Find your inner Zen amongst temples, neon and noodles
Safe, organised and endlessly interesting, with a legal, visa-sponsored job waiting at the end of the paperwork. Here's what each type of job pays, what the work is really like and how to get hired.
We recruit for three established employers in Japan, from state schools to conversation schools in Tokyo. Every role below is visa-sponsored, and our service is free for teachers.
Public schools · Interac
Nationwide · Elementary and junior high · Starts April and mid-year
You'll need: a degree. No experience or Japanese needed.
See the job and apply
Conversation schools · 300+ schools
Nationwide · Kids and adults · Starts year-round
You'll need: a degree and a UK, Irish, US, Canadian, Australian, NZ or South African passport.
See the job and apply
Language schools · Mainly Tokyo
Greater Tokyo, plus Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Kyushu · Starts most months
You'll need: a degree and a TEFL, CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL. No experience needed.
See the job and applyNot sure which suits you? The comparison below shows the hours, pay and type of student for each. Not ready to apply? We can email you when new Japan jobs open.
Get Japan job alertsMost foreign teachers in Japan start in one of these three types of job. They pay similarly; what really differs is your hours, your students and where you'll live. We've included the government JET Programme too, so you can see how it compares.
| Feature | Public school ALTInterac, via ESLstarter | Conversation schoolVia ESLstarter | Small-group language schoolVia ESLstarter | JET ProgrammeGovernment, apply directly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | School hours, Monday to Friday, roughly 8am to 4pm | Five days a week, up to eight 44-minute lessons a day | Around noon to 8 or 9pm, five days a week | School hours, Monday to Friday |
| Students | Children aged 6 to 15, in classes of 30+, with a Japanese co-teacher | Kids aged 3 to 12 and adults, including TOEIC and business English | Half children, half adults, about 3 per class and many one-to-ones | Mainly junior and senior high school students |
| Pay | ¥2.4–3M a year | About ¥250,000 a month on average | Up to ¥262,800 a month | About ¥3.36M in year one |
| Location | Anywhere in Japan, often suburban or rural | Nationwide, mostly towns and cities | Mostly greater Tokyo | Assigned by the government |
| When you can start | April and mid-year | Year-round | Most months, March to November | Once a year, around August |
| TEFL | Recommended | Recommended | Required (100+ hours) | Not required |
| Best for | Daytime hours, school holidays and real local life | A shorter first contract, city life and teaching adults | Tokyo life, tiny classes and career development | Planners who can apply a year ahead |
Pay figures are from our partners' current job details. JET figures are approximate and set by the programme each year.
English is a formal subject in Japanese elementary schools from fifth grade, with English activities starting earlier still, and almost every school relies on a native-level speaker to bring lessons to life. Alongside the state system, Japan has one of the world's largest English conversation school industries, serving children, students and working adults.
Japan isn't the highest-paying market in Asia, and teachers usually pay their own rent. What it offers instead is stability: legal contracts, salaries that arrive on time, a safe country to live in and a culture that rewards curiosity. Plenty of teachers come for a year and stay for ten.
Japan is cheaper than its reputation, especially outside central Tokyo. The weak yen has made it one of the best-value countries in the developed world to live in day to day.
Monthly salary in a typical first teaching job
Monthly rent for a small apartment, depending on the city
A filling set lunch or bowl of ramen
Travel to work is reimbursed on all three of our programmes
Most medical bills are capped at 30% of the cost
Claim back much of your pension contributions after you leave Japan
Here's an illustrative budget for a first-year teacher outside central Tokyo, after tax, health insurance and pension contributions. Your numbers will depend on your city and how often you travel.
| Take-home pay, after deductions | about ¥210,000 |
| Rent for a one-room apartment | ¥55,000 |
| Gas, electricity and water | ¥12,000 |
| Phone and home internet | ¥7,000 |
| Groceries and eating out | ¥45,000 |
| Weekend trains and travel | ¥25,000 |
| Going out, gym and hobbies | ¥15,000 |
| Left to save | about ¥50,000 |
If saving money is your main goal, Korea, China or the Gulf will beat Japan. If you want a safe, fascinating country, a manageable workload and a legal job with proper benefits, Japan is hard to beat.
Budget for set-up costs too. Arriving with ¥200,000–¥300,000 (around £1,100–£1,600) covers your first month's rent, deposit and living costs until your first pay day.
Interac finds your apartment for you, and the other schools offer accommodation support, which takes most of the stress out of the move.
Requirements vary a little by employer, but for the jobs we recruit for you'll need:
Not TEFL qualified yet? See the courses we recommend for Japan.
Allow three to six months in total.
A short online application, then a video interview. Some employers add a grammar test or demo lesson.
You sign a contract and send copies of your degree and passport.
Your employer applies to Japanese immigration for your COE. This usually takes one to three months.
Take your COE to your nearest Japanese embassy or consulate for the visa stamp, usually within a week.
You get your residence card at the airport and register your address at the local city office within 14 days.
Most first jobs in Japan involve children, and almost every interview includes a demo lesson or grammar test. A TEFL with real teaching practice gets you through both and is required for our small-group language school roles. Book through ESLstarter for our discounted prices with partner TEFL UK.
£133£279
ESLstarter price, only when you book here
from£63
ESLstarter price, only when you book here
Good to know: a TEFL won't replace the degree Japan's work visa requires. Thinking long term about international schools or universities? The Ofqual-regulated 168-hour Level 5 TEFL (£239) is at the same level as CELTA.
Language school jobs cluster in the big cities, while public school placements can be anywhere from Hokkaido to Okinawa. Being open to smaller places is the quickest way to an offer, and often the best part of the experience.
The biggest job market in the country, with the most language schools, the highest rents and a huge international community.
Friendlier, louder and cheaper than Tokyo, famous for street food and a sense of humour all of its own.
Temples, gardens and old wooden streets, about 15 minutes from Osaka by bullet train.
A big, practical city between Tokyo and Osaka, with lower costs and easy weekends in the Japanese Alps.
A relaxed coastal city in the south, with great food, warm weather and quick flights to Korea.
Where most ALTs teach: cheaper rent, mountains or coast on your doorstep, and a town where everyone knows the English teacher.
Japan's trains put the whole country within reach. Cherry blossom in spring, festivals in summer, hot springs in winter, and street food in Osaka's Shinsekai whenever you like.
We only recruit for employers that sponsor visas properly. Wherever you apply, these are the questions we'd ask before saying yes.
Your employer should apply for your Certificate of Eligibility. Never start work in Japan on a tourist visa.
Check whether the contract counts teaching time or hours at work. 25 lessons can mean 40 hours in the building.
Japanese apartments can need a deposit and "key money" upfront. Ask what's covered and what support you'll get.
You should be enrolled in Japanese health insurance and pension. Ask how much is deducted each month.
Ask how many days of paid leave you get and whether school holidays are paid. ALT salaries spread over 12 months help here.
Completion bonuses and flight reimbursements usually depend on finishing your contract. Read exactly when they're paid.
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Most first-year English teachers in Japan earn ¥200,000 to ¥265,000 a month. Assistant Language Teachers with Interac earn ¥2.4 to 3 million a year, conversation school teachers average around ¥250,000 a month, and small-group language school teachers earn up to ¥262,800 a month depending on qualifications. International schools and universities pay more but want teaching licences or master's degrees.
Not through the usual routes. The work visas schools sponsor generally require a bachelor's degree, and all of the Japan jobs we recruit for ask for one in any subject. It must be a full degree: diplomas, HNDs and foundation degrees aren't accepted.
No. Lessons are taught in English, and Assistant Language Teachers work alongside a Japanese Teacher of English. Learning some everyday Japanese before you go will make daily life easier, and most teachers pick up a good amount in their first year.
It depends on the employer. A TEFL isn't a visa requirement, but some language schools ask for 100+ hours of TEFL training, and for public school and conversation school roles a TEFL makes your application and demo lesson stronger. See the courses we recommend for Japan.
Yes, but less than in Korea, China or the Middle East. Housing is usually paid for by the teacher, not the school. On a ¥250,000 salary with rent around ¥55,000, a teacher with a sensible lifestyle can typically put aside ¥40,000 to ¥60,000 a month. Most teachers also claim back much of their pension contributions when they leave Japan.
The Japanese school year starts in April, which is the main intake for public school jobs, with smaller mid-year starts. Conversation and language schools hire most months of the year. Allow three to six months from applying to flying, because the Certificate of Eligibility and visa take time.
There's no legal age limit for the work visa, but employers set their own. Interac recruits applicants from 20 to their late 50s, because you need to complete a full contract before Japan's typical retirement age of 60.
Both place Assistant Language Teachers in Japanese state schools. JET is run by the Japanese government, recruits once a year and pays about ¥3.36 million in the first year. Interac recruits all year round, takes regional preferences into account and has no limit on renewals, with lower competition for places. See the Interac ALT job.
Pick the job that suits you and apply in a few minutes. Our service is free.
We currently have the following programs available in Japan
