Your post is difficult to understand, but I’ll answer a few things. 

A bachelors degree is required for a work visa. So yes, any sort of “English teaching” requires you to have a college degree. Also note that for ALT work you must have had 12 years of your schooling be taught in English (you don’t mention what your home country is).

If you need a scholarship, there aren’t many for foreign students, especially English-taught programs. MEXT is the best scholarship, but it is incredibly competitive. 

1) English taught degrees often hold less weight than Japanese taught degrees. You would be better off going to a western university than one in Japan if you want to seek English taught courses.

2) Scholarships are limited, meaning you have stiff competition to get one.

3) Teaching ESL as a job is not going to give you good pay. You would need a Bachelors degree, and having one from Japan isn't going to guarantee you get the job. Most ESL teachers come from western countries and do it as a way to explore Japan before going back home.

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Language school → English-track university in Japan? Also considering teaching English need realistic advice

Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some realistic advice.

I’m planning to enter a Japanese language school (October intake) mainly because I need to move quickly due to the political situation in my home country. Because of this situation, I couldn’t complete A-levels, but I did complete IGCSE O-levels and I’m currently finishing my GED+SAT+IELTS

My long-term goal is not to go the Japanese-taught (EJU) route but i need scholarship because my family isn’t wealthy. I want to apply to English-track undergraduate programs at Japanese universities after language school. I’m aware that GED alone has limited acceptance, so my plan is to take IELTS and possibly SAT during or after language school and apply for English-track programs in 2027. (I also have a lot of volunteering experiences and I also am in youth programs). I wanna go to Waseda or Keio but i don’t want to take Eju. If i am going with E track do i need to take eju? Is it like a must?

I’m choosing language school mainly as:

• A legal and fast way to leave my country

• A bridge to stabilize my situation

• A place to improve Japanese while preparing for English-track university applications

I have a few concerns/questions:

1.  English-track after language school:

Is this path actually realistic if I have GED + IELTS (and possibly SAT), or do most English-track programs still strongly prefer traditional 12-year high school diplomas? Because I heard that even though they said they accept ged but people rarely get in there so I am just really anxious about I already emailed all the universities they all accept it but still i want to make sure so I don’t get lost after Language school because i have financial problems.

2.  Teaching English in Japan (backup / part-time / future option):

I already have a diploma in English (not a bachelor’s degree yet).

• Is it possible to teach English in Japan without a bachelor’s degree, even in limited roles (assistant teacher, eikaiwa support, private tutoring, etc.)?

• Or is a bachelor’s degree absolutely required for any legal English teaching work visa?



3.  City choice: **Osaka or Tokyo**

I don’t strongly want to live in Tokyo long-term, but I understand most English-track universities are there. Is it reasonable to attend language school in one city (e.g., Osaka) and apply to universities nationwide later?

I’m not trying to rush blindly — I’m trying to avoid getting stuck and want to make sure language school actually leads somewhere meaningful (university or a stable career path).

Any advice from people who’ve done language school, English-track programs, or English teaching in Japan would really help. Thank you.

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