How to apply for ALT in Japan?

Hello. I just graduated Senior high school here in japan. I would like to apply for ALT but I don�ft know how. every ALT teacher I have asked has told me that all I need is to have graduated (���Z) to be able to speak English well and that I should be good they said. I�fve also been told from other people that some companies will train you for a fee and you will get a certificate or a license? I am not quite sure. But they said that once you get that you can be an ALT. They will also help you find a school that you can work for. I am half Japanese half filipino. I am also a Japanese citizen.
I would appreciate your tips and advice. Thank you.

I am not sure but, I thought that ALT applicants needed to have a bachelor's degree?
Here is the JET's official information page:

http://jetprogramme.org/ja/eligibility/

Another thing is that they usually try to hire from outside Japan...

I am also a Japanese citizen.
As a citizen you don't need the degree as pp says - you are not restricted in your work options - you don't need permission to live/work in Japan.

If you're already a citizen of Japan, then you don't need a bachelors degree or to have special permission to work. It should be a lot easier for you in that regard since you don't need to be sponsored. If you're talking about getting hired by a company, I would just look online for example on Gaijinpot.com or other sites like that.

I know a lot of foreigners use that site to find a job, but you can still apply of course.

Whoops, I missed the (very important) bit about being a Japanese citizen – in that sense no requirement of a degree for the purpose of visa sponsorship.
Then it would be non-JET ALT positions you might look for locally.

Thank you all for your response.
I am glad to know that I do not need a bachelor�fs degree to be able to work as an ALT since I am a Japanese citizen.
Do I need experience to be able to apply for ALT? Or is there a place where I can learn or train to be a proper one?
I have a little bit of experience of training in kindergarten for about a month if I put my part time and training together. I know it�fs not a lot but do any of you think that would help me?

You said I should look for non-JET ALT positions. Could you please tell me what kind of positions do you have in mind? Thank you.

Those things that make you employable may actually not work in your favor as an ALT. I bet they're looking for someone who doesn't know a lick of Japanese so they don't use it as a crutch. And since you're not a native speaker, you may not be looked at as someone with language experience, just sayin'.

If that�fs the case then do I need to get an EIKEN certificate to prove that I am a native English speaker? or do I need TESOL or TEFL?

Owgodsai,

Please look at some teacher listing on Gaijinpot for reference. They do have some positions – not going through JET but direct hires. This listing will give you some ideas about what kind requirements they have.

EIKEN is just to evaluate the level of English as a learner, so not really useful (just comparing yourself to other Japanese people who learned English as a foreign language).
TESOL or TEFL is a certificate for �gteaching�h of English (to speakers of other languages or as foreign language) so that might be useful, but where is that kind of course available in Japan I don�ft know.

Thank you for your response.
I did some research and I saw a lot online TESOL courses I am not sure if they are legit or not.
Some looked sketchy some looked convincing.

First thing first, do you even know what ALT is? How people ( Japanese and foreigner) perceive ALT as?
Have you heard of dancing monkey, tape recorder, low pay etc.

Next is why would you want to be an ALT, when you (a Japanese national) having just graduated from high school, could just continue your study at university, earn a teaching licence to become a proper English Teacher, if you really into teaching English.

Most ALT work for dispatch company "�h�����", like Interact,AEON, Borderlink etc. This company get contract from Board of Education (BOE) to 'assist in teaching English' at school, where they will then hire mostly newly graduate foreigner, who have no whatsoever experience/interest in teaching. This 'teacher' have their work visa sponsor by the dispatch company, mostly on 1 year contract. Those 'teacher' will then be given simple basic training in 'teaching English Japan way' but most of it you will learn/figure out when you actually start 'teaching' at school.
They also hire resident status holder( spouse,PR etc.), going for Filipina housewives on lower salary.
Average ALT salary can be as low as 160,000 yen or upto 250,000 yen. JET ALT are the best paid 280,000 yen.

Since you study in Japan, you shoul have experience lesson with ALT when in school.
Most ALT will be assign to few school which they will go to on different days of the week. In kindergarten or elementary school, most of the time ALT will do the teaching on their own(which is basically illegal since ALT don7t have licence to conduct teaching), maybe lucky if the assigned a teacher that help you out. As for junior/senior high school, ALT normally follow whatever the Japanese Teacher of English (JTE) instruction.

So kindy and elementary, ALT will be 'dancing monkey' .. sing/chant/games or whatever to make English lesson 'fun'. JHS/SHS ALT mostly readout from textbook (rather than JTE play the CD), play games and 'communicate' with students.

Not to say ALT is bad, most people use 'teching English' as a door to enter Japan, maybe do 1-2 years work, networking and move on to other better job.

I�fve also been told from other people that some companies will train you for a fee and you will get a certificate or a license? I am not quite sure. But they said that once you get that you can be an ALT.
That is just BS. Certificate/licence for what? Any tom dick harry with a degree can be an ALT. Unless they are talking about CELTA or TESL?

So again the question why you, a Japanese national want to wok as ALT, when you could be a licence English Teacher.
Read this.
https://blog.gaijinpot.com/japan101/teaching-english-in-japan/

Graduate high school - no experience:
Well that is what happens with all new grads/job seekers - most people are in the same position on leaving school.

Want to be an ALT - skill level required varies by position.
Why not aim a bit higher - is university an option? You could train to be an actual teacher.