How To Get a Job Teaching English in Japan

So you want to teach in Japan? Great! Teaching English in Japan can be one of the most exciting choices of your life. You’ll get to completely immerse yourself in a different culture and experience a country so different from your own, it’ll be a unique opportunity. But you must be wondering where to start. In this blog post I will teach you how to get a job teaching English in Japan. We will cover the basic requirements, documents, and qualifications of what you need to get a job in Japan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What requirements do I need to teach English in Japan?

The basic requirements for teaching English in Japan are to be a citizen of an English native speaking country such as the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. They also require you’ve done 12 years of formal education in said native speaking country if you are not a citizen. You need to have a bachelor’s degree, clean health check, clean background check, meet the age requirement of being in your 20s or 30s, and savings.

Is it hard to get a job teaching English in Japan?

There are so many jobs constantly being posted in job forums around online. Skip down to Where To Find English Teaching Jobs in Japan to see all the websites that offer job postings. If you’re looking for university teaching jobs in Japan, that may be a bit harder since they require a master’s degree or above. They also prefer candidates who are in the country and recommended by someone in the institution.

How much money do you make teaching English in Japan?

It depends on the kind of job you have. There are various jobs offered such as working at public schools, private schools, through a company and so forth.

How long can you teach English in Japan?

Teaching contracts in Japan usually range from six months to one year.

Do you have to have a degree to teach English in Japan?

As a rule of thumb, yes you do. Many Japanese are educated, so you should be too. Most jobs require you to have an undergraduate degree. In my experience, this can be in any subject. It’s a bonus on your resume when applying if you also have a TEFL Certificate to make you stand out from the other applications.

Do I need to speak Japanese to get an English teaching job?

Most jobs do not require you to speak Japanese. In fact, they would prefer you to speak English at all times in the classroom. From my experience though, it’s really good to be able to speak basic Japanese. I highly recommend Japanese Pod 101 to help you learn. They send out free emails every day with a Japanese word of the day.

Is it easy to find a job teaching English in Japan?

I have seen many job postings from kindergarten to high school being offered in cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Kyoto. If you do a bit of research on these Japan job forums, you can easily find a job that fits your personality.

Where can I teach English in Japan?

I highly recommend going to teach in the bigger cities and prefectures in Japan. This will make your time as an expat much easier. My top picks would be Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

Why I Decided to Teach English in Japan

If you’re interested to know the full story, you can check out the about me section here. But long story short, I had been enthralled with Japan since I was a teenager. I loved everything about the country and when I discovered the JET Program in high school, I made it my ultimate goal to get on the program and experience Japan to its full capacity.

I spent three years on the JET Program from 2012-2015 on Okinawa. Living in Japan afforded me the opportunity to travel around the country cheaply and efficiently since living there, I gained insider knowledge on how to go about it easier.

Where To Find English Teaching Jobs in Japan

Now you may be thinking, “How can I get a job teaching English in Japan?” It’s not as difficult as you may believe it is. There are lots of websites with job listings and recruiters to help you along with the process. If there aren’t any recruiters, your school will probably be well versed in getting the documentation and paperwork for your job in Japan. Below is a list of websites you can begin browsing that offer various jobs throughout Japan.

• Altia Central
• Dave’s ESL Cafe Job Board
• Gaijin Pot Jobs
• Go Overseas Job Board
• Interac Japan
• JET Program

How To Get a Job Teaching English in Japan

Another commonly asked question is, “What are the qualifications for teaching English in Japan?” Below is a list of the requirements to teach English in Japan.

• Bachelor’s Degree – There is no getting around this. You need to have a degree that qualifies you for the work visa in Japan. Your undergraduate degree can be in any subject.
• Be a Native Speaker – Japan will accept nationalities from the seven major English speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. (The JET Program accepts many more nationalities so be sure to check them out!)
• Clean Criminal Background Check – You will not get a work visa if you have committed a crime in your own country. You can get the paperwork for a background check from the FBI here.
• Meet the age requirement – The average age of retirement for Japanese citizens is 60. Schools strongly prefer teachers in their 20s or 30s.
• Pass a health exam or drug test – Before you go to Japan, you will have to go to the doctor and get a clean bill of health.
• Savings – I cannot tell you how important this is. Japan is insanely expensive and the cost of relocating there is high. I recommend you go to Japan with $2,800 – $4,200 in cash.
• TEFL Certificate – These days because more and more people are wanting to move abroad (especially from the United States because of COVID-19), the job market is competitive.

Documents Required to Apply To Teach English in Japan

• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree/diploma
• Sealed college or university transcript
• Original national level criminal background check (FBI in the U.S.) *Note: Some schools will require this while others do not.
• Passport photos
• Original contract (to be provided by your employer for visa processing at consulate)
• Original passport that is valid for at least one year

Job Interview For Japan

At the job interview make sure that you’re dressed in a suit and act professional at all times. Since I’ve always loved fashion, I showed up in an olive suit and short sleeved jacket which definitely put me apart compared to other candidates who were in more plain colors. Do what you want, but I also believe this helped me. You will probably be lined up against a lot of other job hopefuls so its good to make a good lasting impression.

I also recommend you study some body language. The advice Amy Cuddy gives in this TED Talk is SUPER helpful. She addresses how to show open body language like not crossing your legs and arms because it shows how closed off you are. Instead, demonstrate some power posing and your body language will also help you be effective.

Here are some of the potential questions you could be asked for your English teaching job interview in Japan. Though these are very basic questions you could be asked, be prepared to specify. Be genuine and interesting with your answers.

1. Why do you want to be an English teacher?
2. What makes a good ALT? What have you done that shows these qualities?
3. How will you represent your home country while in Japan? How will you represent it at school? How will you represent outside of school?
4. How would you handle stressful situations at school? A problem student? A problem classroom? Conflicts with co-workers? How will you work together with Japanese colleagues?
5. How would you handle difficult times or situations in Japan?
6. What would you do for games and lessons in Japan? What examples can you give?
7. If your students have very low level English ability, how will you communicate with them? How will you teach them?
8. Most people teach common holidays like Halloween and Christmas. What can you teach that is different?

Fun fact, I actually got asked the last question by my interviewer. Since I had done so much research on the internet about the job interview beforehand, I was prepared. The odds were ever in my favor because I responded with saying I would teach about Groundhog Day which happened to be my interviewer’s birthday. I believe because I prepared and my answers were more memorable, it made me stand out from all the other candidates.

Congrats, friends! You’ve made it through this huge article. You no longer need to wonder how to get an English teaching job in Japan. It should totally be super easy for you as long as you keep these tips in mind. In short, is it easy to get a job teaching English in Japan? Yes and no. As long as you’re someone who meets all the requirements, is able to provide the proper documentation, and has a clean background and medical check, you’ve already cleared the hardest part. Many private and public schools around the country hire year round. My advice is to do your research, try to reach out to other teachers at the school, and connect with others who have taught in Japan before you.

This post contains affiliate links which means at no additional cost to you, I make a small commission to help keep Gina Bear’s Blog running. Thanks for your support!

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