"A company that develops teachers" - showing children how adults are growing and conveying a serious attitude of working hard

From joining the company as a new graduate to becoming a classroom manager and then a recruiter - Nakino's journey

Nakino-san : I am mainly in charge of recruitment. I work in the HR Marketing Department, which is the department that "attracts people." I am in charge of attracting customers and recruiting people to work for us.

In addition to gathering people and helping them gather, we also provide company-wide training programs and share information based on customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.

Nakino-san : Yes, I also worked with children.

Nakino-san : That's right. For new graduate recruitment, we basically hold an information session for students who have applied. Interviews are conducted by on-site leaders and managers.

In relation to this, I provide follow-up support, such as attending to the applicant, explaining the situation, and then accepting the job offer and notifying them based on the results. This also applies to mid-career recruitment.

Behind the scenes of recruiting: attracting and developing people

Nakino-san : Basically, we do it on a case-by-case basis. Right now, we are recruiting for the 27 graduates and the current recruitment in parallel, and if there are any mid-career recruitment opportunities, we will act accordingly.

Nakino-san : Since there is one classroom manager working for each classroom, there are times when the teachers feel lonely. To alleviate this, we have set up training sessions that focus on horizontal connections, internal relay emails, and online opportunities for communication with other teams.

In addition to morning meetings and conferences, we also provide a space where employees can freely exchange opinions and talk about what they want to do for the company.

Nakino-san :  We often describe ourselves as a company that trains teachers, but our underlying belief is that if we want children to grow, true education requires the adults who interact with them to show them that they are growing and convey an attitude of serious commitment.

Therefore, it is important for us adults to continue growing. In addition to training in sales and teaching skills, we also provide self-development training, which will also lead to your own growth.
I think that people who are passionate about education will have a good impression of me.

Taking on weaknesses: The essence of education learned through training

Nakino-san : Yes, it is.

Nakino-san : Yes, there were times when I realized that I was running away from things I was not good at and had to face them. Since I was telling my children to "try your best even at things you're not good at," I couldn't run away myself. So I had several experiences where I faced things I was not good at and overcame them even though I thought, "I don't want to do this."

At the time, I felt like I had no choice but to do it because that's what I had to do, but now I understand why it was necessary and what kind of experience it led to, and I see it as a positive experience.

Nakino-san : I joined this company as a new graduate and have been working here ever since, so I don't know much about other companies, but I honestly believe that anyone involved in education should join our company.
Therefore, I want all employees to understand the company's values.

Furthermore, no matter how hard an employee works, it is difficult to work without the cooperation of their family. That is why we want to be a company that has a positive influence on families, and we want to promote such initiatives.

Freedom to shape the education you want and career options

Nakino-san : Yes, I wanted to work in a job related to children. I applied to a variety of companies, including an educational publishing company, a children's clothing manufacturer, and a photo studio. Of all the companies, I decided to work for this one.

Nakino-san : When I was the head of the school, the most rewarding moment was when customers praised and were pleased with the quality of the lessons and the Heroes brand.

In my current position, I have more opportunities to hear people say that the company itself is a great company, which makes me very happy and makes my job more rewarding.

Nakino-san : When we talk about our company's initiatives at events and interviews, we often hear people say, "That's a great company," and we are seeing an increase in the number of students who actually move on to the selection process.

In addition, customers sometimes introduce other customers to others, and employees sometimes introduce their friends and acquaintances to new staff. These connections show that the appeal of the company and Heroes is being conveyed, and it makes my job rewarding.

Nakino-san : Yes, in fact, there are many. Some of the students working part-time are former students of the cram school, and in some cases they come back saying, "The teachers were so kind to me, I want to work here now." It's a moment when you realize that what you've been doing was not wrong.

Nakino-san : Thank you. My job involves a lot of behind-the-scenes work, such as planning and running things, so I don't stand out much. For example, when it comes to training, people often say to me afterward, "Oh, so you were in charge of that, Nakino-san!"
So, rather than receiving words of thanks directly, I am more than satisfied just by seeing the changes in our new graduate employees, such as them growing and becoming more capable, and being able to express their opinions clearly.

Nakino-san : Yes. In fact, half of the part-time instructors at the classroom I used to teach are originally my students. When I go to class, they sometimes call out to me, "Teacher!" and it's nice to be reunited with them.
I am sometimes surprised by how much my former students have changed since they became university students, but I am very grateful to be able to see how much they have grown.

Nakino-san : In today's Japanese education, the goal tends to be to get good marks on tests and pass exams. I think the focus is on how to get there in the shortest time possible.
However, when you actually enter society, what is more important is the "process of arriving at the correct answer" and "way of thinking," or even basic human things like "being able to say hello" and "being punctual."

The ability to have a goal and work hard towards it is something that cannot be acquired by simply sitting at a desk and studying. We want to pass on this and other skills to children.
I would be happy if more people could empathize with these values, think "That's wonderful," or "I want to receive that kind of education." And I hope that this can be realized at "Wawo."

Nakino-san : The biggest thing is that it provides an environment where you can realize what you want to do.

Although there are manuals on how to conduct lessons, I think there is a high degree of freedom to create "your ideal classroom." If you put into practice what you think is "good" and it is supported by the local community, the number of students will naturally increase. In other words, I think this is a company where it is easy to realize the education you are aiming for.

And if your ideas are in line with the company's philosophy, the company will actively support you, and you will find more colleagues who will cooperate with you. In that sense, I think it's an environment where it's easy to turn your ideas into reality.

Nakino-san : At first, you will be assigned to a classroom where there are senior students and you will learn the job together. Once you meet certain standards, you will be put in charge of a classroom as your "classroom leader."
The location of your assignment will vary from time to time, but there are various patterns, such as new classrooms or existing classrooms.

Nakino-san : No, I didn't express my desire to do so; they just asked me, "I'd like to set up a department like this. What do you think?"
It was around that time that my child was born. As most of my work at the cram school is at night, I felt it would be difficult to continue. I was really grateful to be contacted under such circumstances.

Nakino-san :  There are changes in classroom leaders, but not frequently. It is not very common for classroom leaders to change with a deliberate handover. There are also cases where leaders are transferred to other duties beyond teaching, but this is only for leadership positions. Generally, they are hired by department.
However, if it is in line with the individual's wishes and company policy, there is a possibility of being transferred from classroom work to the marketing department, etc. If the conditions are right, there is a good chance.
Basically, we want employees to make use of the knowledge and experience they have gained in the department to which they are assigned for a long time.

Nakino-san : That's right. It just so happened that the timing was right, but I think it's important to have hope. There are still many issues surrounding the way women work, but I'm working on this because I believe I have a role to play in changing that.

Nakino-san : Yes, there are a lot of administrative tasks. However, I am also in charge of instructor training and development, so I believe that if the quality of our instructors can be improved to a certain level, it will become easier for employees to take time off and they will have more freedom in how they work.
This may be a perpetual challenge.

Nakino-san : Yes, I think so. I hope that my own efforts will also lead to the philosophy of "changing education" that President Matsuda has set forth. I believe that by a company of our size taking on this challenge, we can have a big impact on society.

The future of education depicted through philosophy and branding

Nakino-san :  When I joined the company as a teacher, and later as I interacted with various people, there were times when I thought, "I want to do more of this kind of thing." Now that I'm on the planning side, some of the things I thought about back then have been realized, but there are also some parts that I feel are still difficult.
However, I have many opportunities to communicate with executives, and thanks to that I feel we are able to share the same values about work.

My values are similar to those of the executives, so we agree on things like "this is good." I have confidence that if I think something is "good," the company will also think it is "good," so I'm able to move forward with confidence. I feel like the company is encouraging me, saying, "Trust your instincts and go for it," and I think that's why I'm here today.

Afterword