5 Great Reasons to Teach English in Japan

Japan. The land of technological innovation, cityscapes that make your nose bleed and some of the friendliest, most interesting people on earth who call it home, Japan should be pretty high up on anyone’s bucket list. However, if you want to make a little money to support your trip, or give yourself the chance to settle down in the region for a while, teaching English in Japan can be a fantastic solution. Find out why you should teach English in Japan below.

Japan

Pay for your travelling by teaching.

The main advantage of teaching English in Japan from a traveller’s perspective is that you can earn a fair amount of money for not that many hours of work. It can be a tough, unforgiving job at times, but with very good wages, great support and a great deal of demand for English teachers, life in Japan can be a very good deal for TEFL teachers.

Explore this wonderful country from the inside…

Only by living and working in a country can you really get a feel for the culture and way of life, at least in my humble opinion. Travelling through somewhere for a short while can give you a glimpse, but unless you ingrain yourself into the culture and amongst the people can you really get to grips with a new place. And Japan surely is an interesting place to live and work to say the very least!

Meet new people and make a difference to their lives…

Perhaps the ultimate in ethical travel and eco-tourism, you might not be recycling cans or cleaning up oil spills on beaches, but by providing great TEFL courses to your students, you are equipping them with a lifelong skill that can never be taken away. Who knows, they might use their newfound English skills to get a new job, to travel to an English speaking country, to communicate with a new partner, colleague or boss… You might not get to fully see the fruits of your labour, but teaching and imparting valuable knowledge is one the best things you can do with your time.

Develop your own transferrable skills…

Just like the English skills you are passing onto others, you can learn a great deal as a TEFL teacher. Communication, team work, management… the list goes on and on and all of these skills will look great to potential employers back home. A teaching qualification in itself is a hugely useful thing to have, so whether you take a TEFL distance learning course at home before heading to Japan or you even take your TEFL course whilst in the country, you can guarantee that it will help you in future.

Live in Japan for a while…

This one might sound a bit… obvious, but living in Japan is something that not a huge amount of English speakers will ever have the chance to do. Living in the Far East, experiencing a totally different way of life to what you’re perhaps used to can be brilliant. So, what are you waiting for?

Photo: Kenny Teo (zoompict)