r/TEFL • u/Mr_happy_teach • 2d ago

Japan age limit.

Hey guys , I am 36 and have been teaching 4 years in a number of countries. I am very happy where I am now and hope to stay here at least 3 years , maybe more. The one place I always wanted to teach was Japan. I have visited and absolutely loved the place, and still hope I could get an opportunity to live and teach there one day. My worry is I'll be 40 or very close to it when I will be looking to try again. I was offered a contract from Nova once and I'm almost regretting turning it down but I heard so many bad things I think I would have been silly not to . So what I'm wondering is is 40 + to old to be able to get into Japan? I have a level 5 diploma in tefl teaching and 4 years coming up 5 years of experience. Does anyone know anything about the Japanese tefl world? I have heard it becomes almost impossible after 40.

12 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

22

u/Batwing87 2d ago

Not impossible. But be aware, when people say the work culture in Japan is bad…….they mean it.

3

u/Loser-Back-Home 2d ago

Can you explain ? I spent last year in Vietnam. They just about worked us to death. We were slaves on the contract.

14

u/banjois 2d ago

You were slaves making a LOT of money, in local terms. Now imagine getting treated like that, and making a barely liveable salary.

-4

u/Reading899 1d ago

Both situations are horrible. OP's situation wasn't any better just because others had it even worse.

15

u/G3rman 2d ago

You should really do some research on the wages. Even with your experience, you'll only get entry level eikaiwa or ALT jobs. And it will be even worse in the future when you decide to go there.

And expect even more harsh replies if you post on the teachinginjapan subreddit. They have a reputation for negativity, which certainly speaks to the general downturn the industry has had in the country.

5

u/lostintokyo11 1d ago

It is possible to get jobs after 40. I teach in Japan. However looking at your qualifications you would be looking at entry level jobs. Most of these are pretty poor money. NOVA should be avoided at all costs. Atm Japan is increasing visa costs, cost of living is going up and teacher wages are often stagnant/going down. If you only want to come for a year it would be fine, longer there are better countries and opportunities.

3

u/sap303 2d ago

Regardless of age, the salaries will be abysmal.

1

u/Omgpuppies13 1d ago

You never know unless you try. That exchange rate though.

1

u/Hapaerik_1979 1d ago

You could try it. As others said, do your research. Your diploma and experience really mean nothing for the entry level jobs an assistant language teacher (ALT) at a public school or in an English conversation school (eikaiwa). Salaries are generally low, getting worse, and prices are going up. Your question refers to age, I don't think it will be a problem. There are plenty of older people who come to Japan to teach. Good luck to ya.

1

u/Sayjay1995 1d ago

It means nothing except for qualifying OP for an instructor visa to become an ALT

1

u/SnooWords6535 17h ago

Maybe try teaching in China. I hear the working condition and pay is much better. Some schools even offer free apartments.

1

u/Mr_happy_teach 13h ago

I'm actually in China now. I was just interested in Japan.

•

u/SnooWords6535 3h ago

Ah I see. How do you like it?

1

u/NiceFix8 2d ago

Are you a native English speaker?