[jasonbvr]

The thing to remember is that high schools are almost like community colleges in the States. (Sorry, didn't check where you are from.) But yeah, most Japanese will graduate from high school then go to a trade school. That means that high school level English is the highest level most will attain, and therefore the program is a lot more in depth than say elementary schools and junior highs.

Non-JET ALTs are either ALTs that indirectly work for the board of education or are hired direct by the BoE. Direct hiring is much less common than ALTs that work indirectly. The most common form of indirect hires come from eikaiwas (conversation schools) in the local area. Some BoEs hire indirectly for reasons such as indirect hires are usually cheaper. Eikaiwas bid against one another to win contracts so the lowest bidder usually wins. Another reason is that BoEs are partly responsible for taking care of their JETs so hiring them from a company shifts responsibility to the company. A third reason could be that indirect hires are much easier to replace if the school gets a dud and most eikaiwas can provide substitutes in the event of unforseen circumstances.

The way to go if you want to be an ALT is JET. However if you are looking to move to Japan quickly, easily and want to get a certain area, go the indirect route. If you want to work for a high school, get your TESL masters and go for a private high school. Also always remember that with a teaching license from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the US, there are a plethora of international schools to work for. I've met PE teachers that have better benefits than ALTs.