Professional excellence isn’t a goal; it’s a never-ending process. As such, one of the core principles of Independent School Owners and Teachers is that we are always learning. We are always searching for opportunities to become better teachers and small business owners.
That’s why professional development events are a large part of what we do.
Each of us has learned, individually, so much over the course of our journeys as school owners and independent teachers. We’ve all had positive and negative outcomes as we’ve tried new way of running our businesses, marketing our schools, hiring and employing people, building schedules, making the financials work and in so many other ways. And while some of us take classes or read books, all of us have learned some of these lessons the hard way. One of the goals in hosting our School Owners’ Conferences is being able to take and share that collected wisdom, so that each of us as independent teachers and small business owners are able to learn from each other.
Initially beginning with the JALT School Owner’s Special Interest Group, we held several conferences in the past. Moving forward as Independent School Owners and Teachers, we will continue holding conferences each year.
In 2025, we will expand our conference lineup with two major events: our 6th conference in Tokyo and 7th in Osaka. Past conferences have featured insightful presentations, hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and engaging discussions for independent teachers and school owners.
- 6th Conference
Tokyo – June 22, 2025 - 7th Conference
Kansai – July 13, 2025
For more details on upcoming and previous events, check out the conferences page.
We continue the student-centered teaching seminar series originally led by David Paul. These one-day events provide practical teaching strategies and professional development opportunities across Japan.
- Sendai
June 1, 2025 - Sapporo
June 15, 2025 - Tokyo
Fall 2025 - Nagoya
July 6, 2025 - Kansai
October 5, 2025 - Fukuoka
Fall 2025