What is ALTIA Central?

(株式会社 アルティアセントラル) is a private dispatch company, under Z-KAI Group, for recruiting, training, and placing Assistant Language Teachers in Japan. They have over 20 years of experience in placing ALTs in public schools around Japan.

*Disclaimer – This is a review and NOT sponsored or promoted by ALTIA Central.*

Table of Contents

1. Benefits of ALTIA Central
2. Placement of ALTs
3. Sponsored Accommodations
4. Salary of ALTs
5. Vacation Time
6. Key Qualifications
7. Interview Questions
8. Final Word

Let’s Look at the Benefits of ALTIA – with my expert dispatch commentary

▲ Full salary every month, no prorated months, paid on-time every time.
(This is awesome since many shady dispatch companies are cheap and love to take hardworking employees’ pay during the holiday breaks, but this isn’t always true…)

▲ Outstanding and reliable support from Supervisors and staff.
(ESID. You might find that the ‘support’ you receive isn’t helpful depending on the school you are put in. ‘Naughty’ schools are a different ball game for new ALTs.)

▲ A comprehensive benefits package with paid Annual Leave days.
(By default, you should be enrolled in the Japanese National Pension and Healthcare ‘Shakai Houken’ or public health insurance which everyone has. It’s a bit better for JETs as they receive more perks, 20 days of paid leave. Almost all dispatch companies provide 10 a year, but they also can screw you over as it has to be used for sick days, too. )

▲ Housing support: we pay key money and deposit for company-sponsored apartments so you don’t have to.
(Get ready for LEO Palace 21 housing as most dispatch companies work with them. Their apartments are hit or miss depending on location, price, size, and thin walls, but they are furnished for the most part. Check out my Osaka Leo Apartment.)

▲ Reimbursements: public transportation, bicycles, and more.
(Typical for all companies and organizations in Japan, but you might not be reimbursed for gas if your school’s location is nearby.)

▲ Driving support: we pay for the car lease and offer a variety of driving plans to suit your needs (up to and including fully paid plans where we pay gas, insurance, maintenance, etc.), and more.
(A great support system; however, you may be hit with penalties for using the car for personal use. Always double-check the terms and agreement.)

▲ Industry-leading training: tailored to your needs, taught by highly skilled trainers, hands-on, ongoing year-round, and professional development for your future career.
(Again, one of those ESID. You might have a bad leader or trainer the first day you come to work or someone who can’t answer all your questions. This happens in every company.)

▲ Resources and materials: Access to top-quality educational resources anytime through our member’s website including storyboards, flashcards, songs, example lesson plans, and more.
(Another, ESID. You might receive brand-new materials! However, you later find out they are outdated or won’t work in your classroom situation. Being adaptable is everything to new teachers.)

▲ Visa Sponsorship
(99% of the time, you will receive a 1-year visa and have to keep renewing as long as you are with the company)

Glassdoor ALTIA CENTRAL is a great resource for reviews, as well as Reddit.

Placement of ALTIA Assistant Language Teachers

Most of their locations are in the Chubu region (between Tokyo and Osaka) for the placement of Assistant Language Teachers.

ALTIA provides a similar recruitment process to Interac or AEON for searching for potential ALT candidates.

Dispatch companies are similar to JET in one way or another in the hiring process – with a Statement of Purpose, Resume, and interview.

Dispatch companies have recruiters and offices all over the world, but mainly in the US and UK for selecting native English speakers.

Recruitment with ALTIA occurs in two cycles, in January and June (application intake, screening, visa issuing), with classes starting in April and September. Refer to the video.

With ALTIA and others, the process isn’t as competitive and not a year-long cycle to get hired as a JET.

ALTIA Sponsored Housing Accommodations

ALTIA seems to be on the ball for accommodation assistance benefits as they “locate, secure, act as guarantor, and cover ALL initial rental deposits (key money) for an ALTIA CENTRAL sponsored apartment.”

Accommodations are the sole discretion of the company, so you can’t pick and choose prior to moving to Japan. Your place might be small or not allow any pets.

As stated earlier, “new recruits into LeoPalace apartments, which are already furnished with a table and chairs, fridge, microwave, air conditioner, washing machine, and TV with instantly accessible internet and wi-fi included.” Again, check out my Osaka Leo Palace for a good idea.

• ALTIA covers the key money fee/ rental deposit (awesome).
• You can’t pick your location.
• Moving costs are your responsibility.
• Rent is deducted from your salary per month.
• Utilities are your responsibility, too.
• ¥3,500 per month fee for insurance.

It’s not really “sponsored” more like ALTIA is your guarantor, so you can get a place, which you pay to stay at.

Plan on factoring a good ¥40,000-50,000 + utilities + insurance from your salary for housing.

ALTIA Salary for Assistant Language Teachers

¥240,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
¥ 2,880,000 ~ ¥ 3,060,000 / Year
It’s good, better than Interac., but it’s not a JET Salary and won’t increase much…
The chances of progressing up the corporate ladder are fairly limited based on their FAQs–

“That being said, openings for managerial positions within the office are too far and few to be used as direct encouragement when interviewing and hiring new ALTs. Once you are in the company, we encourage you to excel in your role and as you are noticed over time for your above-and-beyond abilities and talents, there will surely be head office openings in the future for you to consider.”

ALTIA CENTRAL FAQs

The use of the words “too far and few“, “surely“, and “noticed over time” should be red flags. “Super ALTs” who are there for years and go above and beyond will always be first.

Vacation Time for ALTs

Typically, ALTs receive a lot of time off because of national holidays and Winter/Spring/Summer vacations that schools are off.

Winter Vacation – about 1-2 weeks off because of Oshogatsu (New Year) and national holidays. You might take extra time off with saved-up vacation days.
Spring Vacation – about 2 weeks off because children are graduating and it’s the of the school year.
Summer Vacation – about 6 weeks off from late July till the end of August.

 “The 1st semester usually ends around the 25th or so of July and starts again the first week of September, this generally means at least several weeks in a row of summer break while still being paid in full. Typically, ALTs are not required to be in school during summer break, except for maybe a few days of Speech Contest support or Teacher Training events. Add another couple of weeks or so during the winter break and about 1 week at the end of the school year during the spring break and it adds up to quite a lot of fully paid downtime in most of our contracts to help with a reasonable work-life balance.”

ALT CENTRAL BENEFITS

All-in-all, Japan has 16 national holidays. The amount of holidays keeps expanding because of the workers not using their vacation days.

Will your time off be prorated? Always check as ESID.
Based on Reddit feedback, it can be because of BoEs (Board of Education)!

Key Qualifications – with expert dispatch commentary.

▲Native English speaker
(Any country where English is the primary spoken language. Check the JET country list.)

▲Bachelor’s degree (or higher)
(Any recognized and accredited 4-year degree.)

▲ Engaging, enthusiastic, and motivated to provide a positive communicative experience for students.
(No boring people or those lacking presentation skills. Honestly, no one is 100% these qualities. Just have them when you go to the interview. Remember, you are a person, playing a teacher, disguised as another person. )

▲ Flexible, culturally sensitive, and eager to live in Japan for a minimum of one year.
(Can you endure everything Japan is going to throw at you for culture shock and living experience?)

▲ Previous teaching experience ranging from ALT to ESL tutoring within Japan or in other countries.
(Any ALT experience will put you ahead of the curb. Previous ALTs from JET or other companies will usually have the upper hand, even on someone with just a TEFL and tutoring experience back home.)

▲Must have at least a basic level of Japanese with a conversational level being strongly preferred.
(Not necessarily a requirement… but having a basic understanding of just Japanese goes a long way for employment abroad.)

▲Previous time spent studying or working in Japan is preferred.
(This means they know you won’t run away or break your contract when things get tough living abroad.)

▲As many ALT positions do require driving, applicants who can or would be able to drive in Japan on either a Japanese license or International Driving Permit are preferred.
(Aspiring ALTs who volunteer/can drive will have a leg up, even if they can’t speak Japanese because they are willing to go to those remote locations.)

ALTIA Interview Questions as posted on Glassdoor:

Glassdoor is a great resource, along with Reddit, for some interview advice from previous ALTs or applicants.

• Why did you choose ALTIA?
• Why do you like working with kids?
• What can you bring to this company?
• How do you connect with kids outside of classrooms?
• What is an ALT’s role in a school?
• How would you fill your spare time at school?
• How would you handle a disruptive student?

These questions aren’t much different from the JET Programme’s interview questions. If you have those down, this shouldn’t be hard for any interviewee to pass.

Final Word

I am not sponsored by ALTIA Central and have never taught for them. However, I did an interview with them, was offered a position (denied it of course), and also had friends teach for them in the past, so I know they are a decent company.

Deciding to join a dispatch company is left to your own accord. Never let anyone push you into companies or positions you may not like or want; this even goes for JET.

There is no one ALT company or lifestyle that fits all. It is what you make of it.

Thank you for reading my review and all the information provided.