Over the past ten years of living and teaching English in Japan I’ve worked with people who have degrees and a few who don’t have a bachelor’s degree. Whether it is possible to teach English in Japan without a degree is a very common question and one that is often misunderstood.
It is possible to teach English in Japan without a degree, but it is a little more difficult and your options are limited. The key reason for this is not that language schools won’t hire someone without a degree, as most people think, but because it’s not possible to obtain a work visa without one.
When applying for a Work visa to teach English in Japan you should be aware that there are two possible categories you could apply under. The Instructor visa or the Specialist in Humanities / International Services visa.
The Instructor Visa
This category of Work Visa is used for people who work in the public school system: elementary schools, junior high schools, and high schools.
Under this visa category, “In most cases, the Applicant must have graduated from university, or must hold a license to teach the subject that she will be teaching.”
The above quote is taken from https://www.japanvisa.com/visas/japan-instructor-visa.
The following is a screenshot of the relevant section.
Specialist in Humanities / International Services Visa
This category of Work Visa is applicable to language teachers. These are the teachers who work in the private language schools (Eikawa) rather than in the public school system.
“The Applicant must have graduated from university and should have majored in a subject relevant to the activities she plans to undertake in Japan…”.
The following is a screenshot of the pertinent section:
Alternatives to Having a Degree
So, not having a degree does preclude you from obtaining a work visa. Your next step therefore is to see what other kinds of visas are available.
Visas that allow you to teach in Japan
- Working Holiday visa
- Spousal visa
- Student visa
Working Holiday Visa
This was the visa that I travelled to Japan on when I first moved here.
The Japanese Government has a reciprocal agreements with 26 countries that are intended to make it possible for the youth of Japan and its partner countries to enter each country primarily for spending holidays while allowing them to engage in employment in order to supplement their travel funds.
To be eligible for a Working Holiday visa in Japan you must:
- be aged between 18 and 30 (in most cases, in a few countries it’s 25 or 26)
- have a passport from one of the partner countries: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Iceland, The Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, The Netherlands.
- possess a return travel ticket to Japan, or demonstrate that you have the funds to purchase a return ticket
- possess reasonable funds for the maintenance of your initial stay in Japan
- be in good health
- have never been issued a working visa to Japan in the past
Keep in mind that the primary purpose of the Working Holiday visa is holiday and travel. You are allowed to work in Japan as an “incidental activity of [your] holidays or for “supplementing [your] travel funds”, but using a Working Holiday visa to look for full-time work might be frowned upon.
One aspect of the application for a Working Holiday visa is writing an intended itinerary for your trip to Japan. I had friends in the Ehime area and intended to live and work around that area. I was told by a representative at the Japanese Embassy that staying in one area might be looked upon negatively by the person processing the application and gave me the option of rewriting it.
Spousal Visa
This is the visa that I am now on. If you get married to a Japanese national you have the right to work in Japan under the spousal visa. Holders of this visa are allowed to engage in any paid activity regardless of the professional field. Of course, employers (especially schools) in Japan will ideally want you to have a degree, but you will have the advantage of being an easier hire as employers won’t have to deal with the paperwork of sponsorship and hiring someone from abroad.
Student Visa
If you are studying in Japan on a student visa you can work up to 28 hours per week.
Keep in mind that your student visa does not automatically give you the right to work. You must apply for a work permit on top of the regular visa. This can be done before you arrive in Japan.
The other thing to remember is that the types of jobs you can work are restricted. A lot of the restricted jobs are in the adult entertainment industry, but you are also not allowed to work in bars or nightclubs.
Dear Sir,
Please can someone with a diploma in basic education teach in Japan when the person is already in the country?
Thank you and counting on your reply.
Hi,
Thanks for your question.
The answer to the question, “Is it possible to teach English in Japan if you have a diploma in basic education?” is yes.
The answer to the question, “Is it possible for me to teach English in Japan if I’m already in the country?” is it depends.
It depends mainly what visa you’re in the country on.
If you’re on a Tourist Visa, definitely not.
On a Working Holiday Visa – yes, up to the amount of hours stipulated on the documentation.
On a Spouse Visa – yes, and I believe any type of work is ok. I’ll check up on that.
Apologies for giving vague answers. Feel free to give me the information for your particular situation and I’ll be able to give you some more specific answers.
Nathan
Good day,
I have a Designated activities visa here in Japan and I’m not a bachelor graduate but an associate graduate.
Is it possible to teach here in Japan if I take TOEIC or TOEFL?
Hello Nathan ,
I currently hold a 120 hour tefl certificate i have a higher education diploma i am missing somemodules for it to be a full degree .
How do i go about looking for a short term role in Japan ?
Thank you .
Kind regards,
Alejandra
Hey Alejandra,
Thanks for your comment.
How short do you mean by short-term?
Without anymore information I would say that your first concern is what kind of visa can you get.
Does your country have a reciprocal agreement with Japan allowing you to get a working holiday visa for Japan?
Is there any way that you can get the remaining credit to get a full degree?
Feel free to respond to this with more information.
Nathan
Hi Nathan
Could you please help me with a list of Eikaiwas for me to contact.
I am looking for a sponsor so they can then help me to obtain the COE and then I can get the correct visa.
I just spoke on the phone with the Japanese embassy and this was the route they said I could take to teach English in Japan.
Appreciate the blog.
I’m also Nathan
Good Day
Hi Nathan,
Thanks for your question.
Unfortunately, any list of Eikawa that I give you will be similar to just Googling them.
You’ve got the really well-known ones like Nova, Berlitz, Aeon, Peppy Kids Club, Seiha, Gaba, ECC. These are the ones that are generally nationwide.
I do encourage you to look at a specific area that you’d like to live and do more of an in-depth search of that area. The local individually owned and run Eikawa are often easier to get a position in when you’re first starting out.
Good luck,
Nathan
In addition to the above (below?) I just came across this site.
https://www.eslbase.com/schools/japan
I and many others I know teach English in Japan without any qualifications whatsoever. But we are all experienced ESL teachers and have taught in other countries. Native speakers are in high demand. Most nationalities get 3 month visa .
The qualifications say must have graduated a university OR possess a license to teach the subject. Would a TEFL certification satisfy this qualification?
No. While a TEFL Certificate would definitely help you while applying for jobs in Japan, it wouldn’t be enough to meet the criteria for a working visa.
Hi.
There are different types of TEFL’s, would a level 5 TEFL diploma allow me to get a working visa in japan?
Hi Fenny,
Sadly, I think that Level 5 TEFL Diploma would not be seen as the equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. Perhaps if you could combine the TEFL diploma with a few years of work in the field you might be able to make a case to immigration.
Hi I’d like to ask if how about im a long term resident here in Japan and valid for working but doesn’t have a degree. Can I apply? And if yes, what would be the requirements?
Hi, Thanks for your question.
When it comes to working in Japan without a degree, if you’re already here on some other sort of visa it’s much easier for you.
The thing that’s stopping a lot of people who don’t have degrees from working in Japan is the working visa requirement that you must have a bachelor’s degree.
Yes, as long as the visa type that you’re on allows you to work, like a spouse visa (which is what I’m on) you can just start applying for jobs.
Employers will vary as to whether they’ll want their employees to have a degree or not. For example, I don’t think you’ll be able to work in any of the major Eikawa (English conversation school) chains. But there are plenty of local English schools and also non-English teaching fields available.
Let me know if I can give you any more specific advice.
Good luck.
Nathan