People who like to teach something to others. A person who can teach carefully and patiently until the other person understands.

The job of a cram school instructor is to teach subjects such as Japanese and arithmetic to elementary, junior high, and high school students and pupils at "gakushu-juku". Cram school instructors develop overall lesson plans and the content of each lesson in accordance with the instructional policies and management methods of the cram school where they work. They find out the problems of their students and guide them to overcome them by motivating them through the lessons. The responsibility of tutors is heavy because students and their parents/guardians demand that their grades improve. Therefore, it is essential for tutors to prepare and devise lessons that are easier to understand. Although there are many hardships involved, they feel a great sense of satisfaction when they hear reports that their students have come to love studying and have improved their grades, or when they hear that their students have passed their entrance examinations to the schools of their choice.

Gakushu-juku can be divided into two categories according to the purpose of instruction: "supplementary cram schools" and "preparatory cram schools. Supplementary cram schools provide instruction that helps students understand the content of daily lessons by preparing and reviewing lessons according to the school's lesson plans, leading to higher grades at school. The "juku" (cram school for higher education) provides guidance to students who are preparing for junior high school, high school, or university entrance examinations so that they can obtain high scores in the entrance examinations in order to pass the school of their choice. Incidentally, a "comprehensive cram school" is a combination of a supplementary cram school and a preparatory cram school. There are also "specialized cram schools" that offer instruction in specific subjects, such as arithmetic and English, or that specialize in junior high school or high school entrance examinations.
There are also two types of tutoring schools based on the number of students taught. One is a "group tutoring school" that teaches a large number of students in a large classroom, and the other is an "individual tutoring school" that teaches each student individually. In group tutoring, there is the difficulty of teaching a large number of students at the same time, while in individual tutoring, there is the difficulty of teaching according to each student's academic ability and personality.
In addition, there is also an "exploratory tutoring school," which is designed to cultivate the ability to think and express oneself, rather than to achieve school grades.

While a "teaching license" is required to become a school teacher, a teaching license or other qualification is not necessary to become a cram school instructor. In most cases, you can become a cram school instructor by passing an employment examination and interview at each school. Three abilities are required of tutors: academic ability, communication skills, and a strong sense of responsibility. Naturally, in order to teach subjects to children and students, it is essential to have a certain level of academic ability. In addition, communication skills are necessary to understand and pay attention to the feelings of students. It is also important to have a strong sense of responsibility to improve students' academic ability, school grades, and test scores through one's own teaching.
In the case of cram schools for higher education, the instructor's own experience in studying for entrance examinations may be useful in teaching, so the educational background of a graduate or current student of a well-known preparatory school or university is sometimes considered important. On the other hand, there are many cram schools that place more importance on personality, social experience, and teaching skills than on academic background.
Incidentally, more cram school instructors work as non-regular employees such as part-time or part-time students than as full-time employees of their respective cram schools. According to a 2020 survey by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, 13% were full-time employees and 73% were part-time or casual employees.
In addition, no special qualifications are required to run a tutoring school. Individuals wishing to open a private tutoring school need only submit a "notification of business opening" to the tax office. However, since school grades and advancement to higher education affect the lives of children and students, cram school instructors have a great deal of responsibility as professionals who teach study skills.

In order to become a private tutoring instructor, there are some qualifications that may be advantageous in the selection process when hiring. First is a "teaching license. It is proof of academic ability and expertise. Similarly, there are the "Japan Kanji Proficiency Test (Kanken)" by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, the "Practical Mathematics Proficiency Test (Nu-ken)" by the Japan Mathematics Proficiency Testing Foundation, and the "Practical English Proficiency Test (Eiken)" by the Japan English Language Testing Foundation, as proof of academic ability and expertise in Japanese, mathematics (arithmetic) and English. The English Proficiency Test (Eiken) is conducted by the English Proficiency Test Association of Japan. TOEIC, administered by the International Institute of Business Communication (IiBC), is also available for those who wish to prove their English proficiency.
In addition, the National Association of Gakushu-juku Instructors conducts the Gakushu-juku Instructor Certification Test, which aims to secure and foster excellent human resources. There are three qualifications: "Gakushu-juku Instructor Certification" and "Gakushu-juku Instructor Group Instruction Levels 2 and 1," with Level 1 of the Gakushu-juku Instructor Group Instruction Test requiring Level 2 certification. The Gakushu-juku Instructor Group Teaching Level 1 cannot be taken without obtaining the Level 2 certification. When you open your own private tutoring school, acquiring such a certification may give you confidence.

Japan is currently experiencing a "declining birthrate" with fewer children: the population of children under the age of 15, which has been declining for 42 consecutive years since 1982, was at an all-time low of 14.35 million as of April 2023. This trend is expected to continue, and the number of children and students using tutoring schools will also decrease in the future. Recently, however, educational expenditures per child have been increasing year after year, leading to an increase in sales in the tutoring school industry and in the number of children and students attending tutoring schools. It appears that many parents are becoming more enthusiastic about education and are sending their children to tutoring schools in the hope that their children's school grades will improve and that they will pass entrance exams. As the birthrate declines at an accelerating pace, this desire will become even stronger. In order to respond to this trend, cram school instructors will need to improve their "study teaching skills" even more than before. In addition, it is expected that tutoring schools will increasingly use digital devices such as tablets used in schools, online learning, and AI. How can these devices be used to provide better instruction? It will be an important role for those who are going to become tutoring instructors to research and implement these ideas.

The average annual salary is 4.11-5.52 million yen. It depends on the regulations of the tutoring school to which he/she belongs and the way he/she works, such as as a regular employee, part-time employee, or part-timer. Some instructors with ability and performance earn a high income by teaching classes at several cram schools at the same time.

Gakushu-juku classes and study rooms are often open on Saturdays and Sundays, when schools are closed, so tutors often take weekdays off. In addition, gakushu-juku classes begin around the end of the school day and end around 10:00 p.m. During school summer and winter vacations, tutoring classes may also begin in the morning. Students are expected to arrive at work in time for their classes, but they also have to prepare for their classes, meet with students and their parents, and so on.

A tutoring school that belongs to the company. They provide group instruction in a large classroom or individual instruction in a private room. They also grade tests and prepare for classes in the office.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to get a job as a judo athlete!