Shenzhen Japanese foreign teacher recruitment: how to accurately match the demand and build a high-quality Japanese teaching team?

Shenzhen, as an international metropolis, has a rising demand for Japanese talents. whether it is Japanese training institutions, international schools or language service departments supported by Japanese enterprises, there is a strong demand for Japanese foreign teachers with professional abilities and cultural backgrounds. However, the recruitment of Japanese foreign teachers is not a simple screening of "native Japanese speakers". Institutions need to systematically plan from the four dimensions of qualification examination, teaching adaptation, cultural integration and long-term retention in order to screen out high-quality teachers who really meet the teaching objectives and avoid the impact of "different levels of foreign teachers" on students' experience and institutional reputation.

1. qualification examination: double verification of legal identity and professional ability

The primary task of recruiting Japanese foreign teachers is to confirm their legal qualification and teaching ability, avoid legal risks or teaching accidents caused by "black foreign teachers" (no work permit) or "non-professional foreign teachers" (insufficient ability).

legal qualifications are strictly checked

work permit and visa : Japanese foreign teachers need to hold a Chinese legal work visa (such as z visa) and a foreigner work permit, and can check the authenticity of the certificate through the official website of the local science and technology bureau (foreigners' work administration department in China), ensure that they have legal teaching qualifications;
no criminal record certificate : require foreign teachers to provide no criminal record certificate issued by the Japanese police and certified by the Chinese embassy or consulate in Japan to avoid affecting the reputation of the organization due to background problems;
academic and professional certification : priority is given to those with bachelor's degree or above in Japanese education, linguistics, literature and other related majors. If the foreign teacher has no educational background, at least 2 years of Japanese teaching experience (such as teaching contract and student evaluation) must be provided.
health certificate : foreign teachers are required to submit a medical examination report (including infectious disease screening) for nearly 6 months to ensure the health and safety of students.
for example, a Shenzhen Japanese training institution requires foreign teachers to provide four materials: "work permit + no crime certificate + Japanese professional undergraduate certificate + health report", which are indispensable to eliminate risks from the source.

in-depth assessment of teaching ability

Japanese proficiency test : Although foreign teachers are native Japanese speakers, it is still necessary to verify their language ability through professional examinations (such as JLPT N1 level or Japanese language education ability verification test) to ensure that they can accurately explain grammar, pronunciation and other details;
teaching qualification certification : priority is given to foreign teachers who hold Japanese recognized teacher qualification certificates, such as those who pass the "Japanese language education ability verification test, or international general Japanese teaching certificate (such as" Japanese teacher development course "completion certificate);
teaching experience screening : matching experience according to teaching scenarios (such as children's Japanese, business Japanese, JLPT examination grade), for example, children's Japanese foreign teachers need to have" more than 3 years of teaching experience for young students + familiar with child psychology ", business Japanese foreign teachers should have" working experience in Japanese enterprises + familiar with workplace expression ";
classroom simulation assessment : design a 15-20 minute simulation classroom (e. g. Japanese nursery rhymes teaching for 10-year-old students) to observe foreign teachers' interactive ability, classroom management skills (e. g. whether complex concepts can be explained in simple Japanese) and whether teaching methods meet the needs of students.
for example, an international school has set up a "3-minute self-introduction +10-minute simulated workplace dialogue teaching +5-minute question and answer" link to recruit foreign business Japanese teachers. only 15% of the applicants can pass all the examinations.

2. teaching adaptation: accurate matching of students' age, goals and scenarios

the teaching effect of Japanese foreign teachers is highly related to the age, learning objectives and teaching scenes of the students. institutions should select the "right people" according to their own positioning to avoid the loss of students due to "experience mismatch.

age adaptation of students

young students (3-12 years old): foreign teachers who have patience, strong affinity and are good at game teaching should be selected, such as "TPR (whole body reaction method)" and "animation role playing" to stimulate interest, avoid students' resistance due to boring teaching methods;
young students (13-18 years old): foreign teachers who can design courses according to examination requirements (such as Japanese for senior high school entrance examination, Japanese for senior high school entrance examination, JLPT) should be selected, for example, scores should be improved through "true question analysis + special training, or enhance learning motivation through" Japanese culture sharing "(such as animation and idol culture);
adult students (over 18 years old): foreign teachers with workplace experience or industry background are required. for example, foreign teachers in business Japanese are required to be familiar with Japanese enterprise email writing and meeting expression, and foreign teachers in travel Japanese are required to know practical information such as Japanese scenic spots and traffic rules.
for example, a Shenzhen Japanese institution matches foreign teachers who "have 5 years of teaching experience for children + are good at manual interaction" for children. the continuation rate of students is 85%, which is far higher than the industry average.

learning goal adaptation

interest training : if students learn Japanese only for travel or interest, it is necessary to choose foreign teachers who can share Japanese culture (such as tea ceremony, kimono and festivals), for example, through the practical course of "making sushi + learning related vocabulary", so that students can master the language in the experience;
grade test sprint : if students need to prepare for JLPT (Japanese proficiency test), they need to choose foreign teachers who are familiar with the question types and scoring standards, can provide "listening listening + reading jump reading + writing template + oral simulation" system training, for example, design "1 set of true questions per week + wrong question analysis" course for N1 level students;
convergence of studying abroad : if students plan to study in Japan, they need to choose foreign teachers who understand the Japanese education system, mock interviews, direct research proposal writing (e. g., "how to express research motivation in Japanese"), or share Japanese life experiences (e. g., renting a house, using a transportation card).
for example, a study abroad institution matches foreign teachers who "have 8 years of teaching experience in grade examination + have participated in JLPT proposition research" for students preparing for JLPT N2, and the passing rate of students has increased from 60% to 85%.

teaching scene adaptation

offline teaching : foreign teachers who can adapt to fixed class hours and manage classroom order should be selected, for example, through "group competition" and "bonus points" to maintain students' attention and avoid affecting the teaching progress due to students' whisperings;
online teaching : foreign teachers who are familiar with online tools (such as Zoom and ClassIn) should be selected to maintain students' participation through "screen sharing" and "virtual whiteboard, for example," Japanese dragon game "and" real-time voting interaction "are designed in online classrooms.
mixed teaching : foreign teachers who can combine online and offline advantages should be selected, such as completing grammar explanation offline, consolidating knowledge through games and discussions online, or using online platforms to assign homework and feedback learning.
for example, an organization designed a "10-minute knowledge point explanation +8-minute interactive game +2-minute summary" mode for online courses, requiring foreign teachers to master the skills of "barrage interaction" and "group discussion", thus increasing students' participation in class by 40%.

3. cultural integration: the deep connection from "language communication" to "culture communication"

Japanese foreign teachers are not only language teachers, but also disseminators of Japanese culture. Their cultural understanding ability directly affects the intercultural communication effect of students and the teaching characteristics of institutions.

respect the cultural background of students

adjust teaching strategies : Chinese students generally pay attention to efficiency and structured learning. foreign teachers need to clarify the course objectives (such as "master 20 Japanese words in this lesson"), design periodic tests (such as weekly quizzes), avoid "free play" teaching leading to students' confusion;
avoid culturally sensitive topics : when it comes to topics such as history, politics, gender, etc., foreign teachers should remain neutral to avoid students' discomfort caused by conflicts of views;
learning Chinese culture : foreign teachers can take the initiative to understand Chinese festivals (such as Spring Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival) and customs (such as red envelopes and toasts), and integrate relevant elements into the classroom (such as "introducing Spring Festival customs in Japanese") to shorten the distance with students.
for example, a foreign teacher organized a "Japanese moon cake making class" on the mid-autumn festival. the students kneaded the dough while learning words such as "rice (glutinous rice)" and "" (bean paste) ". the class satisfaction reached 90%.

share Japanese culture and life

culture comparison teaching : when explaining the themes of "festival", "diet" and "family, compare the differences between China and Japan (such as Spring Festival vs New Year, rice vs bread) to enhance students' cross-cultural understanding ability;
real scene introduction : by playing Japanese news, animation clips or sharing life photos, let students feel the authentic Japanese usage scene (such as foreign teachers sharing the dialogue of" shopping in Tokyo supermarket ");
student culture display : encourage students to introduce Chinese culture in Japanese (such as" how to explain 'kungong' in Japanese ") to improve their language application ability and cultural confidence.
for example, an organization has set up a "Sino-Japanese culture week" for students. foreign teachers and students jointly produce a "cultural comparison manual" covering language, food, art and other contents. students feedback that "they have a deeper understanding of Japanese culture".

establish cross-cultural communication mechanism

regular feedback meeting : institutions can organize monthly meetings between foreign teachers, Chinese teachers and representatives of students, discuss teaching problems (such as "students' satisfaction with classroom interaction") and cultural conflicts (such as "foreign teachers think students are too quiet"), and adjust strategies in time;
cultural training support : provide foreign teachers with Chinese cultural training (such as "Chinese workplace etiquette" and "family concept") to help them better adapt to the teaching environment;
conflict resolution plan : formulate a process for handling cultural conflicts (for example, when students conflict due to criticism from foreign teachers, the Chinese teachers will coordinate and communicate with each other) to avoid the escalation of conflicts affecting teaching.
for example, an international school has set up a "Chinese culture workshop" for foreign teachers to help them understand the characteristics of "implicit expression" of Chinese students through role-playing and case analysis, thus increasing the classroom interaction rate by 50%.

4. long-term retention: systematic support from "recruitment" to "retention"

recruiting high-quality Japanese foreign teachers is only the first step. institutions need to improve their satisfaction through measures such as salary and welfare, career development and life support, reduce the wastage rate, and avoid the impact of "frequent replacement of foreign teachers" on students' experience and institutional reputation.

competitive salary and benefits

salary structure : provide a combination of "basic salary + lesson time fee + performance bonus", the lesson time fee of Japanese foreign teachers can be 10%-15% higher than the market average, attracting high-quality talents;
welfare guarantee : purchase commercial insurance (including medical treatment and accident), provide housing subsidy or free apartment, and reimburse visa and air ticket expenses for foreign teachers to solve their worries.
paid vacation : provide legal holidays and annual leave according to Chinese laws, and an additional "cultural adaptation leave" (such as a one-day holiday per month for the first three months of foreign teachers arriving in Shenzhen) is added to help them adjust their status.
for example, a Japanese organization in Shenzhen provides foreign teachers with a welfare package of "annual salary 250000 + free apartment + annual physical examination", and the average retention time of foreign teachers is extended from 1 year to 3 years.

clear career development path

promotion mechanism : set up a promotion channel of "junior foreign teacher-intermediate foreign teacher-senior foreign teacher-teaching supervisor, foreign teachers can be promoted through teaching achievements (such as passing rate of students' examination) and teaching and research contributions (such as developing courses);
training support : regularly organize foreign teachers to participate in teaching method training (such as" how to teach young students "and" online teaching skills "), Japanese promotion courses (such as basic Chinese training to help foreign teachers better communicate with Chinese students), help them to improve their ability;
academic exchange : encourage foreign teachers to participate in industry conferences (such as" national Japanese teaching seminar "), cooperate with teachers at home and abroad in teaching and research, and broaden their professional horizons.
for example, an organization provides foreign teachers with "2 domestic and foreign training opportunities +1 academic exchange subsidy", and the adoption rate of foreign teachers' teaching and research results (such as curriculum lesson plans) by the organization is 80%.

life and emotional support

life assistance : arrange Chinese teachers or administrative personnel to assist foreign teachers in handling bank cards, mobile phone cards, transportation cards and other life affairs, reduce their difficulties in adapting to Shenzhen when they first arrive in Shenzhen;
cultural adaptation activities : organize foreign teachers to participate in local activities in Shenzhen (such as visiting dongmen old street and experiencing cantonese cuisine) and tourism in surrounding cities (such as Guangzhou and Zhuhai) to help them integrate into local life;
emotional care : communicate regularly with foreign teachers (e. g. interview once a month) to understand their work and life needs and solve their difficulties in time (e. g. arrange for foreign teachers to make video calls with their families when they are depressed due to missing their families ").
for example, an international school has set up a "Shenzhen life club" for foreign teachers to help foreign teachers make friends and relieve loneliness through cooking classes and hiking activities. the satisfaction of foreign teachers is 95%.

the recruitment of Japanese foreign teachers in Shenzhen needs to go beyond the short-term thinking of "finding someone to attend classes" and shift to the systematic operation of "accurate matching, deep integration and long-term retention. Only by screening "legal and professional" teachers through strict qualification examination, adapting "the right person" according to the age, goal and scene of the students, establishing "language + culture" dual-channel teaching through cultural integration, and finally retaining talents with salary and welfare, career development and life support, can the organization build a stable and high-quality Japanese foreign teacher team and stand out in the fierce market competition, to provide students with truly valuable Japanese language education services.

English Teacher at Daycare Center at Chegongmiao, Futian, Shenzhen

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