Deciding to Teach English in Japan

For me, the decision was easy. I had family members that had taught in Japan. I knew which companies were good to work for, and which weren't. Since my decision to teach English in Japan,
I've had several people ask me for more information. I figured I might as well go over the ins and outs of finding in work in Japan.

The reason why I chose to work in Japan is not my love for Japanese food (I'm a vegetarian who doesn't eat any seafood). It also wasn't a keen interest in Jpop, Harajuki style fashion, or Manga. My decision to go to Japan was two fold. One, I wanted to explore somewhere else. Somewhere different. For me it didn't really matter where. The second part of that decision was the fact that in order to teach English in Japan, all you need is a BA in anything. For most other countries, teaching certification of some sort is required. Not Japan.

So what are the steps? The first thing was finding the right company to travel with. Based on just about everyone I've talked to, your best bet for teaching in Japan is the JET Program. The difference between the JET Program, and other private schools is that this is government sponsored. You were in public Japanese schools, and usually pays the best. So what is the down side? One, it's very competitive. Two, they send people to Japan only once a year, in August. And you need to have the application in by November of the previous year. If that meets your timeline, and you can get in, though, it will be worth it.

For those who don't go with the JET Program, your other option is private English schools. GEOS, AEON, and GABA are some of the bigger one. As far as I know, they all seem to offer similar perks. They help you find an apartment. I was given a housing bonus because I lived in an expensive area. They pay for transportation between your school and home. Offer bonuses. I went with GEOS and had a great experience, although I think they may only be hiring from Japan at this point.

One other important thing to note. It's not as easy to get a job as an English teach in an Eikaiwa (English school) as it once was. There used to be another English School, NOVA. NOVA went bankrupt a few years ago and many English teachers who thought they had jobs in Japan suddenly became umemployed. Which is why a lot of companies have changed polices to hire only outside of Japan and also hire English teachers from within in the country.

Other things to keep in mind:

*apply at least 3 or 4 months before you want to go because visa's take a while to obtain
*the interview process can be intense, but teaching isn't half as bad
*it's an amazing experience.