If you hold a Bachelor's degree and speak fluent English, becoming an Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) is genuinely one of the more accessible ways to relocate legally to Japan with full visa sponsorship.
Unlike a lot of standard jobs that require high level Japanese, ALTs are hired specifically because they are native or fluent English speakers. Japanese public schools recruit this talent directly from abroad, covering your visa paperwork and often helping you sort out housing before you even land.
Here's the step by step picture of how this actually works if you're applying from Nigeria.
What Exactly Is an ALT Job?
An Assistant Language Teacher works directly inside Japanese public elementary, junior high, or high schools.
You work side by side with a Japanese teacher to lead interactive English conversation activities, help with pronunciation and grammar, and share cultural insights about Nigeria (food, music, traditions) with students who are often genuinely curious about the world outside Japan.
The schedule is a stable, standard one. Monday to Friday, roughly 8am to 5pm, with weekends, public holidays, and school vacation periods completely free.
Top Agencies Sponsoring Visas for Overseas Applicants
You don't need to hunt randomly for employers. A few major organizations actively recruit international applicants and handle full visa processing.
Interac is the largest private provider of ALTs in Japan, employing thousands of foreign teachers, with a dedicated overseas recruitment channel and hiring cycles running throughout the year.
Borderlink is another well regarded educational agency that recruits directly from abroad, known for strong support systems including help finding an apartment, setting up a Japanese bank account, and managing local taxes.
The JET Programme is the prestigious, government backed option. It's genuinely competitive and runs through a formal application process via the Japanese Embassy, but it's worth knowing Nigeria is an official JET participating country, and the programme tends to offer some of the strongest entry level compensation among ALT routes, along with covered airfare to Japan.
What You'll Actually Need
To get through the screening process at both the agency and immigration stage, you'll generally need a few core things in place.
A Bachelor's degree in any field. It doesn't need to be in Education or English specifically.
Evidence that a substantial part of your education was conducted in English. Schools and agencies vary in exactly how they assess this, but having documentation showing English as your primary language of instruction throughout your academic history strengthens your application considerably.
A clean criminal record, verified through a police clearance report during the visa stage.
A Genuine Edge Worth Considering: TEFL Certification
Because a large number of applicants apply to these agencies every cycle, a degree alone doesn't always make you stand out the way it used to.
Holding an accredited TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate, commonly a 120 hour course, isn't a strict requirement at most agencies, but it's a genuinely useful edge. It signals to recruiters that you understand lesson planning and classroom management, not just that you happen to speak English fluently.
If you're weighing whether it's worth the time and cost, think of it less as mandatory paperwork and more as the thing that moves your application further up the pile when a recruiter is comparing you against someone with a similar degree but no teaching background.
Once you're actually inside a Japanese workplace, even a school setting comes with its own set of unwritten social rules that nobody really explains upfront. Our guide to the unwritten rules of Japanese work culture is worth reading before your first week, not after you've already had an awkward moment in the staff room.
Clearing the Visa Stage
Once an ALT agency issues your employment contract, your next real hurdle is the Certificate of Eligibility and the visa submission process through VFS Global in Lagos or Abuja.
A single formatting error on your paperwork can genuinely delay your relocation by months, which is a rough way to lose time after doing everything else right.
We've broken down exactly how the Certificate of Eligibility process works if you want the full picture before you're standing at the counter under pressure.
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What Should You Actually Expect to Earn?
ALT pay varies by agency and region, and it's genuinely worth going in with realistic numbers rather than guessing. If you want the fuller picture of how Japanese salaries actually break down by visa category and role, including where ALT positions tend to land in that range, our salary breakdown covers exactly that.
And once you've got an offer in hand, converting that number into what it actually buys you day to day matters more than the headline figure alone.
Getting There Is Only the First Step
Landing the ALT job and clearing your visa is a real milestone, but it's the start of the process, not the end of it. If you're still working out how this pathway compares to the other legitimate ways people move to Japan, our full breakdown of the main routes is worth reading alongside this one.
And if you're getting close to actually booking your flight, our free Japan Move Starter Checklist walks through what to prepare before you land, separate from the visa documents themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to speak Japanese to become an ALT?
No. ALT positions are specifically built around your English fluency. That said, learning even basic conversational Japanese makes daily life, staff room interactions, and settling in considerably easier once you're there. Our guide on learning Japanese from scratch is a solid place to start whenever you're ready.
Which agency should I apply to first?
It depends on your priorities. JET tends to offer the strongest pay and covered airfare but is the most competitive and slowest process. Interac and Borderlink run continuous hiring cycles and can move faster, with Borderlink in particular known for stronger settling-in support.
Is a TEFL certificate actually required?
Not universally required, but genuinely helpful. Treat it as a competitive edge rather than a locked gate, especially if your degree isn't in Education or English.
How long does the whole process typically take?
This varies significantly by agency and your own document readiness, but budgeting several months from application to actually landing in Japan is realistic, especially if you're going the JET route.
Are you ready to start your journey as an ALT in Japan? Drop a comment below if you want a sample list of interview questions asked by Interac and Borderlink.
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