Please help me, I want to work in Japan.

Hello all
My name is Joel and I am looking to get some kind of ALT work in Japan as an assistant English teacher. I literally have no idea how to start or what I should do in order to accomplish my goal of working in Japan.
( other information about me)
Im 25, I have a bachelors degree in animation and my native language is English , I know no Japanese....what i do know could be considered extremely basic, but I absolutely am interested to learn....My reason to work in Japan is that I have a fascination for the culture and people and essentially I want to switch my career focus to something more exciting and unique.
Please if someone could point me in the right direction of how I go about working in Japan I would very much appreciate it....like i said before I have no idea how to start so please be kind
Thank you

Hello and welcome to the JREF forums JoelHartmann!

The first question is, have you ever been to Japan before?

If not, might I suggest that you visit there to see if you really do like it (keeping in mind that visiting is not the same as living somewhere)? Its easy to get a romanticized view of places that you have never been to before and the reality can sometimes come as a bit of a kick in the pants.


You said you have a degree in animation? Do you currently work in that field? Is your goal to teach English for a while and then try to get a job as an animator in Japan? Or are you only wanting to go and teach English for a couple years there and then return to your country?
If you can fill us in on what your plan is we can give you better advice and assistance.

Again, welcome to the JREF forums and I hope you enjoy your time here!

Thank you so much Petaris!

Yes, well in short I have never been to Japan, however I have studied the culture in depth and have a few friends who have stayed there and told me about all the quirks and nuances of city life there, I imagine i would adapt quite quickly ...I have visited many other countries around the world and places where traditions differ drastically from that of my homeland, so I would think that I would not totally be shocked or disappointed by Japan and its established practices.

As I stated I have a Bachelors degree in Animation, currently I have put animation on the back burner for now and have pursued my other love which is illustration as a means of partial income. I hope I make it clear that I am looking to totally shift gears and try something new, I want to teach English as an ALT ( if that is correct, ...sorry im not sure) just as an assistant ...I would be looking to teach English for a year or so then ultimately return back to England, If things went well over there and my skills improved then who knows.

But essentially I would want to do a good job and be taken seriously making the most of any given opportunity.

I hope this helps clear things up about my situation.

I believe you're a citizen of England, UK, then you're qualified to apply for the Working Holiday visa.

You'll find details
MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affaires of Japan): The Working Holiday Programmes in Japan
Working Holiday Scheme (Embassy of Japan in the UK)

Thank you undrentide

Yes, I am a Citizen of the UK and after reading the application prerequisites it seems I do meet every criteria necessary for application of this Visa

However the thought of looking for work over there seems daunting and a little of a gamble to me. Here is a excerpt from the scheme in question ( The working holiday makers are allowed to engage themselves in part-time or full-time work to supplement their funds to travel and stay in partner countries/regions.).

I personally would much rather arrange for the work to be available for me when I arrive, I should be ok with getting a Visa for work ( I just assume that).

I am hoping that I could be pointed towards some credible legitimate program that deals with helping foreigners find work in Japan, as well as the necessary steps I NEED to take to be considered.

i much appreciate all the help and advice here, so thanks again!

Your question has been answered thousands of times. You are eligible for a work visa or working holiday visa. If you stay in the UK to look for work, you have very few opportunities (a dozen or so) to meet up with recruiters for teaching jobs here. Come to look around, and you will have to support yourself for 3-4 months before you get that first paycheck.

Come to the ESL Cafe. Read the FAQ stickies. Lurk. Read the threads.

What is your time frame to come here? The next 2 months are the busiest for new hires. ALTs may already have been hired, though (academic year begins in April). Are you willing to do eikaiwa work, too, or just ALT? Do you know that ALT dispatch agencies are pretty notorious over here? You missed the best ALT opportunity (JET Programme) for 2011-12.

I have studied the culture in depth and have a few friends who have stayed there and told me about all the quirks and nuances of city life there, I imagine i would adapt quite quickly

Click to expand...

It's wise to have studied up, but you have no real idea whether you would adapt quickly or not, and your friends could not have possibly told you all of the quirks and nuances. Lurk on teaching forums like the Cafe to learn more.

I can't agree with Glenski more. Heed his advice seriously.

"Legitimate program"? As Glenski said, that's JET and the recruitment period is over for the academic year that starts in April. If you want this, check out for the start of the next recruitment period.

As undrentide suggested, your country has a working holiday program with Japan, and you have a great opportunity to come and work in Japan. It might be feel daunting but a lot of people take advantage of it.

With the state of the economy Japan is in today, the English teaching business is not like it was several years ago. You're facing a lot of competition, and schools can pick what and who they want. You must be willing to gamble. I suggest you take the plunge and find work in Japan.

Sorry if I brought up an over stated topic.

Thank you for your advice, just to answer your question Glenski I am looking to find work in Japan as quickly as possible but I am trying to be realistic about things...its kind of a selfish ambition of mine but I would like to find something so I can get some teaching experience under my belt.

I read a thread somewhere that suggested Eikaiwa work to be a good choice for anyone looking to get out to Japan and get set up, but listed numerous downsides.
I would definitely consider working at an Eikaiwa school for experience sake.

Thank you too epigene however I dont think I would ever " take the plunge" and travel to Japan to find work ( I just dont have that kind of money on me to be honest).

I have little knowledge of the various programmes that exist ( but im learning now) ..its a pity I missed the recruitment for JET, that seems right up my alley...I suppose if I cant find anything then I will take the opportunity to prepare myself for the next JET recruitment period.

I am also painfully aware that there are a lot of scams and advantage being taken out of aspiring ALTS...this is the main reason I posted this thread....but as you have said Glenski ill do some lurking and more research.

Thank you kindly