60 DAY TEFL · GUIDES THAT ACTUALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION

australian passport, work visa and working holiday routes

Can Australians teach English in Japan?

AUSTRALIA
Teacher with students in a classroom on a teaching placement abroad
2026 update

the short answer

Yes, Australians can teach in Japan through a sponsored Instructor or Specialist in Humanities visa with a bachelor's degree, and separately through Japan's working holiday agreement with Australia, which doesn't require a degree at all. Japan's standard work visa doesn't mandate a national criminal check, though JET and some dispatch companies request an AFP National Police Check as part of their own hiring, so confirm with the specific programme.

Key facts

Visa optionsInstructor/Specialist in Humanities (degree route) or working holiday agreement
DegreeRequired for sponsored visa; not required for working holiday
Background checkNot universally required; some employers (e.g. JET) request an AFP check
Working holiday age cap18-30, no children
Working holiday durationUp to 12 months, one extension possible with conditions
Typical pay¥200k-¥350k/month, typical first-year eikaiwa/ALT range
Common employersJET, eikaiwa chains, dispatch ALT companies, casual work on WHV

step one, always

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typical, not guaranteed

Your timeline

  1. 1

    Choose your route

    Degree + sponsored visa for a formal teaching contract, or the working holiday visa for flexibility without a degree.

    same day
  2. 2

    Get TEFL certified

    Not a legal requirement either way, but it strengthens eikaiwa and JET applications.

    1-4 weeks
  3. 3

    Apply to JET, eikaiwa or dispatch companies

    Or apply directly for the working holiday visa through the Japanese embassy in Australia.

    4-12 weeks
  4. 4

    If requested, get an AFP check

    Only if a specific employer like JET asks for one as part of their process.

    2-4 weeks
  5. 5

    Employer files Certificate of Eligibility (sponsored route only)

    Working holiday visa applicants skip this step entirely.

    1-3 months
  6. 6

    Visa issuance and travel

    Working holiday visas are typically faster to obtain once your application is submitted.

    1-4 weeks
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Two routes, very different document requirements

The sponsored work visa route needs a bachelor's degree from an Australian university and an employer willing to file a Certificate of Eligibility on your behalf. Japan's working holiday agreement with Australia is a completely separate, no-degree route, capped at ages 18-30, that lets you take on a wider range of casual and part-time work including some teaching-adjacent roles — see the dedicated working holiday page for full details.

Australians choosing between the two usually decide based on whether they have a degree and how long they want to stay: the sponsored route supports longer, more structured contracts, while the working holiday visa is time-limited and more flexible.

Japan guide for Americans.

Japan guide for Canadians.

Japan guide for UK passport holders.

Where the AFP check fits in

Japan's immigration bureau doesn't have a blanket criminal-check requirement for its standard work visas, so Australians shouldn't assume they need to get an AFP National Police Check by default. JET and some larger dispatch companies do ask for one as part of their own screening, and because Australia is a Hague Apostille member, authenticating any requested document through DFAT is relatively fast compared with non-Hague countries.

Who hires Australians in each route

JET recruits Australians on the same annual cycle as Americans, Canadians and Brits, with fixed placement and pay. Eikaiwa and dispatch ALT companies hire year-round for degree holders. On the working holiday visa, Australians commonly pick up casual eikaiwa hours, private tutoring, or non-teaching jobs to fund their stay, since a full sponsored teaching contract usually still runs through the standard visa process instead.

what people actually ask

FAQs

Can Australians teach in Japan without a degree?

Not on the standard sponsored teaching visa, which requires a bachelor's degree, but Japan's working holiday agreement with Australia doesn't require one. That route caps eligibility at ages 18-30 and works differently from a sponsored contract, so check the dedicated working holiday guide.

Do Australians need an AFP check for JET?

It's not a Japanese immigration requirement across the board, but JET's own application process may ask for one as part of vetting. Confirm the current requirement directly with JET or your specific employer rather than assuming it applies everywhere.

Is the working holiday visa a real path into full-time teaching?

It can lead to casual eikaiwa hours or tutoring, but most full-time, contract-length teaching jobs are hired through the standard sponsored visa route instead. Treat the working holiday visa as flexible short-term work rather than a guaranteed route to a long-term teaching contract.

How fast is Australia's apostille process compared to other countries?

Because Australia is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, documents can be authenticated through DFAT in a single step, generally faster than countries needing multi-stage consular legalisation. This mainly matters if a specific employer requests an authenticated background check or degree.

Can I switch from a working holiday visa to a sponsored work visa later?

Yes, some teachers use the working holiday period to find an employer willing to later sponsor a standard work visa, though this depends entirely on finding a willing employer and meeting the degree requirement. It's not an automatic conversion, so confirm the process with immigration or your employer.

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Read next

Nationality-specific TEFL rules →Japan TEFL overview →Working holiday visa route to teach in Japan →
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