Hi all,
I’m Australian (native English speaker), and currently studying both a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in History, due to graduate at the end of 2023. I have been considering living in Japan for a year and working as an English teacher.
However, I have no Japanese ability beyond a few very basic phrases. I intend to learn as much Japanese as I can if I did end up heading over. But I’m also aware that it is a very difficult language to master, and I’m not sure whether I could find the time, or have the ability, to study and demonstrate workable Japanese in time.
A very broad question but, is it possible for me to secure a tolerable job despite my lack of Japanese ability? I know my chances with Altia are low because of it. But are there any other “good” agencies/employers that don’t mind?
Thank you in advance for any help!
14 comments
I know loads of ALTs who don’t speak a word of Japanese and survive, you’ll be fine.
To work in eikaiwa or as an ALT, you don’t need Japanese. But if you’re a qualified teacher (do you have TESOL quals?) you’ll find those contexts very frustrating to work in, as they don’t really let you teach. They make you follow their set lesson plan, and it is the same every. single. time.
That said, if it’s only for a year, you might be able to stomach it. It really depends on how serious you are about teaching.
I know an Australian man who has been in Japan for 20+ years and doesn’t speak fluent Japanese whatsoever. Well, he can barely speak the language and relies on Google translate or native-speaking friends for most of his legal stuff. The locals already expect a foreign face to not know their language too well, too. …You’ll be fine for a year…
I want to add to keep your expectations low because a lot of Japanese don’t care for English language seriously unless it’s an international school full of English speaking rich kids lol
Contrary to what you might’ve read, Japanese ability is absolutely not a prerequisite for getting your foot in the door. In fact, it might even be a hindrance considering that most JTEs don’t want students to know that the token foreigner can actually speak the local language.
I knew two girls years ago that got in with Altia and they both couldn’t even speak a lick of Japanese.
>working as an English teacher
Good luck. To be frank, teaching specifically *English* in Japan immediately narrows down your options to 2 main areas: ALT/JET/eikawa (aka the “low paid, gap year jobs”), or **intense** competition for actual teaching jobs in international schools. Local system and university are both out given your lack of Japanese ability.
> A very broad question but, is it possible for me to secure a tolerable job despite my lack of Japanese ability? I know my chances with Altia are low because of it. But are there any other “good” agencies/employers that don’t mind?
I was in your boat back in the way (Aussie teaching degree) so I can speak to this. But please note, I re-trained as a lawyer (left teaching) and my overall opinion is that ‘teaching in Japan’ is a (VERY good, fun, useful…etc) ‘gap year’. It’s maybe a step up from (for example) a gig I had aged 19 where I lived in a large, UK grammar school’s boarding house, coached rugby, supervised their weights room and got paid a stipend for it as the ‘token buff Aussie guy who plays rugby’. IMO ‘teaching in Japan’ is similar to that kinda role.
Basically…
– Above all, apply for JET… JET is the best… but if you don’t get in, don’t over-research the alternatives. People talk shit about them all the time. I got to Japan with Nova. It was a stepping stone that got me a visa, got me a house and taught me a bog standard lesson structure that locals are gonna expect for conversation/kids classes. People behave as though Nova’s the worst thing ever. IMO staying there for 20 years, getting cynical and venting about it is the worst thing ever! Using them for the visa and introduction to Japan wasn’t too bad at all. Think short-term in all this rather than trying to build an empire. If you last 6-12 months, have lotsa mad piss-ups and then bugger off when you’re jack of it then so what? You’ve lived your dream and had 12 months of fun in Japan, doing piss easy work. Now back to reality sorta thing…
– ALT/Eikaiwa jobs are open to all. They won’t pay much even if you compare the best paid (JET) with 1st year casual teaching in Australia. Also, you won’t get any career progression (or competencies signed off either… you’ll probably have to put your registration on hold). So getting these jobs won’t be difficult!
– Some speak about getting jobs at international schools. I think there’s ways in which private schools (which are often just little places run out of an old house mind you… don’t think Sydney Grammar when you seethe term ‘international school’) can get around this. Maybe you can teach IB or something as well? My experience was that these places paid marginally more than ALTs/Eikaiwas. BUT… big but… you’ll still earn significantly more as a casual teacher in Australia (particularly once you factor in free Medicare and ~16% super on top of your wage, which Japan’s ‘pension’ scheme is in no way close to matching… it’s more like ‘throw a few dollars into a bucket so you can get paid the equivalent of Australia’s aged pension when you retire). In short maybe you’ll find a sweet gig, but back to my point about it being a gap year… take it easy! Coaching rugby and supervising a $$$ grammar school’s gym (where everybody laughed at my Aussie accent) was an absolute freak show, but it was an experience! I got to go overseas for free, earn my first full-time paycheque and have a bit of a boost before doing my teaching degree. 30 Years of it woulda been crap, but 12 months (always knowing I was gonna bugger off after a short while) was amazing!
Your qualified as a real teacher. Get a job at an international school. Most jobs start in April. Teacher horizons is a good place to start looking
If you get your license with a degree, get some experience in Australia then get s job in an international school.
My university has lots of Australian people who don’t speak much Japanese but teach english in here. But i don’t suggest you to only teach english in japan just because you want to live here if you don’t like teaching students. I recommend you to watch a youtube channel called abroad in japan, he is a britsh man in japan for long time.
Go for it. There are tons of programs for English teachers that require no native language. I taught in Spain for a year (I can converse in Spanish) and my good friend and her husband have taught in an international school in Dubai for a few years and don’t know any language other than English. It’s an amazing experience that you can put on your resume and will never regret!
Get 2-5 years experience as a teacher in Australia and try to get hired at an international school if you want the best job. But honestly this is if you like want to live in Japan for a while. International school job will give you less free time and more responsibility–it’s more like a career.
If you just want to live in Japan for a year or 2 while you’re young (recommended!) go for an ALT job. They are easy, integrate you into a public school which is fun, and allow you to have tons of free-time. Usually these have been super easy to get if you’re halfway competent, but because of covid closing the borders for so long there may be a backlog of people who already applied. Not sure.
For ALT work, try JET first. If that fails I did Interac and it was fine. As an ALT you don’t need any Japanese ability other than the willingness to try to learn a few common phrases
I had basically the same qualifications as you when I started out as a teacher, 14 years ago. No Japanese but I taught 1.5 years for Aeon eikawa, which was fine as a young adult but something I wouldn’t want to do forever.
It’s not that hard of a job really, so it gives you a chance to get ‘acclimated’ to Japan and perhaps pick up more of the language and culture.
After that, it wouldn’t be hard for you to step into an International school job. Or, just jump right into that, although many International schools look for a minimum of three year’s experience.
Lower end or smaller schools don’t require this but can be hit or miss with their quality and you’ll likely be working long hours.
Good luck! If it’s something you want, do it. Best choice I ever made.
I’m a licensed teacher for 7 years and am bound to Japan in August for an IB teaching job. If you really want to purse a career in education, I’d say earn IB experience first in your country (at least 3 years) then apply at international schools in Japan.
I`m Aussie with the same qualifications as you will have. Been living here in Fukuoka for 11 years now. If you only want to stay for a year, just get a job with any of the local ALT dispatch companies. Enjoy yourself and study as much as you can. ALT hours are good so you`ll have time in the evening to study. Pay is pretty crap but you don`t need any Japanese language skills. I would suggest NOT going to Tokyo. Try and find something in a semi rural area, you will learn much more about Japan and Japanese culture. Mid size cities like Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Kumamoto, Yamaguchi, Fukuyama etc are great. If you want to stay long term, I suggest looking at getting some experience in the classroom then come over and get a job at an international school. Don`t do the ALT thing as it will be a waste of you skills. I know many long term residents in the same situation and they are so disgruntled with Japanese life and hate living here.
Unfortunately I got stuck in the ALT thing as well for a few years, had a family and found it hard to get out of. Luckily, I got out, and now my wife and I run a cafe/salon and I teach English a bit at the cafe.