Hello everyone, I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I’ll give it a try.
I live in Serbia and I’m quite confident in my English proficiency. I have a bachelor’s degree in IT and Computer Science (not related to English language studies). I can’t fully trust ChatGPT on this matter because it told me that for such a visa, I would need an N4 certificate and a bachelor’s degree in any field from an accredited institution.
I’m willing to obtain the N4, of course. As for teaching experience, I taught Asian students on Engoo for 3 years, and I have an additional 5 years of private tutoring. Unfortunately, I can’t formally prove this unless I ask my former students to provide written references.
What else would I need, and how difficult is it to get a work visa as an English teacher in a smaller city in Japan? I don’t mean a tiny rural village with 5,000 people, but rather a smaller city with a population of around 50,000–100,000.
by alexthestoic92
2 comments
You don’t need N4. You **do** need a bachelors degree. Teaching experience only matters to potential employers, not Immigration.
You also need a job. You cannot apply for the visa yourself; the company that hires you starts the process.
To be an ALT you need to prove you had 12 years of education in English. Note that this is not that you room 12 years of English classes, but that all of your subjects were taught in English. This is not required to work in an eikawa.
Coming from a non-english speaking country you need proof that you attended 12 years of English education, and a bachelor’s degree in any subject. That means 12 years of all your education being in English. There is no Japanese proficiency required.
Honestly you’d be better off looking for a job in IT. You’d certainly have a higher salary potential and more options.