Teaching English in Japan is a rewarding career. Not only is it one of the most popular (and accessible) career options for expats abroad, it’s a well-respected profession that can net you a livable income—alongside the peace of mind that you’re helping others. For some, teaching English abroad is a calling!
Aside from these great benefits, expats living and working in Japan get to fully immerse themselves in the country’s unique culture, with breathtaking sights, historical traditions and exceptional cuisine at your fingertips.
But many who are considering a teaching career worry about making ends meet. Does teaching English in Japan really “pay the bills?” Often, that answer is yes! With careful budgeting against an English teacher’s salary, you’ll generally be able to afford to live the type of life you want to have in Japan (within reason, of course).
Here’s how much money you can expect to make teaching English in Japan, depending on location, position, experience and other important factors.
How much you earn depends on where you teach
There are two factors at play when it comes to estimating your potential salary as an English teacher in Japan—the location and type of position you choose. Japanese schools, no matter the location, pay monthly, so you can count on consistent pay throughout your employment in Japan.
In terms of location, bigger cities have more demand for English teachers than rural locations. You’re also closer to many of the country’s biggest foreign language schools and universities, where you’ll earn the best salaries for your services. That said, opportunities abound throughout the country and often, the average salary of an English teacher will parallel the cost of living in that area.
For example, an English teacher in Tokyo will earn much more than someone working at the same position in a smaller city like Fukushima. Keep in mind, though, that the cost of living in Tokyo is much higher, so you have to factor everyday expenses into your budget and salary.
Negotiable: Private Teaching and Tutoring
Many English teachers in Japan turn to private teaching or tutoring to earn some extra cash, but it’s also a lucrative full-time option if you have the credentials and experience—not to mention the clients. While you can set your own price, the average private English tutor in Japan brings in around 3,000 yen, or $28 USD, per hour.
Depending on your area and the demand for tutors, you can charge more for your services. Research local rates and demand to determine a fair price—and make sure you network well, since word-of-mouth is where you’ll often get most of your clients.
Speaking of clients, you’re likely to attract specific groups of clients as a tutor. These include business professionals and post-secondary students—people who need to learn the language for personal or professional gain, and who have the funds available to pay for your services.
Most English tutors in Japan use tutoring as a way to fill their schedule with secondary, discretionary income. For example, you might spend the day as an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) at a Japanese school, then tutor a couple of clients in the evening to add to your earnings. In any case, tutoring is a great source of income for those who can attract clients.
Moderate: Independent English School (Eikaiwas)
Many expats looking to teach English in Japan choose to work in eikaiwas, or private English academies. Eikaiwas are common throughout the country—also known as a conversation school. While exact pay varies from place to place, you can expect to earn around 250,000 yen, or $2,000 USD, per month teaching at an eikaiwa.
Teaching in an eikaiwa is an intimate experience since class sizes are capped around 10 students, some schools even cap classes as low as four, allowing teachers to give more personalized attention to each student. You can teach children and adults alike, since most courses are taught in the evenings.
Aside from your salary, eikaiwas often cover flights, accommodation and training, and they’ll arrange insurance and visas for you. While the full range of benefits varies depending on the school, you’ll enjoy a great quality of life and fair pay no matter where you end up. Some of the leading Japanese eikaiwas include Berlitz, Coco Juku, Aeon, Gaba, ECC and others.
These schools also offer the benefit of helping native English speakers transition more easily into the country and the culture. They’re invested in your success as a teacher, because it reflects positively on the school in the high proficiency exhibited by students. Put simply: eikaiwas provide a lot more value to new teachers than just a consistent paycheck.
Moderate: Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)
Some public schools in Japan directly hire English teachers as an ALT, or Assistant Language Teacher. The jobs provide significant benefits and stable employment, but the pay is slightly less, coming in between 200,000 and 250,000 yen ($1,600-2,000 USD) per month. Housing is usually provided, and you can expect 10 to 20 days off per year, along with national holidays.
For those looking for a more traditional “job” feel from their teaching career, ALT employment is a welcome fit. Expect a routine workday with normal hours, and a general observance of the traditional workweek.
The best way to secure an ALT position is through the JET Program (outlined below); however, it’s not the only way into the classroom. JET is highly competitive, which leads many would-be classroom instructors to apply with Interac—a private company that focuses exclusively on placing ALTs. The pay is less than if you were able to secure a position through the JET Program, but Interac makes it much easier to get a foothold as an ALT.
High: Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program
The best-known English teaching program in Japan for public schools, the JET Program is a government-sponsored initiative that offers year-long contracts (renewable for up to five years) for qualified teachers. Many hopeful English teachers in Japan are eager to secure a job under the JET Program, since compensation can be very high. While the exact figure varies from city to city, you can expect a salary of nearly 4 million yen per year ($33,000 USD).
Other perks and benefits include coverage for housing, flights, visas and insurance. Only 2,000 native English speakers are hired each year, so don’t wait to apply if you’re interested in one of these lucrative, government-backed positions.
Also keep in mind that the JET Program is highly competitive, and there’s a lot that goes into submitting an application. Not only will you need to provide documentation like transcripts and teaching credentials, you’ll also need letters of reference and an essay expressing your desire to teach in Japan—after you pass a background test and drug test, of course.
High: International Schools
If you’re looking for a high-paying English-teaching position in Japan, international schools are a great option. Most are based in Tokyo and require at least some teaching experience, but you’ll be well rewarded—most teachers make between 250,000 and 600,000 yen ($2,000-5,000 USD) each month.
Depending on the school, you’re also free to negotiate housing allowances and other perks like insurance and vacation. Many schools also offer generous 4,000-yen relocation bonuses. These jobs are very competitive, so make sure you have your credentials in place—like a college degree, TEFL certification and Japanese language proficiency (JLPT)—before you apply.
What makes these positions different from ALT positions is that instead of working alongside Japanese teachers of English (JTEs) in the classroom, you’ll serve as the primary instructor. Lessons are almost entirely in English, and you’ll be expected to teach at a high level. Needless to say, you’ll need a stacked résumé and plenty of current credentials to qualify for these lucrative positions.
Very High: Japanese Accredited Universities
If you want to make the best possible income teaching English in Japan, securing a position at a Japanese university is your best bet. You can make much more in universities than nearly anywhere else, with most teachers earning between 300,000 and 600,000 yen ($2,500-5,000 USD) per month.
The exact salary you’ll earn depends on where you’re teaching and your experience level. In addition to great pay, some of the best positions come with a full three months of vacation. Even the working hours are appealing, with most university-level teachers averaging 10 to 15 working hours per week, plus admin time.
University teaching jobs are highly competitive, so you need to have the experience and credentials to back up your application. At minimum, you’ll likely need a master’s degree from a reputable university, TEFL certification and Japanese language proficiency, along with other specific qualifications that vary from school to school.
What about teaching online?
Today, online courses are becoming more and more a part of the curriculum. You can’t talk about how much money you can make teaching English in Japan without mentioning digital instruction. And while distance learning is far from the norm in Japan, there are a growing number of universities and learning institutions that have begun offering virtual English lessons.
The pay scale for these positions isn’t well-defined and can vary fairly significantly depending on who your employer is and how the online instruction takes place. As a general rule of thumb, non-institutional educational platforms tend to pay virtual instructors hourly, at about the same rate you’d command as a tutor (~3,000 yen per hour). Conversely, institutional educational platforms usually choose to retain their virtual instructors at a salary similar to ALTs (~200,000 yen per month). Again, your experience may differ.
It’s also worth noting that an online position also allows you to begin teaching students before moving to Japan. A growing number of soon-to-be expats are gaining familiarity by teaching virtually, then transitioning to in-person instruction once they land in Japan with experience under their belt.
Raise your earning potential with accreditation
It’s important to recognize the potential of different certifications to raise your appeal as a teaching candidate—and by association, the level of salary you can command. While TEFL is the standard for any teacher, you can make your résumé stand out with any of several other certifications that show your proficiency as a teacher and your aptitude for educational instruction.
Some of the most common teaching certifications beyond basic TEFL/TESOL Certification include:
TKT: Accredited by Cambridge University, the Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) is considered the first step toward CELTA/DELTA. It’s a rather simple test that gauges your ability to teach your native language to non-native speakers.
CELTA: A Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) represents the next step above TEFL and shows that you’ve gone above and beyond to spend extra time receiving classroom instruction as an educator.
DELTA: A Diploma in English Language Teaching to Adults (DELTA) is the sister certification to CELTA. Both programs are taken as 4-week, 120-hour intensive courses. DELTA is often in-demand at the institutional level.
TYLEC: Have a passion for teaching children? Trinity College’s Teaching Young Learners Extension Certificate (TYLEC) certifies English language teachers to instruct children and adolescents from age 7-16.
CertOT: Prefer online teaching to the in-person experience? CertOT helps you get qualified to do exactly that! It’s a certification offered by Trinity College, and one that learning institutions will look for if you apply to teach online courses.
PGCE: A Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is a one- or two-year degree program that enables you to teach English within an institutional setting, such as a university or other post-secondary school.
It’s important to note that these certifications won’t automatically net you a higher salary than your peers. They will, however, open doors to higher earning potentials that might otherwise be closed to English teachers who don’t possess the same level of certification that you do. having one or more of these certifications on your résumé is a great way to distinguish yourself and command the highest possible salary at your position.
Does experience affect earning potential?
This is a tricky question because it depends very heavily on where and who you teach. The simple answer is that teaching experience doesn’t usually affect salary too much; however, it will affect demand for your services.
For example, experience is something of a non-factor when teaching English in Osaka. The reason? This city has a huge expat community and plenty of available teachers. There’s a lot of teaching experience in the local talent pool, which means you’ll need to find other ways to distinguish yourself (such as through certification).
An opposite example might be in a city like Sapporo. Sapporo tends to be a more “traditional” Japanese city, which means there’s less of an overt Western presence. Here, an experienced English teacher who understands Japanese culture will find themselves privy to more job opportunities and thus, more earning potential than someone who has little-to-no experience teaching in Japan.
Ultimately, most English teachers in Japan will land in the 250,000-to-300,000-yen area unless they have the qualifications to get a high-level institutional job. Teaching experience doesn’t really factor into the pay scale, but it certainly affects potential.
What is the cost of living in Japan?
This is one of the first questions any new teacher asks when researching how much money they can make teaching English in Japan. After all, you want to make sure you can afford to live where you work!
As is the case with any profession in any country, the answer comes down to where in Japan you live. The cost of living in a major city like Tokyo is much higher than the low-key living offered in Chiba, Kawasaki and Sapporo. On average, the cost of living in Japan (2022) ranges from 150,000 to 250,000 yen, falling closer to the 180,000 to 210,000 range for individuals choosing to be thrifty with their spend.
Keep cost of living in mind as you start looking for jobs in Japan. If your living expenses or lifestyle outstrip your monthly earnings, you’re insolvent! It’s best to live below your means as you get started and figure out your finances as a teacher or tutor. It’s also recommended to come to Japan with a few thousand dollars in savings, as an emergency fallback if you struggle to find a consistent teaching gig early on.
Where are you qualified to teach?
Teaching English in Japan can be a rewarding experience, not just in terms of financial compensation. You get to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others—all while exploring a unique, fascinating culture. Whether you choose to tutor, instruct at an eikaiwa or you’re bound for institutional instruction, it’s all about having the right qualifications for the teaching job that most appeals to you.
So, where are you qualified to teach in Japan? Use the information above as your guide and earn applicable credentials—if necessary—to become an appealing candidate and start planning out your career to teach English in Japan.
