ALT in Japan for Portugal's Citizens

At present, I am considering applying for ALT positions in Japan, for 2023.

To that end, I started researching potential employers and programmes to apply to.

The main program: JET Programme, http://jetprogramme.org/

Due to some reason Portugal is not on the list of participating counties, so this program is not available to it.

However, on the official website section Aspiring Jets - Questions and Answers, under point 2 for eligibility criteria, you'll find this:

― Participating Countries ―

2.2. My home country is not on the participating countries list. Can I apply to participate on the JET Programme?

Unfortunately, citizens of non-participating countries may only apply to participate in the JET Programme if there is a specific request from a local government in Japan for a JET Programme participant from that country. Please contact the Embassy or Consulate (General) of Japan in your country of citizenship for further information.

I contacted Japan's embassy in Portugal about this information, stating my future profile in 2023.

According to the response from the Embassy and from what I understood, a specific request is possible if a city or prefecture or board of education requests someone from a specific country.

Companies:

Interac & Borderlink and maybe a few others

On some companies, like this ones, you will find stuff like :

​Interac	Have received an education conducted in English for at least 12 years
​Borderlink	​12 years of education with English being the medium of instruction

As a result, I asked them if I would ever be one of their precious family members because of this.

I let them know what my profile will be at the time I plan to apply.

	My profile	Interac requirements	Borderlink requirements
​Bachelor degree	Yes and a Master degree	YES	YES
Ielts	Band 8 or 9	-	-
​12 years of education with English	NO	​YES	​YES
Japanese Language	Basic or above	​Basic level	​Ability requested
Teaching qualifications (TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, licensure, etc.)	​YES - TEFL 300h plus 10h pratice	​YES	​YES
a driver’s license	​YES	​YES	-
Be a team-player that is professional, flexible, cheerful, and energetic	​​​YES	​​YES	​​YES
A team player who enjoys working with students of varying ages	​​YES	​​YES	​​YES

So let's see if a small little square is the only thing keeping me away from these companies and opportunities:

INTERAC response( aka Link Japan Careers): Well, it doesn't close the door completely, so maybe I can try a more definitive answer later.

Borderlink response: as confirmed!!!

.....

It's a bit weird, isn't it?

only two ask for this ? what if I am good enough to not need visa sponsorship? I can still not able to apply to their companies.

So what exactly do you need to get a Visa for ALT? You need a Certificate of Eligibility( or COE) some companies do this with visa Sponsorship.

However, after contacting the Embassy they stated each case is a different case, They have told me "Regarding the requirements demanded by companies, each case is different and we do not have information about them, so you will have to ask them directly about the matter."

Well, on a personal experience, the fact only a few have this requirement this is what I think about it :

(Sarcasm)