How competitive is the English teaching work visa scene in Japan?
I’ve read that a bachelor’s degree will suffice, however I have the ability (and drive) to go for my Masters if necessary. Are there any specifics needed to get approved for a work visa for English teaching?
As mentioned in a previous thread, I’m a disabled American vet with mental health diagnoses. How is mental health viewed in Japan? Is it seen as weak or incapable? How likely is it that I will find it impossible to find English teaching work?
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**Competitiveness of Teaching English, degree requirements, view on mental illness.**
How competitive is the English teaching work visa scene in Japan?
I’ve read that a bachelor’s degree will suffice, however I have the ability (and drive) to go for my Masters if necessary. Are there any specifics needed to get approved for a work visa for English teaching?
As mentioned in a previous thread, I’m a disabled American vet with mental health diagnoses. How is mental health viewed in Japan? Is it seen as weak or incapable? How likely is it that I will find it impossible to find English teaching work?
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Mental health and Japan lololol. Don’t do it.
And literally everyone and their mother are trying to teach English in Japan. Keep in mind that it’s a dead end job.
To be a real teacher you need to be a real teacher. If you aren’t in that job now, you won’t get a real teaching job here.
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Anyone that isn’t Japanese and has a BA can pretend to be a teacher for minimum wage. It’s not a real teaching job and it won’t lead to anything better. Minimum wage until you leave Japan.
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Moving to Japan only makes mental health issues worse. Give up on the escapism and get help.
>How competitive is the English teaching work visa scene in Japan?
It’s only competitive because it’s a race to the bottom and requires nothing more than a degree and a pulse.
>Are there any specifics needed to get approved for a work visa for English teaching?
A degree, a pulse and the acceptance that you will probably never get a raise or promotion ever again.
>How is mental health viewed in Japan?
To put it simply, it’s not good. They’re a solid 60 years behind on how they see mental illnesses. It’s getting better but extremely slowly.
Moving to any country with mental health issues is not a great idea. You should try and solve those with someone who speaks the same language and comes from the same culture as you before you move. And if those issues are not exactly “solvable”, I wouldn’t recommend Japan. Deviations from the societal norm aren’t usually seen with kindness.
Teaching English as others have said is a dead end job for minimum wage and that minimum wage is in yen which can trap people here who can’t afford to move home easily.
On mental health; yes there is support, however if you don’t speak Japanese it can be very hard to access the services you need. Don’t expect any service that is only offered to residents to be easy to access in English.
Japans ability to speak English rapidly approaches zero the moment you step outside the tourist bubble. Even in tokyo. Don’t let people tell you it’s fine to not speak Japanese; it’s absolute tatemae.
Generally speaking, English teaching in Japan is not a rational choice.
If you are dead-set on being an educator, you need to go full-bore by:
1. Get a state-issued teaching licence—preferably in a STEM subject area because English teaching in Japan is over-crowded ^{and ^generally ^cursed} .
2. Ideally, you should get a Masters in Education to be taken seriously as a teacher (and be better paid). To open up more lucrative possibilities of teaching English at Japanese colleges, you need have published three reviewed papers {and having a Phd is better}.
3. Then, spend several years of successfully teaching in the US before applying to teach at a [*legit* international school](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Council_of_International_Schools) in Japan. Competition for the few good jobs at international schools is high. **However, all is not gloom.** The DoD schools in Japan pay well compared to most Japanese teaching jobs and preferentially hire disabled vets {are required to accommodate your disability}. Military medical services are available for you {although I’ve heard the services are poorer quality in Japan}.