Teach English in Japan


A Guide to Teaching English in Japan

Japan is one of the world's top TEFL destinations: there are plenty of TEFL jobs, the wages are pretty good and Japanese students are renowned for being enthusiastic and polite. Japan is a great place to spend a little time teaching English: it somehow manages to mix the best of sci-fi futurism and technological innovation with elements of traditional Japanese culture in a way that can seem strangely otherworldly to Western visitors. Once you land in Tokyo or Osaka, you'll soon realise why so many people choose to teach English in Japan.

TEFL Jobs in Japan

Their seems to be an inexhaustible number of TEFL jobs in Japan and there are opportunities for qualified TEFL teachers in pretty much every major town and city. By teaching English in Japan you could find yourself in any number of different settings, from state schools and kindergartens to private tuition and language schools. In recent years the demand for business English classes has increased massively.

Wages and Cost of Living

With a degree and a TEFL certificate, you should be able to land a TEFL job in Japan that pays somewhere in the region of 230,000 and 250,000 Yen a month. That's about US$2,800. Japan has a reputation as a really expensive place to live, but if you stay in shared accommodation away from congested city centres, eat at local restaurants and avoid expensive places designed for tourists and foreigners you should be able to get by just fine.

TEFL Cities in Japan

These are our top three choices for teaching English in Japan. They all offer something a little different, but they have a couple of things in common too: a high demand for TEFL teachers and loads of TEFL jobs.

TEFL Jobs in Tokyo

Tokyo is the country's capital city and the best place to find work teaching English in Japan. There are lots of TEFL jobs available at language schools and institutes across the city, and while the cost of living is pretty high in the city, so are the wages and the opportunities to find rented accommodation with other ex-pat teachers.

TEFL Jobs in Kobe

Kobe sits on a steep hillside overlooking Osaka Bay and is widely regarded as one of Japan's most attractive and cosmopolitan cities. While demand for teachers isn’t as high as in Tokyo, there are a growing number of TEFL jobs in Kobe: mainly in language institutes and state-run schools.

TEFL Jobs in Kyoto

Tucked away safely behind the brash facade of flashing neon and high-rise concrete are the hidden gems that make Kyoto something of a repository for the soul of ancient Japan. If this unique cultural and architectural history is one good reason to choose Kyoto, the other is the growing number of TEFL jobs in Kyoto: there are well-regarded, independent language institutes across the city. And the wages are only slightly lower than in Tokyo!

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