Teaching English in Japan: JET, eikaiwa and the visa that fits

A bachelor's degree and a US passport are still the two things that open the door to teaching English in Japan. Which door you pick decides your pay, your hours and your visa.

The short version

• The JET Program is run by Japan's governments. First-year pay in the 2026-27 handbook is about JPY 4.02 million (about USD 25,500) before tax, with your flight to Japan covered [1].
• US applicants must be US citizens with a bachelor's degree by the start date [2][3]. The 2027 application deadline is Friday, November 13, 2026 [4].
• Eikaiwa (private conversation schools) and dispatch ALT companies hire year-round, often from inside Japan, but usually pay less. One large dispatch company quoted about JPY 2.4 to 3.0 million a year in 2024 [5].
• Public school jobs typically use the Instructor visa; eikaiwa and company jobs use Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services [6][7].
• Uncle Sam still wants a US return every year, even when the foreign earned income exclusion wipes out the tax [8].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (USD 1 = JPY 157.47), rounded.

The JET Program

The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program places foreign graduates with local governments and schools across Japan. There are two main roles:

• ALT (Assistant Language Teacher): you team-teach English with a Japanese teacher in public schools. No Japanese is required, and more than 90% of JETs are ALTs [3].
• CIR (Coordinator for International Relations): you work in a local government office on international exchange. You need strong Japanese, roughly JLPT N2 or higher [2][3].

Who can apply from the US

From the official guidelines and the US consulate pages [2][3]:

1. Be a US citizen (and not a Japanese citizen).
2. Hold a bachelor's degree, or earn one before you arrive.
3. Not have lived in Japan for six or more years in total in the past ten years.
4. Show real interest in Japan and willingness to learn about it.

Apply through the JET Program USA site; for the 2027 intake, the deadline is Friday, November 13, 2026 [4]. Most JETs arrive in late July or early August [1].

JET pay and conditions in 2026-27

Source: CLAIR's 2026-27 General Information Handbook [1].

That pay is before Japanese income tax, resident tax, health insurance, employment insurance and pension premiums [1]. Other terms from the handbook:

• Contract: one year, usually renewable to three years, and to five for exceptional participants [1].
• Hours: 35 a week, usually Monday to Friday for ALTs [1].
• Flights: your contracting organization pays your airfare to Japan. Your flight home is covered only if you finish your term, don't start new work in Japan within a month, and leave within a month [1].
• Placement: you don't choose your town. Most JETs land well outside Tokyo, so if your heart is set on Shibuya, JET is a gamble.

Housing arrangements vary by contracting organization, so ask your predecessor what the apartment costs and what's included before you arrive.

Eikaiwa and dispatch ALT jobs

If JET isn't the fit, the private market is big, and Tokyo is where it's busiest.

Eikaiwa

Eikaiwa means "English conversation." These are private schools where adults and kids pay for lessons, often evenings and weekends. Expect:

• Evening and Saturday shifts, since students come after work or school
• Sales pressure in some chains (selling lesson packages)
• Annual contracts, often with the school sponsoring your visa
• Pay generally lower than JET, and you find your own apartment

Dispatch ALT companies

Many boards of education don't hire through JET. They contract a dispatch company, which places you in public schools as an ALT. Interac is one of the largest. Its own page quoted gross pay of about JPY 2.4 to 3.0 million a year (about USD 15,200 to 19,050), paid in equal monthly installments, on contracts that usually run April 1 to March 31 [5]. That page is from July 2024, so check the current offer.

The fine print to ask any private employer about:

• Are you enrolled in Japan's Employees' Health Insurance and pension, or left to sign up for National Health Insurance yourself?
• Is pay steady through summer and winter breaks, or do you lose income in August?
• How many teaching hours and how much unpaid travel between schools?
• Will they sponsor your visa from the US, or only hire people already in Japan?

Some teachers move into international schools, universities or corporate training after a few years. Those usually need a teaching license, a master's degree or solid experience.

The visa: Instructor vs Specialist in Humanities

Japan has two statuses that cover most English teachers. Your employer, not you, mostly decides which applies.

JET ALTs and dispatch ALTs in public schools generally hold Instructor status, while eikaiwa teachers usually hold Specialist in Humanities. If you jump from a school to an eikaiwa, check whether you need a change of status before you start. Working outside your status can sink a future renewal.

Your employer applies for a Certificate of Eligibility in Japan, mails it to you, and you take it to a Japanese consulate in the US for the visa. Once here, your residence card is your ID; see our guide to your residence card and My Number.

Taxes and money back home

• US return: you file every year. The foreign earned income exclusion is up to USD 130,000 for tax year 2025 and USD 132,900 for 2026 [8], so a JET or eikaiwa salary is well under the cap. You still claim it on Form 2555.
• Japan's tax treaty with the US has a provision on visiting teachers; whether it applies to you is fine print best checked with a US expat tax preparer.
• FBAR: your Japanese bank account counts toward the FBAR threshold.
• Pension: you'll pay into Japan's pension. If you leave early, see our guide to the lump-sum withdrawal.
• Student loans: income-driven repayment uses your US tax return, so how you file affects your payment.

Before signing anything, ask current teachers. You'll find plenty of ex-JETs and eikaiwa veterans in our community group for Americans in Japan, and they'll tell you what the recruitment brochure leaves out.

Sources

1. CLAIR: JET Program General Information Handbook 2026-27 (PDF)
2. Embassy of Japan in India: JET Program application guidelines (PDF, December 2023)
3. Consulate-General of Japan in Boston: The JET Program
4. JET Program USA
5. Interac: ALT job description and salary (July 2024)
6. Immigration Services Agency of Japan: Instructor status of residence (Japanese)
7. Immigration Services Agency of Japan: Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services (Japanese)
8. IRS: Figuring the foreign earned income exclusion

Keep reading

• Learning Japanese in Tokyo: schools and the JLPT
• Japan taxes for Americans
• Japan's pension and the lump-sum withdrawal
• Foreign earned income exclusion vs foreign tax credit