Students looking for an English tutor in Japan
I need an English tutor
Tell us the level, the goal and roughly when you are free. The request goes up without your name or contact details on it, and tutors reply through us, so you are not publishing your email to the open web.
I teach English
List yourself and answer requests as they come in. Listing is free while the board is being built, and you decide what of your profile is public.
This side of the board is new, so there is nothing to show yet in Japan. Everything here is posted by real people who asked to be listed: we do not copy tutor profiles from other sites, so it starts empty rather than starting fake.
How tuition requests work in Japan
- A student or parent posts what they need. Level, goal, whether they want lessons online or in person, and roughly what they can pay.
- We publish it anonymously. The listing shows the level, the area and the kind of lessons wanted. It does not show a name, an email, a phone number or an address, and a request from a parent about a child says so without identifying the child.
- Tutors reply through the board. The reply reaches the person who posted; their address is never handed out, and they choose whether to answer.
What we will not do
We do not copy tutor profiles or student enquiries from other sites. Every person listed here asked to be. That means this side of the board fills up more slowly than one built from scraped profiles, and it means nobody finds themselves advertised here without having agreed to it.
Paying a tutor
Rates vary far too much by country, level and whether lessons are online to quote a figure honestly, and we would rather say so than invent a range. Agree the rate, the cancellation terms and how you will pay before the first lesson, and be wary of anyone asking for a large block of lessons up front.
Jobs in Japan, by email
One email a week with new tuition requests in Japan. No account, no charge, and a quiet week means no email.
Private English tuition in Japan runs alongside two large organised sectors: the eikaiwa conversation schools, and the juku cram schools that prepare children for entrance exams. Understanding which of those a student’s expectations come from tells you most of what you need to know about the lessons they want.
A student arriving from an eikaiwa background usually wants fluent conversation practice with a native speaker and is comparatively relaxed about accuracy. A student arriving from juku expectations wants structure, measurable progress and exam results, and will often have a specific target in mind. The most common of those targets are Eiken, which is deeply embedded in the school system, and TOEIC, which many employers use for promotion and hiring decisions. TOEFL and IELTS appear with people planning to study abroad.
Adult demand is heavily shaped by work. Business English, presentation practice and preparation for a transfer overseas are steady, and a great deal of it now happens online in the evening around a long working day. Lessons in the early morning before work are also normal, which is unusual compared with most of Europe.
A cultural note worth taking seriously: punctuality and preparation are read as respect. Turning up with a clear plan for the lesson, and finishing on time rather than running over, matters more here than it does in a lot of markets, and it is frequently what gets a tutor recommended on to someone else.
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Common questions
What is Eiken and why does it keep coming up?
Eiken is Japan’s own English proficiency test, graded in levels, and it is woven into the school system: results can count towards school and university admission, and children are often working towards a particular grade on a deadline. If you tutor school-age students in Japan, you will be asked about it, and knowing the format of the grade your student is sitting is the single most useful preparation you can do.
Do tutors need Japanese?
For adult conversation work, little or none, and plenty of students specifically want an English-only lesson. For younger children, for absolute beginners, and for dealing with parents about scheduling and payment, some Japanese makes life considerably easier. Being honest about your level up front avoids an awkward first lesson.
Is online tuition normal in Japan?
Yes, and it is a large part of the market, particularly for working adults fitting lessons around long hours. In-person tuition still matters for young children and in the big metropolitan areas. Time zones are also an opportunity: a tutor outside Japan can take the early-morning and late-evening slots that local tutors find least convenient.