TESOL Teacher with tattoos?

Hi there.

I am considering getting my TESOL certification and attempting to find a job as a TESOL teacher in Japan. My question is, I have tattoos, quite a few of them. Will it be difficult for me to find a job? I know that tattoos in Japanese culture are viewed as a marking of a violent person, but as an American, that is not the case. I spent 13 years in the US Army, so the tattoos are all Hide-able if I wear a long sleeve shirt. Nothing on the Face / Neck / Hands, and only one visible with Short sleeved shirts. I do know that Onsen and Sento are out of the question for me, but it has been a dream of mine for many years to pursue this occupation. Any advice or opinions are greatly appreciated.

If they are fully covered, no one is going to ask you to undress...

It's okay if you are not Japanese. Different culture, we all know (Tattoo = Yakuzas in the mind of the Japanese). Pity you won't be able to go to public onsens, though.

I'm more worried about your 13 years on military duty. That is something that people will question (maybe indirectly) in Japan. Japan today is a (squeaky) "pacifist country" (read: don't have any understanding about the harsh realities of the world) and even JDF officers feel quite marginalized. Although it shouldn't be a decisive factor in employment, I think you will be scrutinized (can we trust our children to this foreigner who served in the military - did he kill in Iraq or Afghanistan ?). You should be prepared for this. Also, please keep in mind that this is not your home country. I am fearing of a situation of you feeling like poor John Rambo in his first film, or even worse. Please don't be offended, as people in Japan simply don't have a clue how to communicate with ex-officers. Don't lose your pride but please don't be too proud. You did a fine job in serving your nation and are now prepared to serve for the upbringing of children.

I'm more worried about how people will react, I mean. I sincerely wish you the best. Good luck !

Hi again and thanks for the comments. I do understand the military background causing questions. Hopefully employers will understand that I was a Medic and never served in combat. Also as for teaching Kids, as a parent I also understand the fears on that part, that is why I was planning to focus on ESL for adults. I understand that will limit my job opportunities, but hopefully not to a degree as to eliminate the possibility of doing something I enjoy.

TESOL certificate in Japan = nice decoration worth almost nothing. The only real good ones are probably CELTA or a degree program.

However most TESOL certification are almost as good as printing out one on a piece of paper using Microsoft paint.

Do you have a university bachelors degree? For most jobs that require sponsorship thats what they really care about. The rest is taught to you, plus on the job training.

CELTA is a TESOL certificate. Saying TESOL is worthless but CELTA is good, would be like saying "Dogs are worthless, if you want a pet, get and English Mastiff, much better than a dog."

There are many different types of TESOL certification, the online 1 month course certificates are the ones that don't carry much weight. If you want to teach in Japan, most employers for private schools and ALT programs do not require any kind of TESOL or ESL cert. If you are studying in a TESOL type program, and especially getting experience teaching speakers of languages other than English, that is great though.
The other poster is right, the main requirement is a bachelor's degree if you need a work sponsored visa to stay here. Oh, and as far as the military thing, no one will know what your job was before, and I don't think anyone cares. There are plenty of ex-military and retirees living in Japan. Good luck!

Hi I am female from UK and studying BA TESOL with Japanese. The course also includes the Trinity Certificate after the 2nd year. Will I be able to get a decent teaching job with this?
I also have a tattoo on my back. During the winter it is cover over, but in the summer I do wear clothes where you can see it. It is katakana and sakura, so not an offensive tattoo at all.

I don't know about UK degrees, but if the TESOL program is part of a bachelor's degree program, you can apply for teaching jobs. The main deal with the college degree is that you need it for the visa to stay in Japan, so many companies just make that a basic requirement. I think people from countries who have working holiday visas can do the job without the degree though. Someone from one of those countries could maybe give better info on that. As far as tattoos, even non-offensive ones, in my experience you cannot have it visible when you are in class.