Living in the states and doing my research currently. I keep looking on google and reading articles and even some job postings just to see requirements and qualifications.
Most say you don’t need the Teacher Preparatory Program to teach early childhood in Japan. Yet I am seeing here that you do for older students? Does that apply to children as well?
I am currently in university studying for my bachelors in early childhood.
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There is a certification but you don’t need it. As long as one person in the room has it, the government is happy. Only the public, government funded ones require everyone to be certified. The public ones also require native level Japanese and basic piano playing skills.
Preschool and kindergarten is not required in Japan. The requirements are very loose because they are really just daycare centers. Very little education happens. Most education at this level happens at juku type of businesses like [Dora Kids](https://dora-kids.shopro.co.jp) or at home with the mothers.
They are the group of teachers that deserve the most pay but don’t get it.
If possible, you should get your degree in early childhood education and your teaching license so you could get positions in the Early Childhood departments of certified K-12 international schools. You would be on the same pay scale as other homeroom teachers at the school which would be vastly higher than the pay of the typical international preschool in Japan. Tuition fees at certified international schools, even for the preschool/kinder levels, usually cost about $20,000 USD a year. High level schools are around $30,000. Salaries correspond accordingly to these high tuition fees.
If it’s an IB PYP school, preschool and kindergarten are both included within PYP so licensed and experienced teachers are required. This also means you could transfer over to Grade 1-2 if you ever want a change. This route has a lot more upward mobility compared to the international preschool (which are more akin to daycare centers here in Japan) route. Good luck with whatever you plan to do.
I teach kindergarten and preschool at an international school and have no certifications
Definitely opt for an international or K-12 school. The independent mom and pop places are burn out jobs. I’m guessing preschools have the highest turn over rate in Japan among all forms of educational establishment.