Which TEFL course is best for teaching in Japan?

Why the degree matters more than the TEFL hours here

Japan's work-visa system is built around your university degree, not your TEFL certificate — no TEFL course substitutes for the degree requirement, full stop. That reframes the question: TEFL in Japan is about making your application competitive against other degree-holding applicants, not about clearing a legal bar.

Eikaiwa chains and dispatch companies that place teachers in public schools typically list a TEFL certificate as preferred rather than mandatory, but in practice most successful applicants have one, often 100-120 hours, because it signals genuine preparation next to a pile of otherwise-identical degree-holder CVs.

120-hour vs Level 5 vs CELTA for Japan

A 120-hour accredited course is enough for most eikaiwa and dispatch-company roles, where the interview and personality fit matter as much as the paper qualification. Level 5 becomes more useful if you're applying to JET, competitive private schools, or international schools that get far more applicants than openings — it's a differentiator in a crowded, degree-holder-only applicant pool rather than a legal requirement.

CELTA is rarely asked for in Japan's mainstream eikaiwa market and is priced for a different tier of job entirely. It only makes sense here if you're specifically targeting international schools or plan to use the qualification outside Japan too.

The online-study question needs its own answer

Whether an online TEFL certificate is accepted for the specific programmes and schools in Japan is detailed enough that it has its own full answer — see the dedicated guide rather than a summary here, since the answer differs by employer type and changes over time.