It is extremely important for you to understand that vacation and sick leave are viewed considerably different in Japan from that of your home country. ALTs are given 20 paid vacation and 20 sick days a year. Generally speaking, Japanese teachers only use sick leave under doctors orders. Paid vacation leave can be used hourly or daily. However, sick leave can only be used daily. Major school vacations such as summer, winter and spring break are primarily considered vacations for the students, not for teachers. Even with your 20 days leave a year, you will not have enough paid leave to cover all days when students are on vacation. You are required to get permission from your principal/vice principal before taking either paid vacation or sick leave well in advance. Each school may have a different policy about leave, so please talk with your supervisor about your school’s requirements.