View Working:English Teaching
Teaching English is a popular work choice for many foreigners because jobs are fairly easy to find, pay well (¥2,000 - ¥10,000 per hour), and do not require Japanese ability. For many teaching positions, all that is required is a degree (in any subject) and a positive disposition.
Conversation schools
Thousands of English conversation schools throughout Japan are always looking for teachers. Classes are small, usually with a maximum of five students, and training may be provided. Don’t worry if there isn’t any training, nor if you have never taught before. These conversation schools are designed to provide a Japanese person with the opportunity to speak English to native speakers, something that is lacking in the Japanese education system.
Conversation lounges
There are also many conversation lounges throughout Japan, which don’t pay as well as conversation schools (usually around ¥1,000 per hour), but they can be a good way to meet other foreigners, learn about Japanese culture and have certain aspects of life here explained to you.
Private students
Private students are also fairly easy to find and if you do a good job with one student, chances are they will introduce several friends to you. Students just want the chance to speak English to a native speaker, so textbooks may be optional. Most people charge ¥2,500 - ¥5,000 per hour for private students and usually meet in a cafe or at home (yours or theirs).
Japanese education system: elementary schools, high schools, and universities
Professional teachers tend to look for jobs within the formal Japanese education system. It is preferable that you have teaching experience and a teaching qualification, but all you actually need to apply is a university degree. Recommendations from teachers presently working at the school will help a lot. For part-time teachers, pay is ¥6,500 - ¥10,000 per class (usually fifty-minute classes). For full-time teachers, pay is on a monthly basis, usually around ¥350,000 and you will also be paid during the holidays (about four months a year).
Teaching in this kind of school generally provides a good income, a secure job, and experience that is to your advantage if you decide to continue your profession when you leave Japan.
The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program
JET recruits thousands of teachers from overseas every year, mostly new university graduates. As with most foreigners who are hired overseas, relocation details are taken care of by the employer, including flight and accommodation. The salary is about ¥300,000 per month, of which a lot can be saved if you are posted to the countryside.
Gender issues in the English language classroom
For some teachers and particularly women, this is an important aspect of their educational philosophy. Western women often wish to include this in their classroom practice while teaching English in Japan. If women’s education is of specific interest and importance to you, don’t assume that it is assigned the same status by your school-check out your prospective employers’ ideas and beliefs before you accept a job.