English Teacher — ALT, Eikaiwa and Language School Roles, Japanese Employers

Boards of education, dispatch companies, private conversation schools (eikaiwa) and international schools across Japan hire English teachers every year. Most roles need no Japanese, but almost all of them need a visa that turns on your degree, so check that first.

What the work involves

As an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT), you co-teach English lessons with a Japanese teacher in a public elementary, junior high or high school. At an eikaiwa, you teach small classes of children and adults, often in the afternoons, evenings and at weekends.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in any subject, which the usual work visas are built around
• Native-level English; for school teaching under the Instructor status, twelve years of education in English
• A TEFL certificate is often preferred but is not a legal requirement
• For the JET Programme, citizenship of the country you apply from

How the pay works

• JET Programme. 4.02 million yen in the first year, 4.14 million in the second, 4.26 million in the third and 4.32 million in the fourth and fifth
• Dispatch ALT and eikaiwa contracts. Set company by company; there is no official survey, so compare the monthly figure, the hours and whether you are enrolled in employee health insurance and pension

Before you apply

Note: visa eligibility, processing times and fees are set by the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, and JET terms by the JET Programme — not by JobGader. Confirm the current position with the employer and on the agency's website before applying.