Advantage English, a fun and growing conversation school located in Nagoya Japan, needs to fill a full- time, yearlong position immediately. At this time we are giving preference to North American applicants who have experience with kids or who have a TEYL (teaching English to young learners certificate. (All our instructors teach both kids and adults however.) Holders of CELTA and or TESL certificates should also apply. All applicants must have a BA or higher. Do not apply if you don't have at least a BA or are not a native English speaker. Sponsorship provided.

Minimum contracts are for one year and renewable. North American women who are eager (sing, art, child care, nanny etc.) to teach young kids (0-6) are encouraged to apply even with minimal or no experience. Applicants residing in Japan will be interviewed regardless of qualifications (must have a BA though!).

Start date: April/May 2010.

Competitive and career-minded salary: Advantage English contracts are incentive laden, rewarding the hard working and popular teacher. Instructors are guaranteed from 220,000 to 260,000+yen per month, working a max of 28 contact hours. Instructors are able to qualify for overtime pay. Guaranteed salary is based genuine ESL experience and qualifications. Applicants will be informed of the probable rate only if contacted for follow up and interview.

Working hours: Instructors who have fulfilled their weekly contact hour load are only required to be in the schools for their classes. Instructors who are under the contact hours that make up their guaranteed salary will be required to work non-contact hours. (More information provided.) Advantage English is open from 10am-10pm. Every instructor has a unique schedule. Even busy teachers however, have time in the day to pursue other interests as long as they don't require leaving the city.

Holiday: Instructors are given one day off per week in addition to Sunday. We are closed on Sunday. We are also closed on all national holidays. Last year there were 16 national holidays. Instructors also have paid vacation during the summer O-bon for a week, and winter from 7-10 days.

Non-paid holiday: Experienced Advantage English instructors enjoy the benefit of taking non-paid leave. This benefit only comes when a teacher has gained the trust of their students and staff. A new instructor at Advantage English is discouraged from considering non-paid leave until at least 6 months of the contract has elapsed. (Of course sometimes exceptions are made for evening or single day engagements such as a birthday party or attending a concert.

Classes: Schedules include a wide mix, from babies to retired folks. The right applicant should be personable, friendly, cheerful (even when having a bad day), responsible, patient, professional, dependable and kind. Negativism and pessimism are highly frowned upon. We are interested in teaching, first and foremost. We want to provide our students with the best possible teacher, lessons, and service. We hope to see results with all students. Teachers are expected to use the Advantage English method for kids (For kids, we welcome input and ingenuity from skilled teachers.) and adults. All classes are small with five students maximum. Training is provided and an experienced Advantage English teacher will have the confidence and ability to teach anywhere in the world.

Work environment: Most classes are taught at the three Advantage English schools in Nagoya, conveniently located near the Higashiyama subway line, the main line of the city. Sometimes teachers are sent to a student's house or to a place of business. All the schools are located in affluent neighborhoods with good air quality and many parks.

Housing: 47,000 per month, a minute away on foot from the subway station and 6 minutes away on foot from the main school. Great neighborhood with many shops, grocery stores and restaurants all in walking distance. No key money. Limited deposit and some returned barring damage.

Nagoya: As a place to live, Nagoya is often described as, 'sumiyasui', the literal meaning being, 'easy to live'. Even though it's the third largest city in Japan, Nagoya sometimes feels like a big city in the United States. The city roads are wide, apartments comfortable and the cost of living reasonable. It has everything that Tokyo and Osaka have, just not as hectic and expensive. Great skiing and snowboarding are just two hours away. You can get to Kyoto in 45 minutes by bullet train. Osaka is an hour away and Tokyo, just under two. There is a vibrant and active expat community in Nagoya and stimulating social life is easily obtainable for the outgoing individual.

Japanese lessons: Offered free of charge by Yoko Honda, depending on her availability.

Staff: Advantage English was founded by Raul Boggio(USA) in 1996 and is run by Raul and Yoko Honda, a native of Nagoya. The current full time instructors are from the USA and Canada (Steve, Carrie, Gina, Lorier and Raul). We are a social bunch and have many events and parties. We have a near zero turnover rate. We are selective and instructors tend to stay for more than a year.

Serious applicants include the following:

1. Resume

2. A recent picture and passport picture (one each)

3. A letter of reference with accompanying contact information (at least one but the more the better)

We check all references.

4. A cover letter stating the reasons you would like to live in Japan, why you want to work at Advantage English and why you think you would be a good addition to our team of friendly, hardworking and professional teachers.

Contact Raul Boggio by email to: 

advantage_english_japan @ yahoo.com

For a good idea of our company culture check out the following:

Event pictures on our HP: http://www.advantage-nagoya.com

Advantage blog with pictures: 
http://advantageblogrod.blogspot.com

Check advantagevideo:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=advantagevideo

deepdepth videos by Raul Boggio: http://www.youtube.com/user/deepdepth