Ideal time to start teaching in Japan?

[Matthew]

Hello.

I have recently finished my CELTA and hopefully will be looking for TEFL jobs in Japan as soon as I have sorted my house to rent out. Instead of taking the ALT route, I would like to go straight into teaching myself with the possibility of being in Japan for several years (fingers crossed).

Is there an ideal time to start looking for a teaching job in Japan? If there is a standard one year contract, then I would like to pick a start date that expires at a time where there is a reasonable amount of jobs available again to apply for. Not sure if there are 'droughts' of teaching job opportunities for certain periods in the Japanese calender.

Presumably my options are initially limited to private language schools?

Many thanks in advance.

[lynncullivan]

March/April is the standard contract start date, but schools do have openings throughout the year. Now is the time to start applying for jobs in 2010, though -- if you wait until next year, the most desirable schools will have completed their hiring, and you'll wind up working at a big chain school (or trying to scrape together part-time work). Check the schools' application deadlines and start dates, make sure you address both the school's required and preferred experience/education/skill sets, and follow the application instructions. Good luck!

[Matthew]

Hi.

Many thanks for the reply.

I will be looking in the usual places (e.g. 'https://jobs.gaijinpot.com/ ' etc.), but is there many smaller schools that advertise outside of Japan apart from the big chain schools?

Thanks again.