Do I need degree to teach English?

I know of someone that came to Japan last year without a TEFL / ESL certificate and only an English degree. We chatted and feel the weight of his degree since it's English, is what won him the job however, not all company's will accept this.

Eigo said:

I know of someone that came to Japan last year without a TEFL / ESL certificate and only an English degree. We chatted and feel the weight of his degree since it's English, is what won him the job however, not all company's will accept this.

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Interesting that some require a certificate. I always assumed they didn't insist on any qualifications except a degree of some sort so they can get a visa.

If they can get a visa (like spouse visa) I have seen eikaiwa schools hire people without even a degree or certification of any kind. That was admittedly like 20 years ago or so.
I don't know as many working holiday people but seems realistic they would be hired too for short term. I am sure they like more qualifications of course and if there was competition it would put you ahead. Eikaiwa always had a lot of turnover as I recall (I never did it but I have friends who still did and actually a few who still do decades on) so there were always opening.

Another way in is through JET becoming an ALT in some schools. That just needs a degree in anything and you are required to fall in the age requirement and be a native speaker.

I have never worked for any school.

If you want to teach English in a university (rather than eikaiwa) I suspect they do need certifications and degrees.

mdchachi said:

Interesting that some require a certificate. I always assumed they didn't insist on any qualifications except a degree of some sort so they can get a visa.

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Most places want to see you know about grammar and "theory" these days. Job vacancies request many documents and degree's are just one of a handful most companies require. Here's the list:

Passport (obviously)
Valid Residence Card or Certificate of Eligibility (CoE will be arranged by your company if you're still in your home country)
Teaching Certificate (Depending on the job, you might need a recognised classroom / full teaching certificate from your home country, especially for Homeroom Teach jobs)
University degree (generally a mandatory requirement and these days, since degree's mean nothing, even an idiot with a BA (Hons) in Flower Arranging ca get themselves to Japan whether or not they can spell their own name and used Grammarly for their dissertation.)
120 hour+ TEFL Certificate (a job that doesn't ask for this is rare but they may be satisfied with your degree IF it's an English degree.)
Early Years and Young Leaners Certificate (not always but this can help with Kinder jobs)
CELTA / DELTA (Not always and these are not guaranteed to help negotiate for a better salary either)
Drivers License (becoming more common with certain jobs)

Those in bold are generally what are asked for...insisted on.

salyavin said:

If they can get a visa (like spouse visa) I have seen eikaiwa schools hire people without even a degree or certification of any kind. That was admittedly like 20 years ago or so.
I don't know as many working holiday people but seems realistic they would be hired too for short term. I am sure they like more qualifications of course and if there was competition it would put you ahead. Eikaiwa always had a lot of turnover as I recall (I never did it but I have friends who still did and actually a few who still do decades on) so there were always opening.

Another way in is through JET becoming an ALT in some schools. That just needs a degree in anything and you are required to fall in the age requirement and be a native speaker.

I have never worked for any school.

If you want to teach English in a university (rather than eikaiwa) I suspect they do need certifications and degrees.

Click to expand...

Spouse visas are next to impossible...you need a wife or husband for that and that's more difficult said than done. It's true desperate Eikaiwa's that don't declare everything to the taxman will hire anyone that can muster up "My name is...".

Working holiday's...people come close to working illegally this way. Student visas allow students to work under certain conditions. You cannot work on a Tourist Visa and it's difficult to get one converted to a working visa and the immigration offices don't like this.

The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET program) is EXTREMLEY competitive and difficult to win a place on. It's no way near as simple as applying, getting on the JET program and then going to Japan. This needs research and conviction to see the process through however the rewards of being a JET and an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) outweigh the non-JET ALT's. Salary for example is much higher for a JET but as far as I understand it, a JET candidate cannot choose their placement as such so you can be placed anywhere, not necessarily next to the Sailor Moon store, Anime store or purple wig shop in Tokyo you saw on NHK World.

Many companies are protecting themselves a little these days and candidate criteria is becoming a little stricter due to all the idiots hired over the years that can't go to work due to hangover etc or vanishing due to jumping to another company.