As in tertiary institutions around the globe, part-time teachers carry out the lion’s share of English language teaching at universities in Japan (Strong, 2022). Despite the growing interest in English language teachers’ well-being (e.g., Herrera et al., 2023), to date, research on the well-being of part-time English teachers remains scarce.

In this ongoing qualitative case study, I draw on Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological model as a conceptual framework to investigate part-time English teachers’ well-being, as I perceive teacher well-being as discursively constructed as a result of interactions between an individual and the various contexts (microsystem, mesostystem, exosystem, and macrosystem). Data were generated through semi-structured interviews with a group of part-time teachers, assisted by questionnaires and a visual timeline of teachers’ careers, and were analyzed employing thematic analysis.

The findings uncovered factors such as precarious working conditions and a lack of institutional support that negatively influenced teachers’ wellbeing. However, teachers also have resources and coping strategies at their disposal that they can employ to mitigate the effects of these and improve their sense of wellbeing. As a result, participants also reported aspects of positivity pertaining to teacher autonomy, collegiality, and interaction with students from diverse backgrounds.

By taking an ecological stance in examining teachers’ well-being, I argue that teacher well-being is not a personal responsibility but a responsibility of society. Therefore, to raise awareness and seek positive change at the systemic level, the findings suggest implications for teachers, teacher educators, and policymakers, as well as directions for future research.