Westgate Young Learners Program is looking for individuals who are highly motivated to teach in a private elementary/primary school. Those who are interested in having a rewarding overseas experience and enhancing their teaching skills can apply for this unique opportunity.

Schedule for Spring Term

Schedule for Fall Term

Location: Aichi prefecture only.

- Please note that we are always looking for as many BACK-UP INSTRUCTORS as possible. For those 'waiting list' candidates, we will extend a formal offer of employment whenever there is a need for an instructor before and/or during the term. If you are able to join us on one or two weeks' notice and are interested in being on the list, please mention it on your online application form (in the 'Comment' box).

Term Schedule (Click here to see details):

Westgate Young Learners Program was set up to give our instructors and our students a mutually beneficial experience. Our instructors will offer students a unique opportunity to have a native speaker who is trained in the current teaching techniques and teaching trends. Our program will offer our instructors the opportunity to experience Japanese elementary/primary schools, improve and refine their teaching, and have a unique cross-cultural experience. Japanese speaking ability will be helpful for you at elementary/primary schools.

Transportation:

Westgate will subsidize a round-trip economy-class international flight ticket up to US $1200 for those who are coming to Japan for the employment contract with us. The reimbursement is based on the actual cost of the airline ticket and any applicable taxes to the instructor. Please note that we cannot reimburse any flight originating in Japan, one-way tickets to/from Japan, itinerary including a stop-over (unless it is inevitable and approved by Westgate), or a ticket which does not correspond to our flight reimbursement policy. In addition, the returning destination has to be either the nearest airport from instructor's home town in her/his home country or original airport of departure.

Insurance Overview:

All Westgate instructors are required to enroll in Japan's National Health Insurance ("NHI"), which covers 70% of total medical expenses. In addition, instructors older than 40 years of age are required to join Japan's Nursing Care Insurance ("NCI"). NHI covers a wide range of medical conditions including pre-existing medical conditions. However, NHI will not cover the following medical-related expenses: medical checkups, immunizations, normal childbirth delivery, abortions, work-related illnesses or injuries, any illnesses or injuries resulting from fighting or drunkenness, and cosmetic surgery.

The monthly NHI premium varies for each instructor as computation of the premium is based upon an instructor's age, the number of dependents, the city or town of residence, and the prior year's annual gross income. The municipality in which you reside will determine your monthly NHI premium.

Salary (Click here to see details):

Apartment:

Westgate provides its instructors with studio-type apartment with basic furnishings (see below). The monthly rent amount, JPY 81,000, will be deducted from instructor's monthly salary, which also includes the utilities and monthly housing maintenance fee. Rent payment may be prorated for any partial employment period. In addition, Westgate leases and sublets housing to instructors, pays for the deposits, condominium costs, appliances and furnishings. Instructors agree to move out of the apartment on the last day of their employment contract.

The location of the apartment is determined by Westgate.

Westgate provides these items:

Note: Furnishings and items might differ from apartment to apartment and are subject to change at a later date.

Internet Access:

Although most Westgate-provided apartments are equipped with internet access, we cannot guarantee it until the instructor's assignment and housing location are decided. In addition, Westgate does not provide a computer or necessary cables to instructors. Instructors are responsible for bringing necessary LAN cables if they wish to access internet from their housing.

Working Schedule:

This teaching position is a full-time, Monday-through-Friday position. Instructors are occasionally asked to participate in events that may be held on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays. On rare occasions, instructors are asked to assist with "open campus" and other student recruiting programs. Occasionally, training workshops will be held on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays when necessary. In addition, instructors may be requested to make up classes on weekends when those classes were canceled due to natural disaster or decision made by the school.

On-Campus Hours:

On-campus work hours will differ from school to school (e.g., 8:50 a.m. - 5:50 p.m., 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.). Pursuant to Westgate's contract with our clients, our instructors are to be physically present at their assigned school for nine consecutive hours each teaching day. The "on-campus" hours do NOT include commuting time.

Teaching Schedule:

A typical working day for Young Learners program instructors includes teaching up to 10 classes requiring 1 to 3 lesson plans. Each class is 20 minutes in length. Instructors will usually be given at least one preparation period per day, as well as one for a break and one for lunch.

Commute:

Instructors commute to their assigned campus. In Japan, most people have a long commute on packed trains. Commuting requires from 30 minutes to 90 minutes each way. Although Westgate tries to find housing as close to school as possible, at times instructors at some schools will have a long commute. This is an unfortunate but unavoidable aspect of living in Japan. We ask all of our instructors to use public transportation, such as trains and busses, to commute to work. For the sake of punctuality, protection, and security, Westgate does not permit instructors to use bicycles or automobiles to commute to work.

Paperwork:

Instructors will be given a Daily Planner for each lesson, from which they will create their own lesson plan and record the lesson summary. Instructors will be asked to give feedback on the curriculum and the classes and to keep progress records for the students to assist in the evaluation process. Instructors will prepare individualized student evaluation reports as part of the assessment process.

Evaluations:

Toward the end of the term, instructors will be required to fill out an evaluation report and write a short comment about each student. Detailed evaluation criteria and procedures will be provided at the instructor's pre-service orientation.

ORAL EXAMINERS FOR CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY MAIN SUITE EXAMINATIONS:

Westgate may invite outstanding instructors to participate in training to become a Cambridge University Main Suite Examinations Oral Examiner (henceforth, "Oral Examiner"). Westgate recruits candidates to become Oral Examiners ONLY from the instructors who are employed during FALL TERM period, and all instructors invited to participate in such training must meet each of the Cambridge University ESOL standards and requirements.

Personal Appearance:

Japan is a very conservative country, and maintaining a professional appearance is extremely important. Instructors' appearance reflects both on the instructors and on the company. Because most of the students perceive instructors as members of the regular school staff, our instructors are expected to dress appropriately.

Please refer to the following chart:

Sick Leave:

Our course is very intensive, and we guarantee that we will provide students a certain number of lessons each term. As a result, students depend on us, so instructors must be dedicated to their students. Westgate's contract with each school requires that missed lessons be made up later.

Campus Rules:

Most schools in Japan are especially conservative. Japanese culture is "by the book" with many rules about behavior and protocol. Westgate Corporation is under contract to such schools, through which we operate our programs, so we must strictly adhere to their rules and regulations. Some of the rules may seem unimportant. However, under our contract, we are required to follow them. Instructors are expected to follow all rules, even the ones that seem trivial or superficial from a Western cultural perspective. Observing such rules is important in order to be culturally sensitive to the Japanese. In general, instructors should assume nothing and direct all questions to Westgate personnel. Instructors are in a foreign country and they must expect to adapt their behavior to fit the expectations of the host culture. Doing so may seem unnecessary and at times even "ridiculous", but it is important to remember that such diversity is an important part of the enriching cross-cultural experience.