They ask for a degree, but they don't specify.
Do they expect the degree to be in English, or does it not matter what degree it is, as long as there is one?

University level degree in any field will suffice. There are certain areas of study that may give you a slight advantage such as education (imagine that?), Asian studies, taking Japanese courses, studying any language for that matter, music and art majors too because they view them as being potentially creative teachers. Seriously though, I have met more computer science majors in my area than any other degree type.

My Resume and Cover Letter
 

Your resume and cover letter are going to be on separate pages with your contact information as the header. On the cover letter, include the address of the person you are sending it to even if like me you emailed all the potential employers. That reminds me that along with these, you are going to write an email that will be along the same lines as the cover letter only more brief and bare of specifics about education and what not. Some employers ask for an essay describing why you want to work in Japan, you're on your own on that one.

Education

2001-2005 University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Bachelors of Arts in International Studies-East Asia, Minor in Japanese

Fall 2004 University of Language and Culture, Beijing, China, Level 1 Chinese

1996-2000 West Rowan High School, Mount Ulla, North Carolina

Academic Awards- College credit earned in high school through Advanced Placement Exam in English Composition

Work Experience

1998-2006 Lake Norman Seafood, Assistant Kitchen Manager

Now the cover letter:

Dear Daredemo,

I am a recent graduate of University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a student in the International Studies program there I have always sought to broaden myself through experiencing and learning of foreign cultures. I chose to concentrate on East Asia out of curiousity at first but have quickly come to love and respect the culture and languages.

I am writing to you in response to your opening for English teachers and believe that my experiences and background would make me an excellent candidate for the position. Studying both Japanese and Chinese in school, I believe that I have a first hand understanding of how languages are acquired and the teaching methods involved. I am looking to continue learning as I am currently enrolled in one of the online certification programs for Teaching English as a Second Language.

My exposure through friends, studying abroad and university courses to foreign languages and cultures has given me insight into how difficult yet crucial English education is. I know the challenges facing your students and look forward to helping them try to overcome the obstacles facing them.

Thank you for your time and I look forward hearing from you soon.

Sincerely, Jason

Now for a few things I want to point out:
1) You will notice that not once do I mention grades or GPA.
2) In the first cover letter I included humbling statements like sought to, believe that, would make me, looking to, and try to. Watch the difference when I remove these phrases. They are sublimnal at best, but you want to leave the employer no room to doubt that you are anything less than the best person for the job.
3) Take note that at the time I was searching for a job, I was enrolled in an online certificate program which was true but gave the impression that I would be a certified teacher. Well, I got the job and stopped doing the program. When my company shows school boards, English teachers and parents my file, they make the claim that I am certified which doesn't bother me at all.

I am a recent graduate of University of North Carolina at Charlotte. As a student in the International Studies program I have broadened myself through experiencing and learning of foreign cultures. I chose to concentrate on East Asia out of curiousity at first but have quickly come to love and respect the culture and languages.

I am writing to you in response to your opening for English teachers and because my experiences and background make me an excellent candidate for the position. Studying both Japanese and Chinese in school, I have a first hand understanding of how languages are acquired and the teaching methods involved. Also I am continuing to learn through enrollment in one of the online certification programs for Teaching English as a Second Language.

My exposure through friends, studying abroad and university courses to foreign languages and cultures has given me insight into how difficult yet crucial English education is. I know the challenges facing your students and look forward to helping them overcome the obstacles facing them and encourage them to continue studying.

I have a few questions to ask regarding moving to Japan. So please take the time to answer any of the possible questions below, any comments is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thank you.

1. What belongings (i.e. paperwork, etc.) should one take for living in Japan, and not visiting?

2. What basic (i.e. general) knowledge should one know before traveling to Japan, and from personal experience, is there a particular budget one should keep in mind if planning to return to America, and if so, approximately how much?

3. Is it possible to travel to Japan and actually live there upon arrival, or are there specific requirements that one (i.e. foreigner) has to undertake before living in Japan?

Ah that's good then, because I'm planning on taking Music Tech to university.
Hopefully I'll be able to get a decent A level in English Language too.
If you don't have a degree, would it still be likely that you would be able to teach over there if you had decent qualifications in other ways?

Thank you, that outlines exactly what I was asking/ looking for. Again I must say you are a master of the arts of answers. Lol Thanks again.

It is required to have a degree in order to work in Japan, even if the applied job is customer service? Or does it only apply to people who are planning on working in a particular working field (i.e. career), and planning on living in Japan?

Sadly enough, you better stay in school and earn that degree. The degree is for the purpose of getting the work visa through immigration rather than being a requirement of your employer. Japan places different requirements for nationals of different countries that must be met in order to obtain a working visa. For Americans, Britains and other "first world countries" they will most likely require the minimum of a university degree. Now say if you were a Brazillian coming to work in a car plant, a university degree may not be needed. I was at one point in time going to look into the specifics of working visas but have never found the time. I would check out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Ministry of Labor for details.

If you are American and without a degree, your visa will be valid for three months and not qualify you to work unless it is a student visa and you get permission. The other day, I saw on JF that there was even a question over whether dependents, spouses or otherwise of those with working visas, would be able to work in Japan even just part time. Which is not really enough to support oneself in my opinion much less be able to travel.

Well, I was planning on living there, as in, not just visiting or the like, but living there. I guess you can say I'm looking forward into a new kind of life and culture. In any case, so in order for me to work in Japan successfully and efficiently, I basically need a college degree, correct? Even so, I hear working visa allows you to only stay for a minimum of three years in Japan, which I'm planning on staying longer than that given duration. What visa do I need to work and live in Japan at my leisure, or does this particular visa has a limit to it as well?

heey is it near the research triangle park?!! and hav they tried recruiting you before? and do you like your job?:D ohh with u're wage is japan kinda cheap in the part you live at? :ywave:

The longest work visa available is the three year work visa. After your three years is up, you can have it renewed for another three and so on. I have heard that even getting the three year visa could take you two to three years of working in Japan and applying for it over and over again.

The visa you will need to live and work at leisure as you put it, would be permanent residency status. This is the one step down from actual citizenship and from what I have read, just as difficult to get as actual citzenship. The thing is, you are going to need like over five years of working and living here before they will grant it to you. And even then, you would probably need a very good reason for living in Japan whether it be a spouse, business or child.

As for me, I am a foreigner and will always be one even if I lived here the rest of my life. Auburn hair and hazel eyes mean that even if I was fluent in Japanese and lived in at a Shinto shrine as a monk, I would always be on the outside in a way. I have only lived in Japan for eight months now and probably only be here for another ten to eleven.

true. Before they issue a 3 year working visa. but now they change it to 1 year only. After 1 year, you can renew and usually the next visa you'll get is would still be 1 year. If you get lucky on the 2nd time you renew, you can get a 3 year visa. My colleague here, was granter a 3 year visa after his 3rd renewal. Mine was on the 2nd renewal.

Just briefly, the area I live in now is somewhere around average as far as living expenses and what I am paid is probably average too for teachers/college grads in Japan.

As far as the research triangle, that term in North Carolina refers specifically to Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro area where a lot of medical research takes place and no they never tried recruiting me. Charlotte is farther south in NC and the second largest banking center in the US after NYC. Shocking I know.

As far as a research triangle in Japan, I have never heard of that. No, no one has ever tried to recruit me for anything other than the armed forces after they learned I know a little Chinese.

Do I like my job? That is a difficult question. As far as jobs go, it is a pretty sweet ride being an ALT. You get paid well for the little that most ALT's do. My trouble as I've been told by other ALT's is that I take my job far too seriously.

But let's compare. Most ALT's are simply what is known as the human tape recorder simply reading the lines given to them to demonstrate correct pronunciation. As the name Assistant Language Teacher implies, they simply assist the Japanese instructor in the English program and every now and then are given fifteen minutes of free time to do a short activity or game.

Now consider my school where I plan and for the most part run my classes on my own. I have fifty to forty-five minutes of class time to teach "grammar" that is in the text book without the use of a text book. Which means that materials I use, I have to make basically from scratch. My Japanese teachers don't really get how frustrating that is. They have the textbooks, workbooks, CD's and computer lessons which they use in their classes. I have started incorporating the text readings into my classes much to their disappointment because I've recently realized that some of the seniors can't even read simple words like "fun" or "want."

Honestly, I go back and forth between "English education in Japan is hopeless" and "This isn't fun and games because you have to be able to pass that entrance exam to get into a good high school." When I look at my own education and how it has changed my life, it makes me one of the strongest advocates for higher education you will ever meet. Yes, school is tough and it takes what seems like forever to get to where you want to be which is just finished. But if I didn't stick with (believe me at times I didn't want to), I wouldn't be sitting in a Japanese Jr. High writing to all of you out there wanting one way or another to be in Japan.

The answer to your question is yes, I enjoy working in Japan's schools. Being a teacher is tough anywhere in the world. Then consider that you and your students don't even speak the same language. But that's part of the job, to make your students want to learn English so they can talk to you. And now when I see my kids I had last year coming home from high school, I feel really good about what I do and very proud that they are still in school slaving away.

As an English teacher in Japan, you will either need an Instructor, Professor or the Specialist in Humanities/International Services visa (which is the one I have). I may have been wrong about the different requirements by country as it appears to be rather by profession. However I was not wrong about working holiday visas, those are deals arranged between countries. Take a look here for all those visa questions you have on your mind:

MOFA: A Guide to Japanese Visas - Documents to Be Submitted with Visa Applications

For aspiring English teachers take note of these phrases under Instructor and Specialist in Humanities/International Services:

Instructor
Documents certifying the academic career or a copy of an educational license of the person concerned.
Documents certifying the professional career of the person concerned.
Basically what this amounts to is proof of your education and/or career as a teacher. Note that TESL certificates do not alone qualify you to teach in Japan no matter how they are promoted. A degree would be a different story because it is not a certificate.

Specialist in Humanities/International Services
Materials describing the business undertaken by the recipient organization.
A diploma or a certificate of graduation with a major in a subject relating to the activity of the person concerned, and documents certifying his or her professional career.
Proof that the company hiring is in the business of hiring teachers/ALT's. Now the second one about "major in a subject relating to the activity of the person concerned" is not enforced word for word. Why else would most ALT's I know be computer science majors? Basically all you need for this one is a degree which is why most teachers fall into this category. They're foreign, they went to school, why don't we make them a teacher?

About the working visa, so since it'll be my first time actually applying for a working visa, I'll most likely get one that is one to two years length, and eventually get a three year working visa over time, right? Also, when you say "renew", I can't help but think of it as an actual U.S. ID, so what I'm basically saying is once the visa is expired, I'll just have to "renew" it as you put it, am I on the right track here?

With that aside, from various comments from forums I've visited over time, I usually hear that majority of people will apply for a job that pertains to "teaching English" to the natives of Japan, which I eventually learned that this job is ALT. So my question is, what does an ALT person exactly do? I mean, I always hear "teaching English" in Japan is a good source of spare money while staying or traveling in Japan, but from the comments I gathered from various websites, it seems like anyone can apply for it and get the job on the first day, is this the case?

For the renewal process you will still need proof of employment and to pay the four thousand yen or whatever the cost is. But you have to realize for any reason or none at all, they could choose not to renew and often they choose not to give the longer term visas especially because your contract is no longer than one year. Who knows what the people in the offices really base their decisions on? I got my visa on the first visa but know of people having to return a second time three months later for theirs.

As far as just flying in to Japan and thinking you will be able to get a teaching job on the first day, I would say that is a one out of a million type situation. I've said it before, I had a list of around 30 employers I sent my resume to. Ten called and interviewed me, and out of those ten I had five that were seriously considering hiring me. The whole process took a month.

Now that I am in Japan and have experience, I would probably get responses from maybe like 2 out of 3 employers and be offered the job from both. Even then though, the process from interviewing to hiring would probably be at least a month. After that, I would not be payed until a month after starting.

So if you flew over here, you would be living for 2 to 3 months without a job and the bare minimum amount of money you will need to survive for a month in Japan (unless you sleep in Yoyogi park with the homeless) would be around 80-90,000 yen.

Don't get me wrong, I have no interest whatsoever to teach English or join any programs, well for the most part. I'm planning on getting my university degree first and then settling in for various jobs in Japan. With that aside, do you know any potential (i.e. dependent) websites that list employers and jobs that are waiting to be occupied? Also, I'm sort of in the mix with the whole "visa" thing, so does one have to apply for a visa before planning on traveling to Japan? I want to have one before traveling there to save me the trouble and hassle, or do I have to apply at Japan for one? Oh yeah, what visa do you use by the way? When you mean contract, do you mean your employment contract for your (i.e. person) job?

of course Visa are applied before entering the country. You cannot enter Japan without proper visa, except for tourist from UK and US?? who does not need a tourist visa if its less than 90 days. But for other countries, it is a MUST.

Different Types of Teachers
 

All right out of an attempt to keep it simple, I'll break down the three basic types of English instructors in Japan, what they do and what they need to get the job.

For the entry level applicant, this is the person with no experience and only a university degree you have two choices: ALT or Eikaiwa.

First my job, the ALT.
These are the Assistant Language Teachers that work in Japanese public schools. The JET Programme participants, they are ALT's but we call them JET because they were hired through the governments programme. The rest of us usually call ourselves just ALT's or private's since we are hired by a private company, not government related. The role of the ALT in the classroom as envisioned by the Ministry of Education is to encourage your students to study English, expose them to a foreign culture, provide them with opportunities to speak English and last to accustom them with the sound of native spoken English. Now what you will actually do for work varies greatly depending on your teachers' wishes and your students' abilities or lack thereof. Oh, and the local board of education plays a big role too.

The Eikaiwa Teacher.
Think of NOVA, this is an eikaiwa. The name means English conversation school. Whenever I have met eikaiwa teachers, they always tell me that we are basically doing the same job. Which is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The basic differences between an eikaiwa class and mine are smaller number of students, they usually group students by ability, national chain eikaiwas like NOVA have a curriculum and lessons you follow, you could end up with anyone as a student from toddlers to retirees, you usually teach class without a Japanese teacher and that is all I can think of for now but there are more. Now some eikaiwas also hire ALT's. Some eikaiwas, you plan and produce all the materials for your classes.

Now for those who have attended graduate school for teaching English as a second language. These are the professors and some upper tier high schools. These are teachers who decided long ago that this was their calling.

If you can get a job at a Japanese university teaching English, you've got it made. Higher pay, more vacation time and to be honest better students are just some of the highlights. But to work at a real university, you are going to need to be published. You will also need to have worked for probably sometime as a part time professor before getting the really cushy position with and office and whatnot. Some high schools hire foreign teachers with masters in teaching English, others use the standard Japanese teacher with ALT format. For those that hire foreign teachers with credentials, you are pretty much the doing the same job as a professor just working with students who are less able.

There is a post somewhere in this thread with links.
Specialist in Humanities/International Services
Contract- Yes, as in the one signed by you with your employer.

Alright, the big picture is starting to become clearer now. Some questions that come to mind at the moment. Thanks in advance.

1. Do a working visa limit the occupations you can apply for in Japan? Or can you apply for any particular job while in Japan as long as you have a working visa?

2. I take it you were a entry applicant once, which means you have a university degree; you can do so much more considering you can apply for a working visa which enables you a broad choice of jobs in Japan. What made you choose to become a ALT, since I hear there pay isn't all that good (forgive me) and its hard for them to adapt to the native culture since they basically teach or speak English 24/7?

1. Legal or not, I know a few former teachers who are still using their instructor's visa and working in bars. I don't really know the answer to this one, but I am assuming that it is no. And they probably will have it changed fairly soon.

2. On the issue of pay, the reason some may say the pay is not that great is because quite simply most of us could make more money at home with our degrees than we do here. Now for in Japan and the amount of work that we don't do, ALT's are being paid very, very well.
The second part of your question I assume relates to the issue brought up once in Nyororin's thread that English teachers do not have a chance to study Japanese and make Japanese friends. To that issue I have this response to give: Whether you are working in an eikaiwa or public school, your integration into Japan is totally dependent on your desire to become involved.
I know English teachers who spend all their time hanging out in bars with fellow foreigners, but I know just as many who go hang out in the rice field helping his student's grandfather with harvest time. You are ultimately the one who will decide how your time here will be spent regardless of where or what you do for your job.
Also consider that ALT's work in public schools. I work with all Japanese Monday through Friday. I see how Japanese children are growing up. I have to study Japanese because otherwise it will be very hard to teach English to them. Every kid, parent and grandparent in my area knows who I am. I am not sure how much more integrated I could become unless I start working on Kenta's farm!

Oh, so the working visa pertains only to your career (i.e. expertise)? Also, there's obviously a lot of teaching jobs offered for English teachers, I'm starting to get the impression that this is the only route to take to actually work in Japan, is this the case? Another thing, do you apply for a working visa before you seek out a job in Japan, or afterwards?

xD
 

I'm going to be an English teacher as well ^^
I hope to get a year of study there in college before I move there permanently...
I want to work in Saitama...

The work visa is specific to the type of work you do in Japan. Anything that doesn't fall into one of those categories goes to the one that says Designated Activities. Basically means a description of your job and income or whatever.

English teaching is the easiest route to working in Japan.

Before or after, but if you do it before you can fly in with a one way ticket which saves a lot of money.

xD
 

Ok...
So you can't go to Japan with a one way ticket unless you have a work visa?
Did I get that right?

Yes, that is correct.

What made you want to work in Gunma, why not Tokyo? Also, how long are you planning to teach there?

This is probably a stupid question but should my resume/portfolio be in english or Japanese? I am thinking Japanese right?

Who needs reasons when you have beer? I'm sorry, what was the question again? My decision on where to work in Japan is based on one factor, the distance from my crappy job to winter wonderland in the mountains. If I could work somewhere like Nozawa Onsen, I would probably have a heart attack.

Engrish, if the person hiring you wants it in Japanese I suggest applying somewhere else.

But don't you have to be accepted for a job in Japan before you can actually apply for a working visa? I'm aware that you can apply for a working visa as long as you have a university degree, but don't you need proof for your employment in Japan when applying for a working visa also?

Yes, to have the work visa before you come you have to mail your passport to your company for it to be processed after you have been hired. Then, it can take up to three months for them to grant you the visa and mail it back to you.

In my situation, I got the job and there was not enough time to get the visa. So I flew in on a round trip ticket since I had the tourist visa. But I used my return flight to visit home after three months since I was able to purchase the one way coming back.

English Teaching Position
 

:) I'm Ebenezer Oduro Anti, a Ghanaian trained English language tutor. Currently, I am teaching English language in a high school in China. I have 10 years teaching experience in English language. I have Bachelor's degree in Education.I would be very grateful if you can offer me a teaching position in Japan. Please I'm doing this to explore more about english teaching in Asia and for change of environment. Moreso,I want to teach in Japan to share my good teaching experiences to booster English learning in your area.
I hope this application will be fairly considered.Thank you.

Sorry, unfortunately I work for a company and do not own a school. Check Jobs in Japan and O-Hayo Sensei for openings at schools and companies in Japan.

What do you mean by "not enough time". Also, when you flew in what did you do then? Considering you still did not have your work visa, or did they have it already prepared for you from there?

There was not enough time to mail my passport to Japan (two weeks) then have the visa application processed (up to three months) then mail it back (another two weeks) so I could come to Japan.

I started working without the visa because the company I am working for was not as concerned as having me start without one than the board of education. The board of education probably wouldn't work with the company to fill positions if they knew that most if not all of us start work without visas.

They brought me to the prefectural office about three weeks after I started, and the visa was granted to me that day. Some teachers that came at the exact same time I did had to go there two or three times before finally being given a visa after three months of working.

Also Jason, or anyone, can you pass me that link where they list jobs in Japan and programs? I was just wondering if you knew a great website that have these listings (i.e. jobs and programs), and was just looking for an alternative source other than Google.