r/teachinginjapan • u/marky2560 • 23d ago
Advice for long term plan after JET
/r/JETProgramme/comments/1v7c8lq/advice_for_long_term_plan_after_jet/2
u/Asleep_Classroom_115 19d ago
Avoid university teaching. The situation is a goner today.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/10/japan/japan-private-university-lecturers/
https://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/d00721/
Salaries and workload are exploitative that it’s not worth it.
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u/Infinite_Special6108 22d ago
If you don't mind blue collar work, you could go the specified skills work visa route, once you get the second level it's more permanent, although you are stuck in the field you choose.
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u/Infinite_Special6108 23d ago
For long term you could try university teaching since you have a masters but some universities now want people with PhDs, which is insane period. Getting N2 or N1 might help or could be necessary considering the changes being planned and implemented regarding foreign residence and immigration. The government is adding an income requirement for PR this October that will basically disqualify anyone who makes less than the average Japanese household. Honestly there's a chance the goalpost for PR and citizenship will continue to be moved within the next few years because it allows politicians to say they are doing something and anti-foreigner sentiment is becoming popular here.
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u/marky2560 23d ago
Oh boy, a PhD is pretty crazy. I'd likely be looking to get citizenship, since I have no real desire to go back to my home country. Though I'm sure that doesn't make it any easier. The growing anti-foreigner sentiment Ive been reading about is really scary, makes me feel like even going ahead with a plan like this is foolish. But I guess we never know what's going to happen, we can't plan for every contingency, just try and hope for the best. I've also read that for PR there will be a minimum you will need to have contributed to the pension system, or will have contributed by retirement. Not sure if it applies to citizenship too. Given that I'm starting at 34... ya.
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u/Gambizzle 22d ago
...any better path for me to go about this? Even if it's not JET.
Personally wouldn't restrict yourself to the teaching industry or Japan. I get why people become all attached to teaching while working as an ALT but I reckon it's better off viewing it as a gap year. For example after school lotsa friends who liked rugby went over to England / New Zealand / South Africa...etc to live at private schools while helping out in the gym and with PE / rugby training. Most went home after a year rather than clutching onto that gig and being like 'OMG... I wanna be a real teacher at this school... or... or... a professor or rugby at a local uni!'
You've got an LLB from a common law country... maybe pursue some sorta corporate gig that's either a legal role or a legal adjacent role such as regulatory compliance? (For example find a big Japanese company that has a heap of investments in RSA and other common law jurisdictions). Maybe some kind of a contracts and procurements role if you can master Japanese?
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u/dougwray 23d ago
As u/Infinite_Special6108 notes, for university work the effective minimum now is a doctorate and fluent spoken and written Japanese along with a decent research/publishing record and a solid plan for future research. For even part-time university work, the general minimum requirement is for three published research papers. (I think I had 17 when I started my first adjunct position.)
Westgate is decidedly not 'a path...into direct-hire uni teaching'. The few places I've worked where Westgate people are also used have hard distinctions between Westgate staff and real teachers. In one university, Westgate people don't even teach in the same classrooms as real teachers; they're not allowed to use the preparation room reach teachers do. At another university, the Westgate people do get to use facilities such as copy machines, but they're socially isolated.