Job Discussion Forums

johnfriendly · Joined: 03 Nov 2015 Posts: 5

Hello all,

I am interested in relocating to Japan this August/September and am seeking advice on jobs to apply for based on my experience. Ideally I would like to teach at a university or an international school.

I am in my late 20s and am an Irish citizen. I have a BA in History, a CELTA and an MA in TESOL. I have 5 years experience teaching in an international school in Dubai. I completed my MA on campus in a major Irish university and graduated last summer. Since then I have been teaching EAP in the same university.

Which jobs should I be seeking based on my experience?

Thanks in advance!

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

Not easy to get a university job here with no previous experience in Japan, and you just taught at a secondary school I guess.
I got a university job in Tokyo but I had previous university experience abroad and had taught at a Japanese high school for seven years.

If you can teach IB classes, that would help and if you can teach classes besides English. Also, it looks good to be certified in your own country.
I have heard of schools who want "more serious teachers" i.e. those certified in their own countries.

Nagoyaguy · Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 425 Location: Aichi, Japan

Well, the school year here starts in April, so coming in August or September is halfway through. Might be hard to find something at that time if you are interested in teaching in public schools or universities. However, language schools and conversation schools hire all year if you wanted to do that as a temporary measure and to get your foot in the door.

Hiring season generally kicks off in September or October for universities. It's really helpful to be here already so you can do some networking and also to attend interviews in person. The annual JALT (Japan Association of Language Teaching) conference is going to be held in late October or early November I believe. It would be a good place to meet people and also get some ideas as to what jobs are available.

Having said that, it's hard to get your foot in the door these days, especially if you want to teach in popular areas like Tokyo or Kyoto. If you can be flexible about where you want to live, more doors will be open for you.

Best of luck!