Some background info: I’m a 25 year old female, got my English and Spanish philology degree two years ago and I’ve been working as an English teacher in academies here in Spain. I’m halfway into getting my master’s degree in the teaching field again (high school and baccalaureate) while working part-time as a teacher of English.
At the moment I still don’t have the Spanish nationality but I have a permanent residency here which allows me to work and reside here indefinitely (my nationality is still in process, they take a long time here to grant it to you, Spanish bureaucracy sucks). I’ve been thinking about applying to teaching jobs in Japan, since I have good/sometimes proficient command of 5 languages, some of them on a higher level than the others. I also know Spanish on a native level, since I have basically been raised in Spain (although if you don’t apply for the nationality, you’ll not get it automatically, that’s why I still don’t have it and it’s a matter of time until they concede it to me).
I’ve been thinking about getting the CPE certificate (Cambridge proficiency exam) to prove my level of English, in case it is needed.
However, I’ve been reading pretty discouraging experiences coming from non native speakers who had the same goal, here on Reddit. It seems that if you don’t have 12 years of education in English then you have no chance of getting any English teaching job in Japan, which is my case, my education has been in Spanish apart from the last 6 years (degree and master’s degree done in English). In regard to my accent, it’s pretty close to a native speaker’s accent, I don’t really mispronounce words and many native people I spoke with in the past told me my accent, if there’s any, is almost unnoticeable.
Apart from liking Japan as a country, my real goal is to try and live with my long distance boyfriend who’s also a teacher there (he had it easier because he holds an American passport). What are your thoughts on this?
Thank you in advance for any helpful information or experience on the matter you can provide!
PD: I’m middle Eastern, but I do look white, in case it’s a big deal for Japanese 🙂
8 comments
If you think Spanish bureaucracy sucks, wait til you get to Japan 🤣
And looking “white” doesn’t matter, it’s all about the accent. If it’s not thick you’ll be fine.
Source: have friends from many backgrounds, mother tongues, and skin colours teaching in Japan.
It fully depends on the company/group. Some have a hard “must have been educated at-least 10-12 years in an English speaking country,” while others only care if you have a college degree and can speak English.
Just apply for every single group and see if they offer an interview. That and try to apply for direct hire positions as well. Maybe your boyfriend can find some places that are potentially hiring and send your resume their way. It’s possible, just takes a bit more effort.
It’s not too difficult for non-natives to work in an Eikaiwa on the Humanities visa.
Instructor Visas for ALT jobs are more difficult. Those usually require the 12 years English education.
University jobs don’t necessarily require native status, but they are already extremely competitive and require higher qualifications. Publications and existing university experience are becoming a must for entry level.
You should first understand that with your qualifications, you are over-qualified to teach as an ALT or in an eikaiwa (conversation school). These contexts don’t generally accept “non-native” speakers because they are not educational institutions – they are selling a fantasy to customers. That means they prefer blue-eyed white people. Which of course, is 100% racist – but this is Japan, so … *shrug* that’s how it is here.
With your qualifications, you should be looking at international schools or colleges/universities – those contexts are unlikely to make an issue of whether you are a “native speaker”. There are a good number of universities in Japan that are taking the ELF perspective into consideration in their curriculum, and you’d fit in just fine.
The only issue is that you would need a teacher’s license from your country for an international school, and an MA or even PhD to find a university position.
Teaching in Japan is really not that great anymore. I think you should do a bit more research, including looking back though this subreddit and reading more posts.
Yes you can.
Eikawas hire non-native speakers all the time.
you’re way too overqualified for most jobs you could take
Hey! So I was able to get a job in Japan last year even though technically I’m considered a non-native speaker from Mexico (even though I was raised mostly in the USA, I don’t have US citizenship). The Eikawa that I applied for was really only looking for 10+ years of English schooling. I also applied for Amity and they also were only looking for those years of schooling because of the type of visa they have to apply for.
Also, I had a co-worker who was from the Philippines who had a pretty thick accent and there wasn’t an issue with our employer but some students do really have a preference on what kind of English accent they want to pick up on. I think I was able to get that job because of the fact the school promoted itself more on culturally diverse staff, rather than just English speakers. I say try to apply to Eikawas or smaller schools in the countryside you never know. Though I agree with what everyone else is saying, you really are over-qualified, most are fresh out of college. That’s what I was, I don’t really think they care about your skin color but most of the requirements are there because of the visa issuance.
Brown people get paid less than white people. That makes them attractive to for-profit schools.