Abstract
Very few people are against the aims of the JET program, that is, promoting the internationalization of Japan and improving English teaching. However, teaching English with AETs is no easy task. JTEs and AETs tend to attribute the difficulties to different causes. Many JTEs consider the main source of the failures of team teaching to be the lack of qualifications of AETs. Many AETs are not licensed teachers, but they are here to work with JTEs as assistants within the system of Japanese education and not to teach alone in the classroom. AETs may not satisfy JTEs in terms of teaching experience and expertise but they are native speakers of English and invaluable representatives of their respective English speaking cultures. In this paper the writer will discuss ways of making the most of these characteristics while evaluating how AETs are received by students as well as JTEs.
