Teaching English in Japan with a CELTA?

Question:

I am soon to graduate from my Masters degree in Screenwriting. I also have a BA (Hons) Film Studies. I understand that these are unsuitable degrees to be teaching English with so I am going to take a 4 week intensive CELTA. I am wondering with these qualifications, would I be able to find a teaching job?

Answer:

In general you'll need a degree (although there are still possibilities if you do not have this) and a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate to get a visa and work.

The degree can be in almost any subject as it is usually required for the visa only so you will find teachers with a degree in Engineering or Sociology. Having said this, to help get the job it's obviously better to be English or language related, for example a degree in English literature.

The TEFL certificate can be taken either in-house or online at your own pace which is a much cheaper option (see http://icalweb.com). A CELTA is a great certificate but probably not the best to take without experience; it's very intense, very expensive and without prior knowledge you could well find it too hard (many do).