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Junior high school teachers

How to become a Lower Secondary School Teacher

Also called: Junior High School Teacher, Junior High School Nutrition Teacher, Junior High School Health Teacher

Teaches their specialist subject to junior high school students and guides students as a class teacher.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

You can get a junior high school teacher's licence by earning the required credits at a university or similar. You must then pass a teacher recruitment exam run by a prefectural or designated city board of education, or a private school's recruitment exam. Teacher recruitment exams are held for each subject, and those who pass are placed on a list of candidates. After being hired, there is training at key years of service as well as many other training opportunities by subject and role (such as head of academic affairs, head of student guidance, head of careers guidance and year-level head). Important qualities include an understanding of junior high school education as a whole, specialist knowledge and skills in your subject, and understanding of and responsibility for your students. Counselling knowledge and skills are also desirable. To be promoted to vice principal (deputy principal) or principal, you must pass a selection exam. You can also become a supervisor or management officer at a prefectural or municipal board of education, but this too requires passing a selection exam.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Lower Secondary School Teacher?

You can get a junior high school teacher's licence by earning the required credits at a university or similar. You must then pass a teacher recruitment exam run by a prefectural or designated city board of education, or a private school's recruitment exam. Teacher recruitment exams are held for each subject, and those who pass are placed on a list of candidates. After being hired, there is training at key years of service as well as many other training opportunities by subject and role (such as head of academic affairs, head of student guidance, head of careers guidance and year-level head). Important qualities include an understanding of junior high school education as a whole, specialist knowledge and skills in your subject, and understanding of and responsibility for your students. Counselling knowledge and skills are also desirable. To be promoted to vice principal (deputy principal) or principal, you must pass a selection exam. You can also become a supervisor or management officer at a prefectural or municipal board of education, but this too requires passing a selection exam.

How much does a Lower Secondary School Teacher earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥7,351,700 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Elementary and lower secondary school teachers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Lower Secondary School Teacher?

Usually. In this job's census occupation group, 94% of workers are university graduates.

Will AI change the work of a Lower Secondary School Teacher?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026