[Sangetsu]

You have two options, the first being to stay in Japan with a working holiday visa. If you are a British subject between 18 and 30 you can stay for up to one year. You are also permitted to get a part time job to finance your stay.

Second, if you are over 30, then you would have to obtain a regular work visa, and be sponsored by a Japanese employer. English schools are the best option here. You will earn a minimum of 250,000 yen per month, which is not bad for the amount of real work you do.

You can obtain the visa by applying to an English school from your country, and be interviewed over the telephone, or in person, if interviews are being held in your country. Paperwork would be submitted in the UK, and you would get a visa from the Japanese embassy there.

The last option would be to come to Japan, and get an automatic 90 day tourist visa, then apply at an English school during your stay. If you are hired, they will assist you in converting your tourist visa to a work visa.

If you want to teach (it is the easiest way to get into Japan), be sure to brush up on your grammar. Most schools will require that you take a grammar test of some type. Though Japanese students don't necessarily speak or understand much English, they are taught the rules of grammar in high school. Often a new teacher will get stuck on a point of grammar, and the student will end up explaining the point to the teacher, which can be a little embarrassing.

Lastly, don't get stuck in Japan. If your plan is to stay a year, then stay one year and go home. Many people come to Japan, stay for a number of years, and then find that they are tired of teaching English part time, but have spent so much time in Japan that they can't really get into a profession when they return home. If you find you love living in Japan, then by all means stay, but if you don't, stick to your plan to return home.

Good luck,