Hikari | Instructor FAQ - Join & Teach in Japan

Question 1

What is Hikari?

Accepted Answer

Hikari is an online platform that allows customers to search, directly message and book the best winter sports instructors in Japan. Think of us as a booking platform that helps guests navigate the complex landscape of finding a ski instructor and booking a ski lesson. This means we do not employ, manage, or supervise instructors — each instructor operates via a local Japanese ski school which is responsible for their own instructors, insurance, and compliance with Japanese laws. As an instructor, when using the Hikari platform you'll have the freedom to set your own prices, lesson times and availability. We were set-up and built by ski instructors, so we understand the key challenges instructors have to deal with. Our goal is simple - to make instructors' lives easier and let instructors spend more time doing what they love.

Question 2

Why should I sign up on Hikari?

Accepted Answer

We know seasons can be hectic. You are working hard to find clients, manage lesson booking admin, deliver lessons and squeeze in your own skiing. Hikari is here to simplify this process - giving you more time to teach and ski. Our platform helps you find clients looking for lessons by matching clients directly with instructors who have availability. We reduce the time taken trying to take (and chase) payments by managing payments directly through the Hikari platform and then paying out to your affiliated ski school (reducing the back and forth with your office). Then after lessons we ask clients to leave reviews on how the lesson went. These reviews will be displayed in your profile - letting future clients know they'll be in safe hands when booking a lesson with you.

Question 3

Do I have to pay to join Hikari?

Accepted Answer

Registration and profile creation on Hikari are completely free of charge. We charge clients an additional booking and payment processing fee that is added to your lesson fee automatically - but none of this directly impacts you. You choose your lesson fee on the platform and the entirety of the lesson fee you set goes directly to you.

Question 4

Who can sign up as an instructor on Hikari?

Accepted Answer

To create an account you must be at least 18 years old and have a contractual or employment arrangement with an authorized ski school registered on the Hikari platform. We require all instructors registered on the Hikari platform to be affiliated with a ski school that we have a partnership agreement with to ensure that instructors have the correct qualifications and right to work in Japan.

Question 5

Do you allow 'gorilla' or 'pirate' guides on Hikari?

Accepted Answer

Gorilla or pirate guides is a common term for ski instructors who do not have the correct qualifications to instruct, permissions to teach in the resort or even the right to work in Japan. This is illegal, damages the reputation of the ski industry, takes work away from instructors that follow the rules, and leaves guests little recourse in the event of an accident. Hikari takes a strong stance against gorilla, pirate or illegal guiding. We do not allow these instructors and guides on the platform and have robust procedures to prevent this. These procedures include (but are not limited to): We do not allow instructors or guides who are not affiliated with a certified ski school on the platform. We make payment only to the ski school affiliated with the instructor and not directly to the instructor (unless the ski school provides us written notice). We monitor messages made on the Hikari platform. We suspend or remove any accounts we suspect of soliciting outside the Hikari platform.

Question 6

What qualifications are required to create a Hikari instructor account?

Accepted Answer

To create a Hikari account you must have the appropriate qualifications to teach or guide. We have a minimum standard on our platform that means any instructor on the Hikari platform must be higher than a Level 2 based on our equivalency table. You must also have at least one season of teaching experience. We will validate your qualifications through your affiliated ski school. Please note: We do make exceptions and accept instructors with level 1 qualification (see equivalency table) for teaching private kids lessons. However, they must have a written recommendation from their ski school and have demonstrable extra expertise and experience in teaching children (for example as a school teacher or nursery worker). This will be clearly marked in your profile.

Question 7

Which disciplines can I teach with Hikari?

Accepted Answer

Hikari currently caters exclusively to snowsports instructors, including Skiing, Snowboarding, Guiding and Adaptive disciplines. We're always looking to grow, so stay tuned - as we're planning to expand into other winter sports in the near future! Maybe even summer ones in the years to come, who knows? But right now, we are focusing on winter sports and especially ski and snowboarding.

Question 8

What can I earn in a season at Hikari?

Accepted Answer

If you're available and ready to work, your earnings are potentially your day rate multiplied by the number of days you teach (minus the share of your lesson fee that is due to your affiliated ski school). With no fees for instructors, your potential income is exceptionally high. Hikari was built by instructors with one clear purpose: to maximise the benefits for independent instructors. Please note: 25/26 is our launch year and we are still building momentum with the platform. Therefore, while we hope the Hikari will be a great source of lessons we recommend you still continue with your usual methods for generating business.

Question 9

Can I choose to work whenever I want?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, Hikari instructors can choose to offer lessons on any day of the season, it's your choice. Simply set your availability in the Hikari platform.

Question 10

Can I offer any lesson-duration and prices that I want?

Accepted Answer

Yes, instructors can pick their own time-slots for lessons and set their own rate. You can also adapt those to the peak season/low season and change your pricing anytime you want.

Question 11

How do I sign up on Hikari?

Accepted Answer

Just click on the Sign up with Hikari link at the bottom of the page. Fill in your details and select which ski school you are affiliated with. You will then go to the next page where you can fill in your profile details - including a bio and add pictures. If you don't see the ski school you are affiliated with in the dropdown, then we do not have an agreement with that school yet. Don't worry though - simply select 'other' and enter the name of the school. We'll then get in touch with them to see if they would like to partner with us. You'll profile will be on hold until we can reach an agreement, but once we do we'll set your profile live. If you have any problems or questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch via our contact page.

Question 12

What content do I need to offer for a great profile?

Accepted Answer

We believe Hikari is a great way to showcase your own personality to clients. Therefore the content you add to your profile is up to you. However, to ensure customers get a high quality of browsing experience we do have some minimum standards of content we will need to approve your profile. Your profile must include a profile picture, a description of yourself and some images of you skiing or teaching. All this content must accurately reflect you (you can't use pictures of other people skiing for example) and the content must also be of a reasonable quality. This means the text must be coherent and not include typos. Images must not be pixelated or blurry and clearly show the subject. In your profile picture, your face should be clearly visible. You should not be wearing sunglasses and your goggles should be up.

Question 13

How do I manage my availability?

Accepted Answer

Hikari offers instructors the power to manage the times and prices that they want to offer to their customers. You can manage your availability by logging on to the instructor portal. Here you'll be able to use the calendar to block out and make available any dates you would like to available to work. You can read our full guide to managing your availability here.

Question 14

What are customers looking for when they choose an instructor on Hikari?

Accepted Answer

Hikari offers customers the ability to choose their ideal instructor and to quickly and simply book their lessons. Guests are looking not only to find a good instructor (they expect all instructors to be able to deliver a high quality lesson), but also someone they or their family would like to spend time with. Therefore, when choosing their instructor, they value great images and a detailed description of the instructor's background and approach to lessons. Social validation is also a powerful factor, when someone is buying a service. Reviews are great for this. Customers frequently look at reviews in detail before making a choice. So asking your guest to leave a review after the lesson is a powerful way to build yourself a fantastic library of stellar reviews. When communicating with you - they expect prompt and professional replies. Finally, during the lesson they expect their instructor to be on time and professionally presented.

Question 15

Can I stop someone from booking me?

Accepted Answer

No, if you are unavailable, you can block your unavailability directly on the calendar. Once your calendar is up to date, all slots are bookable by any client for your available time slots on your available days, at the price you have set and in the resorts you are active in. Hikari allows customers to browse great profiles, pick their lesson times and book. It's essential that instructors only offer lesson times and prices that they are certainly able to deliver. Operating in this 'instant book' model means instructors are expected to manage their calendars carefully but it provides a better experience for guests and therefore helps ensure instructors can have successful seasons with high earnings.

Question 16

Can I choose to limit my profile to certain clients?

Accepted Answer

No, at the moment you cannot limit your profile to certain clients. This is something we are working on and will look at adding in the future.

Question 17

How do I set my price?

Accepted Answer

To set your lesson rate on Hikari > Log in to your Hikari account > Navigate to "My Profile" > Go to "Set My Price" From there, you can enter the rate you want to earn per lesson and update it whenever needed. You can read our full guide to setting your price on Hikari here.

Question 18

How do instructors get paid?

Accepted Answer

Hikari sends the lesson fee to the ski school you are affiliated with, instructors are then paid by their ski school. Your contract with your ski school will govern the terms of how and when you are paid. Ski schools are paid every Monday for all lessons completed during the previous week (Monday–Saturday). Lessons completed on Sunday are included in the following week's payment cycle (the second Monday after the lesson was delivered).

Question 19

How does Hikari protect instructor payment funds?

Accepted Answer

Once a client has paid we hold the 'instructor's fee' in a separate 'pot'. This money is not used for the day to day running of the Hikari business. Ensuring your money is safe.

Question 20

What is the Hikari cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

The Hikari cancellation policy is listed in our terms and conditions.

Question 21

Can I cancel a booking with a customer?

Accepted Answer

Cancellation can be extremely problematic and upsetting for customers. However, we understand instructors do get injured, ill or have other good reasons to cancel a lesson during a season. So, while we do allow instructors to cancel a lesson, we may apply penalties to your profile if a lesson was cancelled without good reason or without giving us prompt notice. You will not receive any payment for a cancelled lesson. If you need to cancel a lesson we strongly encourage you to get in touch with us directly and explain the situation. We may be able to help find a replacement instructor and avoid penalising your profile. You can get in touch using our contact page and we will get back in touch shortly.

Question 22

What if I get double-booked?

Accepted Answer

Hikari's instant booking system lets guests book you immediately, providing the seamless experience they expect from our platform. This makes it extremely important you keep your availability current to avoid double bookings. Update your Hikari profile as soon as you confirm any booking from elsewhere. If a double booking occurs, contact us immediately through our contact page—don't contact the guest directly. We'll handle the situation and find a solution with the guest. If you are persistently double booked or do not provide us immediate notice, we may apply penalties to your profile. You will not receive any payment for a lesson if you have to cancel due to double-booking.

Question 23

Does it have a negative impact if I cancel a booking?

Accepted Answer

Yes, cancelling bookings can negatively affect your ranking on Hikari, as it impacts customer experience. To help prevent this, we strongly encourage you to keep your calendar accurate and up to date. That said, we understand that unexpected situations such as illness or injury can arise. In such cases, please get in touch with our team - we review each situation individually and may be able to manage the booking on your behalf to ensure you're not unfairly penalised. You can get in touch using our contact page and we will get back in touch shortly.

Question 24

What happens to the payment if I cancel a booking with a customer?

Accepted Answer

In the unfortunate event that an instructor cancels a customer booking, the customer is entitled to a full refund. However, where possible, Hikari assists the customer in finding a replacement instructor. You will not receive any payment for a cancelled lesson.

Question 25

What happens if a customer cancels a lesson?

Accepted Answer

When a customer cancels a lesson, they are given a refund based on the Hikari cancellation policy in our terms and conditions. In the event a guest is not given a full refund, Hikari retains 10% to cover administration and payment processing costs, and the ski school you are affiliated with will receive the rest. Your contract with your ski school will govern if you receive any of the lesson fee recovered from a cancelled booking.

Question 26

I have a complaint about a customer - what can I do?

Accepted Answer

We take complaints extremely seriously. If you have a complaint about the conduct of a guest we will investigate and take action if appropriate (including, but not limited to, blocking the guest from the Hikari platform). As an instructor owned business our number one priority is the safety of the instructors using the platform. If you do have a complaint about a guest - please get in touch using our contact page and we will get back in touch shortly.

Question 27

A guest has complained about me - what happens next?

Accepted Answer

We take complaints extremely seriously. If a complaint is made about you we will get in touch to understand the full events of the situation and your side of the story. If we find you have fallen short of our code of conduct we may suspend or remove your profile from the platform. We also understand that in some cases complaints do not accurately reflect the events that occurred. This is why we strongly encourage instructors to use the Hikari platform for all messages to guests. This lets us monitor and record any communication and helps us protect you in the event of a complaint. Any guest we find to have made a misleading complaint we will suspend from using the platform.

Question 28

I have a complaint about Hikari - what can I do?

Accepted Answer

We are always disappointed when anyone has a bad experience with our platform. As a ski instructor owned business we always strive to deliver excellent service for our instructors. If you do have a complaint about us - please get in touch using our contact page and we will get back in touch shortly.

Question 29

Are there penalties for misuse of the platform?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we have carefully installed software to track any misuse of the Hikari platform. Any instructor found to be a persistent offender will be suspended from using the system.

Hikari - Instructor FAQs

Why Join Hikari

Creating a Hikari Account

Payments

Cancellation

Complaints

Other Questions