Were you born to be a change agent in the classroom?

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Job Requirements

• Applicant must be a TRUE native English speaker
• Applicant must have a BA degree
• Applicant must be a team player who loves working with children

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Job Description

Our goal at Kumamoto International School (KIS) 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.
Our Values:
You:
• Do you want to work for a smaller school that you can grow with?
• Are you relentless in your effort to learn more and improve?
• Do you want to work at a school that shares your passion for excellence?
• Do you find the idea of teaching young learners age 2 - 12 each day hugely invigorating?
• Do you want to live and work in a smaller Japanese city that offers exceedingly high quality of life?
• 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:

• Believe that great educators come from all backgrounds and do not need to have extensive teaching experience when the are hired
• 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
• We care more about your intelligence and values than your experience
• 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

Job Details
Teacher will team-teach in our immersion preschool division and in our primary school division. Instruction at KIS is not “teaching English” so much as it is “teaching in English.”  We balance study and play, indoors and out.  Our curriculum includes a wide range of activities, ranging from teaching reading, writing and phonics, to swimming with students in the pool, presenting a yearly musical and theatric performance (think “Wizard of Oz” and “Snow White” performed by 4 and 5 year olds), celebrating various Japanese and Western holidays, and putting on a mini Olympics-like track and field day.

Kumamoto International School is located in Kumamoto, on the Island of Kyushu, in western Japan.  Built around one of the 3 most famous castles in all of Japan, the city 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 opened 19 years ago with our preschool division, Picasso Preschool, and we currently have a total of 25 staff between our preschool and primary school 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 15 years, and several other teachers have been with us for more than 10 years.  In many cases, staff socialize outside of work, and the school serves as a great base from which to find your bearings in Japan and make friends.  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.  In addition, there is significant potential for teachers to advance their career by continuing to acquire new skills and taking on new roles as the school grows.

Our school is a very positive, bright, high-energy environment.  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!

Benefits

• Coaching / Training / Professional Development
• Potential for advancement is significant - Our primary school, KIS, is an accredited International Baccalaureate World School offering the Primary Years Program (PYP) and we will form a junior high school in 2024 and a high school in 2027.  Any teacher can apply to potentially move to become a classroom teacher in the primary school or, in the future, in the junior high or the high school.
• Shakai Hoken insurance (health insurance & pension)
• Apartment is provided for the teacher; teacher pays the rent
• Paid vacation

Websites
Primary School website: https://kumamotointer.jp/

Picasso Preschool website: https://preschool.kumamotointer.jp/
To Apply:
Please apply via this Google Forms link:  Kumamoto International School job application

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