Looking for a place you can shine as a professional in Japan?
If you are looking for a place you can make a difference while you enjoy life in Japan, you have come to the right place!
We have an excellent relationship with our students and parents. We have a very wide range of classes and levels because many of our students study with us for a long time. Some have been our students for fifteen years!
Communication among teachers and managing staff is great. We have weekly meetings to resolve any issues or answer any of your questions. All the managing staff are also teachers and they understand what you are going through and can offer guidance. All the teachers help each other and our work environment is excellent!
Here are some comments from our previous teachers.
2012-2014 Alex from U.S.A
“Working at Maple English School was a fun and rewarding experience. The variety of students’ ages, backgrounds and abilities kept lessons diverse and interesting. Planning out lessons and long-term curricula for the students was an enjoyable challenge. Initially, Eric and the previous teacher provided substantial training to prepare for lessons. Afterwards, I became responsible for all parts of my classes, which made watching the students’ progress much more fulfilling.
The small class nature of the school allowed me to form a close relationship with all of the students. I enjoyed talking and learning from the older students at Maple, as well as laughing along with the younger ones. I became friends with a number of the students and often met with them to do other activities, such as snowboarding, traveling or having a night out on the town.
Eric and Eiko are both incredibly warm and created a comfortable working and living situation. The apartment that they provided was spacious and well-furnished. Eiko helped me with everything I needed to settle into living in Japan; from getting a bank account setup to helping plan trips around Japan. The school is located about twenty minutes away from Okayama city, which has about 750,000 people. (Now Maple has another school in Okayama City.) I was able to make a number of close friends in the city. It also served as a great hub for traveling around Japan and to other areas.
I will fondly remember my time at Maple.
2009-2011 Robi from Australia
My name’s Robi, and I’d been interested in living in Japan for several years when I found a job advertised at Maple English School. From my first communications with Eric and Eiko I had a positive feeling about who they are, and the way they approach education, and luckily, they not only met, but exceeded my expectations.
From the beginning they went out of their way to help me acclimatize to Japan, giving me suggestions, practical assistance, and introductions to good people in the area. The first few months were a challenge, but as I got used to my job and Japan and began to make friends, I started to love the experience as a whole. The students are friendly, the area is beautiful, and I was treated well by just about everyone who I came into contact with.
Okayama has a lot to offer, culturally, socially and as a hub from which to explore one of the most beautiful countries in the world. During the two years I lived across the street from Eric and Eiko. I gained great teaching experience and they treated me like a member of the family. I made lots of friends, visited seven cities, numerous castles and gardens, and too many bars and restaurants to mention.
With the friends I met I went snowboarding, saw swords being made, tried my hand at traditional pottery, and attended a wide variety of festivals around the country. Not only that, but I was able to take three international trips: a visit home to Australia, a trip to Thailand, and a short stay in Korea. The experience changed my life for the better, and I have a lot of fantastic memories that I’ll always be grateful for.
Leaving was a hard decision to make, and I would recommend teaching English at Maple School to anyone with a good attitude, a love of teaching, and the desire to broaden their life experience. Good luck!
Robi
Perth, Western Australia.
2019-2022 Kyle and Leanne from U.S.
My wife and I both worked at Maple for almost three years, 2019-2022. When we first arrived in Okayama Eric and Eiko, the owners, met us at the airport and took us to our apartment, which they had set up and furnished for us. They helped us set up our bank account, introduced us to different grocery stores and landmarks, and generally set us up very well.
The students were a real joy. I personally had a hard time with high school students in America, but teaching in Japan was totally different. I was also nervous about working with younger students, but I enjoyed working with my six year olds more than any other age by the end. Working with such a dynamic age range gave me valuable experience moving forward, and is a major speaking point in applications I am making to teach in other countries in the future.
From our apartment we could walk to the train station in just two or three minutes, and our local station was just one stop from Okayama station. From there we could take a bullet train or bus to just about anywhere in Japan, which made traveling just about anywhere easy. Since Maple lets out Saturday evening but doesn’t start again until midday on Tuesday, every weekend is basically 2.5 days, which means we could travel to our destination on Saturday, spend all day Sunday and Monday exploring, then travel back in time for class on Tuesday morning. Business hotels and attractions in Japan can actually be really cheap, usually less than $50 a night. We were able to travel frequently and still save quite a bit of money during our time at Maple.
英語お役立メイプルブログ
第二言語習得理論の観点から、効果的な英語の勉強方法、子供の英語習得に関するお役立ち情報、すぐに使える教材、また日本ではまだ手に入らない海外の生の情報など、みんなの英語学習に役立つことをテーマにブログを書いています。
岡山教室や赤磐教室の話題や、活躍している受講生やメイプル卒業生で、海外留学している生徒からのお便り、国内トップ大学に進学している卒業生からのお便りを掲載しています。英語学習のモチベーションをキープする刺激的な話題をお届けしています。