If you are currently on INSTRUCTOR visa status as an English teacher or ATL (assistant language teacher) and are considering working at private language schools, remember that you cannot engage in teaching at private language schools under INSTRUCTOR visa status.
Some owners/representatives of English language school don’t know the difference and offer you a teaching job or even hire you no matter which visa status you are currently on.
So, you must be careful and ask the immigration office or visa professional whether you can engage in the teaching job before you actually work there.
You are violating the law if you engage in the job which is not allowed under your current visa status. You will be in trouble when you applying for visa renewal next time or Permanent Resident status in the future even if it looks there is no problem at this moment. |
Difference of INSTRUCTOR and HUMANITIES visa status (in case of ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR)
You can work as an English language teacher or ALT under both INSTRUCTOR and HUMANITIES. The difference is the WORKPLACE where you teach English.
INSTRUCTOR: to engage in working as an English teacher/instructor teaching at elementary, junior high, high schools or other educational organizations/schools prescribed by the School Education Law.
HUMANITIES (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/Int’l Services): to engage in working as an English teacher/instructor teaching at private English/language schools or corporate entities which are not applicable to schools prescribed by the School Education Law.
Things You Must Do When you want to teach at an English Language school (both full-time and part-time).
In order to teach language at private schools which is not prescribed by the School Education Law, you will need to obtain ENGINEER/HUMANITIES visa status. Therefore, you must change your visa status or obtain a permission called “Shikakugai Katsudo Kyoka/資格外活動許可 (Permission to engage in other activity)” to teach language at private schools BEFORE you actually engage in working there.
- In case you quit your current job and start working at a private school as a full time English teacher: apply for CHANGE of VISA STATUS from INSTRUCTOR to ENGINEER/HUMANITIES. You can engage in the full-time job AFTER you receive new Residence Card under Humanities visa status.
- In case you start teaching at a private school as a part-time English teacher while working at a public high school as an full time English Teacher: apply for PERMISSION to ENGAGE in OTHER ACTIVITY (* you must do it with approval of the high school). You can engage in the part-time job AFTER you receive the PERMISSION (a sticker) on your passport.
