Planning on teaching English in Japan? Wondering where you should start? Well you are in the right place. Here you will find a number of resources and websites on: where to look for a teaching job and where to find out more about living and teaching English in Japan.
Qualifications
Before you get to excited about teaching in Japan you must be qualified. The basic qualifications are usually to be a native speaker and to have a 4 year degree. There are a few instances where you can teach without a degree, but normally the former is what you need.
Websites for finding a job teaching in Japan and more
Ohayosensei
Ohayosensei might be the best resource to look for a job in Japan. Many of the jobs here will require you to be in Japan. But definitely take a look. It claims to be the oldest and largest source for jobs in Japan. You can sign up for their jobs newsletter here.
Gaijinpot
Gaijinpot is a good website to look for a job, an apartment, find friends and things happening in Japan.
Jobs in Japan
Jobs in Japan is a good website to look for a job and other classifieds.
Companies, Schools and Programs
Personally I am not a fan of working for chain schools which are also private schools and sometimes large franchises. I have worked in a number of chain schools mostly in the medium to small range. Often the larger they get the more corporate they get. So I am not necessarily recommending these companies, but the good thing about these large companies is that they do some hiring from abroad. At the very least you could start off in one of these to get your visa.
Interac is a recruiting company for ALT teachers. AEON and ECC have private schools throughout the country and JET runs in cooperation with the government.
Dispatch companies are somewhere between a recruiter and an employer. If you work for a company like Interac, Altia central, KBS or Owls then they are the ones responsible for your pay and you are their employee, yet you work at one or more public schools. They make money by basically skimming of the top.
That's why the JET salary is higher. In the case of JET it's a government run organization not a middle man company.
Here's a related post called the ALT scam.
Interac
Interac places teachers in public schools in Japan to work as assistant language teachers (ALT). According to their website your work is two fold you are a language teacher and a cultural ambassador. They say they are looking for, "someone friendly, approachable, helpful, sympathetic, caring, understanding, and positive."
Altia Central
Altia Central is a company that places teachers in the public school system to work as assistant language teachers (ALT).
JET Program
The JET program runs cooperatively with the ministry of education in Japan. It places teachers to work in public schools throughout Japan as an ALT - assistant language teacher. It has a pretty good reputation. However, there is a lengthy application process that can take almost a year. They say they are looking for "enthusiastic, motivated and dedicated" teachers.
AEON
AEON is a large eikaiwa company that claims to offer some good benefits at locations teaching around the country. According to them you can "grow personally and professionally while gaining valuable teaching and international business skills."
ECC
ECC claims to offer a competitive employment package and "top notch training." This one sounds the most interesting to me out of the three private companies here. Last I knew they didn't require lengthy office time or "administrative duties" which can mean marketing. Some private schools in Eastern Asia may require teachers to do some promotion.
Youtube - Teachers living and making videos in Japan
Youtube is a great place to find teachers in various parts of the world sharing their experiences living and teaching abroad. Here a few people who make a number of quality videos about Japan and share them on Youtube.
Gimmeabreakman
I think this guy is pretty funny. He has lived in Japan for many years. He is married to a Japanese woman and he runs his own language school. He makes a lot of videos about Japan and living in Japan. He also interviews other folks (frequently Tomoko) living in Japan. I recommend checking out his channel.
Ryan Boundless
Here is a guy who has lived and taught in Japan for 15 years. He's pretty thoughtful, easy going and authentic. He makes videos about teaching and living in Japan. I recommend checking out his channel.
Unrested
Here is a guy who has lived in Japan for quite sometime and has a popular JFAQ section. You can check it out here.
Rachel & Jun
They are a married Japanese and American couple. They make videos about Japan and their lives. See their channel here.
Danny Choo
This guy is not a teacher, but he has a pretty cool story and a nice website too. He blogs about life and culture in Japan. You can also check out his channel.
Last words...
You can learn more about teaching in Japan here.