English Teacher Salary in Japan 2025: Real Data From 200+ Jobs

We looked at more than 200 job listings from the last 12 months (April 2024 to April 2025) – 207, to be exact. This is what we found.

Remember that the average pay means there are jobs that pay above and others that pay below the average.

In a nutshell: 

• Average Full-Time Salary: ¥273,640 per month ($1,826 per month)
• Average Part-Time Salary: ¥128,125 per month ($855 per month) 

Why the bump? Many part-time or freelance roles pay more per hour, compared to a full-time hourly rate.

• Part-time/freelance: around ¥3,050 ($20) an hour
• Full-time:  ¥1,740 ($12) an hour

 Where can you expect above-average salaries in Japan?

Japan is a vast country of over 123 million people. It is divided into different-sized cities, towns, villages and special wards. Tokyo is the biggest city, with 9.9 million people. Kitakyushu is one of the smallest cities, with 0.9 million inhabitants. In contrast, Aogashima-mura is a tiny village of just 170 residents. 

As you can imagine, salaries differ according to where you are working. International schools, private schools, and specialised institutions (like universities or study abroad programs) tend to pay above-average salaries. These teaching posts are more likely to be found in bigger cities. 

On the whole, English teaching positions in major cities pay better on average than in smaller cities, towns and villages, but that comes with a corresponding higher cost of living. 

But of course, even though you may earn less in a smaller city, your yen may go further than in the big cities. Lower salary, more spending money.

Our research found that the highest salary for a full-time role was ¥560,000 ($3,800) a month in Bunkyo Ku, a ward of Tokyo. This is quite a lot more than the average – almost ¥300,000 ($2,000) above, in fact.

The highest salary for a smaller city we found in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, which has a population of almost a million people. The salary for this position was  ¥400,000/month ($2,700). 

Freelance and part-time roles show extreme variation — some offer lucrative pay, while others barely exceed minimum wage. Of course, these hours might not be a teacher’s main source of income. Freelancers and part-time teachers often teach as a side hustle to supplement their income.

For part-time roles, the highest was ¥6,200 ($42) an hour, in Tokyo. The highest part-time rate for a smaller city was ¥4,000 ($27) an hour. 

The lowest salary for full-time roles was ¥220,000 ($1,500) a month, in a small town called Matsusaka City, Mie. The lowest salary in a major city was ¥230,000 ($1,600) a month. 

Yes, English teachers can expect higher salaries in international schools and universities and in bigger cities. But it also affects how much of your salary you get to keep. 

However, the difference between how much major cities and smaller cities pay, on average, is only about ¥17,000 ($120) a month. You’re most likely to keep more of your salary teaching in smaller cities. 

Read more: What’s The Cost Of Living In Japan For TEFL Teachers?

Yes, it does. In Japan, teaching older students is more lucrative than teaching younger students (according to our research).

The number of posts for Junior/Senior High School posts was small in number compared to others, but their average salary was much higher at ¥350,000 ($2,400) a month.

Teaching young adults (18–30), often with a focus on study abroad preparation, and teaching Business English also pays above average, but these roles are not as common. Understandably, these positions are highly sought after by TEFL teachers.

Read more: Teaching English For Exams Vs General English

For some positions, yes.

Of the full-time jobs that pay ¥280,000 ($1,900) or more (above average), 75% of them explicitly require or prefer teaching experience. 

40% of jobs that paid above-average required or preferred a TEFL/TESOL certificate. 50% of jobs paying approximately average salaries did not specify whether TEFL is required or preferred. 

This suggests that experienced TEFL teachers are more likely to land an above-average-paying TEFL job, which is not surprising.

But what is clear is that a degree, in whatever field, is often required, not only in most jobs, but in most jobs that pay above-average. 

30% of jobs that paid above-average were international school positions. While it’s usually the case that international schools pay higher salaries than other schools, it could also be the case that our research simply included a high number of international schools. 

We know that the JET program pays above-average salaries –  ¥280,000 ($1,900) a month for first-year teachers. Universities also pay above average. 

Read more: The Pros And Cons Of The JET Program

Benefits are compensation a worker receives above their salary. This can include paid time off, professional development sponsorship, travel allowances, or, in the case of English teaching jobs, allowances for food and accommodation. 

From our research, we didn’t see any better benefits with an increased salary. There isn’t any evidence that suggests that jobs that pay above-average also offer better benefits. 

However, what we noticed is that you’re more likely to get weekday-only schedules at better-paying jobs.

If you’d like to find out more about how to be an English teacher in Japan, check out our blog post: 4 Ways To Live And Work In Japan.