Literatures, Languages, and Cultures: World Language Program:

Teaching English in Japan

Do you want to teach English in Japan? The Japanese government launched the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program in 1987 to invite native speakers of English to be Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs). Other private companies have also recruited native speakers to be ALTs since the mid-1990s.

The number of ALTs has been rapidly increasing after elementary schools started teaching English in 2011. As of 2019, almost 20,000 ALTs teach English in schools. Several UC Merced graduates became an ALT.

This talk presents an overview about ALTs. We will also view a video of a school day of an ALT in a middle school.