EEducation in Japan

Valuable mistakes made as an ALT which you learned greatly from?

I’ve just been hired as an ALT. I’ve worked in eikaiwas for about 4.5 years. In regards to the new position, I have no determined location or level as of yet. Any advice would be greatly helpful to me and others as well. Thanks.

10 comments

  1. Just be aware of the schools going on, help where you can and stay out of the way when you might notice you may be a burden (think around testing time and stuff).

  2. Don’t expect that the JTEs want your help or input on a lesson. Offer it but be prepared to be a tape recorder. Every situation is different. It depends on the location, the school and the JTEs

  3. Just go with the flow and have an open mind. You will most likely work with different JTEs/HRTs, and different teachers have different teaching styles, so just try to accommodate their needs as best as you can. Other than that, show that you’re always willing to improve and try to have fun with the kids 🙂

  6. Not ALT but eikaiwa… I think just relationships.

    Won’t discuss the specifics too much but most of my challenges related to clashes with support staff. Not quite sure how I woulda handled some situations better (one of two people were really abrasive no matter what I did to try and please them. Also, I had no time/capacity as I was teaching 10+ classes a day without a rest).

    However, these days I’m more confident and relationships are 99% of my job so I reckon I’d be tackling such things earlier on rather than just gritting my teeth and assuming they’d improve.

  7. Have something productive to do with your time.Online Master’s for example.

  8. As an ALT you have plenty of time. Don’t just waste it. Use that time to work on your Master’s or get TEFL certified etc etc

  9. Thanks for everyone’s comments, I appreciate them. As far as advice from me goes:

    1. Create opportunities out of your opportunities.
    2. Journaling is a great way for collecting one’s thoughts.
    3. Have a regular exercise routine ( I prefer jumprope and yoga ).
    4. Cultivate relationships with those around you, the depths of some can be quite profound.
    5. Try new things when it comes to teaching, and try new things in general.
    6. People may be rude to you, be nice to them regardless. This shows your strength rather than your weakness.

  10. Enjoy your summer holidays, mine started this week. 6 weeks off baby!! And all paid (dependant on company)

    And congrats 🙂

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