Pete Richardson

Web Design & Development | English Teaching

Takadanobaba, Tokyo

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When I work...

I do my best to make websites that look great and work as they should.
Sometimes I write articles for a bilingual tourist paper here in Tokyo.
I also gladly teach English to anyone who wants to learn with a smile. :)

When i'm free...

I find relaxation and inspiration by listening, talking, making, and obsessing about
music, photography, design, art and non-competitive outdoor activities.

Please get in touch if you want to ask me something...


Thanks for reading, Cheers!

Tel: +81 (0) 80-3461-9096
Email: pete.richardson82@gmail.com

Recent Projects

These are a list of web projects I am currently involved with or have worked on recently. Projects are listed in reverse chronological order.
  • RCS Advertising

    • RCS Advertising

    RCS Advertising are an advertising and marketing company based in Tokyo. They have many years of experience and have worked with many major international clients such as VISA and Premium Outlets.

    Work: Production of a bi-lingual website, running on a custom built Wordpress theme; fully updatable by the client online without needing to use any special software.
    : Production of a bi-lingual website, running on a custom built Wordpress theme; fully updatable by the client online without needing to use any special software.

    | www.rcs-advertising.com |

    Japan-i

    An information and events listings website for visitors to Japan. Information available in English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

    Work: I help with web development, writing features and occasionally photography for this publication on a part time basis.

    | www.japan-i.jp |

  • Japan-i
  • Kyle Flowers Photography

    • Kyle Flowers Photography & Design

    A homepage for collage artist and photographer Kyle Flowers.

    Work: Site design and maintenance, Wordpress theme modification for custom design, photo gallery, Search Engine Optimisation
    | www.kyleflowers.com |

    Asahi Agency

    A multi-lingual homepage for Asahi Agency; a marketing, P.R. and advertising agency based in Tokyo, Japan.
    Work: bi-lingual website (ENG / JAP), twitter feed, flicker photo feed,hand coding / production of HTML website from an original PDF design supplied by the client
    | asahiagency.com |

  • Asahi Agency
  • Jimmy's House Hakuba

    • Jimmy's House Hakuba

    A website for Jimmy's House, a ski lodge in the mountains of Hakuba, Nagano Japan.
    Work: A custom built Wordpress theme template; developed from scratch, with: photo gallery, weather feed, blog, Search Engine Optimisation
    | www.jimmyshouse-hakuba.com |

    Adam Webster.net

    Adam Webster.net is the homepage for Adam Webster Photography; a freelance and wedding photographer based in Australia.

    Work: Flash, Site Design, Image Editing/Optimisation (Photoshop), Search Engine Optimisation
    | www.adamwebster.net |

  • Adam Webster Photography
  • Japan Music Week

    • Japan Music Week

    The homepage of Japan Music Week Festival; An annual music event based in Tokyo, showcasing local and international musicians in various venues across the city.

    Work: custom Wordpress based design, Bi-Lingual website (English & Japanese), CSS/HTML Hand Coding to Web 2.0 standards, Content Editing, Search Engine Optimisation
    | www.japanmusicweek.com |

    Way Off Track

    A website for the WayOffTrack mountain bike tours and English language learning group.

    Work: Photoshop to HTML/CSS 2.0 site design, dynamic gallery, PHP
    | www.wayofftrack-jp.com |

  • Way Off Track

Key Competencies

Web Design / Development I'm currently working on a number of web projects alongside my teaching schedule. I am especially interested in open source and standards based, modern (web 2.0) and modular web development. I have employment experience and a background education in computer science (see education) My interests in art and photography help me to deliver well structured, coded and efficient sites with appealing design. I also produce web solutions that meet clients needs and are not overly complicated to maintain or update.
English Teaching I have more than three years teaching experience. I have taught at all age ranges and ability levels; ranging from three year old complete beginners through to advanced level adults. I believe I have a good understanding of the way the Japanese education system operates, through my experience in different teaching roles, in both privately run and public English schools in Japan.

Technical Skills

  • Object Orientated Design
  • CMS / blogging systems
    (eg, Wordpress)
  • Worpress theme designs from scratch
  • PSD design to HTML/CSS
  • HTML / XHTML hand coding
  • Adobe Creative Suite
    ( Flash, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator )
  • CSS designs from scratch
  • IT Helpdesk / User Support Experience
  • previous experience with C++, Java, Python, VB, Javascript, PHP, ASP.NET
  • SQL
    (for database operations and access)
  • FTP
  • Search Engine Optimisation
  • Workstation Administration
    (Win NT, XP, Vista, Mac OS)
  • MS Office:
    Access, Excel, Word, Powerpoint (Mac & Win)

Work Experience

Langland, July '08 ~ English Teacher
Teaching English in the evenings to adults in Ekaiwa schools in Shinjuku and Ginza districts of Tokyo. Students abilities range from beginner to advanced level English. I am responsible for the planning and delivery of these lessons based on student centred syllabuses to meet each individual student's needs.
Mominoki Hotel, Dec 08 - Feb 09 Bar & Restaurant Work / Hospitality
Similar role to the work that I did for the same company in the '07 / '08 winter season . (see below)
Interac Yokohama, April 08 - Dec 08 Public School Assistant Language Teacher

Employed in a public Junior High School in Yokosuka as a full time ALT.

For similar duties, see JET Program ALT.

Mominoki Hotel & Thaifoon Bar/Restaurant, Dec 07 - Apr 08 Restaurant and Bar Work
Duties included: Working in a multilingual environment using both Japanese and English to communicate with staff and customers when serving and taking orders, creation of original cocktails, taking bookings and placing orders, stock control, menu creation assistance, food preparation, marketing of the bar/restaurant in the local area, in-house training of staff for the bar/restaurant.
JET Programme, July 2005 - Aug 2007 JET Assistant Language Teacher (ALT)
English language teaching and cultural awareness exchange.
Teaching English classes; both as an assistant and as the sole teacher in many different contexts/environments,
Lesson and activity planning to meet a specific English language learning goals.
Creating and using English language games/activities for younger learners to make learning enjoyable.
Grading of papers and assisting with the creation of English language syllabuses.
Planned, produced and gave training seminars/presentations to new ALTs in the Gunma prefecture at mid-year and initial teacher training conferences for ALTs. This included: public speaking, presentation of original ideas for lesson materials and answering questions on the spot.
Bezier Creative Print, July 02 - Mar 03Web Developer / User Support

I was employed as a Web Developer for bezier. I was based within the IT Department of the company producing dynamic and secure web solutions for high profile clients such as coca-cola and ASDA. I also worked on many in-house projects such as their homepage (www.bezier.co.uk).

I was also required to supply user support by phone and in person from the IT help desk with any problems or difficulties users had with the systems at bezier. I gained many new skills from my placement at bezier including; effective project management skills, Improved communication skills, various new web design techniques and a better understanding of the way businesses operate.

Maersk Contractors, 2001 Summer Intranet Development

Employed as a summer student I was assigned the task of developing an intranet for the organisation. I was given this as a solo project and was given full flexibility in the design and implementation of the site. Some of the features included dynamic staff listings and multiple user logins and differing access levels within the intranet.

Working within the IT Department I also increased my knowledge of server administration techniques and helped with many general IT support problems, such as setting up new systems and email access.

Education

2000 - 2004 Sheffield Hallam University
Bsc Hons - Computer Science (Software Engineering) 1st class
1998 - 2000 Wolsingham 6th Form College

Advanced GNVQ: Information Technology

A-Levels: Geography, Physics,
A/S Level: Maths (mechanics).

1993-1998 Wolsingham Comprehensive School
Eight GCSE's at grades A - C inc. Maths, Science and English

Personal Information

Hobbies:

Live music, making music, talking about music, Photography(film and digital), Cinema, Snowboarding, Art, Reading, Non-competitive outdoor persuits

Languages:

English - Native British English Speaker

Japanese - JLPT level 3, with over 5 years experience of living in Japan; good speaking and listening skills

Other Qualifications:

Guitar Grade 3
OCN Level 2 Photography.