How do I become a direct hire ALT?

12 comments

1. Depends on if your area’s BoE has direct hire openings or not. Apparently a lot of schools have been contracting ALTs through those companies, so it’s generally harder to find a direct hire opening (depending on your location). You can contact your local BoE for openings, or just Google “(your area) board of education”. Most schools will probably start hiring within the next few months, for the next school year starting in spring.

2. How I did it was I basically just contacted every single BOE in my prefecture that I had a remote interest in working for, then checked their respective pages (although most postings were actually on the city/town pages) in the winter to find the relevant information.

   It’s also worth noting that all of my interviews came from places I visited *in person* last fall. Might be worth your while to do that. Also, depending on your visa (when your visa expires, how long you’ve been in Japan, your actual status like 教育), some may not want you to apply. I had a few say they couldn’t change my visa status from student to education, one said they only wanted applicants with 1+ year of continuous residency, and it could also depend on your experience.

3. I was offered the position, wasnt looking for one. I was though the most responsible ALT in our city, thats why they offered it I guess.

   I was thiking of checking other cities, but like small cities. Places where nobody else would be willing to work or live, that might be easy. Big cities are hard because of the number of people who apply. So check the website of the city hall, thats where they advertise their positions in December-January.

4. 1. You’ll need some ALT experience which it looks like you’ll have
   2. You’ll need decent Japanese. Some BOEs may only communicate in Japanese (others it may be ok with mediocre Japanese)
   3. You’ll need to be somewhat charismatic, not a weirdo otaku. If you’re popular at your school, you’ll probably be fine

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   If you meet these conditions, you can search online for positions BoE offers but also you could contact local BoE directly.

5. Go to the website for the BoE of the city/town where you want to work and see if there’s anything listed there.

   Also, try networking with the teachers you’ll meet at your schools, if they think you are good at your job, they’ll ask if you’re interested in a position at <such and such city that has direct-hire ALTs>.

6. Look for municipal government websites in your region to see if they directly hire ALTs. Key words to look up are 外国語指導助手 and 　募集 which start to appear from now until February.

7. If you’re serious about looking for a job you could start with searching this sub for said job instead of reposting something that has been asked again and again. Downvote all you want but one big difference between dispatch and direct hire is the ability to be proactive.

8. A friend of mine was offered the position in his first year because he married a Japanese woman straight away. They seemed to just want someone who would stuck around. Lucky for them he’s a good guy too.

9. Google search for 英語指導助手 or 外国語指導助手 plus the word 募集 and click every BOE link that comes up until you find an application that isn’t expired. Yes, that’s actually how people do it.

10. Not sure where you are based but I know the Osaka BOE have a pretty good program called CNET. Used to do it for a couple years, pay was nice and they were fairly raced about most things.

11. Check local town and city websites for job listings around December.

    That said, many direct hire positions require that you take care of:

    1) Have a visa already (get a spouse or PR)
    2) Can manage your own accommodation
    3) Can speak Japanese
    4) Can drive and have a car
    5) Have experience teaching

    Think self-sufficient. Generally speaking BOEs prefer not to have to hand-hold ALTs. Being a person who is able to take care of yourself and any issues you have at or outside of work on your own is ideal for them.

12. Mine direct-hire employment is attributed to timing. The ES level was expanding to include 3rd and 4th grade at the time and I couldn’t do it alone. So I saw my chance.

    I approached the BoE with the proposition that I would teach specifically the JHS levels, which I prefer, and also start a free English class at night ranging from kindergarten to adult. They would keep the dispatch contract because most people leave after 1 or 2 years so to keep it easy on them for finding staff, we kept the same contract.

    It took a lot of going back and forth until a fall golf event for the Chamber of Commerce for the town. I got paired up with the vice-mayor. I won the event but more than that, the vice-mayor said that I had shown grace and respect to others regardless of level of play and in my own mistakes. He introduced me to the mayor (who I had met before) and spoke very highly of me and after that it was pretty much decided.

    Of course, I was integrated into other aspects like on the weekend I teach skiing to the local kids. I take the roll of main teacher at MEXT sponsored ski events for my students that do ski racing because I have ski racing certifications. Even though I am only JHS, I actively coach and mentor the dispatch ES teachers to get them up to speed. And I am pretty much at or in any local events.
    TLDR: Proposed idea to local BoE. Connections outside education solidified my offer.