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Teaching English is Japan

We always get requests to write articles about Teaching English in Japan, so here is one of many that we will probably post on the Fukuoka Talk Blog. It’s hard to do a post on teaching in Japan without writing a book but we will do our best to divide it up into chunks.

Do you need a Degree to teach in Japan?

First lets talk about what you need to Teach in Japan. You will most likely need a Bachelors Degree from an accredited university. The major doesn’t really matter but a teaching degree or certificate will probably get you a little more money and better jobs, though there is no guarantee. Most schools wont even deal with you unless you have a 4 year degree, so it’s best to finish school before you make your way to Japan. There are ways to teach in Japan without a degree but you usually have to be in Japan to get those types of jobs. Most of the time instructors that teach in Japan without a degree have a Japanese spouse and the visa that goes along with being married to a Japanese National. I have friends that have lived and worked in Japan for years and they don’t have degrees. Some of them have several part-time jobs instead of one, since they have found it easier to get part-time teaching jobs. Personally, I have found that every full time job I have applied for has required me to show my diploma as proof of my degree. Yes, that’s correct you should bring an official copy of your diploma to Japan if you are going to teach here.

So the answer to the question, “Do you need a degree to teach in Japan?” is truthfully… No, but it’s a lot easier if you have a degree.

Notes:
Americans usually need a 4 year degree to get a visa to teach in Japan.
Kiwi’s & Aussies can usually get working holiday visa’s to teach in Japan for short term periods.


Disclaimer: This is for the American stand point. There are differences for different countries. I will sometimes put this information in the posts but since I am not an expert, do some “do diligence” and research your countries visa laws.