Many ALT applicants who are qualified to do the job get rejected.
Often the issue isn’t suitability for the job. It’s small, avoidable mistakes that make recruiters uneasy about how someone will function in a Japanese school environment.
Professional Communication Mistakes
Professional communication is one of the strongest signals recruiters use to judge candidates.
Why? Because ALTs spend their working lives communicating in structured, hierarchical environments. Every email and interaction is a preview of how you’ll behave on the job.
Being Too Casual
Emails that are overly informal, sloppy, or chatty create doubts about professionalism.
Common red flags include:
- No greeting or sign-off
- Text-message style writing
- Use of emojis
- Spelling and grammar errors
You don’t need to sound stiff. You do need to sound like an adult in a workplace.
Missing Instructions or Formats
Recruiters often give specific instructions for:
- Document naming
- File formats
- Forms and questionnaires
- Submission methods
Ignoring or altering these instructions suggests difficulty following procedures. That’s a serious mismatch for a Japanese work environment.
If something is unclear, ask politely. If it’s clear, follow it exactly.
Slow or Inconsistent Responses
Long delays in response raise concerns about reliability.
If you need time to complete a task, acknowledge the message and give a timeline. Silence looks like avoidance, not professionalism.
Arguing Instead of Clarifying
If a recruiter asks for clarification, correction, or additional documents, getting hostile, defensive, or snippy will not help.
Even if you’re technically right, recruiters will note how you respond to feedback and authority. That will not be a fit for a hierarchical work environment like a Japanese school.
When in doubt, there’s nothing wrong with asking for clarification or correcting mistakes. It’s how you approach these things that matters.
Cover Letter / Statement of Purpose Mistakes
Most cover letter problems come from misaligned focus, not bad writing.
Being Vague Instead of Specific
Statements like “I love Japan” or “I enjoy teaching” don’t tell recruiters much.
Specific examples about what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, and how it applies are far more persuasive.
Focusing on Japan but Not the Job
ALT roles exist to support schools and students. Letters that focus your desire to live in Japan while barely mentioning teaching suggest the job isn’t your priority.
ALT organizations are certainly looking for interest in living in Japan. But if you focus on that and neglect what you will contribute to the organization, you’ll give a bad impression.
Professional motivation and relevant experience are safer and more effective.
Interview Mistakes
Interviews are less about perfect answers and more about how you present yourself.
Overstating Skills or Experience
The interview is used to dive into the details of your skills and experience. While you’ll be going over things listed in your resume and application, the interviewers will be asking follow up questions to clarify the details.
While it can be tempting to fluff your background by presenting volunteer experience as if it was a paid position or inflating your job title, the mismatch between what you’re claiming and your actual knowledge and abilities will be painfully obvious.
Presenting limited experience and skill realistically gets you points. Being caught in an exaggeration (or outright life) can easily get you rejected.
Recruiters would rather hear “I’m still learning” than discover exaggeration mid-interview.
Becoming Defensive Under Pressure
Interviewers may challenge answers or present uncomfortable scenarios. This is part of the process. They’re stress-testing you to see how you deal with confrontation and pressure.
Defensiveness during the interview suggests difficulty handling real-world classroom or workplace issues. Living and working in a foreign culture is much more difficult than answering a few hardball questions about your work experience.
Showing Inflexibility
Rigid demands about location, schedule, or other conditions are a common reason otherwise strong candidates are passed over.
Flexibility doesn’t guarantee placement, but inflexibility means rejection more often than not.
The Pattern Behind Most Mistakes
Most application mistakes fall into one of three categories:
- Poor self-awareness
- Poor understanding of what ALT organizations value
- Difficulty functioning in structured environments
Recruiters are constantly assessing risk. Mistakes that suggest future friction or instability weigh heavily in decisions.
How to Avoid Most of These Problems
You can avoid the majority of these mistakes by:
- Keeping the organization’s needs in mind
- Reading instructions carefully
- Being honest about your abilities
- Responding calmly, even under pressure
If you follow these principles, you will have a major advantage over other candidates.
What to Read Next
To strengthen your application further:
Writing a Statement of Purpose / Cover Letter
How to Stand Out as an ALT Candidate
Interview Prep Basics
Application Timeline
For deeper breakdowns and real-world examples, these topics are explored in more detail in So You Want to Be an ALT.
ALT Roadmap 