What is Hoikushi?
Hoikushi is a profession who takes care of 0-18 year old children.
There are many facilities where Hoikushi are actively working.
Most of Hoikushi work at Hoikuen
(= Nursery schools/ Children’s day care).
Hoikushi take important rolls.
A Day of Hoikushi (example)
7:00 | Early morning shift staffs start working.
7:30 | Children start coming to shcool with parents.
Take temperature for small children.
9:45 | Morning Meeting, Exercise, Song etc
Snack time / Milk time
10:00～11:00 | Activity
Play outside or walk, Gym, Rhythmic, Drawing, Pool time in summer,
11:30～12:30 | Lunch Time
Make children wash hands, arrange tables,
serve lunch, bottle feeding
13:00～15:00 | Nap Time
Assist children brush teeth, prepare Futon,
toilet training, and napping
15:15～16:00 | Snack Time
16:00 | Good Bye Meeting.
16:00～19:00 | Parents pick up children, clean up
19:30 | Late Shift Staffs finish working
How long does a Hoikushi work?
At most of the day care facilities, generally they work 8 hours a day.
Usually day care facilities handle their staff under three kinds of shifts.
1. Early Morning Shift 7:30-16:30
2. Morning Shift 8:30-17:30
3. Late Shift 19:30-Closing
Join the Events
Hoikushi organizes events
Picnics, festivals, sport meetings, school plays, entrance and granation
ceremonies, medical checks, dental checks, Halloween, Christmas, Monthly Birthday Party, cooking, evacuation drills etc
Treatment of Hoikushi
There are two types of Hoikuen (children’s day care facility) in Japan.
①Ninekaen (or Ninshoen)= Day care facility which receives financial aid
from the government.
②Muninkaen = Day care facility which doesn’t receive the financial aid.
So they do all the management from fee of their child care service.
There is a big gap in salary between Ninkaen and Muninkaen.
Nowadays, many mothers have jobs so they prefer to get their children
entered in day cares (Hoikuen) rather than kindergartens (Youchien).
So the number of nursery schools are increasing and they need more staff.
To hire staff, Ninkaen use governmental financial aid to pay reasonable
salaries and give good working conditions. Ninkaen teachers
can be paid better.
Hoikushi License
How to be a Hoikushi?
You need to complete one of the following.
①Graduate from a Japanese vocational school for becoming
a day care teacher which is authorized by the Ministry of Health,
Labor and Welfare
②Pass the Hoikushi Examination
Hoikushi Examination
Eligibility
You need to have more than 14 years of schooling experience.
Graduated from 2 year college or 4 year university.
(If you graduated your final school before 1991 March 31, you only need total 12 years of schooling experience. )
It is also possible for college students to take the exam. In this case
examination results will be “tentative” passed. You must submit required
documents and a Verification of Graduate Certification that show you have
completed unit or credits later date, or else qualification will be invalid.
Date of Mark Sheet Examination
The examination is held twice a year. (Actual Examination. MBB Hoikushi prep course will make group application)
・3rd Saturday and Sunday in April
・3rd Saturday and Sunday in October
Examination Subjects
The Examination consists of 9 subjects.
Hoikushi examination will be scored per subject. Over 60% will be the
passing score. Passed scores are valid for 3 years.
※Only the subjects of “Kyoiku Genri (Principle of Education)” and
“Shakaiteki Yougo(Social Care)” are required to pass both at the same
time. Either of the subjects are not acceptable to be carried over.
Practical Examination
After you pass the mark sheet examination, then you take practical
examination. Applicants will choose 2 out of 3 units proposed. Over 60%
will be the passing score.
・Technology on musical expression
・Technology of expression on Creative Art
・Technology on verbal expressions
Examination Fee
12,950 yen
