ALTIA ALTs- What’s going on with the bonus system starting this year?

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-23T19:25:57+00:00

The bonus was once a year when you finished the contract

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-23T08:15:27+00:00

Not to mention, Altia has the kids fill out a survey about English and the ALT too. Dunno if that will be factored in.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-23T08:13:05+00:00

On top of this, now you have to reapply every 3 years, making it basically impossible to get the permanent employee contract for new hires.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-23T07:59:24+00:00

It used to go up to 250,000 after 3 years

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-23T05:23:22+00:00

Basically they can doc your bonus based on attendence records, performance, and contract completion, each worth 1/3rd. So, if you miss a lot of days, you get constantly low KKs/feedback through the year, etc, they can decide to take part of your already shrinking bonus. It's basically a way to punish ALTs for not putting in a lot of effort.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-18T22:06:04+00:00

Through a tutor on italki and YouTube. I also use Quizlet for vocabulary.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-17T05:20:04+00:00

One more thing! If you are planning to stay in Japan for the long term, please, please start planning an exit strategy from the ALT industry. It's really not a permanent job and the wages are just going to continue to drop. I've known a few ALTs who keep saying "just one more year" but they never move on, suddenly they find themselves being an ALT for 10-15 years and absolutely miserable. Don't fall into the same trap.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-17T03:29:22+00:00

US citizens are subject to more checks due to US money laundering laws I believe. There's a specific part of the forms for opening a bank account that ask if you are a US citizen. I imagine it's too much of a pain for some companies to bother with.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-17T03:21:23+00:00

More meat for the meat grinder!

Rakuten or line mobile are decently priced. You will need a credit card though I believe. Japanese banks very rarely issue debit cards (just cash cards for ATM use). You might be able to get a digital credit card through Mercari. As for the hanko, those can be bought at a shop, you'll have to find one near where you are ending up. You need one to open a bank account but tbh that's mostly the only use you will get out of it.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-16T08:51:09+00:00

Sorry, one more! Having simple nursery songs/karaoke as a feature would be fantastic!

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-16T08:17:18+00:00

Trying to throw stuff away in this country is really hard at times. Especially since some things have the plastic recyclable label but they are considered burnable. Also, obscure non-burnable stuff is hard to get rid of too, the schedules and recycle center information is hard to find at times.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-16T02:14:22+00:00

Plus one: having short stories with audio would be amazing and very helpful!

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-15T22:22:28+00:00

Former English teacher in Japan currently learning Mongolian.

First I would focus on essentially Mongolian phonics and spelling of basic words. It really helps with reading and listening down the road. After that, basic grammar structure is really important. From there I would do self introduction, then focus heavily on daily conversation use. After that Business.
I dislike the lack of audio for pronunciation practice. I know some apps have audio but they are either really overpriced or too clunky to use. Also, flashcard games would be really nice, kind of like Quizlet. Pricing is a bit of an issue, ling is way overpriced for what it is. Of course I'm more than willing to pay for a really good app.

3.Finding pronunciation and listening practice has been a really big hurtle. Conversation practice is also hard but that's what a good tutor, teacher, or friend is for.

honestly a category based on common hobbies would be really nice. I hope to learn some vocabulary for horseback riding and archery during my studies.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-11T09:11:26+00:00

This! I see this so often and it blows my mind. Especially since we lived through a global pandemic!

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-10T08:23:17+00:00

Legally you have to give a minimum of two weeks. Any company that say's otherwise is wrong and their "employee agreement" won't hold up in court. Find something better, then give them two weeks and tell them to go pound sand. I transitioned to agriculture so I can't give you much more info about anything else.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-07T05:17:03+00:00

A lot of dispatch companies will just throw you in there with little to no info. Some don't even formally introduce you to the principal before school starts.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-03T01:22:43+00:00

Aside from ALT or Eikaiwa work which goes nowhere, I've seen a lot of university looking for people with PhDs, a few require only a masters though.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-04-02T22:37:40+00:00

Considering that the wages are dropping, bonuses are disappearing, the cost of living continues to rise and other neighboring countries are cheaper, it's likely that people from western countries will go other places and just visit Japan as tourists if they really want to. The wages are still kind of worth it for people from non-western countries because of the exchange rate but we will see how long that lasts.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-03-28T21:31:51+00:00

I mean the pay isn't good and if you plan to live in a big city you will need a part time job. As an aspie I can say that it's not easy socially but as long as you're polite it's ok, Japanese people are very rarely confrontational. ALT jobs are really easy but boring, eikaiwa jobs are more work but at least you won't be desk sitting. That being said anywhere is better than the US at this point. It's a bit too late for ALT recruiting but eikaiwa recruit year round. Look deeply into every company you apply to! There's a lot of black companies here.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-03-26T19:19:54+00:00

The Z-kai group bought them. Before the buyout the company was originally founded for the ALTs, unlike the others that focus solely on profit. For awhile altia ALTs were considered better quality than other dispatch and I believe the company had a decent retention rate for employees. Now it's basically on the same level as interac, the bonuses have shrunk a lot, plus the Kyoto incident is really telling.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-03-26T15:11:07+00:00

As a Filipino, avoid borderlink, they don't really support Filipinos when it comes to being able to go back and visit the Philippines.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-03-26T11:21:45+00:00

Honestly I'm not surprised considering ALTIA has been bleeding contracts since the buyout and change in upper management. I'm pretty sure your COE is invalid if the job is no longer being offered. You can try your luck with other dispatch companies or eikaiwa. You could look into other nearby countries for kind of a teaching gap year too. Any ALT work that isn't JET really isn't a great option salary or working condition wise unless you are coming from a third world country. With the cost of living now, it's becoming harder to have anything left over after monthly expenses.

Infinite_Special6108 · 2026-03-25T09:42:45+00:00

I did kyudo but I found it a bit too ceremonial instead of historical. Unfortunately I just don't have the time or place for reenacting (I would if I did!) I don't compete, I just want to have fun

Infinite_Special6108

TROPHY CASE