Is it Possible to Get Hired From Outside Japan?

by Aaron
(USA)

Hello, I have a kind of question that may need a long answer. I'm 24 years old, and I don't have any degree done yet, though if I go full-time for schooling here in the United States, I'll have at least my associates done by late 2018.

The thing is, I've been really interested in moving to Japan. I lived in Fussa for four years as a child when my dad was stationed in Japan in the military, and ever since then, I fell in love with Japan, its culture, and its people.

I understand that teaching English is the most common way to move to Japan as a US citizen, but I don't really know where to begin with all of it. I know that if I just wanted to move and get a working visa, for the most part I would need a bachelor's degree, which would take a long time, so teaching English would be my best bet.

But, what would my first few steps be? It seems almost impossible to achieve this. I know that some people move to Japan first and then look for a job, but I don't feel safe taking that risk, and I'd rather have some sort of job lined up if possible before I even get a chance to go to Japan.

Is it possible to get hired from outside of Japan? I understand I'll pretty much need the TEFL certificate, which shouldn't be a problem for starters. But it just seems so difficult to get started with getting things going with me being outside of Japan. So, I guess I'm just lost with where I would even start. I've lived in Japan before, I've been studying Japanese by myself for two years, and I wish to move back. If you have any tips or know the general "steps" I should first take with being outside of Japan, please let me know. Thank you.