Jun 8, 2017
Teach English, Tutor English
I am planning to apply to be an English tutor/teacher here in Japan, does anybody know what are the basic requirements? Do I have to get a license from the city hall of where I live before I can start applying or is it not needed? Thank you.
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on Jun 8
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on Jun 8
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on Jun 8
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on Jun 8
Hi. There is no license required to be an English teacher in Japan if you are teaching privately, as an ALT, in an English conversation school or anywhere other than as a 'licensed and qualified' teacher in a private school or international school. As far as I am aware, anyway. If you just wanted to get some private students to teach at home or in a cafe somewhere, you just go ahead and get your name out there, check out teacher / student matching sites, word-of-mouth, notice boards etc. A lot of English teachers in Japan need a university degree in order to get the visa to come and work in Japan. If you have a spouse visa for example, then a university degree wouldn't be required. As for TEFL certificates, they are not necessarily needed. It depends if you are going to apply for jobs in language schools; some may require them, others not. Always a good thing to have though, I think. Anyway, good luck!
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on Jun 9
If you are planning to come on something like the JET Programme, you have to have a recognised degree. It doesn't have to be in teaching or even English, it can be for anything, but they won't accept an application without a third level qualification. Other than that, if you are already here and don't require a work visa, you don't need any sort of license for private tutoring.
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on Jun 9
The basic req you will need to get your visa as a teacher (with a sponsoring company) are a bacholor's degree and at least 12 years of education in the language that you will be teaching. Without a company, you will need enough contract that will prove that you will surpass a certain income threshold, usually around 230,000yen+. You can go to the immigration office to ask about that, but having a sponsoring company would be the easiest.
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on Jun 10
A license of any kind is not needed unless a job you apply for specifically requires it. (TESL certificates are nice to have but not normally required or rewarded for.) Just start applying for work and you will see the requirements they each ask for. The usual ones (for both private English language schools and public schools) are English ability, a valid work visa or ability to qualify for one, and an interest to live and work in Japan. You can start at gaijinpot.com, but there are several other job search sites with listings for English teachers. The main hiring time is around October, for training starting in late March and work starting in April, although there are some openings year round. The JET programme is a little different with timing (August start) and you can get all the info from their website. Making the decision to work in Japan is the first step, so you're already on your way.
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on Jun 11
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on Jun 19
I'm working as a part-time English teacher for children. I don't have any certificates or degrees for teaching English, but if you want a real full-time position it is better to have something. If you need a working visa, mainly a university degree is required. The other requirements are normally written down in the job advertisement. Take a look to Gaijin Pot and you will get an impression of it.
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on Nov 18
Typically you just need a BA in any subject but having a TEFL or ESL certification helps. Some good companies to check out are Interac (that's where I work), JET, and Berlitz (they pay in between what Interac and JET pays and specialize in business English). Berlitz is global too so they're everywhere. Kumon is good for tutoring. Hope this information helps. ^^
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on Nov 29
You don’t need a license. Generally they want a native English speaker with a 4 year degree in any subject. TEFL is generally preferred but not required. If you want to go through a company for an easier transition getting here I recommend checking out Interac and JET. I’m here through Interac and a friend is here through JET.
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on Jan 25
As many people already stated, it's not really necessary to have any type of license, but it's good to make sure you can actually legally work with the visa you have in Japan. If you need help finding Freelance work as a private tutor, feel free to check out the post I wrote here on City-Cost! https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/kalynn/GW65q-living_money_education
12 Answers