Teaching English in Japan

Anyone have some insight on teaching English in Japan? I'd like to try and teach in the Tokyo area and I have two years worth of educational experience including teaching English in South Korea. I was wondering if anyone here has had the opportunity to teach in Japan and if so, what route they took to obtain the job, how they liked it, what type of school they taught in (public or private), what month the school year starts, ect. It seems a bit competitive, however my plan is to get a TEFL certification which I think will make me a competitive candidate for being selected to work in Japan. I'm hoping be placed in a job around September or later.

Does no one have anything to say on this subject? o.O

i have a few friends who went through the JET program , but it's competitive. one just got there this month, started teaching in kagoshima, another one in shimane and kanagawa but i heard JET they won't place u in the Tokyo area.

a few other places i was looking at are INteract, Nova, eikawai ,Aeon ,and berlitz ,, maybe other private companies.

the minimun requirement is english speaking and 4 year (BA) degree in any major.
teacher certified,TESOL certified, knowing a little japanese would help,

other than that u have to go to their specific website to get more information .

oh yeah forgot,,3 of them went through JET ,, ,but after the contract ended,, one of the guys went through interact , JET is your stepping stone into Japan or get a japanese bf, ( i know someone from heyai that did this but i won't say any names)

Thanks for the insight :3 I hear JET is really the best way to go, though I have already applied to Interac... I'm a bit late, but who knows >.< Sometimes they need people around August and I have a better chance to be placed in Tokyo. Nova went under btw... at least that's what I've read o.O

lol im sure this is what ul end up teaching

Oh Jeez.... I think they have enough people trying to get over there cheap.... would help to learn Japanese first... after all it's very disrespectful to live in a country you don't speak the language of.

This would definitely be a very helpful topic! I just got a job with Amity through AEON and will be shipping out soon to Japan to teach children (most likely ages 6-8) in a private school setting. Fortunately for my program (as stated earlier) they did only require the bare minimum of fluent English as well as a bachelor's degree. I wish I could say I had teaching experience but fortunately they offer a crash course the first two weeks you are there and advisors to help you out as you get started.

And Kari I agree that not having a basic grasp of the language of the land can seem difficult and possibly impolite and inconvenient but a lot of programs I've spoken with have said that sometimes it is better that the teachers not be so well versed in the language so they don't use it as a crutch in their lessons and use full English immersion. I know I've been strictly told to avoid using Japanese in any of my lessons. It will probably be difficult but if the teacher and the students are willing to try it could also prove very fruitful!

Looking forward to other people's advice/takes on the subject!

Athena wrote: Thanks for the insight :3 I hear JET is really the best way to go, though I have already applied to Interac... I'm a bit late, but who knows >.< Sometimes they need people around August and I have a better chance to be placed in Tokyo. Nova went under btw... at least that's what I've read o.O

no problem, nova did went under but it's started back up again, that's the latest news i heard from one of my friend who's currently there.


if u want to know more send me a PM, and i will forward it to them, hope they'll reply back .

here in romania, japanese embassy is offering once a year the oprtunity to go teach in japan, you can check what they have there at your place. maybe you can find a good oportunity