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Teaching English in Japan: JET, ALT and eikaiwa

Teaching English is the best-known way for native and fluent English speakers to start working in Japan. But there is more than one visa, and the rules differ: a private language school needs a university degree in any subject, while an assistant teacher at a public school also needs 12 years of education in English. Here are the routes — the JET Programme, ALT companies, eikaiwa and universities — the contracts, and what is officially known about pay.

School or eikaiwa?

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Checked against the websites of the Immigration Services Agency and the JET Programme on October 7, 2026 · Instructor status · Engineer/Specialist visa

JET participants from 53 countries, July 1, 20265,734

JET pay in the first year, before tax¥4.02M

Years of education in English for a school ALT12

Main visas for English teachers3

In short

Teaching English in Japan in six lines

  • Private language schools (英会話, eikaiwa) and company classes — the Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services status (技術・人文知識・国際業務). A university degree in any subject is enough, or 3 years of experience.
  • Public and private schools — the Instructor status (教育, kyōiku). An assistant language teacher (ALT) also needs 12 years of education in English, on top of a degree.
  • Universities — the Professor status (教授, kyōju), for lecturers and professors.
  • The JET Programme is the government route: 5,734 participants from 53 countries in 2026, ¥4.02 million a year before tax in the first year, flights paid.
  • Being a “native speaker” is not a legal requirement. Immigration checks your education; the 12-year rule is what usually decides who can be a school ALT.
  • An independent contractor agreement (業務委託) is not employment: no labor-law protection, and you pay your own insurance and taxes. Read the contract before you sign.

Where to teach

Language school, public school or university

Your status depends on where you teach. The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) names “language teacher at a private company” (私企業の語学教師) as an example of the Engineer/Specialist status, and teaching at schools as the activity of the Instructor status.

Eikaiwa and companies Schools (ALT) Universities
Where Private language schools (eikaiwa), English classes in companies, kids’ English schools Elementary, junior high and high schools; usually as an assistant to a Japanese teacher (外国語指導助手, ALT) Universities and colleges of technology (高専)
Status of residence Engineer / Specialist in Humanities / International Services Instructor (教育) Professor (教授)
Education A university degree in any subject, or 3 years of related experience A degree, a Japanese vocational-school diploma in the field or a teaching license — plus 12 years of education in English Set by the university
Who hires you The school or company directly Local governments through JET, or private companies that place ALTs in schools The university
Japanese Usually not required Not required for JET ALTs, but useful Depends on the post
Family Dependent visa (家族滞在) Dependent visa (家族滞在) Dependent visa (家族滞在)

One catch: if a language school is officially registered as a miscellaneous school (各種学校, kakushu gakkō), teaching there falls under the Instructor status — with the 12-year rule. Ask the school which status it sponsors its teachers for.

Requirements

What immigration checks

Engineer/Specialist: eikaiwa and company classes

  • Education or experience. International services work normally needs 3 years of related experience. A university graduate who will teach a language or translate does not need it: a degree in any subject is enough.
  • A contract with an organization in Japan — employment or an independent contractor agreement, but ongoing and with a specific school or company.
  • Pay at least what a Japanese employee would get for the same work.
  • Language proof (CEFR B2). From April 15, 2026, if the employer is in category 3 or 4 and the work is mainly language-based and with people, you attach proof of B2 level in the language you use at work. ISA’s examples are translation and customer service; teaching is not named, but keep a document showing your level of English at hand.

Instructor: schools and miscellaneous schools

  • Education: a university degree, a diploma from a Japanese vocational school (専門学校, senmon gakkō) in the field, or a license to teach that subject.
  • 12 years of education in English — if you teach at a miscellaneous school or work at a school in a post other than teacher, such as ALT. You prove it with school and university records. The rules of this status have no other language condition: they do not mention nationality or the words “native speaker”.
  • Pay at least what a Japanese employee would get for the same work.
  • Part-time is possible: ISA has a separate document list for part-time (非常勤, hijōkin) posts.

Who meets the 12-year rule. If you went to primary and secondary school and university in English — in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or elsewhere — your school records usually cover the 12 years. English-medium schools in other countries count the same way, if your records show the language of instruction. If most of your schooling was in another language, the ALT route is usually closed; teaching at an eikaiwa on the Engineer/Specialist status is the realistic option. Permanent residents and spouses of Japanese nationals or permanent residents can teach anywhere: their status has no limit on work.

JET

The JET Programme

The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme is run by the Japanese government. Participants are hired mainly by local governments and boards of education; Japanese embassies and consulates select them in each participating country. On July 1, 2026 there were 5,734 participants from 53 countries: 5,238 ALTs, 481 CIRs and 15 SEAs.

Three positions, three statuses

  • Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) — teaches with Japanese teachers at schools. Status: Instructor. No Japanese needed.
  • Coordinator for International Relations (CIR, 国際交流員) — works at a local government office on international exchange. Status: Engineer/Specialist. Needs Japanese at JLPT N1–N2 level.
  • Sports Exchange Advisor (SEA) — a few places for coaches. Status: Skilled Labor.

Who can apply

  • A bachelor’s degree or higher by the arrival date; ALTs may instead have a teaching qualification from a course of 3 years or more.
  • Citizenship of the country where you apply, and excellent command of the designated language — standard pronunciation, rhythm and intonation.
  • Not a JET participant since 2023, and not more than 6 years in total; not living in Japan for 6 or more years in a row since 2016.
  • No disqualifying criminal record; healthy enough for the work; interest in Japan and, for ALTs, in teaching children.
  • No age limit. Japanese is not required for ALTs.

Participants by country (selected), July 1, 2026

Country ALTs All participants
United States 2,737 2,866
United Kingdom 722 760
Canada 445 468
Philippines 390 396
Australia 219 239
South Africa 183 183
New Zealand 166 171
Ireland 115 122
Trinidad and Tobago 86 86
Singapore 52 60
Jamaica 46 47
India 32 40
Vietnam 0 31
Indonesia 0 11

The full list of 53 countries is on the JET website. Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Korea and some other countries send coordinators (CIRs) rather than ALTs. Applications go through the Japanese embassy or consulate in your country, usually in the fall for departure the next summer — check your embassy’s page for the exact deadline.

Pay and conditions

Year in JET A year, before tax A month
1st year ¥4,020,000 ≈ ¥335,000
2nd year ¥4,140,000 ≈ ¥345,000
3rd year ¥4,260,000 ≈ ¥355,000
4th and 5th year (by special decision) ¥4,320,000 ≈ ¥360,000
  • Contract: one year, renewable up to 3 years in total; up to 5 years for participants with excellent results.
  • Hours: 35 a week.
  • Flights: the contracting organization pays the airfare to Japan, and home if you finish your contract, leave Japan within 1 month of finishing and do not take a new contract in Japan.
  • Housing: you pay for it yourself. JET warns that moving in can cost 4–7 months’ rent up front.
  • Insurance and tax: Health Insurance, Employees’ Pension Insurance, Employment Insurance and JET accident insurance. Income tax and resident tax are paid from the salary under Japanese rules; ask your contracting organization about any tax treaty. How deductions work: reading a payslip.

ALT companies

ALT jobs through private companies

Many boards of education do not use JET but hire ALTs through private companies. The company is your employer: it signs the contract, pays you and applies for your Certificate of Eligibility (CoE).

  • Status: usually Instructor. The work is teaching at a school, and ISA’s rules for the Instructor status do not depend on who hires you — so the 12-year rule applies as on JET. Ask the company which status it will sponsor.
  • No nationality rule. Unlike JET, a company may hire applicants of any nationality who meet the immigration rules.
  • Check the contract type. ALTs are placed as dispatched workers (派遣, haken) or under independent contractor agreements (業務委託). It changes your insurance, paid leave and pay over the school holidays — see Contracts.
  • Several schools. Company ALTs often visit several schools a week; ask how travel time and travel costs are paid.

Looking for work from abroad and getting a CoE: finding a job in Japan from abroad and the Certificate of Eligibility.

Eikaiwa

Language schools, company classes and kids’ English

Eikaiwa (英会話, “English conversation”) means private language schools for adults and children, and English classes run inside companies. It is the most common first job for English speakers with a degree in any subject.

  • Status: Engineer/Specialist. ISA lists “language teacher at a private company” as a typical example.
  • Degree: a bachelor’s degree in any subject; no teaching experience required by immigration. Schools set their own extras, such as a teaching certificate.
  • Without a degree: 3 years of experience in related work, proved with documents — harder to get approved.
  • Hours: classes are often in the evenings and on weekends, when students are free from work and school.
  • Already in Japan on another status? On a Working Holiday you can teach without a work visa, within the rules of the Working Holiday visa. Students and dependents may teach part-time, up to 28 hours a week with part-time work permission (資格外活動許可).

From a student visa to teaching. Many people learn Japanese at a language school first and look for work on the spot. To switch to a teaching job after school you need a degree (or the experience) and a contract; then you apply for a change of status before you start.

Universities

Teaching at a university: the Professor status

  • Status: Professor (教授) — research, research supervision or teaching at a university, a similar institution or a college of technology. It covers lecturers as well as professors.
  • Requirements: ISA’s page for this status sets no fixed degree or experience criteria — the university decides whom it hires. Postings often ask for a master’s degree and teaching experience.
  • Periods of stay: 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.
  • More: the Professor status.

Contracts

Which contract you sign, and what it changes

Your insurance, taxes and protection under labor law depend on the type of contract. Read it before you sign.

  • Regular or fixed-term employment contract (正社員 regular employee, 契約社員 contract employee) — you are an employee: minimum wage, overtime pay, annual paid leave and, if you work full time, Health Insurance and Employees’ Pension Insurance through the employer.
  • Independent contractor agreement (業務委託, gyōmu itaku) — you are a contractor, not an employee. No minimum wage, no overtime pay, no paid leave, no dismissal rules; you join National Health Insurance and the National Pension yourself and file your own tax return. Whether you are an employee depends on the real conditions — who sets your hours and place and directs your work — not on the contract’s title.
  • Through a dispatch company (派遣) — your employer is the company that places you in a school: it signs the contract, pays you and enrolls you in insurance.
  • For the visa, an independent contractor agreement is acceptable on the Engineer/Specialist status if it is ongoing, with a specific organization, and the work fits the status. Immigration refuses when the real work differs from the work declared.

The types of employment compared: types of employment. What a contract must contain: employment contracts. Taxes and insurance as a contractor: freelancing in Japan.

Pay

What is officially known about pay

Japan’s wage statistics have no separate line for language teachers. The only official figure is JET’s.

  • JET: ¥4.02 million before tax in the first year, rising each year (table above).
  • Eikaiwa and ALT companies publish their pay in job ads; it varies widely with the city, the hours and the type of contract. Compare not just the amount but the contract, the guaranteed hours, pay over school holidays and insurance.
  • The legal floor is the minimum wage of the prefecture (for employees), and for the visa: pay at least what a Japanese employee gets for the same work.
  • Take-home pay after taxes and premiums: use the take-home pay calculator.

Average pay in Japan and in other jobs: salaries in Japan and jobs by profession.

Deadlines

Deadlines, and what happens if you miss them

What When If you miss it
Tell immigration about a new contract or the end of one within 14 days a fine of up to ¥200,000
Without work in your status more than 3 months without a good reason grounds for revoking your status
Moving from an eikaiwa to a school ALT job, or back before the new job starts work outside your status — you need a change of status first
JET contract 1 year; up to 3, and a 4th and 5th year only for excellent participants when your period of stay ends: a change of status or leaving Japan

Linked to your visa

Changing jobs and bringing your family

Linked to your visa.

  • Changing schools. Moving from one eikaiwa to another needs no new status. Moving from an eikaiwa to a school (or back) is a different status: Engineer/Specialist and Instructor are not interchangeable.
  • Notifications. Tell immigration within 14 days after you leave a job and after you sign a new contract.
  • Family. On all three statuses your spouse and children can get the Dependent status (家族滞在) and may work up to 28 hours a week with part-time work permission.

Instructor status · Engineer/Specialist · Change of status · Notifications · Dependent visa

Free help in English. Questions about your status of residence: the Foreign Residents Support Center (FRESC) help desk, 0570-011000 (03-5363-3013 from IP phones and abroad), weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Problems at work — unpaid wages, a contract that does not match the job: the Labour Standards Advice Hotline in English, 0120-531-401 (free; weekdays 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., weekends and holidays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). All the places to ask: your rights at work.

FAQ

Questions about teaching English in Japan

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Ask us a question

Do I need to be a native speaker to teach English in Japan?

No. Immigration rules do not mention nationality or native speakers. For a school ALT job on the Instructor status you need 12 years of education in English plus a degree, which people schooled in English usually meet. For an eikaiwa job on the Engineer/Specialist status a degree in any subject is enough. The JET Programme itself takes only citizens of the country where you apply, with excellent command of the language.

It is hard. The Engineer/Specialist status for eikaiwa needs a degree or 3 years of related experience proved with documents. The Instructor status needs a degree, a Japanese vocational-school diploma or a teaching license. Without a degree, the realistic options are a Working Holiday visa, if your country has one with Japan, or part-time teaching on a student or dependent visa with permission.

¥4.02 million a year before tax in the first year, ¥4.14 million in the second, ¥4.26 million in the third and ¥4.32 million in the fourth and fifth. You work 35 hours a week, the airfare to Japan is paid (and home if you finish your contract and leave within 1 month), and you pay your own rent. Health Insurance, Employees’ Pension Insurance and Employment Insurance are deducted from the salary.

JET ALTs get the Instructor status. ALTs hired by private companies to work in schools usually get the same status, because the rules depend on the work, not on who hires you. JET coordinators (CIR) get the Engineer/Specialist status, and sports exchange advisors get Skilled Labor.

Not for most teaching jobs. JET says you can apply as an ALT without any Japanese, and eikaiwa schools usually teach in English only. Coordinator (CIR) positions need Japanese at about JLPT N1 to N2. Everyday Japanese still helps with the city office, a bank, a doctor and renting an apartment.

No. Eikaiwa teaching is the Engineer/Specialist status and school ALT work is the Instructor status. Moving between them needs a change of status before the new job starts. Moving from one eikaiwa to another needs only the 14-day notification to immigration.

Yes. On the Engineer/Specialist, Instructor and Professor statuses your spouse and children can get the Dependent status. They may work up to 28 hours a week with part-time work permission.

Sources

Where this information comes from

Rates, limits and deadlines on this page were checked against the official websites of the Immigration Services Agency, the JET Programme and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on October 7, 2026. Amounts are in Japanese yen. When a rule changes we update the page and the date above.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Immigration decides each visa application; schools, companies and the JET Programme decide whom they hire. JET eligibility is as published on the JET website (criteria for the 2025–26 program year) and can change from year to year.

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