About Kumamoto International School
Kumamoto International School (KIS) is located in Kumamoto, on the Island of Kyushu, in western Japan. Our preschool division, Picasso, opened in 2003, and our primary school division opened in 2018. Our junior high school division opened in 2023. We will open our high school in 2025. We have just completed construction of new school campus / school buildings which houses the primary school, the junior high and the high school. KIS is an accredited International Baccalaureate World School. As a growing school, there is significant potential for advancement as we open additional divisions and grade levels.
Our goal is simple:
To be a world-class school and to have a great time while doing it.
Working hard and having fun together, we want all members of the school community to love being part of what we are creating.
Built around one of the 3 most famous castles in all of Japan, Kumamoto boasts one of the highest qualities of life anywhere in the country: the air and water are clean, the weather beautiful (300+ days of sunshine / year), and there is easy access to abundant and pristine nature. If you love nature and the outdoors, you’ll love Kumamoto. In addition, the active volcano Mt. Aso is only an hour away, and Osaka is only 3 hours away via a direct bullet train: weekend getaways are easily arranged. Thanks to the numerous farmers in Kumamoto Prefecture, fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat are also easy to come by and cheap: 1/2 the price in Tokyo!
We currently have a total of more than 45 staff between all of our divisions. Our goal is to find great staff and build a great team. Our philosophy: we don’t teach people to be nice and work hard; we hire hard-working, nice people. Our longest-serving Japanese staff have been with us for 18 years, and several other teachers have been with us for more than 10 years. We place a high priority on staff cohesion and cooperation, and there is always someone there to help as necessary. You will never be treated as, or feel like, a cog in a large organization.
Are we a good fit?
You:
• Do you want to work for a smaller school that you can grow with?
• Are you relentless in your commitment to providing exceptional educational outcomes for students?
• Do you want to work at a school that shares your passion for excellence?
• Do you want to live and work in a smaller Japanese city that offers exceedingly high quality of life and a much lower cost of living?
• Do you like the idea of walking or biking to work rather than commuting on a cramped train?
• Do you want to work at a growing school that offers numerous growth opportunities in a variety of roles?
• Do you want to be a “change agent” who literally changes the lives of the children you teach?
• Do you like the idea of being coached on your journey to becoming the best teacher you can be?
• Do you love the idea of being part of a collaborative like-minded team focused on delivering amazing education outcomes for your students?
• Do you respect Japanese culture, values, traditions, and ways of thinking?
• Do you never want to feel like a cog in a big organization?
Us:
- Are relentless about continuous improvement on our journey to becoming the best international school in Japan
- Believe that one great teacher is worth three average teachers
- Work to create a tight-knit team of professionals 100% focused on delivering the best education outcomes for our students
- Believe that one great teacher can impact the life of their students forever
- Support our teachers 100% to allow them to do their best work
- Coach our teachers to become true master educators who change the lives of the students in their care
Our school is a very positive, bright, high-energy environment. Our commitment is to high quality education in all aspects of what we do. Only teachers who want to be part of, and will actively contribute to, such an environment, should apply! If that’s you, you’ll love it here!
