edit: answering some questions.
1) I have put a lot of thought into this. This is not a spur-of-the-moment decision where I threw a pin at a map and decided "yes, I'll run away to here." Japan has been a special interest of mine since I was 16. Yes, my interest started with anime and manga like most weebs, however it has evolved to be so much more. The history is rich, the culture is fascinating, the general way of life is something I wish my country could adopt. I do not expect to move to a magical land only found in slice of life anime and shoujo manga; Japan is a country with it's own problems and politics, the same as any other country has. There are reasons as to why I did not begin pursuing this goal directly after high school, but I will not "trauma dump" on an open forum where the vocal minority seems to be intent on assuming everyone wishing to be an ALT or more is some jaded weeb who thinks Japan is a mythical land of happiness.
2) I have visited Japan on three separate occasions, with a fourth trip coming up next year. Once again, people rudely assume that I'm a starry-eyed girl just blindly running to a new country for the hell of it. I have done research, I have interacted with both Japanese-born citizens as well as expats. I listed my language experience at N5 and noted I have been "studying since January" simply because I did not actively study for the past 15 years. However, I have been immersing with content in Japanese for just as long and I am able to pick up things that are said fairly well. Had I known this would lead people to note that I "know no Japanese at all," I would have left it out all together.
3) I didn't know I had to list my goals for a personal life in order to receive professional advice (not that I count "don't do it" or "get an entirely new skillset and get a better visa" as advice), but I do not have any goals to "have a family." I am asexual, and prefer to live alone. I do not want any children, and if I happen to find a life partner, that's all good and well, but I am researching and planning under the impression that I will continue to live alone and care for myself. The low pay is not a dealbreaker for me because, as I said, it will be infinitely more money than what I earn and keep now. I understand I am starting to work towards this "late in life" compared to 22/23-year-olds fresh out of college, but my age means nothing in regards to my work ethic.
4) I am an introvert in that at the end of the day, I like to do some things by myself and enjoying going home to a safe place to recharge. I know I cannot just "avoid" socialization and I will have to deal with many different people on a day-to-day basis; I am not like these "introverts" you see on social media who can't handle something as simple as making an appointment over the phone.
Also, to those saying I should have a better skillset and seek different employment, I have been working with kids for the past 10 years, and genuinely enjoy helping them and seeing them improve. I have had so many children that I've worked with find a passion for writing, specifically, that it drove me to seek an English specialization within my degree. I am not choosing to "teach English because it's an easy way in," I am choosing to teach English because it is what I want to do.
Throwaway because I have family members who know of my main and occasionally check my posts.
I'm a 31 year old woman. I'm currently set to graduate in 2027 or 2028 with a BA in Education with a specialization in English and social studies.. I work full-time as a substitute teacher during my days off campus. I am looking to move to Japan permanently, using ALTing as a "foot in the door" because it is a) the easiest option and b) I genuinely enjoy teaching kids. It is also my attempt and motivator at getting away from an abusive family system. I won't go into details, but just know that I absolutely won't be swayed from this path, so the consistent negativity I see in this subreddit won't scare me off. For those who constantly mention how the pay is bad, getting to have low pay that I get to keep for myself is much better than the low pay I have now that consistently goes into other people's pockets but my own.
I have been studying Japanese (both in a class at university as well as on my own) since January and I feel I am close to a proper N5 level. While I won't be taking any other JP classes due to the amount of classes required for my major to graduate in '27, I have plenty of free time to study on my own and will continue to do so; I'm hoping to be at least N3 by time I apply to JET or other dispatch companies. Graduating with an education major in my location includes a full-fledged teaching certificate, which I know is something desired (required?) to teach in an international school if I opt to go that route. As of right now, these things that I am certain to have by time I start applying to dispatch companies. Now, I have a few questions.
First off, regarding my experience as a substitute teacher – would this count as "teaching experience" that I often see people recommend having for their resumes, or do they specifically look for experience as a main teacher? I once asked this before and was told it would count, but having more voices confirm or deny it would be nice. I will also have experience via student teaching during my senior year, with the second term making me more or less the "main" teacher in a classroom for six months.
Secondly, my university offers a one-year-long masters' program in linguistics that includes a TESOL/TEFL certificate alongside it. However, I can't take this program online, which would instead lead to me applying to dispatch companies in '28. I know a masters' program is more or less considered the baseline at this point for anything past ALTing, but I would like to get away from my situation as soon as humanly possible. Would it be better to grit my teeth and suck up the extra year here to obtain the masters and TESOL certificate, or would it be easier to do a masters' degree online during my time deskwarming in Japan and obtain a TESOL certification separately?
If there is anything here that I haven't mentioned and should highly be considered, please tell me. I am someone who likes to prepare well in advance and have a set of goal posts, so long as it isn't obvious rage bait or "you should apply somewhere else," I would appreciate it immensely. Thank you for taking the time to read this absolute wall of text.
by Odd-Camp949