As of May 2022, around 423.4 thousand full-time teachers were working at Japanese elementary schools. That year, over 19 thousand elementary schools were in operation in Japan, indicating an average of around 22 full-time teachers per elementary school.
Teaching license in Japan
Following educational reform in 1949, it became a standard for universities in Japan to offer training courses for students to become elementary or middle school teachers in their education departments. After completing required courses at national or private universities, or junior colleges, students are granted teaching certificates. Holders of this certificate are eligible to take highly competitive prefectural examinations to obtain their teaching license in the corresponding prefecture. With the country’s declining birth rates, the number of pupils enrolled in Japanese elementary schools has dropped by approximately one million within the past two decades. This development could toughen the competition among aspiring teachers, as demand for teaching staff will reduce.
Working conditions for teachers in Japan
As for income and employment, teaching in Japan is considered to be a comparatively stable and desirable job, especially since teachers are granted tenure for life after completing a one-year internship following their license obtainment. The prefectural board of education assigns teachers to their schools and rotates them every three to five years to ensure consistent quality at all facilities. On the other hand, according to the TALIS survey held by the OECD in 2018, Japan came second to last out of fifty participating countries regarding job satisfaction among teachers. One of the biggest reasons for this dissatisfaction was the average working hours of 56 hours per week among junior high school teachers, much higher than in any other surveyed country – the average was around 38 hours a week.
Number of full-time teachers in educational institutions in Japan in 2022, by institution type
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Number of teachers in thousands
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*Special needs education schools are schools for mentally and/or physically challenged children, inclusive of kindergarten to upper secondary school levels.
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Statistics Bureau of Japan. (December 21, 2022). Number of full-time teachers in educational institutions in Japan in 2022, by institution type (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/647601/japan-educational-establishment-teacher-number-by-type/
Statistics Bureau of Japan. "Number of full-time teachers in educational institutions in Japan in 2022, by institution type (in 1,000s)." Chart. December 21, 2022. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/647601/japan-educational-establishment-teacher-number-by-type/
Statistics Bureau of Japan. (2022). Number of full-time teachers in educational institutions in Japan in 2022, by institution type (in 1,000s). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/647601/japan-educational-establishment-teacher-number-by-type/
Statistics Bureau of Japan. "Number of Full-time Teachers in Educational Institutions in Japan in 2022, by Institution Type (in 1,000s)." Statista, Statista Inc., 21 Dec 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/647601/japan-educational-establishment-teacher-number-by-type/
Statistics Bureau of Japan, Number of full-time teachers in educational institutions in Japan in 2022, by institution type (in 1,000s) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/647601/japan-educational-establishment-teacher-number-by-type/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Number of full-time teachers in educational institutions in Japan in 2022, by institution type (in 1,000s) [Graph], Statistics Bureau of Japan, December 21, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/647601/japan-educational-establishment-teacher-number-by-type/