Teaching Jobs in Osaka, Japan

Since the late 1990s, English instruction has been part of the Japanese government’s required public education curriculum. As such, the market for English teachers in Japan has always been one of the strongest in Asia. In recent years, the Japanese government expanded the grade levels required to offer ESL courses, deepening the demand language teachers in Japan. Jobs for English teachers in Japan, and Osaka more particularly, are extensive!

Popular ESL jobs in Japan. Japan is well known for ESL jobs due to the large-scale popularity of the JET program. However, a majority of the placements for JET are in rural areas, and placements in Osaka are more challenging for that program. Thankfully, JET isn’t the only ESL teaching option in Japan. Native English speakers with a TEFL degree will have a variety of options for teaching in Osaka. A majority of the paid teaching positions will be through universities or private entities, such as corporations, after school tutoring programs or IB style schools. If you’re less experienced, there are always opportunities to be a private tutor or homestay teacher until you build up your resume. 

Short term vs. long term teaching jobs—plus other tidbits on job structure. Whether considering the JET program or another option, one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when choosing to teach abroad in Osaka is the length of your teaching contract. A majority of people who teach abroad in Japan go for a long-term contract of one year or more since it is the most common arrangement. This offers you the amazing opportunity of fully immerse in the culture. Plus, you might even pick up at little Japanese after a year! While short-term programs are available, they typically range from one to three months and are less common. These type of programs offer a great option to people looking to get their feet wet in teaching or those who may be on the fence about fully committing to life in Osaka. 

Teaching English vs teaching other subjects. If you are teaching abroad in Japan, you will most likely be teaching English. This is the most common arrangement. Due to national curriculum standards enforced by the Japanese government, the largest demand for English teachers will be in middle to high schools. If you want to teach another subject while living in Osaka, jobs may be more challenging to find. However, many foreigners use English instruction teaching as a stepping stone to other career opportunities in Japan. Thanks to a strong economy with lots of multinational corporations, private sector jobs for native English speakers can become available with time.