I have some questions about teaching English in Japan?

Question:

Well I want to teach English in Japan after university in a few years. I'm going to be majoring in East Asian studies so I will learn Japanese and I will get my ESL or TEFL certificate.
I really want to teach in Tokyo.
- What are my chances of getting a job in Tokyo?
- What are my chances of getting a job in Osaka?
But I know there is a lot of competition for those cities.
So... I guess there's the option of teaching English in another part of Japan, like the country side.
But I'd like to know:
- If I teach over in the country side for a few years (3-4) is it possible for me to switch jobs and be an English teacher in Tokyo after a while?

Thank you very much! :)

Answer:

I really cannot give you much of a feel for what the current climate is like for English teachers in Japan. It's been 21 years since I was there, but I taught almost a year in Tokyo and then almost another 7 outside of Tokyo. In the 80's there were coffee shops a native speaker could go to hang out and make some money just by being there so people could come practice their conversational skills. I know if you want to get hired by any of the top schools where people go to study English, you will need credentials for teaching as well as English from an accredited university.
If your interest in going there is to learn more about the culture and their language, then I recommend you look for somewhere outside of Tokyo or Osaka anyway. I became very frustrated in Tokyo after I began to know enough of their language to venture out on my own and ask questions about places I was going to. In the metropolitan areas there are more people who have enough confidence in their English that even when you ask them a question in Japanese, they often will answer you in English. I'm sure this is appreciated by tourists and anyone with not much more than a basic understanding of Japanese, but to someone attempting to immerse their self in the native culture, it becomes aggravating at best.
If your interest is more to get into one of the many scenes there are in Tokyo, like fashion, music or film, while making a living using your English, then that's good reason to prefer that locale.
As one of the other people answered, I have to agree, it is very expensive to live in Tokyo. Unless you are employed by a very reputable school or company, then you'll want to have a living arrangement where you can live below the standard. You also should not expect to eat the same as you do now because that too will raise your cost of living significantly.
My recommendation is to focus your search on some of the outlying towns near Tokyo or Osaka. Then you can still get in to the city when you want to check out the life there, but it won't cost as much to live. If you get too far out in the country, your chances of finding employment teaching English increase, but I've heard a few horror stories from people who couldn't stand the curious nature of the "country bumpkins". You're better off, especially as a single woman, if you settle somewhere where they're more used to being around foreigners.
I'm not sure about now, but when I was there, it was typical to sign on with one of the tutorial schools for a year and then at the end of that year a person could sign on again or move on to another gig. So to answer your question about finding work in Tokyo later, that is a definite possibility. By then you'll have had a chance to sharpen your teaching skills and make yourself more desirable in a tougher market too.
If you find that you're still interested in continuing more than a year or two, it probably means you've achieved some degree of success in that profession and have not become overly intimidated by the language and cultural differences. By then, if you haven't already met and married someone, I imagine your biggest concern may be securing your visa to legally stay longer. If you marry someone from there, you'll be getting a spouse visa and that makes things quite simple. Your visa won't even have to state what line of work you are there for. If you're there on a work visa, your employer has to be noted on your visa as your sponsor and every time you change employers, you'll have to let the authorities know about it.
Hope I've given you enough to make some good decisions regarding your future. Take care.