English Teaching Requirements

Hi.

I'm 16 and currently studying for my Level 3 BTEC Diploma (United Kingdom) in Early Years and Primary Education, as I want to be a teacher in the future I want to teach in Japan, would I need to go to university after this for a bachelors? Or would a Early Years BTEC Diploma qualify for a work visa sponsorship? I know I'm asking quite early on in my career aspiration journey, but I just would like to know what I would have to do in the future. Thank you.

I'm unfamilia with your Btec degree. But it sounds like you would need the later. As a certificate isn't a high enough qualification as the bacholars they are looking for from university/college degrees.

Or 10 years experience. Which by you example, you don't have.

For a teaching English language as a foreign language (which I assume you are aiming for), usually it is either at least a bachelor's degree or three or more years of teaching English.

If you are looking to teach other subjects in elementary/junior high schools in Japan, that would be a different story.

It depends where you want to teach. At a real school, university, or something else such as eikaiwa? In any case, most employers demand a university degree even when it is not legally required; there are very many people like you, so they can afford to be picky.

Definitely get a university degree.

If you want to simply come here and teach, do your university work in the UK, preferably in a related field such as education, TEFL, linguistics, etc. That would put you in the running for entry level teaching jobs in say the JET Programme, a private language school, and so on. If your programme allows for study abroad, do it. Come to Japan and learn Japanese.

If you want to find better paying, more stable positions teaching, such as at a university, then get at least a Masters degree. A PhD would be even better.