教育

Instructor

WorkContent reviewed on 2026-10-23

What it allows

Language teaching and other instruction at Japanese elementary, junior high, high, secondary and special-needs schools, vocational schools, miscellaneous schools and equivalent institutions. Typical examples are language teachers at junior and senior high schools.

Period of stay

5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.

Requirements

A contract with a Japanese school or equivalent institution for the teaching
Teaching posts at elementary to high schools are judged on the pay test only. At miscellaneous schools and similar institutions, or in non-teaching posts, the standards set education or experience tests (a university degree or equivalent, a related vocational course, a teaching license, 12 years of education in the language taught, or 5 years of teaching experience in other subjects): see the official source · Confirm with the official source
Pay equal to or higher than a Japanese national would receive for the same work · Confirm with the official source

Where this can lead

Permanent Resident

Related rulebook entries

What it is

Under Enforcement Regulation Appended Table 4 (Article 6-2), the proxy who may file a COE for most work statuses is a staff member of the Japanese organisation that contracts with the foreign national or that the person is transferring to; for Business Manager it is staff of the business office, or the entrusted person when a new office is being set up.
出入国管理及び難民認定法施行規則別表第四（第六条の二関係）（出入国在留管理庁掲載の抄録）別表第四（第6条の2関係） · Checked on 2026-10-22
Instructor status covers language teaching and other instruction at Japanese elementary, junior high, compulsory-education, high, secondary-education and special-needs schools, vocational schools, miscellaneous schools, or equivalent institutions.
出入国管理及び難民認定法別表第一別表第一の二の表教育の項 · Checked on 2026-10-22
The Instructor status covers language and other teaching at elementary, junior high, compulsory-education, high, secondary and special-needs schools, vocational schools, miscellaneous schools and equivalent bodies, with the examples given being language teachers at junior and senior high schools.
在留資格「教育」（出入国在留管理庁）この在留資格に該当する活動 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Who qualifies

At miscellaneous schools or equivalent institutions, or in non-teaching posts at other schools, an Instructor applicant must have graduated from a university or equivalent, or completed a related specialized vocational course, or hold a license for the subject to be taught.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表教育の項第一号イ · Checked on 2026-10-22
The Instructor education and experience tests apply only to work at miscellaneous schools or similar bodies or in non-teaching posts at other schools, so teaching posts at elementary to high schools are not covered by clause 1, only by the pay test.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）教育の項第一号 · Checked on 2026-10-22
For schools set up to teach children of diplomats and officials in a foreign language, an Instructor applicant needs only the degree, vocational-course or teaching-licence test and not the language-years or experience test.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）教育の項第一号ただし書 · Checked on 2026-10-22
A person with no teaching licence can be hired as a regular teacher only through a special licence from the prefectural board of education, which is a different route from the certification of someone who completed foreign teacher training under article 18 of the Educational Personnel Certification Act.
特別免許状の授与に係る教育職員検定等に関する指針（文部科学省）趣旨 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Neither a special licence nor a special part-time lecturer notification is needed for someone who teaches alongside a licensed teacher all the time, such as a guest teacher or a team-teaching assistant, which is the basis on which assistant language teachers work without a licence.
特別免許状の授与に係る教育職員検定等に関する指針（文部科学省）第４章第５節特別非常勤講師制度等の活用について · Checked on 2026-10-22

Numbers and tests

Under that same clause, a language teacher needs twelve or more years of education in that language; a teacher of any other subject needs five or more years of professional experience teaching that subject.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表教育の項第一号ロ · Checked on 2026-10-22
Most work-status standards set no fixed salary figure but require pay equal to or higher than a Japanese person would receive for the same work.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（上陸基準省令）表研究・教育・医療・企業内転勤・介護・技能の各項（技術・人文知識・国際業務、興行にも同旨） · Checked on 2026-10-22
Medical Services, Instructor and Researcher each use the same open-ended test as the main work statuses, requiring pay equal to or higher than a Japanese person would receive, so none of them has a fixed salary figure.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令医療の項第一号・教育の項第二号・研究の項第二号 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Periods

For COEs approved in August 2026 the average days from receipt to issue were 47.1 for Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, 26.9 for Professor, 45.6 for Researcher, 29.8 for Instructor, 34.8 for Intra-company Transferee, 50.4 for Nursing Care, 72.1 for Skilled Labor and 62.6 for Medical Services.
在留審査処理期間（令和8年8月許可分）（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付処分（交付）までの日数 · Checked on 2026-10-23
Of the 10 years, at least 5 continuous years must have been spent in a work-purpose status or a residence-type status.
永住許可に関するガイドライン（令和８年１０月１日改定）第2の5(6) · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01
No status of residence other than Diplomat, Official, Highly Skilled Professional (type 2) and Permanent Resident may carry a period of stay longer than five years.
出入国管理及び難民認定法別表第一第二条の二第三項 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Legal/Accounting Services, Medical Services, Researcher and Instructor each carry periods of five years, three years, one year or three months.
出入国管理及び難民認定法施行規則別表第二（在留期間）別表第二 · Checked on 2026-10-22
The agency decides the length of stay by weighing the planned work period, the person's record of activity and public obligations, and the size and track record of the contracting organization.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ８ · Checked on 2026-10-22
The standard processing time for a certificate of eligibility application is one to three months.
在留資格認定証明書交付申請（出入国在留管理庁）標準処理期間 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Show 2 more

The standard processing time for a change of status application is one to two months.
在留資格変更許可申請（出入国在留管理庁）標準処理期間 · Checked on 2026-10-22
The standard processing time for a period-of-stay extension application is two weeks to one month.
在留期間更新許可申請（出入国在留管理庁）標準処理期間 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Deadlines

Holders of Professor, Business Manager, Legal/Accounting Services, Medical Services, Instructor, Intra-company Transferee, Technical Intern Training, Student or Trainee status, and of some Highly Skilled Professional types, must notify the immigration agency within 14 days when the name or address of the organization where they work or study changes or ceases, or when they leave or move to another organization.
出入国管理及び難民認定法別表第一第十九条の十六第一号 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Fees

A certificate of eligibility application has no fee.
在留資格認定証明書交付申請（出入国在留管理庁）手数料 · Checked on 2026-10-22

How it works

When a school board uses a private firm for assistant language teachers, MEXT says the contract must be a worker-dispatch contract under the Worker Dispatch Act whenever the ALT is employed by the firm and works under the school's direction, whatever the contract is called.
外国語指導助手の契約形態について（通知）（文部科学省）本文 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Team teaching in which the class teacher gives the ALT specific instructions on content or lesson flow, or evaluates the ALT's work, cannot be run under a service contract; MEXT tells boards to switch to the JET Programme, direct employment or a dispatch contract.
外国語指導助手の請負契約による活用について（通知）（文部科学省）本文 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Lists and tables

Holders of Professor, Highly Skilled Professional 1(c) and 2(c), Business Manager, Legal/Accounting Services, Medical Services, Instructor, Intra-company Transferee, Technical Intern Training, Student and Trainee status report changes of the organization where they carry out their activity (group A).
所属機関等に関する届出・所属機関による届出Ｑ＆Ａ（出入国在留管理庁） Aグループ · Checked on 2026-10-22
The Immigration Services Agency lists these statuses as work-permitted: Professor, Artist, Religious Activities, Journalist, Highly Skilled Professional, Business Manager, Legal/Accounting, Medical, Researcher, Instructor, Engineer/Specialist, Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care, Entertainer, Skilled Labor, Specified Skilled Worker and Technical Intern Training.
就労資格の在留諸申請に関連してお問い合わせの多い事項について（Ｑ＆Ａ）令和８年７月Ｑ１就労資格 · Checked on 2026-10-22
Instructor filings use three categories: Category 1 for full-time staff at elementary, junior high, high, secondary and special-needs schools, Category 2 for full-time staff at other institutions, and Category 3 for part-time staff.
在留資格「教育」（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付申請 · Checked on 2026-10-23
Instructor evidence includes a degree or specialist-title certificate, a copy of the teaching licence, proof of 12 years of education in the language to be taught, or proof of 5 years of experience for other subjects.
在留資格「教育」（出入国在留管理庁）在留資格認定証明書交付申請 · Checked on 2026-10-22
For the professional work visas (including Engineer/Specialist, Medical, Instructor, Researcher and Nursing Care) the Japanese mission asks for a passport, visa application form, photo and the certificate of eligibility (original or copy, or the e-certificate), plus extra household-register papers for Chinese nationals.
就業査証：法律・会計業務、医療、研究、教育、技術・人文知識・国際業務、介護（外務省）必要書類 · Checked on 2026-10-22

Recent changes

Ministry of Justice Ordinance No. 12 of Reiwa 8, effective 1 April 2026, widened the vocational-school routes in the standards to cover completion of an advanced course (senko-ka) as well as the specialised course, for Researcher, Instructor, Engineer/Specialist and Student.
上陸基準省令（令和8年4月1日施行版）令和八年法務省令第十二号 · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2026-04-01
In the version of the standards in force from 16 October 2025, the Engineer/Specialist vocational-school clause referred only to completion of the specialised course (senmon katei), without the advanced course.
上陸基準省令（令和7年10月16日施行版）改正前の条文（令和7年10月16日版） · Checked on 2026-10-23 · In force from 2025-10-16
The 1 April 2027 revision of the standards ordinance leaves the clauses for Engineer/Specialist/International Services, Skilled Labor, Instructor and Medical Services word-for-word the same as the current text, so a calculator needs no 2027 switch for them; the changes found elsewhere are for Intra-company Transferee, Nursing Care and the technical-intern row.
出入国管理及び難民認定法第七条第一項第二号の基準を定める省令（令和9年4月1日施行時点）技術・人文知識・国際業務／技能／教育／医療の各項 · Checked on 2026-10-22 · In force from 2027-04-01

Open the official page ↗ · As of 2026-10-23

Information only. Not legal advice and not an official service. Check the official source and consult the Immigration Services Agency or a licensed administrative scrivener (行政書士) before you decide.