Life After ALT, in Reality
Most ALTs will not stay ALTs forever. In fact, most ALTs will return to their home countries.
Of course, if you are interested in working in Japan long term, while you’re still an ALT is a great time to start job hunting. You’re in the country legally, can start working as soon as your ALT contract ends, and have experience in a Japanese workplace.
Should be easy… right?
Your options after ALT work depend heavily on a few concrete factors:
- Japanese language ability
- Skills developed before and during ALT work
- Willingness to relocate to (or near) Tokyo
- Visa requirements and sponsorship needs
This article focuses on realistic post-ALT career paths, not edge cases or miracle success stories. Exceptions always exist, but you can’t build a plan around being the exception.
We’re also assuming you’ll still need visa support after ALT work. If you already have permanent residency, spousal status, or unrestricted work rights, your options expand, but the underlying realities remain.
We’re not here to doom you or hype you. We’re here to help you make informed decisions about what comes next.
The Two Biggest Filters That Shape Your Options
1. Japanese Language Ability
Many jobs in Japan are “open to foreigners.” Most are functionally closed without formal business Japanese ability and an understanding of Japanese workplace culture.
Formal business Japanese is not the Japanese you use with students, and it’s not even the Japanese you studied for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLTP). It’s closer to the Japanese used in those school meetings where you struggling to follow the flow, register shifts in tone, and track unspoken expectations.
This matters even more if being bilingual is your only marketable skill.
Regardless of your self-assessment, you do need to take and pass the highest level of the JLPT you are capable of. Actual certification, not self-assessment will be the standard used by most employers at the resume screening stage
In very broad terms:
Below N3/Self-Assessment Only
Options are extremely limited outside of ESL.
N3
Possible to move outside teaching only if you already have in-demand technical skills.
N2
This is the threshold where non-teaching employers will seriously consider you. You’ll still need:
- Formal business Japanese
- Industry-specific vocabulary
- Japanese workplace manners
If you’re lacking these things, you will struggle in the interview stages. For most Japanese employers, “business level Japanese” doesn’t just mean “can express their thoughts about business in Japanese.” It means “can actually function in a Japanese business environment as a professional.”
In other words, you’re not just being evaluated on your vocabulary, grammar, and ability to express yourself. You’re being evaluated on if you use kenjougo and sonkeigo correctly, if you thank the interviewer for asking you questions, and if you can “read the air” (空気を読む, kuuki o yomu).
N1
Looks stronger than N2, but it’s not magic. N1 unfortunately emphasizes academic vocabulary and obscure literary grammar rather than practical workplace fluency.
While N1 is more likely to get you the interview than N2, you’ll still need to work on formal Japanese, industry-specific vocabulary, and Japanese workplace manners.
The days when abstract language ability alone was enough to get a good job in Japan are long gone.
2. Location Reality
Most non-teaching jobs for foreigners in Japan are in Tokyo.
You’ll occasionally see openings in Yokohama, Osaka, or Nagoya. They’re rare, and they often demand near-native Japanese ability. Job postings in smaller regional cities are almost non-existent outside of teaching or CIR work.
Rural ALT experience is still valuable, since it means you’ll get more exposure to the culture and langue. But staying rural long-term usually means:
- Education-related work
- Fully remote freelance work
If you want to stay in rural Japan and work outside teaching, you’ll most likely need to become your own boss.
Common Post-ALT Career Paths
English Education
Many people come to Japan because they want to teach, and many stay in education.
If you started on JET or with a dispatch company, there are ways to continue while building a more stable career:
- Direct-hire ALT positions (higher pay than dispatch)
- Private schools
- International schools
- University lecturer roles
- Curriculum/management/training roles at dispatch companies
Advancement often requires formal teaching credentials in addition to experience. At a minimum, you should looking into getting ESL certifications like TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA.
Without formal certification, you will hit a ceiling fairly quickly. While pay improves as you move up the ladder, it generally lags behind other industries.
No matter the country, teaching is more of a calling than a profession!
Translation/Interpretation vs. Localization
Becoming a translator/interpreter is also common long-term goal for ALTs. But it’s a difficult field to enter in Japan, particularly if you need visa support.
The reality is that most translators and interpreters in Japan work freelance or contract. Full-time “translation only” jobs are rare, and the translation/interpretation roles that do exist are evolving into dual roles that combine language work with other responsibilities.
Localization roles are a good example. These types of roles include skills beyond just language, such as:
- Project coordination
- English content writing
- Market and cultural knowledge
It’s less “accurately render this material in another language,” more “how do we successfully repackage this content for a new market.”
Even with more traditional translation/interpretation roles, specialization matters. Technical, legal, or medical translators do far better than generalists. After all, each field has specialized vocabulary and concepts generalists won’t understand.
Regardless of the type of language-focused role you want to get into, taking the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) is a non-negotiable. If companies don’t see at least N2 certification on your resume, you will not be considered in the vast majority of cases.
IT and Tech
Despite downturns elsewhere, demand for bilingual tech talent remains relatively strong in Japan.
Common roles include:
- Web development
- QA and testing
- IT support
- Technical project coordination
In this industry, technical skills matter just as much as Japanese ability. Certifications, formal training, and demonstrable experience will take you further than language ability and ALT experience alone.
That said, roles where zero Japanese is required are still relatively rare and limited Japanese ability will still limit your career growth.
Recruiting, HR, and Staffing
This is a natural transition for many ALTs.
Recruiting firms value people who can bridge foreign job seekers and Japanese companies. Strong Japanese ability is still required in order consult with clients, but strong English communication skills are needed to gain trust from candidates.
Common roles include:
- Bilingual recruiter
- Talent coordinator
- HR operations
These roles sit somewhere between sales and consulting, and cross-cultural communication is the core skill.
Tourism, Hospitality, and International Services
This path appeals to people who want to leave teaching but still need to build Japanese ability.
Examples include:
- Hotels
- Resorts
- Tourism boards
- Travel companies
These roles can be good for learning business Japanese and professional etiquette, but they come with trade-offs:
- Lower pay, especially at entry level
- Long hours
- Very strict customer service expectations
There’s also a risk that you’ll be viewed as “just a hospitality person,” making transfer to other fields difficult.
Sales
Sales is one of the highest-paying paths available to bilingual professionals in Japan.
The word “sales” can conjure images of door-to-door salesmen, telemarketers, used car salesmen and other undesirable forms of life. Most people’s experience with sales involves high-pressure tactics and slimy half-truths.
That type of sales is unfortunately common in B2C (Business to Consumer) sales. And while those types of role do exist in Japan, most bilingual sales positions involve B2B (business to business) sales.
B2B sales does not reward this type of mindset. Instead of selling an individual a product they don’t need, you’re selling a company a product they will have to buy somewhere – selling tires to car companies, circuit boards to electronics companies, ingredients to restraunts.
The goal isn’t to make a quick sale and move on, it’s to build a mutually lucrative ongoing relationship. This is true cultural bridge work. You’re expected to help both sides understand each other’s expectations and constraints. It’s still very demanding, but rewarding if you have the personality for it.
Bilingual sales talent is in demand particular by Japanese companies looking to sell their products with international companies. Common industries include manufacturing (particularly automotive), food and beverage, and industrial machinery.
Going Home
If you view ALT work as a way to Japan, this may be the last thing you want to see. But the reality is, most ALTs will eventually decide to go back home.
Some leave because careers plateau. Some because priorities change. Some realize Japan isn’t the right long-term fit.
But just because you leave Japan, that doesn’t mean your relationship with Japan has to end. ALT experience can still be valuable in:
- International companies
- Education
- Government
- NGOs
Japanese language ability can be an even bigger differentiator outside Japan, where fewer people speak it.
Leaving Japan does not make your ALT experience wasted. What matters is how you used the time and how you present the skills you developed.
What Employers Actually Care About
While ALT experience can be a career booster, you need to know how to present it to potential employers. If you don’t know how to explain the experience, interviewers will assume you were “just a teacher.”
Employers care about:
- Hard skills that you used
- Formal certifications you obtained
- Japanese certification
- A clear career narrative
They do not care:
- How many students you taught
- That you helped with the English speech contest
- That ALT work was “hard”
- Japan is “your passion”
- You “learned a lot about yourself”
Particularly with resumes, it’s important not to waste page space on the minutia of the position. Use one bullet to explain that you were an ESL teacher, and the rest to highlight:
- Projects you led
- Hard skills you used
- Translation, coordination, or leadership work
- Tailor emphasis to the target role
Don’t bury your transferable skills under trivia.
What to Read Next
How to Get the Most Out of Being an ALT
Using ALT time to build real career capital.
Jobs and Industries for ALT Alumni (Overseas Edition)
How Japanese ability plays differently outside Japan.
Thinking about becoming an ALT? Get the full guide, from applying to arriving, in So You Want to Be an ALT.
ALT Roadmap 