Public schools (公立学校)
Local-government-operated elementary, junior high, and high schools. Covers ALTs placed via JET Programme and commercial dispatching companies. The dispatch company files as the legal employer for commercial-dispatch ALTs.
Instructor (教育) Visa
The work visa for foreign nationals teaching at recognized formal educational institutions below the university level. Covers public and private elementary, junior high, and high schools, accredited international schools, and post-secondary specialty schools. The standard visa for ALTs and international-school faculty. Distinct from 技人国 (eikaiwa, juku) and 教授 (universities).
Eligibility checker
School-type matrix
Which schools qualify under 教育
The 教育 visa is restricted to schools recognized as formal educational institutions under Japan's school-system law. The school's category, not just its activities, determines whether it qualifies. The most common rejection cause is filing under 教育 when the actual employer is an eikaiwa or juku, which fall under 技人国 instead.
Private schools (私立学校)
Privately-operated elementary, junior high, and high schools recognized under the school-system law. Includes religious schools, IB-curriculum schools registered as 私立学校, and specialty private schools.
Accredited international schools
International schools with WASC, CIS, or similar international accreditation, or registered under Japan's school-system law. Coverage of the international-school sector is the largest single use of 教育 outside the ALT category.
Specialized training colleges (専修学校)
Post-secondary specialty schools (e.g., culinary, IT, design, language) recognized under the school-system law. Common for foreign instructors at Japanese-language schools (日本語学校) registered as 専修学校.
Miscellaneous specialty schools (各種学校)
A residual category for schools that don't fit other categories. Reviewed individually based on the school's recognized status, curriculum, and faculty. Some 各種学校 qualify, others don't. Gyoseishoshi review recommended.
Eikaiwa (英会話)
English-conversation schools and language-tutoring businesses (Berlitz, Aeon, ECC, Gaba, etc.). Operated as commercial businesses, not formal schools. Foreign instructors at eikaiwa file under 技人国, not 教育.
Juku / cram schools
Supplementary tutoring schools and exam-prep operations. Commercial businesses, not formal schools. Foreign instructors file under 技人国 (or, where the role is purely tutorial, may not qualify for any work visa).
Universities (大学)
Universities, graduate schools, and equivalent higher-education institutions are covered by 教授 (Professor), not 教育. The boundary is set by the school's categorization in the school-system law.
vs 教授 / 技人国
教育 vs 教授 (Professor) vs 技人国 (Engineer/Specialist)
Foreign teachers in Japan often face a 3-way choice between 教育, 教授, and 技人国. The distinction is driven by the employer's category, not the teaching activity itself. An English teacher could end up on any of the three depending on where they're placed.
| Dimension | 教育 (this visa) | 教授 (Professor) | 技人国 (Engineer/Specialist) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer category | Public / private K-12, intl school, 専修, 各種 | University / graduate school | Eikaiwa, juku, corporate language-training |
| Degree alignment | Degree (any field) + teaching cred, OR language-teacher path | Degree + appropriate academic credentials | Degree must align with duties (#1 rejection cause) |
| Language-teacher carve-out | 12+ yrs language education OR teaching cert (substitutes degree) | N/A | JLPT N2+ for international services category |
| Common candidate | ALT, intl school faculty, 日本語学校 instructor | University professor, lecturer, researcher | Eikaiwa instructor, corporate trainer |
| Family | Yes (家族滞在) | Yes (家族滞在) | Yes (家族滞在) |
| Initial period | 1 / 3 / 5 years | 1 / 3 / 5 years | 1 / 3 / 5 years |
| Path to PR | Standard 10 yr | Standard 10 yr or HSP fast-track | Standard 10 yr or HSP fast-track |
Most language teachers in Japan are on either 教育 (school placements) or 技人国 (commercial language-school placements). The two are functionally similar from the teacher's perspective. Same family rights, same renewal cycle, same path to PR. But the application package and review focus differ. Misclassifying the visa category is the leading rejection cause for both.
Documents
Required documents (candidate + school)
The 教育 application package centers on two evidence threads: the candidate's qualification (degree + teaching credential, or the language-teacher substitute) and the school's recognized status under the school-system law. The school-side accreditation documentation is the unique part that differs from other work visas.
Candidate documents
- CoE application form (在留資格認定証明書交付申請書) Filled out by school or applicant
- Photo (40 × 30mm) Passport-style, within the last 3 months, plain background
- Passport copy Photo page; full passport needed for embassy stamp later
- University diploma (any field) Plus translation if not in EN/JP. Optional for the language-teacher path
- Teaching certification (where applicable) Home-country teaching license, or TESOL / CELTA / other foreign-language teaching credential
- Proof of 12+ years language education (language-teacher path) Educational records demonstrating 12+ years of education in the language being taught
- Prior employment certificates (where applicable) From prior teaching positions, with role description and dates
- CV / Resume Detailed teaching history
School documents
- Company / school registration extract (履歴事項全部証明書) For private schools and dispatching companies; from the Legal Affairs Bureau
- School authorization documents Public school: prefectural Board of Education authorization. Private school: 私立学校 authorization. International: accreditation letter
- Most recent financial statements (決算書) For private schools and dispatching companies
- Employment contract (雇用契約書) Specifies the teaching role, subject, salary (parity-compliant), term
- Detailed job description Class load, subjects taught, role at the school (lead / ALT / part-time)
- Reason for employment letter (招へい理由書) Why this candidate, why this role, alignment with the candidate's qualification
- School brochure / curriculum overview Demonstrates the school's educational scope and the role's fit
Timeline
Process and timeline (typical 2-4 months)
Day 1
Confirm school category + candidate qualification
Verify the school is a recognized formal educational institution. Confirm the candidate has a degree or qualifies under the language-teacher path. Misclassification (eikaiwa filed as 教育) is the leading rejection cause.
Week 1-3
Compile documents
Diplomas, teaching certifications, prior employment certificates, school accreditation documentation, employment contract. Translate where needed.
1-3 months
CoE issuance
School (or dispatch company for ALTs) files at Immigration. ALT placements often see consolidated batch filings around the academic-year boundary (March-April).
5-10 days
Embassy visa stamp
Candidate applies at the Japanese embassy in their home country with the original CoE.
Within 14 days
Address registration
City office: address registration, MyNumber, pension and health insurance enrollment. Family members on dependent visas register at the same time.
Costs
What it costs to file a 教育 application
Estimated cost breakdown
教育 (Instructor)
CoE application fee
Free at filing. ¥4,000 stamp duty for in-Japan status changes¥0 – ¥4,000
Embassy visa stamp
Single-entry ¥3,000 / multiple-entry ¥6,000 (varies by embassy)¥3,000 – ¥6,000
Translation / certification
Diplomas, teaching certifications, prior employment certificates¥10,000 – ¥40,000
Gyoseishoshi support (optional)
JET-programme / public-school placements rarely use professional support; private school / international school filings sometimes do¥0 – ¥150,000
Rejection reasons
Most common 教育 rejection causes
Per ISA published guidance and gyoseishoshi practice patterns, these are the leading rejection triggers for 教育 filings. The school-classification rejection is by far the largest source of friction.
Employer not a recognized formal school
Eikaiwa, juku, and private tutoring companies trying to file under 教育 instead of 技人国. The single largest 教育 rejection cause. The school's category. Not its activities. Determines the visa.
Lack of degree without language-teacher carve-out
Subject teachers (math, science, social studies) without a university degree don't qualify. The 12+ year language-education path is restricted to language teachers. It does not extend to other subjects.
Salary below Japanese teacher parity
Compensation set below the school's Japanese-teacher pay scale for equivalent work. Common in budget ALT-dispatch contracts. Statutory violation, automatic rejection.
Role is admin / coordinator, not teaching
Job description shows mostly curriculum coordination, scheduling, or administrative work rather than classroom teaching. The 教育 visa requires teaching duties as the core.
各種学校 with insufficient recognition
Application filed at a 各種学校 that doesn't have the formal recognition needed under the school-system law. 各種学校 cases are reviewed individually; some qualify, others don't.
Wrong visa category (university role)
Teaching role at a university or graduate school filed under 教育 instead of 教授. Universities are categorically outside the 教育 scope.
Renewal & PR
Renewal cycle and the path to permanent residence
Renewal cycle
教育 renewals follow the standard 1 / 3 / 5 year pattern. Renewal eligibility depends on continued employment at a recognized educational institution. ALT-dispatch placements often involve year-by-year renewals tied to the academic-year boundary; private school and international school faculty typically reach 3-year renewals after the first cycle.
Switching schools
Allowed within 教育 scope (school to school) with a 14-day notification to Immigration. Switching to an unaffiliated commercial language-school employer requires a status change to 技人国. ALTs moving from one dispatching company to another (Interac → Heart, etc.) stay within 教育.
Status change to 教授 or 技人国
Common transitions: (1) high-school teacher promoted to a university lecturer position files for 教授; (2) ALT or international-school faculty leaves teaching for a corporate role files for 技人国. Both are routine status changes.
Path to permanent residence (永住)
Standard PR application requires 10 years of continuous residence (5 working). 教育 time counts toward both. Long-tenured international-school faculty sometimes qualify for HSP via the points table, but for most teachers the standard 10-year PR path is the realistic route.
Frequently asked
Instructor (教育) FAQ
What is the Instructor (教育) visa?
Japan's work visa for foreign nationals teaching at recognized formal educational institutions below the university level. Covers public and private elementary, junior high, and high schools, accredited international schools, specialized training colleges (専修学校), and miscellaneous specialty schools (各種学校. Case-by-case). The most common applicant by volume is the foreign-language teacher (English, Chinese, Korean), including ALTs at public schools.
Which schools qualify?
Recognized: public schools, private schools, accredited international schools, 専修学校 (specialized training colleges, post-secondary), and 各種学校 (miscellaneous specialty schools, reviewed case-by-case). NOT recognized for the 教育 visa: eikaiwa (英会話) language schools, juku (cram schools), private tutoring companies, and informal tutoring. Those filings are made under 技人国 instead.
How is 教育 different from 技人国 for an English teacher?
教育 covers teachers at formal accredited schools (public, private, international, specialty). 技人国 covers teachers at non-accredited learning businesses such as eikaiwa, juku, and corporate language-training companies. The work is similar but the visa category depends entirely on the employer's accreditation status. ALTs at public schools are 教育; eikaiwa instructors are 技人国.
How is 教育 different from 教授 (Professor)?
教授 (Professor) is for instructors at universities (大学), graduate schools (大学院), and equivalent higher-education institutions. 教育 (this visa) is for instructors at primary, junior high, high schools, and post-secondary specialty schools (専修学校 / 各種学校). The boundary is the school's official categorization in Japan's school-system law.
What qualification do I need?
Standard path: a university degree (any field) plus a teaching qualification. Language-teacher path: substitute 12+ years of formal education in the language being taught (native / near-native), OR present a foreign-language teaching certification (TESOL, CELTA, JLPT-accredited Japanese teaching qualification for Japanese-language instructors, etc.). The flexibility of the language-teacher path makes 教育 accessible to ALTs without education degrees.
Can ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) apply?
Yes. ALTs at public schools, placed via the JET Programme or commercial dispatching companies (Interac, Heart, Borderlink, etc.), file under 教育. JET ALTs are placed by the local Board of Education; commercial dispatch ALTs are placed by the dispatching company as the legal employer. Both qualify under 教育.
Can I bring my family?
Yes. Spouse and children apply for the standard dependent visa (家族滞在). Spouse can work up to 28 hours per week with 資格外活動 permission.
How long is the initial visa?
1, 3, or 5 years. Most ALTs and first-time teachers receive 1 or 3 years initially. Renewals can extend to 5 years once the worker has a clean track record.
What is the salary requirement?
Standard work-visa rule: compensation must be no less than what a Japanese teacher would receive at the same school for equivalent work. ALT compensation has been a focus of policy and labor-union attention in recent years; the parity test is applied against the school's actual Japanese-teacher pay scale.
Can I switch from 教育 to a different visa?
Yes. Common transitions: (1) 技人国 if moving from a public school to an eikaiwa or corporate role; (2) 教授 if moving from a high school to a university teaching position; (3) 高度専門職 (HSP) if accumulating 70+ points (uncommon for early-career teachers, more realistic for senior international-school faculty). Standard PR after 10 years of continuous residence (5 working) is the typical long-term path.
What if my application is rejected?
Most 教育 rejections trace to (1) employer not being a recognized formal educational institution (most often eikaiwa or juku trying to file under 教育 rather than 技人国), (2) lack of degree or appropriate language-teaching qualification, or (3) salary below Japanese teacher parity. There is no formal appeal: fix the gap and re-file. For borderline school-classification cases (各種学校 with unclear status), a 行政書士 specializing in education filings is the most efficient remedy.
Sources
- 出入国在留管理庁. 在留資格一覧 Official ISA index of all residence statuses. The 教育 entry covers the recognized-school requirement, qualification paths, and renewal procedures.
- e-Gov 法令検索. 上陸基準省令 Statutory basis for the school-recognition test, language-teacher 12-year-education rule, and salary-parity requirement.
Important. This page provides general information based on Immigration Services Agency published guidance for the 教育 program. It does not constitute legal advice. School-classification edge cases (各種学校 with unclear status, mixed eikaiwa / school operations, recent intl-school accreditation changes) require individualized analysis. For complex cases, retain a licensed gyoseishoshi (行政書士) familiar with education filings.