I want to move to Japan PLEASE HELP...

[MMM]

Right. As long as you are a native English speaker and have a 4-year degree, that is all that matters. The JET program the best route, if you ask me. It pays well, decent hours, and provides accomidations, usually at a discount.

Unless you are married, though, there is no guarantee you and your girlfriend would be placed together.

Teaching English in Japan Guide Resources for ELT, EFL, ESL in Japan

[RacerX]

The only problem with the JET program is you have to follow their timetable - they hire, I believe, once a year... so you can't just decide to go in, say, January. Also, you don't have a choice in where you go - you can suggest preferences, but you probably won't get them unless you request a truly out-of-the-way location that other people are unlikely to request. But they do pay well for young people, and take care of all the paperwork for you, work visas and such. And I think they fly their hires over in business class!

[jasonbvr]

TEFL certificates will not qualify you for the work visa. The only purpose of them is to differentiate you from the masses and help when you have zero experience. A bachelors (university degree) is required for the work visa. If you went with the working holiday visa, you would first obtain the visa while at home then pursue finding a job. But once again, if you do not have a degree once the working holiday visa expires you will need a degree to move to the regular working visa. If you have a degree, then you find a job and after being hired get the visa.

As far as couples teaching, it is not your best bet to go with the JET programme. JET places the teachers throughout Japan and much like their hiring process, it seems that a couple of guys in some dark room simply draw some names and then Janken to determine who is going where. My suggestion is to choose a regional ALT staffing company. I would go ALT over eikaiwa in the circumstance of couples teaching as this would guarantee your having the same days off. Many eikaiwas seek out couples for their positions (mostly because they want to hire a female), but working for a small eikaiwa or somewhere like NOVA one of you may have Tues and Wed off while the other has Thur and Fri.

If you have any questions or seek further clarification of JET vs. ALT vs. Eikaiwa, please read the thread Teaching in the JP 2.0 or its predecessor Teaching English in the JP.

Cheers, jB