What degree do you need to teach English in Japan?

A TEFL certificate is not required, but it could help you stand out. If you don't have a TEFL certificate, don't worry. Many schools will provide on-the-job training so you can get up to speed on best practices for teaching English as a foreign language.

A degree in Education is preferable but not essential. As long as you have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university, you should be eligible to apply for teaching positions in Japan.

Other common degrees to teach English in Japan include:

• Linguistics

• Law

• English literature

• Medicine

• IT

There are other basic requirements if you want to teach English in Japan, such as:

• Citizenship from a recognized English-speaking country. Japanese schools will occasionally hire non-native speakers if you have good qualifications and experience.

• Ability to pass a health exam drug test. A basic health test is simply a precaution to ensure that you're able to complete your contract and not get sick while you're teaching abroad.

• Possess a clean criminal background check. Japanese schools want to make sure that their students are safe while they're learning English, so they'll need to see that you don't have any criminal convictions on your record.

• Meet the minimum age requirement. While there is no upper age limit for teaching English in Japan, most schools prefer to hire teachers who are relatively young and energetic. 21 is the minimum age requirement.

According to SalaryExplorer.com, an English Teacher in Japan can expect to make a median salary of about 413,000 JPY per month ($2,865.39), and since the cost of living in Japan is about 26% less expensive than in the United States, that's a pretty decent living.