What does teaching English in Japan involve?

What does teaching English in Japan involve? It really depends on what type of teaching you pursue. In Japan there are eikaiwa (conversation schools), English schools and ALT English teachers. Eikaiwa mostly teach conversational English but we were also required to explain grammar and teach grammar to higher level students. The students usually range in age from about 2 years old in kids classes to 90 years old. Typical working hours will fall somewhere in between 10am to 9pm and the classes are usually around 45-50 mins long. The most famous eikaiwa schools are Nova, GEOS and AEON.

ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) mostly work in Elementary and Junior High School as an assistant to the main JTE (Japanese Teacher of English). Most of the time the JTE will explain the grammar in Japanese so the kids have a better understanding but can put you on the spot with a grammatical question. I recommend teaching in Elementary or JHS with an ALT company as this was the most rewarding experience for me and you get the chance to participate in real school life with real students. I would highly recommend contacting ALTIA Central Japan if you are interested in working as an ALT in Japan as they were the best company in Japan for ALTs.

Whatever teaching you do it will pay to have a good understanding of English grammar.

How to become an English Conversation Teacher

Working in Japan