Careers
Teach soroban (Japanese abacus), Japanese calligraphy & handwriting (kakikata shodo), and art to elementary school children. No experience is needed. Our training will guide you step by step, so please feel free to apply.
A message from our principal
Hello, and nice to meet you! I’m Taito Morita, founder & principal of Kodomo School.
Thank you for visiting our careers page.
For more than 15 years, I have been involved in teaching “yomi-kaki-soroban”: reading, writing, and soroban (Japanese abacus). Today we run about 100 classrooms in the Toyohashi, Hamamatsu, and Okazaki areas. Together with many teachers, I have supported children as they grow.
At our company, beyond soroban and calligraphy skills, we value “love for children” above all. We are looking for people who will stay close to children and work with a bright, positive attitude.
No experience is needed. Our training will guide you step by step, so please feel free to apply.
Would you like to take on this rewarding job, where you can see children’s smiles and growth up close?
We look forward to hearing from you.
Taito Morita, President, founder & principal
Job details
Lessons are taught in Japanese, so daily-conversation Japanese is required.
A manga-style story
One teacher’s story. (Swipe sideways to read.)
I’d like to start some kind of job… and if I’m going to, I’d love one where I can be around children…
Hm? A soroban teacher?
Come to think of it, I really enjoyed soroban lessons when I was a kid…
Back then, my dream was to become a soroban teacher… Could I still do it now?
Looks like there’s an information session. Maybe I’ll go and see?
“Reading, writing, and soroban” (yomi-kaki-soroban) are the basics of education. They are part of Japan’s traditional education and culture, passed down among ordinary people since the terakoya schools of the Edo period.
But after peaking in the Showa 50s (1975–1984), the numbers have kept falling, down to one-fifteenth…
“Reading, writing, and soroban” is a wonderful foundation of education that the Japanese people have passed down for more than 300 years. I believe it is absolutely essential for Japan’s future, and that we must hand it on to the next generation.
Taito Morita, founder & principal of Kodomo School
We would like people who share this belief to teach soroban or kakikata shodo (calligraphy). Most people start with no experience, so we have a training program.
So there’s a training program…!
Weekends and national holidays are basically off. The hours are 15:15 to 18:45 on weekdays. The hourly wage is ¥1,140 to ¥1,980, and there is also a commuting allowance.
When you can’t make it, for example because of a parents’ meeting at your own child’s school, you can move the lesson to a make-up lesson or ask another teacher to cover for you.
Our teachers range from their 20s to their 60s. You can work at your own pace, from 1 day a week.
From 1 day a week? Even I could do that while raising kids… Maybe I’ll give it a try…!
A few days later — in training
It all comes back once you start ♪ Soroban really is fun!
And so, I became a soroban teacher too…
I have something to give you today.
Congratulations! You passed!
Yay!
Congratulations! I’m so happy too!
I’m growing every day, right along with my students…!
How our teachers work
Each Kodomo School class meets once a week. If you work two or more days a week, you will be in charge of more than one classroom.
Training steps
Classroom-style learning at our head office (Toyohashi).
You will train in real classrooms in your area. The standard is 4 sessions, and you can also train in more classrooms if you like. You can train as much as you want, until you feel confident.
We go over every detail to clear up any questions or worries from your hands-on training. We will keep supporting you after training too, so you can picture yourself running a classroom with confidence. Rest assured.
We will talk through the details and find a classroom that is easy to get to from your home.
Why teach at Kodomo School?
90%+of our teachers have stayed with us
Many teachers have worked with us for a long time. We are truly grateful!!
As long as you stay registered as a teacher, you can come back to work anytime, without having to resign. You don’t have a classroom of your own; when one-off work comes up, the head office will contact you, and you can work if your schedule allows.
Renewed every school yearTraining: join if you likeGet-togethers (meals): join if you like
Everyone looks younger than when they joined (it’s true!!)
Spending time with children every day brings energy and inspiration. Watching children grow and enjoying the excitement of the job seems to keep our teachers looking younger and younger.
Your worries, answered: Q&A
No problem! First, please contact the head office.
This is a common worry, for example for people returning to work after a break. When that happens, the key is simply to “take notes and read them again!” The head office staff and the other teachers are all the same. Learning from mistakes can even lead to good results. Let’s cover for each other and enjoy our work together!
Everyone has their own way of thinking and their own values. As long as we all treat each other with care, it will be fine. And everyone at the head office will always welcome you with a bright smile. Please feel free to talk to the head office anytime.
Soroban: It’s important to practice on your own with the textbooks. You are welcome to visit experienced teachers’ classrooms to learn. There is a lot to learn there, so please do!
Calligraphy: Our head office’s calligraphy specialists will teach you. Please feel free to ask. Visiting experienced teachers’ classrooms is also a great way to learn, so please do!
We asked our teachers!
*Shared in our teachers’ own words. Translated from Japanese.
I’m always cheering
for our teachers, too!
Study: training sessions, study groups & seminars
*Held every April and October in each area
All of our classroom teachers are women. Through teaching soroban and calligraphy, they share “the joy of learning” and “the happiness of understanding and being able to do it” with children. We stay close to each child and teach with love.
To do that, it is important for teachers themselves to keep growing. Let’s learn and grow together!
Training session held in October 2023
What teachers said about the training sessionsIn their own words, on our page about our teachersLunch party
Held every January and July
Now hiring teaching staff
You can apply by phone, through our official LINE account (for recruiting only), or with the application form.
Seeing the children grow gives me energy too, and makes me very happy.
Through soroban, I want to guide my students so they can put their best effort into anything they do.
To everyone at the head office: thank you so much for always being so kind to me. I’m grateful that I can go to work without any unnecessary stress, and I know that is thanks to the kind of people you all are. Since I started working at Kodomo School, I have changed, too. I’m not just saying this to flatter you: I truly think it’s amazing that you can create this kind of atmosphere. Thank you, and I look forward to continuing to work with you.
At our teachers’ get-togethers (meals), I get to hear stories from many different teachers, and it inspires me. Everyone is so positive, and I’m truly grateful that it made me want to try all kinds of new things myself.
Thank you!
Now that my children need me less, the growth of the students in my classroom has become my joy. Students and parents tell me “Thank you!” so often, and I never imagined that an ordinary homemaker like me would be thanked so much by other people. Some things are hard, but nothing makes me happier than my students’ smiles. Thank you, and I look forward to the years ahead.