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Home - Question Forum
English Teaching Job in Japan
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Dear visitor, if you know the answer to this question,
please post it. Thank you!

English Teaching Job in Japan 2009/7/11
Hi everyone,

I've always heard that its extremely easy to find a job in Japan as a English teacher even if you don't have experience or teaching certification, and I see tons of stories on the internet how even complete morons can get jobs teaching English in Japan.

What i DON'T get is how on earth are these people finding these easy to get jobs... I think i could do a fairly decent job at teaching English, and i've been wanting to go to Japan for so long... how come i can't find a job like that? Can anyone provide me some insight on how I can get a job in Japan?

Kind Regards,
Claudio

by claudio manuel  

Different time 2009/7/12
Perhaps these internet stories you are reading are from a different time - many years ago, any moron, as you put it, could get a job - just "look white" and speak with some kind of American accent, and Japanese would throw money at you.

Not anymore I'm afraid. You need a teaching degree (3 years minimum) and contacts etc. The jobs are still there - but demand (for jobs) is up - demand for English classes is down (economy) - so schools now only take the best.

Good luck.

by John (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/7/12
In the past maybe, but now the economy is pretty bad it's pretty hard to get a decent job teaching English.

The standards vary depending on company, yes I've met some idiots out there, but most people I've met recently have been pretty smart people with lots of life experience. So YMMV

by Express Train (guest) rate this post as useful

Jobs in Japan 2009/7/12
John, it's not a teaching degree that is necessary, it is a Bachelor's degree in anything- no teaching qualifications are required for most positions.

I agree though that it is no longer the case that anyone can just arrive and expect to be handed a job- the global economic crisis has affected Japan just as much as the US, and there are not nearly as many jobs as there used to be.

How to find the jobs? Google "teaching jobs in Japan" and see how many job sites come up- I just tried it and all the main ones were there- eslcafe.com, ohayosensei.com, the ELT news site, plenty to start you off.

by Sira (guest) rate this post as useful

still not hard 2009/7/12
it's still not hard. You won't get a super high salary job as easily as before. But you can send in a resume to a place like GABA or AEON or Berlitz and have a job by the end of the week with minimal effort.

If you want to work in the sticks there are lots of private schools out there that will take you just as easily, provided you have a degree or some kind of visa that allows full time work.

by Winterwolf (guest) rate this post as useful

All of this advice is probably... 2009/9/27
I have been in Tokyo about 2 weeks. None of the major schools will hand me a job as I have applied to them all, made call backs and showed up at their schools to ask again if they specifically needed help. The answer is always: submait your resume to our website as we are always hiring. I have yet to hear from any of them aside from Gaba which rejected me. I have a 4 year degree but recently graduated so perhaps I am underqualified. If anyone knows of these small school, as I have looked for them at every station and not found one please post an e-mail address. I know the eikawana in Kanji and can recognize it but it is always the same major chain schools when I walk in. I think a TEFL certification would help a lot, but I don't have that.
by Mitch (guest) rate this post as useful

Morons?? 2009/9/28
''...how even complete morons can get jobs teaching English in Japan.''


Perhaps the diplomatic service would be a better career for you...

by Guest (guest) rate this post as useful

Don't cold call 2009/9/28
Two weeks is not very long for a job search- keep looking. Not many schools are going to give you a job quickly, you need to go through the usual hurdles.

Showing up at the branches of large chains is not a good idea as recruiting is done centrally- follow their usual hiring process and you have a much better chance of finding a job. It very often takes two months or more to find a teaching job here.

Respond to the ads on the job sites and be prepared to wait.

You are not underqualified, you just need to realise that no school will hire you on the spot- Japan is very much a place where you have to follow the procedures, so that will be your best bet. Did Gaba give a reason for not hiring you?

The word for an English conversation school is ''eikaiwa'', rather than ''eikawana'', incidentally.

by Sira (guest) rate this post as useful

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