David R. Bracey,
Administrative Representative, International Education Research Institute Maki Nibayashi
Maki Nibayashi learns more about positions
available at the International Education Research Institute.
Please tell us a bit about your company.
Basically, the International Education Research Institute (IERI) works in the fields of
higher education, test administration, language education and educational event planning.
We administer examinations for universities and organizations around the world such as the
GRE, GMAT, CFA and JTOC, and we also organize weekend seminars and educational fairs. Our
most recent fair was Education Expo 2000, which was held last month in Tokyo. Each weekend
we open our doors to the foreign community by offering free Japanese Test of Communication
practice exams along with a prep lesson for future JTOC exams. We have offices in
Honolulu, Hawaii and Newport Beach, California and our Tokyo office is located just in
front of JR Yoyogi Station or five minutes from Shinjuku Station' south exit.
When did IERI begin?
IERI was founded in 1991 by an international group of educators to provide educational
opportunities for students and assist educational institutions in the areas of research
and test administration. From there, we have continued to expand and work closely with a
number of academic organizations to provide online services and local support.
What positions are you seeking to fill and what will the job responsibilities be?
Well, IERI is seeking enterprising team players interested in educational counseling, web
design, marketing, management, accounting and translation as well as English and Japanese
language teachers. Both full- and part-time positions are available. Although a number of
our staff are Japanese, we are an international organization whose main language for
communication is English. However, the ability to speak both Japanese and English is a
great asset that we value at IERI.
We have a special interest in those with strong computer skills, and we place great
importance on our online activities, so we are looking for creative web designers and
people who have good database management abilities. Due to the types of activities we are
involved in, employees have the opportunity to gain exposure to a variety of situations
and take on a wide range of responsibilities. We respect intellect and ability and recruit
ambitious bilingual people possessing leadership, organization and presentation skills.
Applicants should be excellent communicators and be supportive of colleagues, students and
clients. Basically, we value quality contributions from our employees who must understand
the difference between merely doing a job and doing a job well.
Could you tell us a bit about the salary range and benefits?
New employees are offered an employment contract that outlines their job responsibilities.
A starting salary is determined based on the employee's past experience and skills. During
the first three months of employment, all employees work towards achieving their personal
goals. During the second week of employment, all new employees work with a senior advisor
to set up a list of personal goals that they would like to reach within the first 90 days
of employment with IERI. At the end of this 90 day employment period, all employees who
have reached their personal goals receive an automatic wage increase.
Benefits include housing and transportation allowances and a strong incentive program is
put in place. Although our Tokyo office is open six days a week from 9:30am-9:30pm there
are a number of shifts available allowing employees to work mornings/afternoons or
afternoons/evenings five days a week. Those who show commitment have the opportunity to
grow as IERI grows. For instance, recently one of our managers, Ryuichi Okubo, who started
with the company some five years ago as a coordinator was promoted to the position of
Director of West-Coast Operations in the US.