What degree should I get to teach at a Japanese uni?

7 comments

1. Look up job openings. You might be able to find a position already

2. You wouldn’t need a PhD.

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   You should be able to apply with the background you have already on part time positions. Then work towards full-time once you are friendly with that current faculty.

3. If you wanted to teach English, your master’s plus some publications and Japanese fluency should be enough.

   **To teach business specifically**, I’m not super aware of the requirements for faculty and probably most of the posters here aren’t either (I’d guess among the university-posters most teach English and most of them have MA TESOL or PHD linguistics type degrees). I’d suggest looking at JREC and judging based on the job postings. Also check where the faculty where you are did their PhDs.

   When you you have an MBA from a “top” university, do you mean in Japan or abroad? If in Japan, are you sure you have an MBA, most programs here are actually MAs. (the difference is that the former is a professional degree and the latter is a research degree).

   You might need to do a PhD in econ with a business focus to be employable.

4. For Keio and Waseda and many top schools, they already get more than enough post-doc apps from among their graduates to fill all positions. Most already have papers as their profs put them on enough research projects to score several papers before they apply; thus, any particular school most likely hires one of their own. All committee work and extra work (probably double or triple the class load) is required, and more paperwork is getting shifted to the professors.

   Most will start at 助教, and if you put enough time and effort into teaching, research, service to the school, student advising, committee work, etc., full Professor could be 15 years away if you get all of the promotions on time.

   Most “sweet” university positions get 200 applications or more from applicants halfway to the top, sometimes even trying to go down a notch to move faster, so why would they choose you is the question you have to make them answer.

   As for teaching part-time and hoping it leads to a full-time opportunity, it rarely happens. Departments hire part-timers under a different system, they do not mingle with the full-time professors, and 99% of the time, years could go by, and they would not remember your name. (Otherwise, slim to no chance).

   If you are at a university on a tenure track, stay and keep going to conferences and hope someone notices you.

   I understand your dream, but you are 20 years too late. Sorry.

5. I know a Malaysian who has a PhD and works at Nagoya University in the fish department(?) or something. She speaks fluent Japanese, and I see her post on her social media having to do lots of research on top of teaching classes, and travelling for work too.

   So, definitely PhD with a few publications.

6. [deleted]

7. I only skimmed read other comments but why the focus on university job if you’re not into the research component?

   I assume since you want to teach _business_, if the main allure is the _teaching_ rather than the research, maybe try going for IB schools that offer business / economics?

   However they’d likely be international schools requiring some form of teaching licence. Since you’re fluent in Japanese maybe taking the Japanese licence is a possibility? I’m not sure on that front, might be something to look into. Otherwise you’d have to consider, instead of a PhD, doing a teaching masters which will help you get licenced.

   I teach Business Management at an IB school, so if you have any questions specific to that, feel free to ask.