What job prospects are there for me?

Let's say I have a spouse visa and I'm living in Japan without a degree, what are my job prospects? I'm a native Englishmen. Also intending to eventually be JLPTN1 but currently on N4. I'm hoping to become an ALT for a few years and then change to an English teacher. Fortunately for me I enjoy teaching.
A Japanese friend says I'll probably be better off starting in cram school, then becoming an ALT and finally a teacher.

Working in a local cram school might be a possibility as they don't have to try and do anything with visas. Without a university degree you might be limited in how far you can go as an ALT (meaning you might not be able too - but others can confirm or dismiss this).

If you have basic conversational Japanese - then you might be able to work in something like a Family Mart or similar.

Most of the cram schools are for entrance exams. When you don't know anything about Japanese entrance exams and how they are taught grammar and stuff, it should be difficult to be hired by a cram school, even if you can teach in fluent Japanese.

I also think working in a warehouse, construction, or convenience stores should be your option. But these jobs require Japanese skills to some extent because your customers, bosses, and coworkers should be Japanese.

Hi. Unfortunately it will be extremely difficult to get an ALT position unless you have a university degree. I am Japanese and I have to admit that my country is an academic background-oriented society compare to the countries where I have lived. Have you considered to teach English online ? I have worked as an online Japanese teacher once and I received considerbly good income. There are some online language tutor sites you don't have to have special qualifications or degrees in order to make application. Good luck ! Ganbatte kudasai.

Thank you everyone for your responses.

@tattooedhiroko
I have not thought of teaching English online yet, but maybe that's a route that I should consider. It's a shame, I thought that if I had a spouse visa then I could become an ALT. I've heard they usually only want you to have a degree so that they can give you the work visa, but if I already have a visa I thought it would change things.
Thank you for your advice! ‚Ђ낱‚³‚ñ�A‹³‚¦‚Ä‚­‚ê‚Ä�A‚ ‚肪‚Æ‚¤‚²‚´‚¢‚Ü‚·�B

Unfortunately that is not the case Goosie, I've done a tonne of searching and all the eikaiwa and schools want you to have a degree even on the ads where they are asking for applicants already living in Japan

It's silly really as the degree is irrelevant to the job itself, by as mentioned before Japan favours those who have been to university.

I've even seen a couple of children's English schools want English teachers but they want you to be native level Japanese in speaking reading an writing! They want their cake and eat it there! for children's English!? On an arubaito wage!?

Teaching online or tutoring privately is an option, you may be lucky to find a children's school who doesn't mind that you don't have a degree. I'm yet to see one though.

You can also consider an aribaito at a convenience store, restaurant etc as mentioned above. It's competitive though as any Japanese person can do those jobs so you have to try to be more desirable than the native Japanese who won't run into language problems and manner/culture problems. So any office jobs etc immediately become hard to get as a Japanese person is quicker than a non native speaker.

To be able to work in a restaurant or convenience store about an n3 level in Japanese is normally sufficient, you don't have to take the exam but it's a bench mark, even at n3 there will be times you don't understand.

Keep an eye on apps such as town work and indeed for these, but if you enjoy teaching then doing so privately may be an option for you.

@Shelly
Thank you very much for your detailed advice. Yea, I've been on Gaijinpot for a good thirty minutes now and I've noticed a lot of job applications aren't asking for a BA degree, however the applicant needs to be living in Japan. However, you say that despite this, they will still ask for a degree? I suppose that when you apply they refuse and say it's because you don't have a degree.
It's a shame, it's really stressing me out. To be honest, I would be all right with a 250,000 yen a month wage as I will be saving up money for a year or two anyway with my wife. Maybe I'll need to really push for a job once I'm there and bank on my native English and conversational Japanese haha. I think starting off teaching English online is probably the best start. In the mean time I can search for other jobs. Also, teaching online at least gives me a bit more experience.
Of course, university is an option but there are personal obstacles that make university quite an unreal prospect.
Shelly, wasn't you trying to get into Japan under the same circumstances as me via the status route? I seem to remember your name from a while ago before the whole pandemic. How is it all going for you?
Again, thank you for your advice. Do you think I'll be able to find any work when I'm in Japan?

Hi again Goosie!

Yes from my experience looking for eikaiwa and children's schools they always ask for a degree, but it is not a legal requirement so you may be lucky to find one in your area who doesn't need one.
Before you apply to a particular eikaiwa do a bit of research on that school because I have seen many horror stories of them scamming foreigners out of pension and health insurance etc, many people who work at eikaiwa only do so for a year or 2 like in a university gap year. So the school just decides not to give them the life benefits or slightly underpay so they don't meet the threshold. The jobs aren't normally intended to be life long but it might be your intention so make sure it's a school where people are not complaining on the internet about. And ask the questions to them about your benefits, your wife may be able to help you with this.

Yes we have spoken before :) but I wasn't in the same situation as you as I got a Coe from outside of Japan and entered, have just renewed by resident card for the second time yesterday!
I am a fellow Brit and I gave you advice on the marriage process, I remember you worrying about all the same things I worried about when I was preparing my marriage docs for Japan. I take it you haven't been able to go to the embassy etc yet due to the current situation? It's been long and drawn out and I can only imagine how stressful it must be for you. Stay strong and know that you will get here. If you are already here, then thank the heavens for that!!

If you don't mind me asking, will you be living in a big city like Tokyo?
I live in a small city in Aichi and there are not many arubaito about right now probably due to covid. Luckily I don't have to worry as my husband earns enough to support us but I'd like up contribute a bit financially, I've had interviews at 2 restaurants and a pet shop recently, I got rejected by one restaurant, the other never called me back and the pet shop rejected me as they need someone who can sell and write pet insurance contracts in Japanese so only a Japanese would do for them. So it is hard for us non degree holding foreigners here. Options seem limited for me but maybe if I lived somewhere with more foreigners it might be easier? I am the 8th British person to move here! But my husband's job is most important so we live where he works.
Good luck with your hunt and keep us posted!
Whoops I fear I have rambled on a bit here, I do apologise!

no degree means low educated.
in Japan, university tuition is rather inexpensive (tuition of national universities is about 600000 yen per year) everybody can go to universities, if he/she has good school scores enough to enter university.
and, if your family is poor, the tuition may be reduced (or no tuition).

all teachers in Japan have degrees and the licence.
are you happy if your children are taught by low educated and no licence teachers ?

�uI've even seen a couple of children's English schools want English teachers but they want you to be native level Japanese in speaking reading an writing! They want their cake and eat it there! for children's English!?�v

That requirement might not be there for the sake of classroom instruction, but for communication with the Japanese staff. I've worked several eikaiwa jobs, and only at one of them was my boss even remotely proficient in English. In many cases, there's some sort of mid-level staff member who can speak both Japanese and English and acts as a go-between, but some smaller organizations don't have anyone who can act in that capacity. If the boss has no way of reliably communicating with the teacher, they're probably not going to feel secure hiring them.

The obvious solution for such schools would be to hire someone who is bilingual to act as the linguistic go-between, but not all schools are in a financial position to do that.

To the OP, yes, the four-year degree requirement is something that has to be met for schools to sponsor a teacher's visa, but from a general hiring standpoint, it's something a lot of schools will want an applicant to have even if they have a spousal visa. The technical aspects as teaching may not demand four years of college education, and even those with a degree might have one in a field that's not related to education. The four-year degree is, to hirers, a sign that the applicant was responsible enough to attend classes, be on time with their assignments, and study for exams enough to pass for years of college courses. Depending on the college, that might not have been all that difficult, but it shows a certain bare minimum of responsibility in the applicant.

Without a degree and only N4-level language proficiency, you're largely hoping that schools will hire you based just on the fact that you're a native English speaker, might have a nice personality, and you have a Japanese wife. It's not impossible to find work like that, but you're probably going to be at a disadvantage against the many applicants with stronger credentials.

As for starting by teaching in cram schools, that's probably going to be a tough option. As pointed out earlier, many cram schools are focused on preparing students to pass specific entrance exams and design their lessons for that purpose, not so much just raising students' overall proficiency in the subject. So odds are they're going to want an applicant who can not only explain English, but also explain test taking strategies, which they'd probably want you to do in Japanese.

ken, no that is incorrect, for teaching english conversation skills like in an eikaiwa or kids english, a degree is not required. its more important to have someone with native level english ability.

yes i would be happy for my child to receive for example japanese lessons from someone who is native level japanese who does not hold a degree (as the degree is always irrelevant to the teaching.subject) unless the degree is relevant to teaching english, then a degree holding individual is no better at english than someone who doesn't hold a degree.

why do you need a degree in biology for example to teach at an eikaiwa. people who do not hold degrees are not necessarily poorly educated, they may be very good at english and are more than qualified to teach english to kids and eikaiwa (who provide all on the job training by the way)

please do not insult people who do not hold degrees, especially on a subject which doesnt even relate to teaching english!

Just to further add to the topic, yes an eikaiwa normally asks for a degree in anything (not necessarily rightly or wrongly so, that is a matter of opinion) but we have already established that.

But further to kens comment about not wanting to be taught by someone without a teaching license... eikaiwa do not require you to have a teaching license. Most employees are inexperienced at teaching and are taught on the job, which I think this is why people here are questioning the system.

Yes I understand your Japanese view of degrees mean low educated, but this is for Japanese people, when it comes to foreigners their home countries may charge a fortune in student fees so having rich parents or a willingness for a huge debt is what decides who gets a degree. So degreeless people are not necessarily low educated, but are forced to take alternative routes like apprenticeships, on job training and self study.

I think we have already established that OP will have a hard time finding work at an establishment due to a lack of a degree, so jumping in saying one is low educated was not necessary, alternative options are being discussed here such as Baito, teaching privately and maybe OP needs to think if he has other skills which he can utilise in Japan

@Shelly
Thank you for your advice about checking out if the eikaiwa has a good reputation before applying. I think it's wise. I'm very lucky, because there will not be immense pressure on me to get a job when I start to live there. We will be living in an apartment adjacent to where her grandmother lives rent-free. I think I'll be able to be very careful about the jobs I try to get.
I remember now! That's right, I'm still in the UK right now due to the situation at hand. However, I'm saving up money in the meantime so it isn't so bad hehe. I'm glad you've renewed your status, you must be comfortable there! I am also considering entry via CoE now like how you have done, rather than change of status as it seems more likely to work. As for where I'll be living, my wife is a Kansai lady, so she wants to stay in Kyoto or maybe Osaka if there's an apartment we like (Osaka is cheaper).
That sounds tough, but it's sweet that you want to help out financially. I'm sure it's hard to get work in a smaller town, too. But if you keep your head up, I'm sure something will turn up for you. Please let me know once that happens! Again, thank you for your advice.

@Ken
I understand your point, and perhaps that is the viewpoint of Japan's system. I can understand why having a degree would be positive in a resume in contrast to one without. I am perfectly capable of entering a university, however due to personal reasons it's quite an unreal prospect. Thank you for passing your knowledge of the Japanese tuition system for me.

@Guest
That's an interesting point of view I've not considered before. The degree demonstrating that the individual is essentially responsible. I feel like that could very well be the case.
That is true, I do not have a lot of strength behind my application, but I do believe being persistent will create some sort of outcome. All the while, my Japanese will become better, too. Cram schools probably aren't a safe first choice then, so it seems. Right now I'm thinking a long search for an eikaiwa placement is a safer choice. Thank you for the information you've shared, it helped me develop a new perspective and was helpful.

@Sakura
The on the job training would be a valuable experience for me. Although it isn't absolutely necessary, I intend on passing the TEFL too so I have something education-related on my resume.
Thank you for your advice.

Hi Goosie

Wow Kyoto or Osaka, your options will definitely be a lot wider than mine there, as well as the attitude towards hiring foreigners, should be a lot better.

Although a tefl doesn't count towards the requirements it is definitely good to have, especially if you end up teaching privately like online as you will have some lesson planning skills.

I'm glad you are getting on ok in the UK while you wait for things to get better in the world.
When you go through the Coe process with your wife, if you want to ask me anything feel free, I will try and remember what I did at the time! As a Brit who's gone through the exact same process as you hopefully I can help (if my memory hasn't gone numb)
Good luck with everything and keep us posted!

@Shelly
It is most definitely fortunate to be in such a large city. When I'm there I'll definitely let you know how the job search is. You're right, a TEFL course will provide me with some nice experience to use when helping people learn English.
I really appreciate your willingness to help, it's so very kind of you. If I do find myself looking for help regarding the CoE route then I'll make a thread about it. Hopefully you'll catch it before it's buried amongst others haha. I hope you'll find work soon!

The degree requirement for most eikaiwa jobs in Japan is because of visas and sponsorship, which is what most foreign teachers require. If you have a spouse visa, this is not an issue and the bottom line becomes whether you can present yourself as an attractive candidate to a school.
I owned an Eikaiwa for 12 years and employed several teachers on spouse visas who did not have degrees. They were well spoken and intelligent people who proved to be great teachers.
Ken almost always comments in a negative way on this forum and has a typically dogmatic Japanese mindset, seeing things in simple black and white terms. I do not believe that he has much fondness for foreigners so feels a duty to put them down whenever he can.
There's some good advice in this thread and I'd simply add my own advice for you to improve your nihongo as much and as quickly as you can but on a spouse visa, the reality is that you can do anything, if you can find an employer willing to take you on.
Good luck!

Hi Saru Bob

such wonderful advice there, you are right, As Goosie and myself are spouses we can do anything here as long as we can find someone to take us on.

you are also correct about a degree not being a legal requirement if an applicant already lives in japan, however in my personal experience i have encountered many eikaiwa who still demand one even though they are asking for applicants already residing. i already know they dont have to have one but yet larger companies have policy, and japanese people do not break the rules of the companies they work for so easily, or question any systems where they work.
but your words will surely give Goosie hope of finding an eikaiwa who will take him on, they do exist as you have prooved, he will just have to look a bit harder than someone holding a degree.

yes that certain individual does seem to be rather negative towards foreigners and has a very narrow minded way of thinking, i was kind of anticipating he would throw in his 2 cents at some point with an anti foreigner, looking down upon someone with no degree kind of attitude. best to ignore him i guess!

thank you for your encouraging advice!

@Saru Bob
Your words are greatly encouraging and warming to read. Thank you for your advice, I will continue to study Japanese everyday as I have been doing! Recently, I've been considering doing an online bachelor's degree while studying in Japan. There are some undergraduate courses offered that allow you to study from anywhere, so maybe it's a good thing to do while settling into Japan.
I'll try my best once I'm in the country and I'll update this thread with news so that others who are in my shoes can find encouragement.

@Shelly
Saru Bob's words most certainly did give me hope, so I'm feeling less tense right now. I think I've found a good balance of information regarding my job prospects in Japan from this thread. Thank you very much, Shelly.
Please don't worry about Ken, I don't take any harsh words personally. I merely hoped to soak in information like a sponge when I made this thread. If he truly does have issues with foreigners, then we should not spend our energy on him. Like you say, best to ignore him!