60 DAY TEFL · GUIDES THAT ACTUALLY ANSWER THE QUESTION

the eligibility checklist, no sales pitch

What qualifications do you need to teach English in Japan?

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

the short answer

Japan's standard Instructor or Specialist in Humanities work visa legally requires a bachelor's degree (in any subject) and a sponsoring employer; there's no formal TEFL requirement in the immigration rules, but nearly every eligible employer asks for one anyway. You'll also need a clean background declaration and a basic health check. Confirm current sponsorship and document rules directly with your employer, since processing details shift.

Key facts

NationalityNo restriction; visa is degree-based, not nationality-based
DegreeBachelor's degree in any subject legally required for standard work visas
TEFL hoursNot a legal requirement, but expected by almost every employer
Criminal recordDeclared on visa forms; formal checks vary by employer
Age limitsNo official cap for the work visa itself
Health checkBasic medical check, often required by the school or local ward office
Employer add-onsJET and ALT dispatch companies often want teaching or tutoring experience

step one, always

Get the certificate before you apply

Get the accredited TEFL course

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typical, not guaranteed

Your timeline

  1. 1

    Confirm degree eligibility

    Any bachelor's degree subject qualifies for the standard work visa route.

    same week
  2. 2

    Get TEFL certified

    Not legally required but expected by nearly all ALT and eikaiwa employers.

    1-4 weeks
  3. 3

    Apply to employers

    Dispatch companies, eikaiwa chains and JET all run on different calendars.

    4-10 weeks
  4. 4

    Employer applies for Certificate of Eligibility

    This is the main visa bottleneck; your employer files it, not you.

    1-3 months
  5. 5

    Apply for visa at embassy

    Once the Certificate of Eligibility arrives.

    1-2 weeks
  6. 6

    Arrive and register

    Residence card and local health check happen after arrival.

    1-2 weeks
Start the 120-hour / Level 5 course

What Japanese immigration law actually requires

For the standard work visa route used by ALTs and eikaiwa (private conversation school) teachers, Japanese immigration law requires a bachelor's degree — the subject doesn't have to be education or English, any degree qualifies. There's no legal TEFL requirement and no nationality restriction, since the visa is tied to the degree and the sponsoring employer's Certificate of Eligibility filing.

A background declaration is part of the visa application, but Japan doesn't uniformly demand a formal apostilled criminal record check the way China does; requirements can vary by employer and by which visa category you're using.

Your certificate is the requirement you control fastest — see which TEFL course Japan employers accept.

Paperwork is where most delays happen; the full list is in our guide to Japan work visa requirements.

What employers add on top

Almost every ALT dispatch company, eikaiwa chain, and the JET Programme itself expects an accredited TEFL certificate even though immigration doesn't ask for one — it's become the de facto industry standard for getting shortlisted. Many employers, JET included, also weight relevant classroom or tutoring experience heavily.

Health checks are sometimes required by the specific employer or local municipal office rather than by national immigration law, so the exact process can differ between a small eikaiwa and a large ALT dispatch company.

The routes that don't need a degree

The standard work visa is a hard no without a degree. If you don't have one, the honest alternatives are the working-holiday visa (available to citizens of a specific list of countries, age-limited, and not employer-sponsored) or a spouse/dependent visa if you qualify through a partner. Both let you legally work without going through the degree-based Certificate of Eligibility process.

what people actually ask

FAQs

Can I teach in Japan without a degree?

Not on the standard work visa — a bachelor's degree in any subject is a legal requirement for that route. The working-holiday visa or a spouse/dependent visa are genuine alternatives if you qualify for either, since they don't require a degree-based sponsorship.

Is a TEFL certificate legally required for Japan?

No, Japanese immigration doesn't require one, but nearly every ALT dispatch company, eikaiwa, and the JET Programme expects an accredited TEFL certificate in practice. Skipping it will hurt your applications even though it isn't a visa condition.

Does my degree subject matter?

No, for the standard work visa any bachelor's degree subject qualifies — it doesn't need to be in English, education, or a related field. Employers may still prefer certain backgrounds, but the visa law itself doesn't discriminate by major.

Is there an age limit to teach in Japan?

The standard work visa has no official age cap. The working-holiday visa route does have age limits, typically 18-30 or 18-35 depending on your nationality's agreement with Japan, so check your country's specific terms if you're using that route instead.

What background and health checks are needed?

You'll declare background information as part of the visa application, though a formal apostilled criminal record check isn't universally required the way it is in China. A basic health check is common, sometimes required by the school or local ward office after arrival.

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Read next

Japan TEFL overview →Can you teach in Japan without a degree? →Is online TEFL accepted in Japan? →
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