Teach English in Japan

TEFL Japan

Requirements for teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) in Japan differ depending on where and what kind of job you are looking for. You will need a bachelor's degree to get an instructor visa from the Japanese government, though it is possible to find work without a degree if you are already in Japan.

Here is a directory of English academies in Japan listed alphabetical order. Click here for info about international schools in Japan.

Here you will find a directory of international schools in Japan listed in alphabetical order. When possible, we have included information about the school such as location, when it was founded, study body, qualifications, salary, and benefits.

What are international schools?

International schools are regular curriculum grade schools that teach all or most classes of their classes in English or some other foreign language. The schools usually have diverse student bodies and many student go on to higher education at institutions in English-speaking countries such as the US and Canada.

Although not as plentiful as the bubble years there are still many jobs in Japan.

The following links have numerous job listings and are updated regularly:

Most people who teach English in Japan work at one of the country's thousands of private English schools and academies (eikaiwa) that hire native speakers. The 5 monster chains, each with branches all over Japan that conduct recruiting and/or job interviews in the United States, Australia, UK, New Zealand and Canada are:

Teaching English in Japan used to be a way for young Westerners just out of university to make $40,000 a year. The responsibilities were low, the people were friendly, and everything was new. The place, of course, was Japan and these times are now fondly referred to as 'the bubble years' after the country's once over-inflated economy.