There are over 700 universities in Japan, and most, if not all, offer some kind of English language instruction to their students. But how does one go about becoming a university English ‘professor’ in Japan, and what’s it like to teach EFL in Japanese higher education institutions? Read on to find out more.
University teaching through an agency
Working through an agency is the easiest way to get started teaching English at Japanese universities
Perhaps the easiest and most accessible way to start teaching English at Japanese universities, especially for those currently based outside Japan, is to teach through an agency. One of the biggest recruitment agencies for university English teachers in Japan is Westgate Corporation, which regularly advertises for new teachers on websites such as TEFL.com. Westgate offers short-term renewable contracts, with two main intakes per year in the spring (April) and fall (September) semesters.
In order to work for Westgate, you will need to be a native speaker of English with at least a Bachelor’s degree, and have teaching experience either in an EFL classroom, or other educational institution. The compensation tends to be better than the average ‘conversation English’ teaching job in Japan (from ¥275,000/month), although this is not paid in the break between semesters. Westgate will also pay for your flights and provide help obtaining a working visa.
Getting a direct contract
Annually renewable contracts tend to be the norm for English teachers at Japanese universities
Getting a direct contract with a Japanese university tends to be more difficult, both in terms of qualifications and experience required, and the process of finding and applying for vacant positions. There are three basic kinds of contracts for English teachers at Japanese universities, with each progressively harder to obtain than the last. The three kinds of contract are: part-time renewable, full-time renewable, and tenure.
Part-time renewable contracts
Most Japanese universities rely on part-time lecturers to provide at least some, and sometimes most, of their English lessons. The qualifications and experience applicants require have been rising gradually over the past few decades, and it is now usual practice for universities to request the following:
- Prior English teaching experience at university level, particularly in Japan;
- An MA (in progress or completed) in TEFL, Applied Linguistics, or related field;
- 2 or 3 publications TEFL-related journals, particularly those based in Japan;
- Conversational ability in Japanese
As for any other job, good references and a successful interview are also a must. If you tick all the boxes, and impress the recruiter at interview, you will likely be awarded with a one year renewable contract for teaching a certain number of ‘koma’ (90-minute lessons) per month.
Compensation is usually in the range of ¥20,000 ~ ¥40,000 per koma per month, including the summer months between semesters when there are no lessons scheduled. In other words, you will receive a set monthly salary all year round, despite only teaching for 30 weeks per year (15 in the spring semester and 15 in the autumn semester). Travel expenses will also be provided, although health insurance and pension contributions will not.
Full-time renewable contracts
The qualification and experience requirements for a full-time position tend to be incrementally more demanding than those required for part-time positions, i.e. more teaching experience, more publications, and at least an MA (completed) in TEFL or a related field. It is not unusual for universities to give preference for full-time positions to Ph.D. holders over MA–only applicants.
You will usually be required to teach a certain number of koma per week, in addition to other responsibilities, such as attending faculty meetings, designing course syllabuses, proctoring exams, and attending special events. Although your contract will be ‘full time’, you will normally only be required to work four days a week, with the fifth day designated as a ‘research’ day. In addition to research, for which you will be given a budget, many full-time university teachers choose to take on additional part-time work during their fifth day in order to further supplement their income, which is usually in the range of ¥300,000 ~ ¥600,000 per month. Contracts are usually one or two years in length, renewable two or three times, after which you will have to start your job hunt all over again.
Tenure
Tenured positions: the 'Holy Grail' of English language teaching jobs
Tenure is widely regarded as the ‘Holy Grail’ of university English teaching in Japan, both in respect of the difficulty of obtaining such a position, and the high demands made on applicants in terms of both qualifications and experience. But if you do manage to secure such a contract, you will be granted eternal life (well, an eternal contract, which is the next best thing really).
Usual minimum requirements for tenured positions include:
- Significant prior English teaching experience at university level in Japan;
- A Ph.D. (completed) in TEFL, Applied Linguistics, or related field;
- A comprehensive number of publications in reputable TEFL-related journals;
- A sufficient command of Japanese to pursue administrative duties.
Salary and other benefits will be equal to or greater than those conferred by full-time positions, including generous research allowances. Of course, you will receive your salary over a much longer period of time (i.e. until you retire). You will also be entitled to pension and health insurance contributions, and the enduring respect of all your non-tenured English teaching peers.
Finding vacant positions
The most common and effective way of finding university English teaching positions in Japan is through the referrals of friends and acquaintances. Indeed, many universities never need to advertise positions, relying instead on a surprisingly close-knit network of their current employees, employees acquaintances, employee’s acquaintances’ friends and… you get the picture. If job searching for university English teaching positions in Japan could be summed up in three words, they would be: network, network, network.
Besides networking, the second best way to find vacant university positions is online, through job postings provided by JALT, JACET and JREC-IN. Because of the staff high-turnover caused by the lack of long-term contracts, there are normally plenty of positions advertised each year around October/November (recruiting for April) and to a lesser extent January/February (recruiting for September). However, for the same reason, there are also plenty of applicants looking for positions.
In summary
Teaching English at Japanese universities is a very rewarding profession, and English teaching careers are available to those with the motivation and means to undertake the qualifications required. If you are a passionate educator with an inclination toward academic research, then teaching at Japanese universities will definitely provide you with a wealth of opportunities. But be prepared to change jobs frequently, and network extensively if you want to stay ahead of the game.
Further reading
For more information about teaching English at Japanese universities, I recommend the following excellent articles:
Getting a university teaching job- Q&A from a reader – by Mike Guest
Foreign university faculty face annual round of ‘musical jobs’ – by James McCrostie and John Spiri
Hi Paul. Thanks for a really helpful article. I hadn’t heard about Westgate before – I was thinking that the direct route was the only possible way into a university teaching job, so it’s a relief to hear that this is not the case (although it definitely sounds as if a TESOL Masters is beneficial in the long run). I am an ex-JET, and therefore have some teaching experience (a total of a year and a half, including 6 months eikawa work); I don’t, however, have a formal TEFL qualification. As far as you are aware, would it be worth completing a one-month intensive course before applying to Westgate, or are they relatively likely to accept people without, provided they have other ‘academic merits’? (I have a masters degree already, but in translation, which is therefore totally unrelated to TEFL.) Obviously it’s a gamble, but I just wanted to know if you had any insider knowledge! Thanks again.
Hi Polly, thanks for your message. Westgate would definitely look favorably on your application if you had the CELTA or Cert TESOL, but by the sound of it you have a very strong resume anyway. Your teaching experience in Japan will be very advantageous, and the fact that you have an MA will put you ahead of much of the competition. Also, I tend to disagree with you that translation is totally unrelated to TEFL. I think the two disciplines are very closely related (in fact the TEFL MA I completed had several ‘crossover’ modules with the translation MA at the same institution). An MA in any discipline is a very useful qualification to have, particularly when applying for university teaching positions. Some acquaintances of mine have obtained direct English teaching contracts at Japanese universities on the back of Masters degrees in such diverse areas as architecture and business administration! However, it does seem that such positions are becoming a rarity, and it tends to be more about TEFL and Applied Linguistics qualifications on the whole. In any event, your application certainly has a lot going for it. Good luck with everything, and if you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
Recently I found a precious material about Notional-functional syllabus you wrote while I was looking for some ideas about this topic. I am an English teacher in Dongtan Global Highschool in South Korea. Thank you for sharing your precious idea about the topic!!!
Hi Chang Rok, many thanks for your comment! I’m delighted to hear that you found my paper on notional-functional syllabuses useful. It means a lot to me to get your feedback. I visited South Korea in October 2012 for the KAMALL conference at Konkuk Univerisity, and met some fantastic people. Please keep in touch in the future, and all the best with your teaching.
Hi,
Thank you very much for this useful website! I am a recent graduate of a TESOL program and was wondering about how I may start to get published in Japan? I’ve heard of The Language Teacher, but I was wondering if you could recommend any others that may be more highly regarded?
Many thanks in advance!!
Hi there, thanks for your message. I would say that The Language Teacher is one of the most highly regarded Japan-based language teaching publications. You’d be doing very well indeed to have a article accepted for publication in that journal. As an assistant submissions reviewer for the JALT Conference Proceedings, I can confirm that the standard of submissions for JALT publications in general is very high, bearing in mind that the Conference Proceedings is one of the most ‘inclusive’ publications that JALT releases. Check this list for other language teaching journals you may be interested in.
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
I am currently teaching in my 3rd year at a Korean University and hold a Masters in TESOL. I will be starting a PhD at a reputable school in the USA this fall and plan to graduate in 5 years or so. After all of this, though I have no teaching experience in Japan, what do you think are the steps I should take for gaining a University position there? I am not very interested in starting in an Eikawa…
William
Hi William,
In truth, university teaching positions in Japan are getting harder to come by, especially full-time or tenured positions. However, there are still plenty of part-time renewable contracts available every year advertised on websites such as JALT, JACET and JREC-IN. You will need to start applying around October time for positions the following April. My first step would be to apply for part-time positions at various universities, gain a couple of years experience teaching in Japan, network extensively, and then start applying for full-time / tenure-track posts. With your MA, Ph.D, and experience teaching at universities in both Korea and Japan, you should be a very strong candidate. Also, you’ll want to join the professional English teaching organizations in Japan, including JALT and ETJ. You’ll want to have published in at least three reputable journals, and have numerous presentations under your belt. Basic conversational ability in Japanese would also help. Good luck with the Ph.D and your future English teaching career!
Regards
Paul
Hi Paul,
I am a recent graduate in Australia, finishing an Honours degree in Japanese linguistics. I have just been accepted at an Australian university as a PhD student, however there is a bit of time before I start. I was wondering what my chances would be if I was to apply for something short term like a three month teaching contract? I do not have any TESOL qualifications nor experience. Would it be worthwhile doing something online? I do have an extensive range of high-end hospitality management experience, with stong academics (including a 6 month stint at Meiji University).
Thanks for your help.
Todd.
Hi Todd, thanks for your message. There are two semesters in most Japanese universities’ academic years: spring semester from April to July, and fall semester from October to January. You would probably have to time your application to coincide with one of these periods in order to find English teaching work at Japanese universities. For short term contracts, your best bet would probably be Westgate. Short term contracts at other employers are quite hard to come by. Most English conversation schools, for example, ask for a year minimum commitment. Your existing qualification in Japanese linguistics is a definite plus point, however your lack of English teaching experience / qualifications is somewhat of a minus point. However, I would stay away from online TEFL courses, as many are not reputable and therefore not highly valued by potential employers. Good luck with everything, and I hope this information was somewhat useful for you.
Regards
Paul
Hi, I’m currently looking at westgate
Have a degree llb in law,
Looking to work in Japan as a teacher, but the experience I have in teaching is support work around 7years ago
And I’m completing a course 140hrs tefl online (not yet complete)
Im already abroad so looking to take a flight to Asia, but what is the likelihood of work/if any with my experience?
What agencies would you suggest, if not westgate?
Kind regards
Joan
Hi Joan, thanks for your message! Wow, you’re coming from a very similar background to me – I also had an LL.B. in Law and support work experience when I started my English teaching career in Japan! The lack of CELTA / CERT Tesol is a disadvantage, but not the end of the world. I’m not a big fan of online TEFL qualifications, as many employers don’t rate them very highly. However, your strong academics stand in your favor. Westgate tend to be one of the tougher agencies to work for if you don’t have any directly relevant experience teaching in Japan/Japanese universities. When you apply, try to highlight your existing skills, qualifications, and passion for teaching. You could also give Interac a go, which is the main agency for working as an assistant teacher at Junior/Senior high schools. Best of luck with everything!
Kind regards
Paul