Across Japan, many public schools rely on ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) to teach English.However, most ALTs aren’t directly employed by city or prefectural governments.
Instead, they’re hired through private dispatch companies.One of the biggest of these is ALTIA (アルティア), which holds contracts with Boards of Education in places like Aichi and Kyoto, as well as many others across the country.Do you know if your local Board of Education uses a dispatch company?
If so, do you know which one?Under this system, the following problems have been happening nationwide:○ ALTs are replaced every year
○ Teachers’ experience and efforts are lost instead of being passed on
○ Students suddenly have to say goodbye to teachers they’ve grown used to
English classes are about more than just teaching words. ALTs help children experience foreign cultures and ways of thinking, opening up their world. But when ALTs change every year, the trust and routines they’ve built with students are disrupted. We often hear children say things like, “I finally learned to speak English with last year’s teacher… and now they’re gone.”When ALTs cannot work stably, it also becomes harder to prepare lessons and coordinate with the school. Under the dispatch system, teachers themselves live with the constant uncertainty of not knowing if they’ll have a job next year.
Children can’t settle into learning: Every time the teacher changes, the style of the lessons changes too.
Quality of education drops: Experienced ALTs can’t continue, and every year starts over with a “newcomer.”
Schools bear a heavier burden: Each ALT transition requires handovers with teachers and staff.
Community connections weaken: If ALTs cannot stay long-term, their involvement in local events and relationships with children cannot continue.
When more ALTs can work stably, lesson quality improves and schools feel more secure.
Stable ALTs mean stable learning for children.
This also impacts your taxes!
Did you know that hiring ALTs through dispatch companies actually costs more for schools?Teachers directly employed by schools are eligible for national subsidies, but ALTs hired through dispatch companies are not.In other words, our tax money is being spent more than necessary.The current dispatch system leaves both schools and ALTs at a disadvantage.
A: No, this is a nationwide issue. Many local governments use the same dispatch system.
A: When ALTs change every year, the flow and atmosphere of lessons are disrupted.
A: Most ALTs are employed by dispatch companies, not directly by the Board of Education.
A: No. We are not trying to stop classes - we are asking for improvements so that education can be better.
A: Most ALTs love their schools and students. But many cannot continue because their contracts are unstable.
A: We are educators living and working in Japan. We speak up because we want better education for Japanese children.
Many of us came to Japan without clear explanations about social insurance or pensions and only learned about these issues later.
Even so, we respect Japan’s system and hope to create a fairer, more transparent environment for education.
We are teachers who want better English education for children.
What we are asking for now is fair working conditions for ALTs employed through dispatch companies.Many of us work under the Board of Education, yet our actual employer is a dispatch company.
Even though we do the same work at the same schools as directly employed ALTs, we earn less and have unstable contracts.
Our Main Requests
Pay a livable wage (at least ¥250,000 per month)
Provide proper end-of-contract allowances
Align contract periods with the school year (until March 31)
Follow legal obligations such as transportation costs, social insurance, and paid leave
A Request to the Board of Education
Even when using dispatch companies, please demand conditions equal to direct employment.
Unfair treatment among teachers at the same school affects the quality of education.
We are not asking for “special treatment.”
We want to be evaluated by the same standards as other educators working in the same environment.Stable employment and fair treatment are necessary not just for teachers, but also to
protect the learning environment for children.
Check if your local schools are using the dispatch system
Bring this up in your PTA or community discussions
Share this page and help amplify our voices
We are speaking up to protect children’s English education.Please tell your local Board of Education that you want ALTs to be directly employed.With direct employment, teachers can work stably and the quality of lessons will improve.Your voice is needed to support children’s learning.We love education in this country.
If more teachers can work with stability, children can learn with peace of mind.
A teacher’s smile leads to a child’s smile.