Interested in Teaching English in Japan? Wondering what it takes? While I can't attest to the program or experience itself (yet), I can give an account on my application process.

Before seriously considering this move, I had only heard of the JET program (it seems to be the most popular...most folks ask me if that's who I'm going through), but in addition to their popularity, they also have a November deadline. Fortunately, there are other established and reputable programs that offer the same opportunity and accept applications through January. Here are the ones that I looked into:

• Heart School
• Language House (Business English)
• Interac
• Teach Away
• Aeonet
• Aclipse

Google Translate works wonders for the ones written in Japanese. And for supplemental reading, there are also tons of forums out there where English Teachers congregate to talk about all facets of their experience, including employer reviews. But just like any other forum, there are trolls so use your best judgment to discern and extract useful info posts.

• EltNews
• GaijinPot
• EslCafe
• ELTWorld

I liked a few of the companies but ultimately decided to continue with Interac. And because I applied at the tail end of the application window, the whole ordeal only took about 3 weeks:

• January 24th - Applied Online
• January 27th - Received request for follow-up essays and turned them in the same day
• January 30th - Interview with Interac in Los Angeles, CA. This consisted of a presentation on teacher life in Japan, a mock lesson where I taught my fellow applicants, a basic grammar test, a personality test and a 1-on-1 interview
• February 12th - Received Offer

...and that's how I got the job