What degree should I get to teach at university/higher education?

9 comments

1. [deleted]

2. >My ultimate goal is to try and get a high paying or decently well paying job in teaching English at a decent private school/university a decade or so down the line.

   These jobs definitely exist, but are not overly common. If you combine a relevant degree with a high level of Japanese ability your chances will certainly improve. That said if you are getting a degree for the first time, it might also be advisable to look into other industries which are more in demand. It is also worth noting that what is required to become a teacher at a university is quite different from becoming a teacher at a K-12 school, and the job duties would also be quite different.

   Is there a particular reason you want to focus on teaching?

3. Neither a university education nor graduate education is likely to give you skills to “know English grammar in depth enough” unless your education will be in Japanese, in which case it might. If you’re planning on doing your education in English, it’ll be assumed you know English grammar well enough.

   The best way to get a permanent job as an university English teacher in Japan is to (a) become fluent or effectively fluent in Japanese and (b) get a doctoral degree. Some people with connections and very good Japanese have slotted into effectively tenured position, but you ought not count on being able to do so: the number of people who can do so now is shrinking, and it’s likely to continue to shrink.

   For getting a start adjuncting at universities, an MA and several publication and presentations are generally enough; Japanese ability gives you an advantage here, as well, of course. Look to programs in TESOL or applied linguistics.

   For teaching at international schools, you’ll need to be licensed in another country, or so is my understanding; generally, permanent positions in Japanese schools require an education BA from a Japanese university and a license, though some geographically limited licenses are sometime dispensed.

   Teaching is a wonderful thing to do, and I don’t regret having gone into it; that said, however, if I were starting out now I’d go into a technology field or a medical field.

4. Something to consider is the shrinking intake of students in K-12. In 2021, there were only about 800,000 births in Japan. The decline in the birth rate is faster than predicted. The youth wedge of the population pie will be even smaller by the time you graduate.

   For your BA major in something you’re passionate about. You could minor in Japanese to get over the JLPT N2-N1 hurdle.

   The shortest distance from BA to working might be private high schools with a TESOL diploma or MA. The salaries vary a lot depending on your age or experience. You won’t make a mint doing it but it’s stable and gets you a pension similar to a public employee.

5. Decent jobs in universities are getting more and more competitive. All the people who currently do those jobs are going to be competing for fewer of them as universities close in the future/English teachers get replaced with technology.

   I worked full time at a national university for thirteen years until my contract was not renewed this spring: during that time the job requirements went from any MA to a PhD in applied linguistics or similar. The number of English teachers was also reduced as some classes were replaced by online learning.

   I would not recommend aiming to try to get into the sector in a decade’s time.

6. Linguistics. I know it’s not directly related to teaching English, but every successful language professor (of any foreign language) has had a PhD in linguistics.

7. I would be inclined to get a degree in education with a teachers’ certificate. With a teachers’ certificate you can get a job in an international school in Japan or in many other countries around the world. The university situation in Japan is pretty dire right now and does not look like it will improve any time soon.

8. If you want a long contract with a university, then Master in Linguistics or Master in TESOL may be required.

   If you want to find a job at Senmon, then a bachelor and TESOL and experience will be good enough. If they don’t specify the field of your bachelor, any bachelors work.

   I’m teaching at various senmon; and I’m making decent income. I’m just hijokin, but I don’t care much about that. There will always be demand for English teachers at such schools. Once you get your job and do it well, schools will contact you to offer more classes. If you enjoy teaching, finding a job at senmon is not a bad idea. But if you enjoy doing research, a faculty position at a university will benefit you more.

9. IMO you should get a bachelor’s in anything you find interesting or easy. This part doesn’t matter. You can do it online or in person, quickly or slowly.

   If you are ok with teaching part time in several universities masters should be fine. IMO you don’t need perfect grammar, just pretend that you have it, and I have met some professors from European countries with L1 not being English and they seem to teach English just fine. The best would be to get a Master’s in TESOL or Applied Linguistics but I know many of my colleagues with Master’s in many different subjects.

   If you want to get full-time at a university you will probably need a PhD which will be a lot more time, money, and stress. Currently it is not impossible but still difficult to get full-time with just a masters.

   In the meantime I suggest familiarizing yourself with teaching theories and reading academic literature. You can start on wikipedia but eventually you will need to be able to read EFL/ESL articles in academic journals.

   One final tip, don’t underestimate how time consuming taking care of kids is!