​＜Guest Job Post＞, Japanese Language Guide, Hakuba International School, Nagano, August 2026

 

Our School
Hakuba International School is a new international boarding school (opened in 2022), located in the beautiful Hakuba Valley in the Japanese Alps. Our school is dedicated to answering the driving question: What kind of education enables people and the planet to flourish? Our focus is on personal and environmental well-being, combined with deeper learning methods to develop leaders who can solve the world’s most complex problems.

 

We are an intentionally small school, serving approximately 55 students in grades 7-11during the 2025-26 school year, and adding one grade per year until 12th grade, reaching an eventual full size of 150 students. We call our faculty members guides, in the spirit of serving by a student’s side to create highly engaging learning adventures. For more about our school’s background and methods, please visit www.hakuba-is.jp.

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Japanese Language Guide
● Personal Qualities: We’re looking for faculty who genuinely enjoy spending time with adolescents outside the classroom, are excited about building a new school, are ready for the startup experience, and are passionate about a more holistic, humane approach to education. We believe learning is naturally fun and playful, and we try to live that way too. Our faculty are interested in co-designing curricula with students and seek to build relationships with students characterised by high trust and agency. We offer faculty significant creative autonomy so that you can bring your gifts into
action.

● Requirements: This is a full-time faculty role, supporting both middle and high school students in developing Japanese language skills. An expected teaching load of 4 classes will range from first-language speakers studying at an advanced level, including Japanese literature and culture, to students learning Japanese for the first time. We require at least 3 years of full-time Japanese language teaching experience in a school setting. A driver's license and willingness to drive students in school vehicles are also required. Experience in international schools, boarding schools, and/or project-based learning is a major plus. Fluency in Japanese is, of course, required, as is fluency in English.

● Teaching Philosophy & Curriculum: Our teaching style prioritises student voice and choice and is built on a project-based approach. Within our Japanese language program, we are building a vertically aligned curriculum, supporting students from beginners to fluent speakers studying Japanese culture and literature in Kokugo classes. This guide is expected to build on the existing curriculum framework by adding their ideas, designing lesson plans, or referencing preferred materials or textbooks, in collaboration with other members of the Japanese language team. HIS is part of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, which applies a mastery learning approach to help each student develop a rich portfolio of their work. HIS is accredited by the Japanese government and is well into the process of seeking WASC
international accreditation.

● Advisory: Every faculty member is also an advisor, responsible for leading a group of 6-8 students over multiple years, meeting in brief daily check-ins during the school week, as well as one extended session per week. We see the advisor role as equally important to any academic teaching and provide training and support to enable faculty to hone this skill. At heart, we aim to make advisory a ‘safe and brave’ space to help students make sense of life, feel a strong sense of belonging, and hone their social and emotional skills.

● Outdoor & Residential Elements. As a school with a major focus on outdoor education and environmental sustainability, we are looking for faculty who enjoy the outdoors and expect everyone to take part in several outdoor camping trips over the course of each school year. As a boarding school, we also aim to create connections between academic and residential life and ask all faculty to support the residential program with rotating residential duties and support in our dormitories. This support is on the order of one evening per week, and two weekends per academic term (6 weekends over the school year).

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Structure
● Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

● Benefits: Our benefits include a housing stipend, relocation stipend, annual home leave travel allowance, lunches on all academic days, a laptop, and many professional development opportunities (e.g., the Compassionate Systems Framework, Social-Emotional Learning, and others). All employees are also enrolled in the Japanese healthcare system, national pension system, and unemployment and workers’ compensation insurance.

● Safeguarding: HIS follows international standards for safe recruitment, meaning that we prioritise safeguarding and child protection in our hiring process. This includes multiple reference checks, a global background check, and a Staff Code of Conduct, which must be signed as a condition of employment, defining our safeguarding practices.

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● Visas: We sponsor visas for candidates applying from outside of Japan, and our team hails from many countries around the world. Learn more here!

● Timing: The start date for this role is mid-August 2026. We offer a two-year contract for new faculty. Interviews for this opening will take place on a rolling basis, and we will make a hire as soon as the right candidate is identified. Our school year follows a September-through-June calendar (see 2026-27 academic calendar here).

Next Steps
To apply, please send your CV and a note to employment@hakuba-is.jp. We conduct initial interviews by Zoom, and depending on the candidate's location, the entire interview process can be virtual or may include a final-round visit to Hakuba. We look forward to hearing from you!