We are moving to two conferences this one–one each in Tokyo and Osaka! Again, this one day conference is dedicated to discussing different aspects of owning and operating a language school in Japan. All current school owners and those hoping to become school owners in the future are welcome!
Basic Information
Date: Sunday, July 13
Time: 10:00-17:00
Location: White Rose English School in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture Map Link
Price: ¥4,000 advance purchase – lunch included (¥5,000 day-of purchase)
Presenters and Topics
- Ryan Hagglund on Hiring Staff and Teachers
- Andy Bardon on Disaster Preparedness
- Masaki Homma on Learning From Large Chain Schools
- Sae Harada on Using Instagram
See our presenters’ presentation summaries and bios in full below!
Conference Schedule
Presenters and Topics
Ryan Hagglund
MY English School
Hiring Staff and Teachers
Since taking over MY English School in 2008, hiring has gone from Ryan interviewing potential new staff and teachers himself to his leadership team doing the interviewing and hiring to now having a dedicated hiring team. In that time they have all been involved in the hiring of over 100 staff and teachers. What are some of the lessons learned from those experiences?
Biography
Ryan Hagglund and his wife Maki took over MY English School in Yamagata Prefecture in 2008, growing it from 100 to 1,200 students across 9 locations, including Yamagata’s only immersion kindergarten. They have three boys, aged 19, 17, and 15. Ryan, originally from Oregon, holds an MA in TEFL/TESL, an MAT, and teaching certification from Oregon.
Andy Bardon
Ace Kids Toyama
Rebuilding After a Disaster
On January 1, 2024, the Hokuriku earthquake changed everything. When our school building was damaged beyond use, we faced the challenge of rebuilding our school and our business. This talk shares our journey through crisis, recovery, and the lessons that saw us reopen with a new building in six months.
Biography
Andrew Bardon is the owner of Ace Kids Toyama, and with over two decades of experience in English education, he aims to create engaging, communicative learning environments for his students.
Masaki Homma
M’s Conexion Inc.
Leveraging Your Strengths: Practical Strategies from Large-School Playbooks
While many school owners deliver valuable, personalized programs, some face challenges with scaling, systemizing, or succession. Drawing on experience with major education brands like GABA and My Gym—and supporting various types of schools—this session explores how business strategies differ by scale and offers actionable ideas for improving customer management, KPIs, and local positioning.
Biography
Masaki Homma, former executive at GABA and My Gym, is now CEO of a consulting firm supporting education businesses across Japan in strategy, operations, and leadership development.
Sae Harada
How I use Instagram for my Eikaiwa school
The presenter will share how they use Instagram to get new students. They will talk about profile, stories, posts, hashtags, and ads. Let’s try simple tips to make our account work better for our school!
Biography
Sae Harada is from Kitanagoya. She opened her school this April and got 38 students in 3 months before she started lessons. Half came from Instagram. Sae teaches English and also English rhythmic.
Financial support for this event is provided by the English Teachers’ Book Service.
Purchase books from the English Teachers’ Book Service at etbookservice.com!