Here's Your Shortcut to Teaching English in Japan

If you plan to enter Japan for anything other than sightseeing, like foreign-language teaching, or a long-term assignment to a Japanese company, you need a specified work visa.

To apply for a Japan work Visa you must contact a Japanese embassy or a consulate in your home country.

The following documents must be submitted regardless of the purpose of your visit:

* A Valid passport

*Two recent passport photos (from the last 6 months)

*The application forms, available at the Japanese embassy or consulate.

*Documents certifying the purpose of the visit.

You will probably need a Japanese cell phone in Japan. The reason is that the cellular network in Japan is different than in other countries. So the cell phone from your home country won't work in Japan. You should check with your local supplier before landing in Japan, because some 3G cell phones will be compatible with the Japanese system. But in most cases you'll find that it's necessary to Rent a Japanese cell phone. This can be done very easily through the internet - they will send the phone to you, or at Narita Tokyo airport booths.

Japan's culture is very unique.

I suggest you get ready for your time in Japan by getting to know a little bit about the Japanese etiquette. Knowing some background about Japan culture really will make you feel less confused when being in the company of Japanese people.

Avoid the most common, funny and embarrassing mistakes westerners do in Japan:

*Always address Japanese people by attaching 'san' to their last name.

* Even though bowing is a very important part of Japan culture, you are not expected to bow. The reason is that bowing is a very complex system which takes into account social status and age of the person you bow to. If you bow with an inappropriate inclination you might be insulting your fellow Japanese unintentionally.

*Never turn your back to someone in higher position than you.

*Never Stare into another person's eyes. The Japanese avoid eye contact to give others some privacy.

*Before entering a Japanese house and certain restaurants, you must remove your shoes. Slippers are the footwear for inside the house.

I hope you enjoyed this page about getting Ready to Teach in Japan.

For more info check out Tokyo Information And Getting Ready.

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Teaching English in Japan - 7 Frequently Asked Questions

Does the idea of teaching English in Japan appeal to you? Although there's plenty of work available, you'll need to prepare yourself well in advance. So, check out the answers to these seven frequently asked questions. They'll help you secure a suitable job, avoid major pitfalls, enabling you to get the best out of your teaching stay in this wonderful country.

1. Which Town Or City? First of all, you'll need to decide whereabouts in Japan you'd like to work. Take into account that there tends to be lots of competition for teaching posts in major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. Also, rents are higher, but salaries not necessarily much greater than smaller cities and towns. On the other hand, if you don't know any Japanese, and the idea of being surrounded by mainly Japanese culture doesn't appeal, the larger cities may suit you better.

2. Find The Job Before You Go Or When You Get There? Are you planning to fly to Japan and then seek work? In that case, you'll need to go on a 3-month travel visa and then, once you find your job, you should temporarily leave Japan to apply for a working visa. Really, it's best to secure a job from your home country. Your employer will see to most of the paperwork necessary for a working visa.

3. Which Qualifications? What qualifications will you need to secure a job in Japan teaching English? Generally speaking, the ideal is to possess a university degree and a TEFL or similar teaching certificate. A little knowledge of Japanese won't go amiss, either. Having said that, the larger chains of English-learning schools don't always require a teaching certificate, unlike the smaller schools, which tend to want more experienced teachers.

4. How Do You Find The Job? If you're applying to larger schools, such as Geos, ECC, Berlitz, Aeon, and Gaba, you'll need to apply round about March/April. Other ways of securing your teaching job include looking for work and posting your CV online, applying to individual smaller schools, and using a TEFL placement agency.

5. How Much Will You Earn? Although salaries vary, you can expect to earn around 250,000 yen a month. More often than not, the school will provide you with an apartment, although you will have to pay for this.

6. Will The School Pay My Flight? Generally speaking, you will be responsible for the cost of your flight. One exception to this is the Jet Program, although this tends to be more difficult to get into.

7. How About Health Insurance? You'll need to check whether your contract includes health insurance. Usually it does but, with some schools, you'll need to take this out and pay for it yourself.

Now you have the main facts, with a little persistence and perseverance, you're sure to find a job teaching English in Japan. Have a wonderful time!

Kevin Burns is creator of how-to-teach-english-in-japan.com where you'll discover interesting information about teaching English in Japan.

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Teach English in Japan - Where to Find Jobs

There are a few ways to obtain a job teaching English in Japan, however most ESL (English as a Second Language) and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers find employment in one of the following ways:

English Schools

Japan is home to hundreds if not thousands of English schools. Teaching at an English school is absolutely the best option for people who want to teach English in Japan. There are plenty of benefits to teaching at an English School:

1. Most of the English schools recruit teachers all year long, which means that you don't have to wait for a specific application "season" or arrange your schedule around the school's.

2. Many of the English schools help their teachers find housing (some even provide it), obtain health insurance and immersion into the Japanese culture. They help to smooth out the transition period.

3. You will receive plenty of on the job training when you teach for an English school which makes obtaining a position with one possible even if you do not have TESL or TEFL certification.

For those interested in national or international English schools, AEON and GEOS are the most popular Japanese English schools. If you would like a company that has more of an independent feel, schools like GABA, WinBe and ECC are smaller and offer more flexibility in curriculum and lesson plans.

Companies That Do Placement

There are also sites that accept applications from students and handle the screening process on behalf of private schools. This is a time saver for both the person who wants to get a job in Japan, and the companies who are looking to hire. These types of organizations often have a large variety of high paying jobs to choose from. One of the more active sites in the industry that also has many unique tips and insights into life in Japan for those who want to teach English in Japan is AACircle.com.au

The JET Program

JET is the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program. Instead of focusing only on teaching English as a second or foreign language, the JET Program is sponsored by the government. Teachers from all over the world live and interact with local Japanese communities. They serve as English teachers in the classroom and are offered plenty of creative opportunities.

The Jet program specializes in placing English teachers in rural towns and offer complete immersion as the teacher typically works with an all-Japanese school staff. While culture shock is to be expected, this is the best way to get the true experience of living and working in Japan.

Teach Part Time!

There are plenty of smaller English schools as well as positions available in primary and secondary schools in Japan that are looking for instructors. In addition to positions in schools there are also plenty of businesses who want to hire English teachers. In order to obtain one of these positions it is imperative that you get your TESL or TEFL certification before beginning the application process. These jobs aren't interested in placing people who want immersion in the Japanese culture. They want qualified English teachers and certification helps give you an edge over other applicants.

Of course teaching English part time in Japan doesn't come with the benefits that are offered by the JET program or one of the larger national English schools. You'll have to find your own housing, your own insurance, etc.

If you don't want to be bound to a school or program's expectations, the part time and/or freelance English teaching positions might be the way to go. Of course, if you aren't yet ready to throw yourself completely into Japanese culture, you might be better suited with one of the national schools or federal programs.

Teach English in Japan

Jobs in Japan China Korea and Taiwan

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Teaching English in Japan - Lost in Transition

Experiencing culture shock is natural when you move abroad - here's what you can do about it.

The moment I stepped off the plane in Osaka, Japan I was already bleary-eyed and bone-tired. I had spent the trip flying across the world in a half-sleep because my seat on the plane was so uncomfortable it felt like a tee-shirt wrapped around a stadium chair.

This was nothing new for me. I had become used to the 15 hour flight because my role as a recruiter for a private educational company focusing on ESL and teaching English in Japan to children. Our recruiters from our offices in Los Angeles, Toronto and Chicago have meetings with our corporate staff in Okayama, Japan throughout the year. These short business trips are tough on my body but they are a breeze compared to my first cultural transition in 2003 when I first traveled there to teach English in Japan.

When I first moved to Japan as an instructor teaching English to children in an EFL setting, I found my train ride after my flight arrived a bit nerve-wracking. The signs were all in Japanese and English at first as my guide books promised but the scrolling electronic menus of arriving stations on the train were only in Japanese and so too were the voices over the intercom and the billboards we zipped past. I remember asking the clerk at the newspaper stand how much it cost for an English newspaper in my simple Japanese and he stood there smiling, unable to comprehend what I had said. It was official, I was illiterate in Japan. I was immersed in the cultural shock every travel book describes.

Moving abroad is a unique challenge and if you would someday like to live abroad - especially if you desire to teach English in Japan - it is critical to become actively involved in a key cultural transition, your own.

If you plan someday to work in Japan or teach English in Japan, keeping in mind the following steps will help anyone ambitious enough to leave their own culture for another.

- Get serious now, so you'll have fun later. If you are applying for a job that requires you to move abroad, do your research before the interview about the country. This is especially true if you plan to teach English in Japan. Talk to acquaintances and friends who have lived abroad in the country where you would like to go and listen to their experiences. Ask questions and then when it is time to interview you'll be that much more informed. Don't just limit your research to chat rooms on the internet. Even though there are websites with postings from the legions of ESL teachers teaching English as a second language, these places are helpful for prescient information can sometimes be trolling grounds of the misinformed or disenfranchised. Go to the library and find a good travel book and write down the books on the suggested reading list and start reading!

- Take responsibility. No one can better organize your departure and imminent arrival in a new country better than you. Quickly the tasks will mount and you could end up feeling overwhelmed. Don't worry this is common. Start small and write everything down. Now once you compile this list of tasks, start working your way down and check them off one by one. However, if you are within a month from departure make sure it is all about the practical side. How will you be bringing money? Where will you get your prescriptions filled? What shots do you need? These are important questions to answer during your last month. Also, if you can't fit it into your checked luggage while packing, don't bring it! Put your overflow into a box that a family member can send you or bring with them later on when they come for a visit.

- Accept a helping hand. The candidates we send who apply as English teachers in Japan begin their journey abroad as soon as they accept their position in their home country. We begin a paper work process with them at this point but it should also involve learning about the culture, history and values of their destination. Hired candidates who actively pursue this information early on in the process adjust better and have a stronger understanding of what is going on around them, even if they don't yet know the language. These candidates, of course, become more effective English teachers. Most companies implement their own orientation process prior to departure; make sure the company you've been hired by is one of them. We do our best to help our candidates adjust initially when they arrive. The assumption is that they will take over the process after they get moved in.

- Getting settled is no small thing. Our hired English teachers who have made the transition well are flexible and not easily rattled. They possess this confidence because they have thoroughly done their research and they are dedicated to making it work. There will always be rough days so account for them! How will you reach your family or friends when you have a difficult day at work? You can skype, blog, instant message or text your friends if you already have a way to get in touch with those that are important to you while you are adjusting. Teachers who move into the apartments we provide as a company and get settled in quickly also adjust much faster. This is a simple task but a very important one. Put those pictures up on the wall. Find a great local store that you can purchase food you like. Find a great place to work out or get a decent haircut. These are simple tasks but no small thing when adjusting abroad.

- You've gotten this far, go the distance! Probably one of the most frustrating things as a recruiter is when I had an English teacher who was homesick give up and head back home. Having a hard day here in the U.S. is an occasional occurrence but one that we often have to endure. The same is true for when you are living abroad. Candidates who have adjusted well find what they like to do in the country that they are living in. Do you like to play sports or go for a run? Are you interested in traditional arts and culture? Do you want to find a faith-based group to communicate with? All of these elements of our daily life are things that we underestimate the importance of until we live abroad and they are not readily available. The key thing is to not wait for your new life to come knocking at your door. You have to get up and go find it using the same determination and boldness that got you there in the first place.

As you can see, achieving success when you get to another culture is dependent on what you have accomplished before you left. Get started today with your great adventure by finding out where you'd like to live and work someday so you don't get lost in the transition.

Scott Hillkirk is an international recruiter for the AEON Amity Corporation of Japan promoting teaching English in Japan and training ESL teachers to teach English in Japan. Before his work as a recruiter, he taught children EFL for several years in Japan as Head of Teacher Development for Amity. He also has experience working as a journalist. His reporting has appeared in national publications including USA Today and Men's Health Magazine. For more information please visit: http://www.amityteachers.com

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