Date: Sunday, July 13
Time: 10:00-17:00
Location: Shirobara Kindergarten in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture Map Link
Price: ¥4,000 advance purchase – lunch included (¥5,000 day-of purchase)

A Life-Changing Step: Why Study Abroad Matters for Young Learners

For teachers who care about their students’ dreams:
Study abroad isn’t just a trip—it’s a turning point.
It transforms English into a joyful, real-life experience.
Let’s give students a reason to learn, and a world to reach for.

Biography

Chihiro Gomi is a former English teacher in Kobe, who is now guiding students abroad with Go Kiwi. She is passionate about helping kids experience real English and a wider world.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Japanese Labor Law Q&A

Presenting remotely, Sharoushi Nakako Yamada will answer participant questions as well as cover important aspects of Japanese labor law that school owners should be aware of.

Biography

Nakako Yamada began practicing as a Sharoushi (Labor and Social Security Attorney) in late 2019. Born in the United States and spending her childhood years abroad, she can offer a multicultural perspective shaped through extensive experience in the corporate world, working at foreign-affiliated companies across a wide range of industries and organizational scales.