Help Us Launch “A New Deal for ALTs”

Oct 26, 2020

Take the 2-minute ALT survey at www.bit.ly/surveyALT

A common saying in the ALT world is “Everyone’s situation is different,” and this is very true. Our situation truly is different from the regular, licensed, teachers we work with every day. We are in the school, but are often not part of the school.

We are subjected to odd requirements. Many of us are not enrolled in the social safety nets that our fellow teachers are, especially those employed as dispatch ALTs.

We are not given bonuses (or if we are, we suddenly find our regular pay being cut to make up for it). We are not afforded the stability of a regular contract. Many are simply not paid enough to live in Japan while working a single job.

In short, we are deeply concerned that ALT jobs are being turned into poverty jobs. This not only affects the ALTs’ livelihood, but also the quality of ALT programmes as many can simply no longer afford to be an ALT regardless of their passion for the work and their dedication to the students.

Dispatched and direct-hire ALTs face some unique problems, but also have many of the same issues. These issues need to be resolved and that is why we launched our campaign, “A New Deal for ALTs”. Many ALTs move between both dispatch and direct-hire and need to be natural allies. Our campaign hopes to bring both groups together.

We need your help if we are going to make a change.

The General Union in partnership with the Sapporo General Union, National Union of General Workers Tokyo Nambu, and Fukuoka General Union are calling for “A New Deal for ALTs” nationwide. To start to do that though, we need your help. We need to gain a better understanding of the type of financial situations faced by ALTs all over Japan.

We’re asking for you to take a few minutes out of your day and please fill out this survey (www.bit.ly/surveyALT). Individual data will not be released to third parties and will be used to start negotiations with government agencies from the local boards of education up to the Ministry of Education itself. Please share this survey as widely as possible.

It is time for a new, better deal for ALTs. Please help us by filling out the survey. Oh, and keep your eyes open for further announcements regarding the “A New Deal for ALTs” campaign including an upcoming seminar on improving ALTs’ rights at work.

Take the survey: www.bit.ly/surveyALT