Recruitment FAQs
Employers are divided into three categories. Please check the relevant information in each category.
- Overseas-hire teachers
- Local-hire teachers and teaching assistants
- Business group (non-education) staff
Overseas-hire teachers
Where is the British School in Tokyo?
BST is located in the western part of central Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. We have 2 campuses; one is about 10 minutes’ walk Shibuya station, on the Yamanote line, about halfway between Shibuya and Harajuku, for students from Nursery to Year 3. Year 4 and up students are on a campus on Showa Women’s University near Sangenjaya station in Setagaya-ku, which is two stops from Shibuya on the Den-en Toshi line.
The Primary school will move to a brand new campus from the 2023/24 academic year, located in Toranomon-Azabudai, within a 10 minute walk the nearest stations Kamiyacho, on the Hibiya line, and Roppongi Ichome on the Namboku line.
What kind of school is BST?
We are an inclusive, co-educational school from Nursery through to Year 13. We broadly follow the National Curriculum of England and we follow the UK school year, from September to July with 180 contact teaching days.
Do you have any requirements regarding qualifications or experience?
- Teachers must have a recognised teaching qualification, either a UK qualification, such as a B.Ed. or PGCE, or a qualification from your home country that allows you to work in a state school.
- Usually our teachers have had recent experience of teaching in the British system in the UK or overseas but this is not always the case.
Where do you advertise?
We advertise on our website and in the Times Educational Supplement (usually both online and in print). We also occasionally use some other teaching based websites like Teach Apply, the Guardian Schools Recruitment and Teaching Abroad Direct.
How do I apply?
- Please complete the online BST application form
aton our job postings page https://www.bst.ac.jp/community/working-at-bst and upload your supporting documents such as a cover letter, up-to-date CV and recent photograph of you. Incomplete applications will not be considered. - Please make sure that any files submitted are not too large, and are in an appropriate format to be emailed or uploaded.
- Please resize photographs before sending (800x600px or smaller is fine)
Can I apply from overseas?
Yes, most of our classroom teachers are recruited from outside of Japan.
I’m not British, can I apply?
Yes, BST is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all potential candidates.
When will I hear back from you?
You will receive an automatic reply from us acknowledging your application. After this we will then only contact successfully short-listed candidates, although we may contact you and ask for references prior to short-listing.
How is the interview process conducted?
Short listed candidates are initially interviewed in various stages via video call. Then, depending on the post, Head Teachers may visit the UK, other European countries and countries close to Japan in order to conduct final stages in person.
Throughout the pandemic this was not possible due to the major travel restrictions we experienced, however for teaching posts commencing in the academic year 2023/24, an in person element will certainly form part of the process for some roles.
Do you cover interview travel expenses?
Yes, if you incur travel costs please let your interviewer know and they will pass you an expenses reimbursement form – please return to BST with receipts.
What does the school benefits package cover?
The benefits package for teachers, in addition to salary, is as follows:
- Subsidised accommodation.
- Additional 5% of salary as a pension contribution.
- Annual home leave flight allowance.
- Relocation flight and shipping to and from Japan.
- Health insurance.
- Daily commuting allowance.
- Subsidised places at BST for dependent children.
What does the school cover in terms of relocation?
We provide a single economy class air ticket from you home location (or where you are recruited from) to Japan when you join and also a single economy class ticket back to the UK when you leave – this is for teachers and dependant family members.
We also provide a generous relocation allowance for belongings based on a volume shipment from your point of recruitment to Japan and back again. The volume differs for single teachers and families.
Does BST sponsor visas for non-Japanese staff?
Yes, we ensure all overseas hired full-time and part-time staff have a valid work visa when they start with BST. We will also arrange visas for dependent family members. Please note that the sponsorship process can take 6-to-8 weeks, and at times is had been much longer throughout the pandemic.
In order to be eligible for a work visa in Japan you must have a degree. We do not sponsor visas or arrange work permits for supply staff. Please note that Japan Immigration does not allow dependant visas for unmarried couples, so we will not be able to arrange visas for boy/girlfriends or fiancés. Same-sex couples are not able to obtain spouse visas even if they are married.
Can I work before my visa is ready?
No, it is illegal.
Can I get a discount on school fees if I send my children to BST?
Yes, if you have dependent children of school age they will be eligible for a place at BST (assuming their English is of an appropriate standard) with teaching staff discounts. Please contact the HR department for more details.
Do I need to be able to speak English?
Yes, the language of the school is English therefore a reasonable degree of proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
What about Japanese?
No, Japanese is not a requirement for classroom teacher roles.
What checks are done on applicants?
We take safeguarding very seriously and require successful applicants to obtain an enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) or ICPC (International Child Protection Certificate) check, or national equivalent. We will also ask for three professional references, one of which should be your current or most recent Head Teacher.
Local-hire teachers and teaching assistants
Where is the British School in Tokyo?
What kind of school is BST?
- Teachers must have a recognised teaching qualification, either a UK qualification, such as a B.Ed. or PGCE, or a qualification from your home country that allows you to work in a state school.
- Usually our teachers have had recent exposure to teaching in the British system in the UK or overseas but this is not always the case.
How do I apply?
- Please complete the online BST application form at https://www.bst.ac.jp/community/working-at-bst and upload along with a cover letter, up-to-date CV and recent photograph of you. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- If there are no jobs listed that are suitable you can send your CV through to us at bstrecruit@bst.ac.jp
- Please do not send additional documents, especially large .pdf or .jpeg photos/scans of passport copies, diplomas, references etc. They will block up the system and will go straight in the bin.
- Please resize photographs before sending (800x600px or smaller is fine)
Can I apply from overseas?
I’m not British, can I apply?
When will I hear back from you?
You will receive an automatic reply from us acknowledging your application. After this we will then only contact successfully short-listed candidates, although we may contact you and ask for references prior to short-listing.
Where will I be interviewed?
Interviews for TA and local-hire teacher positions take place at BST, on either campus.
Do you cover interview travel expenses?
No.
What does the school benefits package cover?
The benefits package for local-hire teachers and teaching assistants, in addition to salary, is as follows:
- Health insurance
- Daily commuting allowance
Does BST sponsor visas for non-Japanese staff?
Yes, we ensure all full-time and part-time staff have a valid work visa when they start with BST. We will also arrange visas for dependant family members. Please note that the sponsorship process can take 6-to-8 weeks.
In order to be eligible for a work visa in Japan you must have a degree. We do not sponsor visas or arrange work permits for supply staff. Please note that Japan Immigration does not allow dependant visas for unmarried couples, so we will not be able to arrange visas for boy/girlfriendsor fiancés. Same-sex couples are not able to obtain spouse visas even if they are married.
Can I work before my visa is ready?
No, it is illegal.
I am a dependent, can I work at BST?
- If you have a degree – yes, we can arrange a work visa for you.
- If you don’t have a degree – yes, we can arrange a work permit to go along with your dependant-visa status; however you will only be able to work for a maximum of 28 hours per week.
Can I get a discount on school fees if I send my children to BST?
No, there are no discounted places for children of locally-hired teachers or teaching assistants.
Do I need to be able to speak English?
Yes, the language of the school is English therefore a high degree of proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
What about Japanese?
This is not necessary for teachers or TAs, though it is beneficial to the school as we have Japanese speaking students.
What checks are done on applicants?
We take safeguarding very seriously and look for successful applicants to obtain an enhanced DBS(Disclosure & Barring Service) or ICPC (International Child Protection Certificate) check, or national equivalent where possible. We will also ask for at least two references.
Business group (non-education) staff
Where is the British School in Tokyo?
BST is located in the western part of central Tokyo, the capital city of Japan. We have 2 campuses; one is about 10 minutes’ walk Shibuya station, on the Yamanote line, about halfway between Shibuya and Harajuku, for students from Nursery to Year 3. Year 4 and up students are on a campus on Showa Women’s University near Sangenjaya station in Setagaya-ku, which is two stops from Shibuya on the Den-en Toshi line.
The Primary school will move to a brand new campus from the 2023/24 academic year, located in Toranomon-Azabudai, within a 10 minute walk the nearest stations Kamiyacho, on the Hibiya line, and Roppongi Ichome on the Namboku line.
What kind of school is BST?
We are an inclusive, co-educational school from Nursery through to Year 13. We broadly follow the National Curriculum of England, and we follow the UK school year, from September to July with 180 contact teaching days.
Where do you advertise?
We usually advertise for business group positions on our website and on from time to time on some local recruitment partners.
How do I apply?
- Please complete the online BST application form on our job postings page https://www.bst.ac.jp/community/working-at-bst and upload your supporting documents such as a cover letter, up-to-date CV and recent photograph of you. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- Please make sure that any files submitted are not too large, and are in an appropriate format to be emailed or uploaded.
- Please resize photographs before sending (800x600px or smaller is fine)
When will I hear back from you?
You will receive an automatic reply from us acknowledging your application. After this we will then only contact successfully short-listed candidates, although we may contact you and ask for references prior to short-listing.
How will I be interviewed?
The interview process for business group positions usually includes both online video interviews and at least one in person interview at one of our campuses.
Do you cover interview travel expenses?
No.
What does the school benefits package cover?
The benefits package for business group staff, in addition to salary, is as follows:
- Health insurance
- Daily commuting allowance
- Generous holiday allowance
Does BST sponsor visas for non-Japanese staff?
Business group staff are mostly recruited on a local-hire basis, and thus are expected to have the relevant visa status to work in Japan for the role they are applying for.
Do I need to be able to speak English?
Yes, the language of the school is English, therefore a business level proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
What about Japanese?
For some business group roles a minimum of business level Japanese is required, and in general some level of competency is preferable for roles that do not have this as a pre-requisite.
What checks are done on applicants?
We take safeguarding very seriously and successful applicants for business group positions are hired on the basis of both a background check (conducted by a third party vendor) plus three
references being provided to a satisfactory level.