TAIP Newsletter - Issue 6
#BackToSchoolJapan
We all hope you had a great summer.
Now that many schools are back in session, we wanted to know:.
What are you most excited about going back to school this fall?
Please share your answer with your fellow teachers, and let's start this new school year together!
Log in and let us know:
Questions for Jobs in Japan
Jobs in Japan president, Peter Lackner, led an excellent presentation in 2020 titled, Basic Hiring and Recruitment Practices.
Considering how much things have changed since then, let's get an update from Peter!
We will be asking Peter about his business, what they offer to the TAIP community, and about the current state of hiring and recruitment in Japan.
Please tell us what you want to know! Send your questions to our webmaster at: webmaster@tokyopreschools.org
TAIP Director's Meetings
This year, once again, we would like to coordinate regular meetings for school leaders of TAIP member schools to meet via Zoom. Past participants found these meetings to be an excellent opportunity to meet other school leaders, exchange tips and ideas, ask questions and share answers, and to engage in professional networking.
The meetings will be held via Zoom at 11 am on the first Wednesday of each month.
To sign up to receive more information and Zoom invites, please send an email to secretary@tokyopreschools.org.
The first meeting of the 2022-23 school year will be on October 5.
A Special Offer from Takumi Associates
Please welcome our newest associate member Takumi Associates. They have a great offer for TAIP member schools, so please get in touch with them if interested. Welcome aboard Takumi Associates!
View their offer here: TAIP Special Offer (pdf)
From Takumi Associates:
Hello TAIP Members!
Takumi Associates is a consulting and school services company founded in Tokyo in 2018 dedicated to making International Schools as successful as they can be through the smooth functioning of business functions. Matt McGuire, Ayako Sugaya and Tim Thornton, all with deep connections to Japan, founded Takumi to focus on providing non-profit schools with support in finances, facilities, human resources, operations and procurement.
Tim's career spans 40 years in Japan where he was a senior leader at both Canadian Academy and ASIJ. Ayako and Matt worked together at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for a long career, but both ended up working in international schools, at UWC Singapore. Matt was also a Board Member and Treasurer at ASIJ. Tim, Ayako and Matt all have children who have gone through the international school system.
Takumi recognizes that schools are very focused, as they should be, on hiring and retaining the best teaching staff possible. Teachers are the heart of the school and at the same time are your single largest expense. Maintaining a balance between good staff and financial sustainability is not easy, and often schools need a bit of support in making decisions that impact financial health. For example, lease renewals, staff pay rises, tuition and fee setting, or other capital expenditures. Takumi can advise you on long term financial planning and operational improvements to help you achieve your greatest goals.
For TAIP members we know that Tokyo is a very competitive preschool market and admire the strength of the leaders of each school for making it happen every day. Your jobs are not easy, juggling a diverse set of challenges, while caring so deeply for the wellbeing of your students. So, we are here to assist if you need us. Matt is based in Tokyo and would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you, at no obligation, to discuss what keeps you up at night. Utilizing our expertise in financial planning and strategy, facilities development, personnel management, etc. might be on the way to improving the business performance of your school.
Google Ads Update - What Schools Need to Know
The following information is for schools and organizations using Google Ads to generate traffic.
Google will update its "Destination Requirements Policy" this October. "Destinations" are the page on your website that people reach when they click your ad—for example, your school homepage.
The new policy is part of Google Ads' effort to conform with the Coalition for Better Ads. The policy update means your "destination" page cannot have ads (on the destination page) that "fall beneath a threshold of consumer acceptability." Please visit their site to learn more: betterads.org
Some other rules in the Destination Requirements Policy that may affect TAIP Member schools and organizations using Google Ads are listed here:
- Websites with pop-ups or interstitials
- Websites that don't load quickly on most popular browsers and devices
- Failing to use a subdomain to identify a site
- Destinations that are not accessible in the targeted location
- Phone numbers that have not been verified by Google
Thank you!