How to hire good teachers

Hi,

i am working in a small english school in Japan, and had a questions for any school owners, operators, or managers out there relating to hiring practices. Lately i've been having difficulty hiring decent teachers in a sea of University graduates unabelt o find work in their own countries. Most of these people are simply not teachers, what are some good strategies or things to avoid when trying to sift through the applications?


Any insight or shared expereinces wouldbe great, i can also share more if i get any replies.



thanks in advance

Although I have not operated a language school, I have had much teaching experience in both Japan and my home country of Canada. I have taught in both the private and public sectors in both countries and can share some successful hiring practices that I've seen.

Several years ago when I was completing my CELTA, our instructors approached us with a recent list of requests from schools across Canada and around the world. These were schools that have had an established relationship with my CELTA institution and would hire recent graduates. Moreover, our instructors knew from experience that these schools were good schools to work for and felt confident presenting them to us. I would recommend establishing and using such connections with English language teacher training institutes in your home country.

You can also look to JET Programme participants in their final year. Most of the ALTs who wish to stay after three years of teaching are genuinely interested in English language teaching and have already gained much experience with Japanese students. If you are worried about their quality of teaching, it's easy to check their references through their former schools. Simply contact the JET prefectural advisor at the local prefectural government office and I'm sure that they could help you.

Finally, the basic rule of a good hiring practice is that the quality of applicants improves with the salary. If you'd like someone with a CELTA or significant Japanese experience, you'll have to offer a salary and other benefits that would appeal to them. Many business operators around the world sometimes forget this and lament that they cannot find (and keep) quality workers. A high salary may seem like a burden, but the employees make a company and if you'd like the best, you should do your best to attract and keep them.