# Finding an English Teaching Job in Japan



## michaelruta1 (Jan 8, 2014)

Hi everyone,
After a 2-year spot teaching English in China, I'm looking to move on to Japan to continue teaching english this April. I'm particularly looking at Shizuoka or Aichi prefecture.

I don't have the qualifications (college dropout and never studied TEFL), I have the experience but I can't really provide solid evidence of it. I have been working in china for the last 2 years teaching english, but as with everything in China it's all a little dodgy and getting official documentation proving my experience will be nigh on impossible. I also worked as a "training instructor" in England (not English) for almost a year, but that centre has gone belly up and I never got my work reference fromt them. Is it still possible for me to land a job? I'm also aware of the "working holiday" visa that I could get for 12 months, which doesn't require a degree or experience. I was thinking alternatively I could find teaching work with that to obtain at least a year proven experience with that?

As for actual job hunting, JET seemed like the best opportunity but the application window for this year has already closed. Are there any other training companies/schools/agencies that you guys are aware of within the Shizuoka/Aichi areas? Or a good source for job hunting (other than Google).

I am currently still in China, I will return to england for the month of March and then come to Japan at the end of March to start a job. I'm hoping I can secure a job as soon as possible - any guidance on other procedures such as applying for a visa, should I wait until I get a job offer and ask the company to assist with visa application? Will I have enough time during March (=< 4 weeks) to apply and receive the visa? I know the semesters in japan start in April, do most companies expect you to come early for training etc, or does that start when the semester starts?

Lots of questions, I know, so thanks for reading and look forward to hearing from you


----------



## larabell (Sep 10, 2007)

Finding an English-teaching position is hard enough for qualified people, given the state of the economy and the closing of a couple of big schools over the past few years. One person I know came over and spent six months looking for a position and eventually left. You're at a slight advantage in that you can come over on a "working holiday" visa and save the school the hassle of sponsoring you but you should be prepared to support yourself while you look for a position.

I'd suggest getting the visa beforehand. If you just come over as a tourist, you can't legally work, even if you manage find a position. I don't know how long the visa processing takes these days -- the MOFA web site says "one to three months." You should apply for the COE (Certificate of Eligibility) before you leave China and hopefully once you receive it you can just pop over to the Japanese Embassy while you're in England -- you don't have to wait until you're in England to submit your application.

Experience might be an issue if you try for a regular working visa since most visas require a college degree or equivalent experience. What the schools require will depend on how many qualified applicants you'll be competing against.

As for the teaching questions... hopefully someone with teaching experience can give you some advice. I've never been involved in teaching so I can't provide any details.

Good luck...


----------



## michaelruta1 (Jan 8, 2014)

larabell said:


> Finding an English-teaching position is hard enough for qualified people, given the state of the economy and the closing of a couple of big schools over the past few years. One person I know came over and spent six months looking for a position and eventually left. You're at a slight advantage in that you can come over on a "working holiday" visa and save the school the hassle of sponsoring you but you should be prepared to support yourself while you look for a position.
> 
> I'd suggest getting the visa beforehand. If you just come over as a tourist, you can't legally work, even if you manage find a position. I don't know how long the visa processing takes these days -- the MOFA web site says "one to three months." You should apply for the COE (Certificate of Eligibility) before you leave China and hopefully once you receive it you can just pop over to the Japanese Embassy while you're in England -- you don't have to wait until you're in England to submit your application.
> 
> ...


Actually I was hoping to find and secure a position before I come to Japan. It's not the cheapest country to move to without the promise of an income and I certainly don't have the funds to support myself for months while job hunting. Is finding a job online really that much of a long shot? I was hoping it would be like China - I mean I could start looking for a job in the morning and have half a dozen offers before lunch time. Unfortunately 2 years here is enough. Japan is my next goal. I hope I get lucky. Any other TEFL teachers that can give your words of wisdom on how easy/difficult you found job hunting?


----------

