Japanese language schools

[lightpop]

Hello!

I'm considering options after JET and one of the routes I'm considering is going to a Japanese language school for a year or so. I've looked at Yamasa, ARC and a load of others. I don't really care where in Japan I go.

Has anyone had any experience with this? I've been looking online but reviews are relatively few and far between.

[Virgil]

Hello!

I'm considering options after JET and one of the routes I'm considering is going to a Japanese language school for a year or so. I've looked at Yamasa, ARC and a load of others. I don't really care where in Japan I go.

Has anyone had any experience with this? I've been looking online but reviews are relatively few and far between.

One of my friends is going to one in Kyushu. He seems to be learning a lot, but he's putting in a lot of personal study time. He said the majority of the students are Nepalese and don't study at all (and talk in class) because they come for a couple of part time jobs. Not sure how true that is or how racist he is, it's just what he told me.

[Virgil]

He's also a first year beginner student so that might be telling too.

[lightpop]

That's interesting. A few of the places I've looked at have limits on the number of people they take with the same mother tongue so that doesn't happen.

[webstaa]

There's one in Shiga that's organized through Michigan universities that's supposedly really good. Don't know if they accept students not through their colleges, though. Japan Center I know a couple JETs who did that program in college.

[lightpop]

So I'm pretty sure this isn't a route I'm going to go down. I emailed several schools and only one actually replied.
Thanks anyway!

[GodInStrafeMode]

One of my friends is going to one in Kyushu. He seems to be learning a lot, but he's putting in a lot of personal study time. He said the majority of the students are Nepalese and don't study at all (and talk in class) because they come for a couple of part time jobs. Not sure how true that is or how racist he is, it's just what he told me.

Makes sense, most of these schools are tied in with local factories where they use the students for cheap labor but act like they are saints because the are providing them with work. Happens everywhere these days... Nepal is just a easy target because you can lure students from there quite easily with promises of a work permit. Usually the option of coming to Japan to study Japanese is plan C for Nepalese students when/ if they don't get into foreign universities which would explain why your friend's classmates aren't the most studious on the block. Having said that, there are quite a lot of Nepalese students here that DO come from good schools, it's just their time spent working in said factories ends up eating into their study time. Bit of a vicious circle in Japan at the moment. Keeps those Japanese schools stacked with ￥￥￥ though.