RareJob, Inc. (hereafter “RareJob”), which utilizes human-related data to develop global talents, decided to acquire 49% of the issued shares of BORDERLINK, INC. (hereafter, “BORDERLINK”), which is one of the subsidiaries of WILL GROUP, INC. (hereafter, WILL GROUP) and does a foreign language education learning support business on October 1, 2021. WILL GROUP continues to own 51% of the shares is subject to call options that can be exercised after April 1, 2023. We will exercise the call option and acquire it as a subsidiary if we are able to create synergies between BORDERLINK and RareJob and enhance the corporate value of BORDERLINK until April, 2023.

*1 ALT : Assistant Language Teacher, who teaches a foreign language as a native-level foreign language speaker. In elementary, junior and senior high school English classes, they help pupils and students learn English pronunciation and how to communicate in English.

Future Vision of the RareJob Group in the B2School business

In response to globalization nowadays, English education is becoming increasingly important for children from infants to high school students, regardless of their ages. The development of four English skills (“listening,” “speaking,” “reading” and “writing”) is needed comprehensively in schooling without focusing on a specific skill unevenly. However, currently it is difficult for pupils and students to have sufficient opportunities to speak English in class, which causes the problem that the time for English communication practice is quite limited in a classroom when English teachers and ALT try to teach how to speak English. As a solution for this issue, the B2School service of the RareJob Group has provided an online English tutoring class by connecting Philippine tutors with pupils and students in Japan online and has contributed to offering more opportunities to speak English.
However, a provision of an online English tutoring class is still insufficient in English learning for pupils and students at the growth stage in their lives. Many pupils and students are not used to independent study yet because they are still learning a way to study, so it is difficult for them to keep motivated to learn English effectively if they are just given a chance to study how to speak English online.
In addition to the provision of tailored English learning which secures sufficient opportunities to speak English with online English tutoring service, we will also provide offline learning opportunities through ALT dispatching by BORDERLINK to suggest more effective English study keeping learner’s motivation.

What can be realized from the acquisition of shares from BORDERLINK

BORDERLINK dispatches ALT to schools in Kanto, Chubu, and Kansai regions and operates English schools in Tokyo. Its sales have grown 1.6 times over the past three years in the ALT dispatching market with a certain size and it already holds a top share in the market which has many competitors. In addition, BORDERLINK is the great company with a lot of strengths as a supportive partner for the RareJob group to promote new initiatives in the B2School business, which led to this partnership.

[About Business Synergy between BORDERLINK and RareJob]
・Provision of learning services differentiated from competitors by collaborating ALT dispatching and online English tutoring services
・Expansion of business by utilizing client base which B2School sector has
・Stabilization of the supply of human resources as ALT by dispatching Filipino tutors working for RareJob Eikaiwa to address a shortage of workers for ALT
・Enhancement of learning experience by encouraging ALT to work as RareJob Eikaiwa English tutors during their free time, which leads to more employment opportunities for ALT and the provision of enriched cultural experience by tutors with various background for RareJob Eikaiwa members

Our medium-term outlook is to provide ALT service not only for pupils and students in elementary, junior high and high schools but also for infants and pupils in after school facilities. Then, we keep promoting further business growth to realize the goal of B2School business in the RareJob Group, “developing talents playing an active role globally in the future.”

Future Additional Acquisitions of BORDERLINK

This time, we will acquire 49% of the issued shares of BORDERLINK. As we have a call option exercisable since April 2023 and plan to acquire the remaining 51% of its shares by exercising the call option.

About BORDERLINK, INC.

Head Office: 2-16-1, Shimocho, Omiya-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama ACROSS Building 8F
Representative: Yasumasa Yasui, CEO
URL: https://www.borderlink.co.jp/index.html
Business: ALT Enterprises, Language Business Projects