Careers & partners
Write the first chapter
of this school with us.
TOMODACHI JAPAN is a brand-new online Japanese school for kids, run by NIJIN Inc. We’re connecting children of foreign roots living in Japan (84,759 of whom need Japanese-language support) with the 4 million-plus people learning Japanese around the world — using one simple idea: becoming friends. We’re now in the most exciting phase: building from the ground up, with a pilot launch planned for December 2026. There are two ways to join us.
① Lead it as the representative (business owner)
For someone who wants to build and run this school as their own business. Working one-on-one each week with our CEO, Tatsuro Hoshino, you’ll design and drive everything from concept to pilot to full operation. You can start as a side project. Based on the Hoshino Entrepreneur School model, strong results can lead to becoming a group company, taking the representative role, and receiving equity.
- Designing the dialogue-based curriculum (“friends first,” not “grammar first”)
- In Japan: building public partnerships (boards of education, MEXT, NPOs)
- Overseas: partner schools & international bodies (Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia, JICA, etc.)
- Connecting with NIJIN Academy’s 800+ Japanese students
② Join as a founding member, teacher or staff
“Becoming the representative is a bit much — but I’d love to help build this school.” “I want to work with the kids as a teacher or staff member.” This is for you. There are many ways to take part: Japanese teaching, lesson design, operations support, communications and more. We welcome people who are better at “laughing together” than “teaching at.” Japanese-teaching expertise is welcome but not required — and our teacher communities (“Jugyou Terasu” & “Chugakkou Terasu,” 1,200+ teachers) provide training and support.
This is a great fit if you live in Japan or abroad and want to be part of a warm, mission-driven team. Tell us what you’d love to do.
Who we’re looking for
- Must: a deep drive to solve social problems; an educational philosophy that respects dialogue and children’s autonomy
- Welcome: Japanese-teaching expertise, overseas / multicultural background, English communication (none of these are required)
More than any qualification, we value your passion and your view of education.
Companies & local governments
To make learning free for children of foreign roots in Japan, we need corporate sponsors and local-government partners. If you’d like to support these children — or explore future hiring and overseas partnerships with NIJIN’s 100+ partner companies — we’d love to talk.