Japanese schools are competitive and many teachers want to distinguish themselves from the pool of applicants by getting some kind of certification. All certifications, however, are not created equal, and employers are becoming aware of this.

The best qualification is a post graduate diploma or higher in TESOL or education. If that is not feasible, CELTA and Trinity TESOL are both well respected. Many people, however, are turned off by the fact that these courses are generally not available on line.

If you decide to take an online course, it is important to make sure the course is accredited and involves a practical component and feedback. Many online courses are only involve reading handouts and are not so different than self-study- to really improve your skills you need a course that will offer more than just a "read and repeat" class.

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