English teacher for children and adults (expired)

This is a five day a week teaching position at an English conversation school in Hamamatsu, a medium sized city in Shizuoka, roughly halfway between Tokyo and Osaka on the southern coast of Honshu. I am the owner, an American who came here 27 years ago, got married to a Japanese woman, has two grown children and runs the school out of two classrooms on the first floor of my house.

There are just over 90 students, 75% of whom are children aged 4 through 18, and 25% of whom are adults. Class sizes are up to six, but average about four. Children through elementary school have 50 minute, and older students have 60 minute classes once a week, 47 weeks out of the year, allowing just short of 5 weeks total vacation, with the full salary paid every month. There are three to four school events a year on holidays, which the teacher is expected to participate in.

The new teaching position is Tuesday through Saturday, with Sunday and Monday holidays. The hours are usually up to five classes a day with one hour of prep time in advance. Up to three days a week can entail a split day of morning and then afternoon-evening classes, with the teacher free in mid-day. We keep a 6-7pm time open for dinner. Most children's classes are late-afternoon and adult classes are morning, day or evening.

The new teacher needs to be an enthusiastic and positive person, good with both children and adults. The focus of the teaching method is learning English through English, and it is expected that both the teacher and students respect using English only during class time. With young children the teacher may use Japanese sparingly to aid understanding. The new teacher needs to have some Japanese communicative ability.

There will be a training period of one to two weeks in late March or early April. A year contract will be signed, including an initial 3-month probationary period. The monthly salary is negotiable according to the experience and education of the new teacher, but will probably begin at 250,000 and then be raised in future contract years. The school can sponsor a visa, as well as give assistance looking for an initial place to live.