Speakers
Description
This interview based study explores how Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) in Hokkaido experience contract insecurity, professional recognition, and team-teaching realities across JET, dispatch, and direct-hire employment. Using semi-structured interviews with ten ALTs, we examine job security, finances, and collaboration with Japanese Teachers of English. The session offers evidence-informed recommendations for schools and boards of education to better integrate ALTs and reduce the emotional costs of the position.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
We ask: (1) How do ALTs describe job security and employment conditions? (2) Do they feel respected and recognized as educators? (3) What financial challenges shape their professional and personal lives? (4) How do ALTs navigate classroom interactions and collaborate with Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs)?
Abstract section 5: References
Binns, A., & Johnston, S.-K. (2021). Impact of assistant language teachers on English education in Shizuoka. In P. Ferguson & R. Derrah (Eds.), Reflections and New Perspectives: JALT2021 Conference Proceedings (pp. 89–96). JALT.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Flynn, C. (2009). ALT furniture: A look at dispatch ALT contracts. The Language Teacher, 33(5), 39–40.
General Union. (2024, July 19). General Union’s groundbreaking ALT survey gains national attention. ALT News.
Kalleberg, A. L. (2009). Precarious work, insecure workers: Employment relations in transition. American Sociological Review, 74(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240907400101
Mahoney, S. (2004). Role controversy among team teachers in the JET Programme. JALT Journal, 26(2), 223–244.
Miyagawa, J. (2024, August 19). English teachers in Japan left in near poverty by paltry pay. The Asahi Shimbun.
Abstract section 1: Relevance
Japan’s ALT workforce has shifted toward cost-cutting dispatch employment, intensifying precarious conditions and limiting institutional inclusion (Flynn, 2009; Kalleberg, 2009; Miyagawa, 2024). While research has documented role ambiguity and uneven team teaching (Mahoney, 2004; Binns & Johnston, 2021), few studies connect labor precarity, recognition, and classroom practice within Hokkaido.
Abstract section 3: Content/method
Ten ALTs working in urban/suburban and rural Hokkaido (JET, dispatch, and direct-hire) completed 45–60 minute semi-structured interviews in English. ALT experiences were compared across contract types and school levels. Informed consent was obtained in all cases.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
The presentation will share themes showing how contract status intersects with precarity, financial strain and emotional challenges linked to low wages and uncompensated hours (General Union, 2024), and the range of ALT–JTE collaboration in team-taught lessons. Implications will be discussed for boards of education, dispatch providers, and schools seeking clearer role definitions and more sustainable team-teaching practices.
| Title | Labor insecurity: emotional and financial struggles of ALTs |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | Assistant language teachers |