Okay, what Degee(s) do I need to become an ESL teacher in Japan?

[Shinsan]

Okay, I'm 15, a Freshman in High school, and obviously I love Japan. Anyway, my buddy told me that he is going to school one more year until 10th grade finishes, since you only have to be in school until you're 16 legally, and going to college. Now, If I do that and go to college to get my Bachelors, is it POSSIBLE for me to become an English teacher? Or do I seriously need my High School Diploma? Help me?

[BlueThunderKuno]

As far as I know you need to have a high school degree to get into college. At least thats how it was in the North Eastern parts of the USA.

[Shinsan]

Nope, two of my friends are doing this. We're going to Community College.

[Shinsan]

So do I need a High School Diploma to become an ESL teacher or what?

[dreamer]

I'd say it depends on the school/institution you will be teaching at...
My friend's working as an ESL teacher and he's got a bachelor in English and the praxis certification (As well as a TOEIC with over 950).

As far as I know, there are other certifications that you can obtain but none of them are compulsory since another friend of mine is teaching english classes while going for his Phd.

Now, from what I have heard, the probability for you to be hired as an english teacher will depend on your certifications (the better schools and references the more chances). The rest will depend on your competitors qualifications...

[Shinsan]

Alright, I'll be going to Community College next year. What should I do to ENSURE a job? I'm going to study my butt off in College.. What else would make me look good?

[Glenski]

To ENSURE a job, finish high school, take courses in TESOL or TEFL or linguistics or anything related, get a master's degree or PhD, take on all the volunteer work and freelance work you can, apply at the right time, know how to interview, and cross your fingers. Japan is flooded with teachers right now.

Even with all that, be aware that to get a work visa here, you need a bachelor's degree in any subject, even for teaching jobs. Community colleges don't offer those. You'd better look long and hard at another institution to see whether you will even qualify to get a BA or BS. You could get a work visa with only 3 years of teaching experience, but that is not really a strong way to go. Tons of your competition have degrees.

[Shinsan]

I decided to finish High School, It's 2 extra years anyway.. Then get my Bachelors degree. Is that enough to become a teacher? I mean, I want to move to Japan young, not in my thirties.

[Glenski]

As I wrote, to get a work visa as a teacher, all you need is a vanilla bachelor's degree. This will get your foot in the door. Entry level work amounts to conversation school (eikaiwa) instructor, ALT for JET Programme, or ALT for dispatch agencies.

If you want to compete, you will have to do more. A degree in the proper field, perhaps even a master's or PhD, will be in order, along with TEFL certification and some Japanese language ability. For those interested in working at international schools, you will need a teaching license from your home country (check out its requirements), plus a couple of years of teaching experience in your home country.

Most people start out teaching in Japan in their mid to late 20s. JET hires 6000 people per year. The top 4 eikaiwa have about that many on the roster as well. Most of those people have zero to little teaching experience and only a generic BA/BS degree.

[dreamer]

Most people start out teaching in Japan in their mid to late 20s. JET hires 6000 people per year. The top 4 eikaiwa have about that many on the roster as well. Most of those people have zero to little teaching experience and only a generic BA/BS degree.

There is something I don't quite understand...are you not supposed to graduate from college at around 21-22 on average? I myself have gotten my bachelor with honors at 21 which is why I am curious about why they wait a few years before going there. Does the TESL courses take 2-3 years?

[Glenski]

I have no official stats on this. The ages I cited were from my experiences here. People graduate at 22, and many get on JET or eikaiwa jobs. Some actually put their education to use before figuring they want a change. Some float in from other countries perhaps where they started first.

TESL/TEFL courses take as long as they take. Depends on whether you get them through an institution of higher learning or a certification course.

[mr.sumo.snr]

TESL courses range from about 4 weeks intensive for a certificate-level qualification to 10 months taught plus final exams and a 3-month dissertation for a Masters. Obviously, to undertake the Masters you need a first degree (or about ten years professional experience).

Though neither is required to find teaching work in Japan - just the first degree.

If you're serious about working in the EFL/ESL field then you can do a lot worse than work here on the JET program for 2/3 years (saving a good chunk of your salary) and then return home and undertake a Masters in Applied Linguistics or something similar. Having a Masters opens up EFL/ESL opportunities in all parts of the world and at all levels.

--

[Kasie]

Most of the teachers I worked with were on a Working Holiday Visa (not sure if this is applicable for you though). Some had done an ESL course, others hadn't.

I went over (illegally) on a visitor's visa to start (time was an issue), then went to Korea to get my 'Work Visa'. I only had a Diploma (child care) and no teaching experience or ESL courses at all. Apparently they had other applicants, however I was the 'prettiest' (other teachers told me that they passed my picture around lol). This is unusual though - the school I worked for was in a bind.

This was 2001 though... things change. However in all my travels I've learned that the 'rules' usually aren't lol... There's usually a way if you look hard enough. Think about why you want to go, what you want to do when (if) you get back, and work it all in with your plans that way. It's better to work it into a long-term goal, rather than as a goal on it's own. So for now, I would concentrate on studying a course I'm interested in for the long-term. When I'm done, I would do my research (as things change). And go from there.

Good luck.

[Glenski]

Most of the teachers I worked with were on a Working Holiday Visa (not sure if this is applicable for you though).
It's not. Americans are not eligible for WHVs.

[Shinsan]

Alright, I'm still thinking about doing this. Anyway, Is there a way after I finish my Community College with a Bachelors Degree(I'll be 20) To head straight to Japan and apply? Can I do that? Is it possible for me to get a job while I'm getting lessons, or waiting? I want to go straight to Japan.

[Glenski]

Since when do community colleges offer bachelor's degrees? I don't think they do. You're going to have to finish a 4-year program (2 at community college, 2 elsewhere) or study through the summer and finish at an accelerated pace somehow, but you will still need to get the BA at another place.

You can apply to JET programme or conversation schools before you graduate, but not long before! They need some assurance that you truly will get that BA degree, mostly because the work visa hinges on it.

Get the degree. Apply. Hope for the best. You can come here and apply but realize a few things.

1) JET accepts applications from within Japan, but their once-a-year process is limited to interviewing people in their home countries, not Japan.

2) Reiterating, JET interviews only once a year.

3) Come here, and you have more opportunities to find work than if you were to stay home, but you will have to support yourself. Probably for 2-4 months. That means having US$4000-5000 in your pocket before you see a first paycheck.

4) Stay home and apply, and you have fewer opportunities, but at least you won't have to fork out that money.

5) The places that interview abroad don't go everywhere for interviews, though, and you will be expected to pay for the time spent getting there (whether it's Chicago, San Francisco, or Toronto), and some of those interviews last 1-3 days. Some places interview all year round, while others have designated timetables.

[Shinsan]

Thanks Glenski! Yeah, about the Bachelor Degree thing. Yeah, they do give them out.. me and a buddy of mine did some research on that.

[Glenski]

Are you sure it's a bachelor's degree and not a mere 2-year associate's degree? Big difference.

[Shinsan]

Yeah, I'm sure. I did my research =)

[Shinsan]

Anyway, There's NO way I can just go to Japan and start working right away? Like, once I finish college I want to head straight there.. What I really mean is.. Is it possible for me to get a sidejob while I'm waiting for the results of my applications from the schools?

[Glenski]

You can come here without a degree and work. Sure. You would have to be a student (student visa), someone who studies a craft under a master (cultural visa), a dependent of a person who has a work visa (dependent visa), a spouse of a Japanese (spouse visa), or a working holiday visa holder (Americans not eligible). http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/index.html

You cannot work legally without a bachelor's degree or a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience. Either of these permits you to get a work visa. Without the work visa, and without the above situations, you would be working here illegally. NOT a safe thing to do!

Work visas are sponsored by employers of full-time jobs, so you couldn't get "side work" until you heard from a FT employer about a job.

[Shinsan]

Thanks alot, Glenski.

[Emoni]

Glenski has pretty much made the main point already.

All I can add is if you are serious, get a college degree. It is MANDITORY. You MUST have this. Also... it's kind of critical to doing decent in life and learning a hell of a lot along the way. You NEED a college education to head where you seem to think you want to go... or anywhere for that matter.

[Glenski]

Emoni,
I've already shown that it is NOT mandatory to have a degree, even for a work visa. For JET ALT jobs, yes, the degree is mandatory, and I agree that it makes sense in the long term to have a degree.

[vegitagojita]

I have stumbled acroos a website that looked very intriguing. If you can make it to one of their recruiting locations, Amity could hire you. They only require a Bachelor's Degree (any) and they of course prefer a little knowledge of the Japanese language. But they hire you and set you up with an apartment which they help pay for and you work with native japanese speakers to teach young children english. The only thing you will need is to pay for a one-way ticket to japan. If you complete your teaching contract they will pay for your ticket home. You can google amity to find the website.

[Glenski]

Amity. They are a part of the eikaiwa organization called AEON, one of the 3 largest in Japan. Amity specialized in kids, if I recall. A handful of these eikaiwa do what you wrote. No surprise.
www.aeonet.com

Other similar groups:
GEOS
the former NOVA (now owned by G-COM)
ECC

[kusojiji]

I mean, I want to move to Japan young, not in my thirties.




.............................ouch!

[Akakubisan]

Many community college's in the US now offer various 4 year degrees from there campuses. These are usually through connections/agreements with a certified university that actually gives the diploma, but without the need to go to that school directly.
This has become much more common in the past 10 years.
This is usually through dual enrollment. see here http://www.socc.edu/academics/dual/index.html as an example.