The Big Four
There are four major private English conversation schools, or eikaiwa, that you can work for in Japan. They’re collectively known as The Big Four.
NOVA – Easily the largest of the four, its market share is approximately 50%. It was listed on the stock exchange in 1996. It is commonly located near train stations and is marketed as such.
The NOVA recruiting website
GEOS – This company has 510 schools in Japan plus more worldwide. It seems to operate under a similar format to NOVA but they do not offer part-time positions. That means you’ll need a bachelor degree in and field in order to gain a working visa.
The GEOS recruiting website
AEON – This school has 3000 employees in over 300 branches across Japan. It was founded in 1973. The company operates two programs: AEON which focuses primarily on adult education with some kids classes, and AMITY which is solely for teaching English to children. Like GEOS, it doesn’t offer part time positions, so a bachelor degree is required for a working visa.
AEON’s recruiting website
ECC – ECC stands for “Education through Communication for the Community”. It began in 1962 as a language school, and while it still conducts private language education, it has broadened to include school and college programs and even a research department. Again, a bachelor degree is required for application, as part time positions are not offered.
The ECC’s (not very flashy) recruiting website
It is interesting to note that all these schools also offer language classes in other languages, so if you’re fluent in any other language, you may also wish to apply to teach in languages other than English. However, English is easily the language most in demand, and therefore, the easiest to find a job with.
- 
