Japanese private schools require diverse skills and experiences.
Each school has its own education system, allowing you to find a position where you can leverage your abilities.
You can find various duties in each job description.
Full-time English teacher positions include teaching, managing homeroom/club activities, creating tests/materials, participating in school events, and meeting with parents.
Direct hire full-time positions require the same responsibilities as other Japanese teachers.
Part-time teaching jobs typically involve conducting lessons and related duties, such as creating tests/materials and lesson reports.
Private schools in Japan have their own policies and admit students based on these principles.
Your responsibilities will vary depending on the school’s policy and the needs of the students.
If your school has many returnee students who plan to attend universities abroad, you will be required to prepare them for entrance exams.
In schools with immersion programs, you will teach some subjects in English.
The number of schools offering immersion program is increasing, especially in subjects like science, math and PE, which are conducted in both English and Japanese. This is a great opportunity for professional development and enhancing your teaching skills.
Effective communication with other staff members is crucial.
You will work as part of a team and participate in numerous meetings to reach consensus.
Cultural differences might pose challenges, but understanding and appreciating different cultures will make your work more enjoyable and interesting.
Teaching license from the country of origin
International Baccalaureate
TESOL
TEFL
You might find difference between students in Japanese schools and other countries in the lessons.
You will need to get close to students and encourage them to speak out loud.
Knowing students and escorting them into an English-speaking environment is important.
You will need to use your experience in teaching in schools.
The number of students who plan to attend universities abroad is increasing.
You will be required to help and prepare them for application and exams.
Some schools have immersion program, such as teaching science, math, or PE in English.
Some of these programs are already established while others are still developing.
You might have the opportunity to join other staff in creating these programs.
Conversational level of Japanese is necessary, especially for full-time jobs.
Full-time staff are sometimes invited to mandatory meetings with all teaching staff in Japanese. You will also encounter many opportunities to use Japanese when speaking with other staff.
If you have a JLPT qualification, it’s beneficial to highlight your Japanese skills to potential employers.
Each student has a laptop or tablet for use in every lesson.
Teachers should supervise and use these devices in the classroom and for tasks such as making tests/materials and communicating with students after school.
Students will encounter many opportunities to write scientific theories in English after graduation, and certain schools focus on preparing students for this.
Teachers with science/math backgrounds can make use of their knowledge and further enhance their own skills.
Teachers with international relations/social studies backgrounds can utilize their abilities when conducting lessons on social studies, world history, or current events.
It is important to understand both Western and Eastern cultural backgrounds.
The philosophical or cultural roots of a group can be very informative and allow us to better understand the motives of those around us.
Examining interpersonal relationships with this concept in mind, we can quite easily see how and why mistakes are made. The basic values of a culture are made evident by how its people think about morality and virtue.
Better cultural understanding enhances interpersonal relationships and facilitates more enjoyable and interesting work experiences.
I’ve been working at my private school for three months now and it has been a learning and growing experience so far. The most useful experience is that I’m learning how to manage school affairs outside of teaching, for example managing a homeroom, participating in meetings, and other administrative duties at school.
I’ve had a great time working at my new private school. The people here are all very friendly and supportive. The most important thing I’ve learned working here is that you can’t be afraid to directly ask the teachers what exactly they want you to do in each class.
To be more specific, some teachers may want you to focus on speaking assignments and activities, others might want you to focus on writing assignments instead.
At the same time, recognize the teachers are very busy themselves, and you might not always be able to get in conversations with them in a timely manner.
The important thing is to balance being patient and being assertive.
My experience with ETAS-net system was excellent. From the beginning, which included me completing my profile, to the onboarding process with the private school, I truly appreciated having a recruiter that worked with and for me to secure my job. I think the experience which was most useful and helpful was receiving a two-week schedule of my school before I started. I knew what to expect, which helped me ease into the culture of the school.
I thoroughly enjoy working at the school I’m based in now.
There honestly aren’t any negative points to my new position.
The Principal, Vice-Principal and upper management have been extremely kind and welcoming to me.
The teachers I work with have been both friendly and supportive, I couldn’t ask any more of them.
Most importantly, it has been a pleasure to have the chance to teach such wonderful students.
They are very intelligent, motivated and willing to learn. Their positive energy is inspiring!
I have found working at a private school has many merits. Firstly, private schools have their own philosophies and visions of education which makes them engaging. Furthermore, private schools tend to attract teachers of the highest caliber. In such a working environment teachers can share ideas and learn from each other.
And finally, such a learning environment will attract students of a similar caliber.
Of course, expectations are high at private schools, but this encourages teachers and students to reach for higher goals and achieve ultimate success!