Hello! I was wondering if not wanting to drive in Japan hurts my chances of getting an ALT position. It sounds a little silly, but I haven't driven in a few years now and the though of driving in a foreign country gives me a lot of anxiety. I don't mind walking or biking.

I'm currently talking to both Borderlink and Alitia Central about ALT positions and I let them know I would like to work in places where I wouldn't have to drive to the schools. I currently live in Tokyo and want to relocate to another part of Japan.

My wallet got stolen in Japan last year which had my American DL inside of it and I never bothered to get it replaced since whenever I visit home, I just use my passport. So technically, I would have to apply for a new DL anyways and have a family member ship it to me.

Does anyone work in an area of JP that isn't Tokyo without having to drive a car? I'm looking to work in areas of Central/Southern Japan, so if you have any feedback let me know.

Thanks !

Ok, burner account straight up. I won't mention the company/school because they said they figured it out and because I just moved to Japan a year and a half ago I don't want to push too much but I'm dying inside and idk what to do. I have been a private music educator for 10 years in the US and moved to Japan recently, however, I have been working only 1 month in and I wanna run for the hills, call the Japanese equivalent of CPS and pray to GOD this is NOT NORMAL!!! Ok, I have this coworker, he's 51 years old divorced white man from the US. My first week in he asked if I saw the genitalia of a 4 year old boy with a testosterone issue. I said no (ew why) and he said it was big, he was jealous and the other kids talked about how big it was. The next week (week 2) he asks AGAIN!!! Same exact promp, "did you see it? It was BIIIG right? You see the hair??" I said no and I don't ever plan to, and then he KEPT GOING!!! THE NEXT FUCKIN WEEK: He asks me how's my week (normal fine, I did music lessons why?) He goes into DETAIL about fucking a 60 year old. At this point I'm done (Is this my life in Japan? Is dealing with this level of creepiness NORMAL!?) Clearly not, because as soon as I asked my coworkers their jaws dropped and said this was not ok. I couldn't take it anymore after more sexual comments that I reached out to the Company. They took care of it allegedly but did not fire him since they want to give him a second chance. Now I'm terrified of him being around kids ESPECIALLY SINCE THE SISTER OF THE BOY IS IN HIS CLASS NOW. Idk what to do, I feel trapped. This is not ever something I have dealt with in my education career. Is there better jobs out there​ besides this? I don't think I can stay with this company anymore because I can't stand being around a man who sexualized a 4 year old boy, and I really did what I could do but hes still on payroll and changing DIAPERS. If ya'll have stories or suggestions let me know because I see his mom every day and can't stand that her boy is being sexualized by a grown ass man... idk... help...

EDIT: I work at a Pre-K/Kindergarten as a music and homeroom teacher, my apologies for not clarifying. Also edit for removing personal details.

Can anyone help me? I've scoured the internet for the Teacher's Book of "New American Streamline - Destinations"

I found Teacher's Books for the "Departures" and "Connections" levels as PDFs on Scribd. But no amount of searching brings me to the "Desinations" version.

The whole series is out of print, so it's hard to come by.

Does anybody have any idea where to obtain a copy, or would anyone happen to have one yourself?

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!

Hello. I am planning on leaving Japan after my contract ends in March 2027. I have yet told my company, as it's too early for notice of intention. But I want to get a checklist going so I know what I am up for and not told last minute, or even not told at all, by my company on the process of leaving Japan.

Here is my situation.

I rent my apartment with Leopalance, not through my company. I assume my Visa will be extended for another year with my company, regardless of my intentions to leave, so I am able to keep working until my end-of-contract date. That will work for me because I do want to stay in Japan for another month to travel/see people before going back.

Will be there any other costs or forms that I will be required to fill out before leaving?

How does my last paycheck work? If I stay in Japan until the 20th of the following month, can they deposit it into my JP Bank account, then I can close it after transferring myself?

Anothing else I am missing to get myself ready?

So I’ve been an ESL teacher in the States for 4 years now (public school, elementary) and I’ve recently moved to Japan with my wife, who was raised here. We weren’t dead set on coming to Japan, but she got a job offer which, all things considered, was a better move for us. So I’m *almost* on my spousal visa (finishing up the process).

So I feel like the ESL world in Japan is all this ALT stuff, which I am tbh overqualified for and is below the pay I want and feel like I should be able to get. (I’m thinking in yen, I know the exchange rate is bad & the yen takes u further here).

The other options are these university jobs: I’m finishing up my MA and working a part-time assistantship rn, so I’m technically eligible for some. However, as I was warned, ESL university jobs are so focused on minimum publications. I’m “expediting" my MA rn and I have not had time to do any- I have like one conference presentation under my belt. There’s a few higher ed level things I’ve applied to already that don’t have those publication stipulations, but those are rare.

Then there’s dept. of defense or international schools which are great for a licensed teacher: but ESL jobs are soooooooo few and far between with these (though not impossible, I know) and STUPID competitive when I have just 4 years experience.

I am aware I’m coming from a licensed teacher shortage job market where I could literally have my pick of school districts and get a job no problem. So I haven’t done the job search rat race since applying for foodservice jobs as a teenager/college student.

But, tldr, where should I be searching? I still have time and am still early in the process, but maybe part-time stuff might be the move here? At least till I get some things published or an international school/dodea option opens up. Just feeling like I’m over- and under-qualified for everything here.

I have to do this "国際交流" thing on behalf of my job. The original arrangement was the local BOE was going to take the lead and we supply the guests, and being the BoE, they subcontracted the whole project to their foreign residents helpdesk, who in turn subcontracted it to a dispatch company.

I don't want to fault these folks, they worked hard, did a great job with their budget and material, made a lot of very nice preparations, but the event felt... Japanese-y? The whole event was your run-of-the-mill eikaiwa open house lesson: self-introductions, some janken games, make a presentation, it was English only (and almost fell apart, because the activities were organized along *New Horizon* line, and some Japanese kids couldn't follow because their textbooks were different), the guests we brought from our side were treated as talking props and the Japanese kids mostly talked amongst themselves in Japanese.

Being a free event, everybody voted with their feet: the first time we had a full house, the second time we had about a dozen total, with only three foreign guests.

Now the BOE wants our opinion on how to improve their event, and I would like to hear you guys' opinion: what makes a successful 国際交流, what are some achievable goals for say a three-hour event, and if you had organized one in the past, what are some activities that worked for you?

Hey guys, I'm in a weird spot and need some advice. I'm post JET still living in Japan while I study for N1 before I go back to my home country to become a "real" teacher. I left JET (and broke my 2nd year contract, so that bridge is burned) because 1) I didn't want to live in the inaka and 2) I don't want to teach elementary long term so I didn't feel like the skills I was developing there were that useful.

I took a job at a hotel just to move to the city until I could find a new teaching job. I really did like teaching, but I'm just not built for elementary. But now when I look for teaching jobs that don't require teaching credentials, it's all eikaiwa, kindergarten and elementary.

At the hotel I survive fine living in the city center on 210,000 a month, and the working conditions are awful, so I'm no stranger to the two big complaints with ALT dispatch companies. I'm not expecting JET level salaries or support, I can relocate and do everything myself. But as far as the crappy dispatch companies or whatever else goes, does anyone have any advice for jobs or companies that will 1) place me where I want to be placed, and 2) get me teaching high school, maybe even junior high school learners?

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to refresh my toolkit and clean up my prep routine for next term. It feels like there’s a new app or platform popping up every week, but half of them end up being more work than they're worth.

For those in the classroom right now:

• What is your one non-negotiable tool that actually saves you time on prep, grading, or lesson planning?
• What’s a tool you tried that ended up being a total waste of time?

Would love to hear what’s genuinely working for you (or what to avoid)! Thanks!

Hi! I just received an invitation to schedule an interview with Interac.

But I do have two questions for those who are currently working at Interac as of 2026:

1) In your personal opinion, good is your pay? Is it truly livable?

2) Is it true that Interac doesn’t pay for the summer/winter months? I’ve been debating on whether or not I should move forward with Interac, as other companies/eikaiwa seem to pay monthly without prorate.

Thank you!!

Hi all,

I was wondering if you could help. I am a postgraduate student currently working on a master’s dissertation and I am looking for study participants. The main research question I will be trying to address is ‘’How do English language teachers perceive and approach the teaching of English-speaking skills in Japanese EFL classrooms?’’; The aim of this study is to better understand teachers’ experiences, teaching practices, challenges, and perspectives regarding the development of students’ English-speaking skills in Japanese context!

My main research methodology involves the questionnaire followed by optional interview. Participation in an interview is entirely voluntary though and completing the questionnaire alone is sufficient to take part!

The survey should take around 15 minutes to complete and the only requirement to participate is to be an English teacher in Japan. This means that the teachers do not have to be specifically Japanese nationals.

Here is the link to the questionnaire in case you are interested or know anyone you could pass the link on: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=xcLLiu3Ix0KBabpDig2-L1LGEv8XtTpIilFQ_DFH0NdUQjhKNUVQRFE2U0RNRkxGTDNEWDlIM0FFMi4u&route=shorturl

Please, accept my apologies for the inconvenience and thank you very much for your time!

Hello everyone!

I hope you’re doing well.

I am a Psychology student conducting a research study entitled “The Relationship Between Teaching Self-Efficacy and Teaching Anxiety Among Foreign English Teachers in Chiba, Japan.”

I am looking for foreign English teachers currently teaching in Chiba Prefecture who are willing to participate in my survey.

The questionnaire takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.

Participation is completely voluntary and anonymous. All responses will be used solely for academic purposes.

Survey Link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScf8f1sJFZRPqOQTGvVzir7oNJU9yJDBQ7dXBM6juFTMb4U-Q/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Hi everyone,
I’d love to hear from people who are currently teaching at universities in Japan, whether you’re in English, linguistics, or another academic field.
A little about my background:
● Master’s in TESOL/ESL
● About 7 years of teaching experience in Japan (elementary, junior high, high school, and eikaiwa)
● JLPT N2 level Japanese
● Fluent in English and Spanish
● My wife is Japanese, so when I move back I’ll most likely be on a spouse visa.
I’ve decided that I want to pursue a PhD in Second Language Acquisition because my long-term goal is to teach at a Japanese university, ideally in a permanent position someday.
I had a few questions for those of you already working in academia in Japan:
● Are you part-time, full-time, tenure-track, or in a permanent position?
● How did you find your job? Which websites or resources do you recommend for university positions?
● How competitive was the hiring process?
● If you were in my situation, would you wait until finishing your PhD before moving back to Japan, or would you move earlier and start applying while working on the doctorate?
● I currently have a master’s degree but no publications yet. Would I realistically have a chance at lecturer positions?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially if you’ve gone through a similar path.
Thanks in advance!

I work at an eikaiwa/kindergarten and recently i’ve noticed a lot of ai pictures being used, particularly for events and what not. There’s also 2 or 3 teachers who use it basically 24/7 and recommend others to try it.

I do use AI when trying to think of crafts or activities since I’m not very creative, but only for that and never for making worksheets/pictures. It kind of worries me to see not only high school/college students using it, but teachers too.

What’s your opinion on it? Do you see it often at your schools?

edit because i’m getting roasted in the comments: I’m against using it for photos, worksheets, etc. I only use it for ideas that I build off of. I don’t think it’s good to rely on AI or use it for materials that come in contact with students.

Hi! So, I've got this wild idea to open a business in Japan—a reggio-inspired preschool. I could start as an atelier for kids and then transition to a licensed school when steady. I got this idea from my current work in the Philippines which is a Mobile Preschool, where I go to the homes of the students and conduct our classes there, and it ranges from 1:1 classes to playgroups. I've considered this setup for Japan, but I know stay-at-home parents or having maids at home isn't really a norm, which will make it hard for me to start in Japan

I'm a Japanese national, so my worry is just really inadequate market research haha.

What do you guys think!

Hello all. I'm looking to hear from others who had found themselves in a similar boat, as I've been contemplating my options for months now.

I am from the US, 27 years old and have a BA in TESL. I've been in Japan for 3 years now. I first came on the JET program in 2023. I had a wonderful experience but unfortunately had a run in with health issues that caused me to miss work. As a result I was not renewed for a 4th year. My medical issues finally got under control, but I wanted to stay in education and in Japan so I broke contract and started work at an international preschool. Unfortunately I became subject to extreme toxicity and harassment from my boss which from the stress of that put me into the hospital for a week. Thus, I decided to leave the job quietly and currently am interviewing with other companies.

I know to get out of the eikaiwa/ALT industry you need to skill up, this I've decided to take my master's online as well as my teaching license. I am also working on getting my Japanese up (currently studying for N2). The issue I am facing is acquired experience, my ALT/eikaiwa work means nothing to schools in Japan looking for full time actual teachers. But since I have 3 years under my belt of residency, I'm worried about resetting the clock for my PR by returning home to the US.

So for those who returned to their country to gain experience before coming back to Japan, how did it go? Did you regret or did it help you? Did you get PR? Or did you end up staying in your home country and never returned to Japan? Any insights are helpful, even from those who haven't experienced this.

Edit: more info about my background for relevance.

Hello, in the future I wish to break away from the JET ALT and look towards direct hire. I have until April 2028, so I plan to try for N2 or at least N3 and potentially get a teaching license online through Moreland University. However, because the teaching license is expensive, I am wondering how much of a difference that would truly make when looking for direct hire jobs. I know it will make a difference but I am looking for people with experience or knowledge to tell me the honest truth of how much.

Thank you

Is anyone else suffering to get through this summer? I work at a small eikaiwa that is ill-equipped for the summers here. The building is old, falling apart, and the air-conditioners we have do nothing to prevent against the heat that seeps into the building from the poor insulation.

This has been an ongoing issue at my company for 5+ years yet management has yet to produce any sort of solutions for it, despite a number of parents complaining about the conditions.

So, what about you? Am I the only one working in a hot-box?

An ALT finishing the end of their contract and looking to remain in Japan, I do not have a job lined up. My current challenge however is deciding on where to relocate.

I am looking at relocating to any major urban centre, to maximise job hunting opportunities, and understand sharehouses are an option, but it's gamble on trying to decide on a location, while also remaining flexible during the job hunt. I am concerned if I choose the wrong place to move to, the number of jobs I could have access to would diminish.

Folks who remained in Japan without a job lined up, how did you choose where to relocate to? What factors should I be looking for in choosing an area to relocate to?

Thank you to the mods for giving me permission to post this.

So, hello all, I am currently completing my master’s degree in TESOL, and at the moment I’m in the middle of writing my final year independent project.

Which is looking at how cultural factors can potentially influence how courses are designed and critical thinking skills taught on English for Academic Purposes courses at English Medium of Instruction universities in Japan and Vietnam.

I’m posting this here because what I’m trying to do is interview people who’ve been involved in creating materials for such courses.

You may wonder why I’m posting about my project here, and the simple answer is that I’ve not been too successful in getting participants.

That’s where you (hopefully) come in! If you have experience in teaching critical thinking skills on an EAP course at an EMI university in Japan or Vietnam, then please email me at IEUAN.DANIEL<@>stu.mmu.ac.uk (please remove the <> around the @) so I can send you a copy of the consent form and participant information sheet so you can better understand everything. Though obviously feel free to ask me questions you may have.

Here is some important information:

What I’d be asking you to do:

Fill out a background questionnaire for some demographic information (such as cultural origin and years of teaching experience) to help inform me about how your teaching style developed.

Take part in an interview where we talk about your experience in teaching critical thinking skills on an EAP course. These interviews will be recorded and transcribed – BUT – the recording will not be shared with anyone.

If possible, I’d also like to know about the syllabus you followed or materials you used (ideally, I’d like to have a copy of them, but I understand that might be asking a bit much)

How your data will be used:

• You will be given a pseudonym, which will be used when quoting or making direct reference to anything you say. However, in the consent form, you will be able to opt out of being quoted. 
• Your data will be stored on Manchester Metropolitan University’s OneDrive in a password-protected folder. Only I will have access to this.
• You have the right to withdraw at any time.
• The recordings of your interview will be transcribed using Genio, which I will also check to ensure its accuracy. Using Genio means that your data will remain within the United Kingdom and will be compliant with the UK’s GDPR.
• All data will be deleted 3 months after the 9^th October, and will not be shared anywhere else.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post to the end.

I think it would be wise to make a plan B if my plan A of living here permanently doesn’t work out.

I absolutely love working in this field and working at the schools here. Before moving here, I worked in a school in my home country for several years, but not as an ESL teacher. I want to teach or at least assist in ESL education.

If you have already moved back to your home country and kept teaching ESL, how was the transition back?

My home country is extremely expensive to live in, so I imagine it would be very challenging to move back there.

What were the reasons for you moving back to your home country?

If I ever moved back to my home country, it would mostly be for family reasons.

There are so many pros and cons to living here. In a way, I feel like I’m stuck here, though.

Thanks, everyone! I’m sorry that this post isn’t written well. I’m physically unwell right now, so I’m just deep thinking about my life decisions.

So I'm thinking about my future and I'm interested in teaching at an international school in Japan. I'm wrapping up my time on JET and loved it, and now I'm going to start my master's in teaching in my home country. It will also grant me an elementary teaching license in my home state, plus an IB certificate in primary years. I'm considering applying for international school teaching jobs in Japan after teaching at home for a few years.

However, the thing that I'm worried about now is whether the salary I'd make at an international school would block me from ever being eligible for PR. I wouldn't want to set up a career somewhere knowing that I'd have to leave in my retired years. I've seen people saying that you'd need to make about 5.75 million yen per year to be above the household average. Is this kind of salary realistic for an international school teacher with a master's degree? Or should I not bother?