This study examines special class teachers’ perception of emotion labor and the phase of emotion labor, and purposes to clarify special class teachers’ conceptual perception level for emotion labor, occurrence situation of emotion labor, and emotion management plans. For these purposes, this study conducted in‐depth interview with the research participants of 10 special class teachers. From the results of this study, it was found that the participants were aware that special class teachers required ceaseless emotion management, and that they performed emotion labor experiencing job stress and status of emotion exhaustion in the process. Special class teachers’ emotion labor appeared in a relationship between students, students’ parents, general education teachers and managers, emphasizing special class teachers’ professionalism and sprit of service, and resulting in their experiencing burdening of over requirements, school natural features and relations of peer teachers. Special class teachers used emotion management methods such as getting emphasis from peer special class teachers and/or family members, personal passing away, getting hobbies, or deviation of their job from their school life to cope with imbalance of these emotions.