Shigoto Zukan
日本語

How to become 児童指導員education, training, experience, licenses and the steps to enter

Japan Social Services Confidence ★★★★★

Average annual pay
¥4.42M
≈ $28,086
Top pay (est.)
¥7.30M
Top 10% ¥6.34M
Pay in 5 years
¥5.24Mest.
2031
Pay in 10 years
¥6.22Mest.
¥5.35M–¥7.23M
Outlook score
73/100
★★★★☆ Good
AI replacement risk
10%
Very low
Labor demand
Very high
Openings-to-applicants 2.65x

How to become 児童指導員

The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.

Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
児童指導員となるには指導員任用資格が必要となる。
　任用資格は、以下の条件のうちいずれかを満たすことで取得できる。(ⅰ)4年制大学や通信制大学で社会福祉学、心理学、教育学、社会学を専修する学部、学科を卒業すること、(ⅱ)社会福祉士、精神保健福祉士のいずれかの資格を取得していること、(ⅲ)高校若しくは中等教育学校を卒業し、2年以上児童福祉事業に従事すること、(ⅳ)3年以上児童福祉事業に従事し、厚生労働大臣又は都道府県知事から認定されること、(ⅴ)幼稚園教諭、小中学校、高等学校の教員免許を所有しており、厚生労働大臣又は都道府県知事から認定されることである。任用資格を満たした上で、自治体等の施設で勤務する場合は公務員試験、社会福祉法人等の民間施設で勤務する場合は施設の採用試験に合格する必要がある。採用後、児童指導員として勤務することとなる。
　子どもの生活と安全を預かる仕事であるため、優しさや包容力、公平さなどが求められる。

Skills, education and requirements for 児童指導員

Key skills

Active Listening
4.9
Social Perceptiveness
4.3
Instructing
4.2
Service Orientation
4.1
Coordination
4.0
Speaking
3.8
Persuasion
3.7
Writing
3.6

Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.

Key knowledge areas

Psychology
2.8
Education and Training
2.5
Therapy and Counseling
2.2
Sociology and Anthropology
2.2
Customer and Personal Service
2.1
English Language
1.9
Administrative
1.7
Communications and Media
1.6

What the work involves

Assisting and Caring for OthersEstablishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsMonitoring Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsIdentifying Objects, Actions, and EventsCommunicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesScheduling Work and ActivitiesUpdating and Using Relevant KnowledgeMaking Decisions and Solving Problems

Important abilities

Problem SensitivityOral ExpressionOral ComprehensionWritten ExpressionWritten ComprehensionReaction Time

Licenses and certifications (Japan)

Related qualifications listed on job tag (names in Japanese). Some are mandatory, others recommended.

Education of workers

Training before entry

Related work experience

Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience, licenses)

Career path and how to earn more as 児童指導員

Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), Population Census and Hello Work employment statistics as published on the MHLW job tag site (retrieved Nov 1, 2026); Occupational Information Database (JILPT). Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.