can dual citizen work as english teacher

I am a dual citizen of US and Japan born before 1985 and wanted to look for a job teaching english in japan. I heard that JET forces ALTs to renounce their Japanese citizenship and was wondering if other companies do the same thing. Another question I had is when writing a cv, I'm supposed to include my place of birth and nationality. I was born in the US to parents with Japanese citizenship, but since Japan doesn't recognize dual citizenship I'm not sure what to tell employers about my citizenship. Should I tell them I'm a Japanese citizen or an American citizen? Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is it difficult for Japanese-American dual citizens to work as english teachers in Japan?

I very much doubt JET forces people to renounce any kind of citizenship, they certainly don't have the right and it would be an international incident if they did! Because JET is mainly an international cultural exchange they may be more likely to hire people with no Japanese background however.

I know Japanese citizens with no other citizenship who teach English in Japan, and it is certainly not difficult to find teaching work as a dual citizen- no harder than it is for anyone else anyway, but it's getting more and more difficult for everyone these days.

Tell potential employers the truth- the fact that you also have Japanese citizenship will be seen as quite a positive factor for many, because it means you don't need a visa and can start work straight away.

Thanks, I feel better knowing that. Actually I heard about renouncing citizenship on the Japanese Embassy website about JET. http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JET/jobs_alt2010.html It says:

''Those who possess dual citizenship with Japan and the U.S. are ineligible for the program unless they renounce their Japanese citizenship before accepting a position on the Program and submitting the Reply Form.''

Frgg675,

this sounds more like a Japanese Government requirement. The way I understand it is that the Japanese Government in general does not accept dual-citizenship. Keep it a secret if you have both passports. Don't tell them (unless you are asked and even then think twice about the answer!!) that you have both nationalities. It DOES work!!!

I very much doubt JET forces people to renounce any kind of citizenship, they certainly don't have the right and it would be an international incident if they did!

On the contrary, it is quite transparent and well publicized to applicants that you cannot hold Japanese citizenship and participate in the JET program. Those with duel citizenship who wish to participate in the program would be required to renounce their Japanese citizenship. In practice, though, there is no way for them to check that you actually did. I too suspect that it has to do with immigration issues rather a policy of only bringing in foreigners, especially since you have the option to renounce.

If you did get accepted to JET then visas and alien registration and such should all be done using your non-Japanese passport while you remain in the program.

Because JET is mainly an international cultural exchange they may be more likely to hire people with no Japanese background however.

Although JET's hiring trends vary from embassy to embassy, it is speculated that Japanese/asian ancestry may be an advantage as the applicants are seen as a sort of bridge between cultures. When I came over on JET we had maybe 30% asians from my embassy, with maybe half of those with Japanese ancestry. At least 2 of those gave up their citizenship, while I know one who didn't but told the JET program that he did.

Hiring trends vary greatly on the applicant pool as well, for example embassies in the midwestern US have very low percentages of asian participants. And occasionally there are BOEs that specifically request that their JETs be caucasian.

yllwsmrf, there is a big difference between saying that people with Japanese citizenship are ineligible and "forcing" people to give up their citizenship, which no educational organisation like JET can possibly do. You could look at JET's rules as "forcing" people if you like I suppose, but I think that's not an accurate way to describe the situation.

I agree with you that they can't force you to give up citizenship, but that wasn't the point of my post. I am simply confirming that doing so is a requirement for employment with JET, which this thread has been unclear on up to now.

Frgg675,

I would forget about JET who needs the hassle.

You are Japanese just come to Japan and start applying for work, you will find work no doubt about that, so don't worry.

Good Luck

I would say for the average person its worth it if it fits your time schedule (applications taken in November, job starts in July/August) specifically because it comes with higher average pay, 20 days of vacation time, has a well established support system, and 3 years of job security compared to other english teaching jobs.

However, 123 has a good point that since you hold citizenship you are in a special circumstance where you could just come over and look for work. Not requiring a visa gives you many more options, and you can start looking immediately. Whether it will be easy to find work in this economic climate is a seperate question, but you do have more options than the regular person.

So to answer some of your specific questions:

Should I tell them I'm a Japanese citizen or an American citizen?

What's important to employers is your Japanese citizenship, meaning they don't have to sponsor you for a visa, making you a more attractive hire.

Is it difficult for Japanese-American dual citizens to work as english teachers in Japan?

Technically it would be easier as there are no visa hassles.

Btw, how good is your Japanese? That will be an important factor if you are looking into non-teaching jobs.

Thanks everyone for all the feedback and wishing me luck, it's really helpful. I'm planning on going to Japan and stay with my family and look for work while I'm over there, possibly starting out teaching private lessons.

@yllwsmrf:
My education in Japanese is intermediate-level and I can understand 80-90% of conversational Japanese.

To answer your question, I have met MANY Japanese who are english teachers, from high school to language schools to business english teaching.

Yes tell them you are Japanese because they don't have to bother with work visas (which would probably make you a even more attractive candidate), but also stress that you lived, worked, and speak English as an American. Most companies DON'T care as long as you can speak English.

The JET program is kind of special, because it is a Japanese program to get foreigners to come into Japan. I guess there would be a problem for a program to atttract foreigners but a Japanese national applied, it would defeat the purpose of the program.
But forget about JET, you already have Japanese nationality so just come into Japan with your japanese passort and apply away.

You could probably get by working at more then one school, and doing part time work, you have absolutely no visa restrictions which makes you a very attractive candidate. I work for many english teaching companies that ONLY hire people who already have proper visas (PR, spouse) or who are Japanese.

When I say Japanese I mean really Japanese, not duel nationals. Many of them have lived abroad or studied abroad, and "teach" English part-time combined with their other jobs. I speak to them often and they certainly are not fluent/natural speakers.

If they are working in the business, I would say you should be just fine.