Proof of 12 years English education

Hey Mina-san,

I have been living in Tokyo for 6 months now as a student and would like to become an ALT at the beginning of next year.

My question is:

What is considered as proof of 12 years of education in English for a non-native speaker. I'm from the Netherlands (Holland).

I followed bilingual education during my High school years and at University rougly 50% of the classes were also taught in English.

However all my school documentation is in Dutch.

So yeah which kind of documents do you need to show the Immigration office for obtaining an Instructor visa.

On a side note: Do you also need a Certificate of Eligibility if you want to change your visa from Student to Work?


Thanks for all your answers

I'm not sure 50% would be acceptable, but the only way to know for sure is to go to immigration and ask them.

No, a CoE is not necessary for a change of status. In fact, the procedure for change of status is functionally equivalent to the procedure of application for a CoE, that's when immigration checks that you qualify for the status you wish to obtain.

Thanks for your answers!

Meanwhile I found a might have a found a job that starts in April 2016, however the Language course I'm enrolled in ends in December.

So my question:

Is it possible for me to stay in Japan for the three months in between legally?

And I currently have a part-time job on my student visa.

Could I still be working there?

I know I should go to the Immigration office to get the official answers but I would like to know your experiences with this.

Thanks in advance

When does your current status expire? In any case, even assuming it does not expire between December and April, that's more than three months so there is a possibility that immigration will revoke it before you start your job.

You would first need to have a job offer from an employer to apply for a work visa. So if your employer accepts your resume as acceptable, you have a good chance.

About the timing: when does your student resident status expire?

Technically it expires september 2016.

But yeah if I stop school earlier, my status of residence will also be revoked right?