.
Super ALTs help no one and is my pet peeve about the JET programme. I kept the bar pretty low, so that literally an amoeba could be my successor and they’d shine as bright as the friggen sun. I did my job according to my job description and nothing more. This is my gift to my successor and I hope you can do the same for your successor one day!
Just do what YOU want to do. If you don’t want to do what [super alt] did, don’t. And if there are gripes? So what. They can deal. You are NOT your predecessors.
‘Super’ ALT more like ‘Brown Tongue’ ALT. These creatures are one of the reasons that ALTs get slammed in certain areas. Don’t be a brown tongue. Just do your thang and live happily.
Been there. It kind of sucks to come after a beloved ALT. You are going to suck at your job at first and will likely be a nuisance more than anything at first, but eventually you’ll get the swing of things! You’ll be that super ALT (if that’s something you want) one day! Don’t give yourself a hard time!
I was really down cause my pred was adored at one school and even more I get the sense that they miss them still cause they could communicate with them and I can’t. If you have multiple schools it’s possible that you’ll mesh well in ways your pred didn’t! Also when the teacher change happens, you’ll be decent enough or good at your job and be appreciated by your new JTEs who didn’t know the super ALT.
THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE SUPER ALTS, DO YOUR SUCCESSOR A FAVOR AND TELL YOUR JTEs TO BE FAIR WITH THE NEW PERSON. You were shit when you started but got experience; just remind your team that it’ll take time for the newb to find their way!
Be yourself and make the best of it.
Eventually they’ll forget your preds name.
One up them and live at the school.
Drive the kids to school personally.
Hand feed the kids their lunch.
Or don’t. You get to decide the normal social boundaries. Don’t let people tell you to what to do.
Do what you are comfortable with doing. That way you are your authentic self in each. My pred gave me the advice to do your job and live your life, not live your life to do the job.
My pred also left me the bar very low. This didn’t work out to me being appreciated for doing alot – it just left the ligering feeling that the ALT just doesn’t like the students.
In my time I helped set up an ESS for my school – we did speach contests – and prepped exchange students ( none of which my school ever had previously ) but everything I had to do was with the supervison of a teacher ( who had a busy schedule of thier own )
I left that behind for my successor and talking still with my teachers there those things stopped with me. My successor was presented things to join and decided to join sports instead. They and the teachers finished up for the next batch of speech contests and they helped around the contests again when students have interest. They still carried over that the ALT does care about the students and showed it in a different way.
But it was a relief for the teachers who bit off too much – it was a good idea when we started – but didn’t carry through different school years because thier homerooms and responsibilities switched. Teachers get rotated out of schools and into other ones and with that teachers who stay get different responsibilities.
It ended up working out for both the JTE and the ALT coming in fresh. Just do you. They will adjust.
Do whatever you want. Do your best to lower the bar and assert that you need support.
Do literally zero voluntary stuff unless you actually want to.
This said – actually try. Don’t just turn up to get paid, it’s very obvious when you don’t actually care, and nobody will be truly excited to see you.
You’re you, they’re them.
There are things only you can do in spite of those accomplishments. Another culture might get to the same perspective in a different way, but they’re going to see you for you. Do the best you can the way that makes sense to you, and that itself will make sense to others.
I’m a super ALT and my kids still occasionally call me the last guy’s name by accident after three years. Just be yourself and they’ll love you for who you are.
Who did you hear this from?
Keep in mind there is a general rule of thumb that JTEs and BoEs follow. If they say “the last ALT did this” you’ll feel pressured to do the same thing.
Unless you met the previous ALT and they confirmed the above, take anything said with about a metric ton of salt. Just do your best.
It’s worth considering what makes someone a super ALT. People who enter the program with no background in education probably have very mediocre classes, if they’re given a lead role. So they might connect with the staff and students in other ways. But if you’re going to make an impact on the school or local community, you need to get to know the people, which just takes time and everyone knows that.
Here’s what you should do if you want to get your coworkers and students respect you… Show up on time except when you can’t. Be somewhat positive most of the time. Maintain your personal hygiene. Learn people’s names. Be patient.
My school was known to have super ALTs going back 15 years (three 5 year terms). It was only recently that the past 2 ALTs just stayed for a year, but were super ALTs themselves too. The advice that was continuously passed down was “Be yourself, have fun and contribute to the school or community in your own way.”
I was asked many times by different people in my work circle not to leave and to talk to whoever I needed to at BoE to stay longer than 5 years. I had the work ethic, collaborative skills, and the Japanese language ability to be very effective as a hybrid CIR/AET. I realized that this would be potentially difficult for a new person to take over.
I was very clear with my coworkers that they needed to manage their expectations for the new person coming after. They might have the skillset I have, they might not, and they will slot into the position in time in their own way.
Like they showed me patience and kindness in the beginning they should give the same to whoever comes after. At every goodbye speech I did I reminded people to be patient and be kind to the next person.
I don’t know if that’s what happened but I hope it made the new person’s transition easier.
Don’t worry about fitting the mould your pred left. That’s not possible in some cases and it might not even be what you want.
Take time to figure things out and be honest with your new coworkers about your skills and what you want to do.
Set your boundaries! That is my biggest piece of advice. Do your job, and you are not obligated to do anything beyond that. Do not let them bully you into it and do not feel guilty. You do not get paid enough to be a “Super ALT” unless you want to be one.
Super or not, they will be forgotten about in a year or two apart from a random “Hey, remember X ALT.”
If they’re really super, they will make room for you and do what they can to smooth the transition and set appropriate expectations for what a first year ALT can do. I have repeatedly made clear to my JTEs that things will not go well if they expect my successor to immediately pick up everything I’ve been doing and push them to complete the same volume of marking in the same time frame. I’m also taking care to try and provide my successor with all the tools they need to succeed, so that they can be a better ALT than me year for year. (Looking at my first 2 years, not hard to be better than me there, lol.) I know that some leavers delete everything or don’t give any support to their successor about how to adjust to the job, because they are afraid of being replaced and forgotten, or because they’re bitter that they have to leave. I see this as a disqualification as a good ALT. As the proverb goes, 立つ鳥跡を濁さず – it’s basic courtesy to clean up after yourself.