Teaching English in Japan: which visa, what you need and what pay data exists

Teaching English in Japan needs a work status that matches your employer. Schools use Instructor (教育), language schools and other private companies use Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (技術・人文知識・国際業務), and universities use Professor (教授). A university degree is the usual route, and your pay must be equal to or above a Japanese teacher’s. All as of October 2026.

We could not confirm official pay for ALT (assistant language teacher) or eikaiwa (英会話, English conversation school) jobs, so this guide covers the visa rules and the pay rule, not salary ranges.

Which visa fits which teaching job?

All three allow stays of 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months. Which status a particular eikaiwa or dispatch company uses is up to the employer’s setup, and we could not verify it, so ask for the status in your offer. For the full Instructor rules see the Instructor visa guide.

What do I need for the Instructor visa?

For teaching at a miscellaneous school or equivalent, the landing criteria need both:

1. Education: a university degree or equivalent, or a vocational-school course in the subject, or a teaching license for the subject.
2. Language: to teach a foreign language, 12 or more years of education in that language (documents). Other subjects need 5 or more years of teaching experience.

Immigration sorts documents by category. Full-time staff at public elementary through special-needs schools are Category 1, and generally don’t need many extra documents. Other institutions are Category 2, and part-time work is Category 3. Immigration doesn’t say “native speaker”. It asks for proof of 12 years in the language.

What do I need for the Engineer/Specialist visa?

For language instruction, the rule is simple: a university graduate doing translation, interpreting or language instruction doesn’t need work experience. Without a degree, the foreign-culture route needs 3 or more years of related experience. Check the Engineer/Specialist visa guide for details on the degree and the 10-year route.

Does the pay rule protect me?

Yes, in both Instructor and Engineer/Specialist, the criteria say you must receive pay equal to or more than a Japanese person doing the same work. Immigration’s examples include a university graduate employed by a Japanese language school at about ¥250,000 a month as a language teacher. That’s an example of a granted case, not a minimum.

For context, Japan’s 2025 wage survey, for June 2025, shows:

• Regular employees in education and learning support: ¥396,700 a month in scheduled pay, all nationalities and jobs.
• Foreign workers in professional and technical statuses, which include Instructor and Engineer/Specialist: ¥313,200, a category average.

Neither number is an English-teacher salary. For how to use pay data in a negotiation, see salary negotiation in Japan, and for your rights on pay and hours, the labor rights guide.

What about the JET Programme?

The JET Programme (Japan Exchange and Teaching) is run with CLAIR, the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations. It places assistant language teachers (ALTs), and other roles such as Coordinators for International Relations. Its website lists support such as a grant covering the ¥7,500 JLPT fee. We could not confirm current pay, eligibility or contract length from official pages, so check the application guidelines for your country before relying on any figure you find.

What if I’m already in Japan on another visa?

If you hold a status that doesn’t allow the teaching you want, you generally need a change of status first. See changing your status of residence. Students should read the student visa work permit guide before taking any teaching hours.