Municipal ALTs

Municipal-ALTs differ from the prefectural ALTs (Ken-ALTs) in that they are handpicked by their town's Board of Education and, more importantly, are employed by them not by Fukui Prefecture. This means that their salary is paid by their town, their duties are determined by their town, and they are answerable to their town and not to the Kencho. Their appointment (contract) isn't all that different from a Ken-ALT's contract but there will be a few differences.

Who are they?
At present, there are 6 JET Municipal-ALTs in Fukui Prefecture: Fukui-shi(1), Ono-shi(1), Echizen-cho(2), and Oi-cho (2). As mentioned above, Municipal-ALTs are usually chosen by their town as opposed to Ken-ALTs who are placed in their schools at random most of the time. These schools have no say in who / what type of person they receive.

Municipal-ALTs will probably have a supervisor at the Board of Education as well as at their base school. Municipal-ALTs are advised to find out as soon as possible what their schedule will be and how they will split up their time between the different offices. All correspondence from CLAIR and JET to the Municipal-ALT will be sent to their Board of Education first, before it reaches them sometimes faster than Ken ALTs.

Do they attend the seminars and ceremonies with Ken-ALTs?
In August, an appointment (contract) signing ceremony is held in Fukui City. Municipal-ALTs do not have to attend this ceremony because they will have their own ceremony in their town. An invitation is usually extended to Municipal-ALTs to join the banquet after the Kencho contract signing ceremony but they are not required to go, for transportation cost is not paid by their contracting organization.

Throughout the year, there will be conferences held in Fukui City that all the ALTs will have to attend, for example the Mid-year Conference and the Winter Seminar. Municipal-ALTs are required by CLAIR to attend the Mid-year Conference but even so, an invitation will be sent to your school/Board of Education and must be approved first. ALTs who attend conferences in Fukui City will receive reimbursement from the Kencho to cover travel costs to and from their homes. Municipal-ALTs might not get reimbursements from their BoE but they should confirm this with their supervisor.

What do they do?
Municipal-ALTs can be asked to do many little projects by their town. In the past, some were asked to help in the translation of their town's guidebook, to organize a home stay program, and even edit various signs in English. Remember that you are a town employee, and these duties are, in effect, obligatory.

Every now and again, the BoE or the school staff will have parties or staff trips. An invitation is usually extended but sometimes might not be. It's not a matter of being purposely excluded, sometimes the staff will just assume that the ALT will not want to go. In general, if a trip being planned is of interest to you please feel free to ask if you can join.

Are Municipal-ALTs treated differently to Ken-ALTs?
Most Municipal-ALTs have 20 days of nenkyuu and with the permission of their school, do not have to come to school the whole summer. On the down side, “travel days” (paid holiday assigned to be taken before/after a trip overseas) and half days on Fridays might not be given.

There might be other situations in which Municipal-ALTs are treated differently from Ken-ALTs so if you are a Municipal-ALT, talk to your supervisor and the school staff about things that you are unsure about, ask your predecessor, supervisor/s, or call Ms. Noda at the Kencho. You can also call the Kencho CIR or other Municipal-ALTs for advice or information.