What is a Board of Education?

A Board of Education, often shortened to BOE, is the municipal body that runs the public schools in a city, town or village. It is the employer in a direct-hire ALT job, rather than any individual school.

In Japan, ALT roles are filled in two main ways. Many go through dispatch companies, which employ the teacher and place them with a school. With a direct hire, the Board of Education employs the ALT itself.