Are there any other costs apart from lesson fees?

There are no other costs but you have to purchase the textbook at your own expense.
The teacherfs transportation cost is included in your lesson fee.

Am I going to enrol in a course?

We are a group of Japanese teachers specialising in private lessons, operated on the Internet.
We donft have any offices or classrooms. Basically, we donft hold lessons in a classroom situation.

However, classroom lessons can be organised if you can arrange a place in your local community or at your workplace.
Please donft hesitate to ask us.

Is there a special rate for corporate customers?

As we are not a company, lesson contracts are made with individual teachers.
Although we donft have a special rate for corporate customers, there is a discount on group lessons. Please donft hesitate to ask us.

If you intend to deduct withholding tax before paying us, you have to pay an additional 10% on top of your lesson fee.

On your request, any necessary documents such as lesson contracts and receipts can be arranged.

Can I take lessons for a short term?

Yes, of course, but if you take three or more lessons each week, you donft always get the same teacher.

Do you do online lessons?

Wefve carried out various experiments on that and came to the conclusion that we canft really provide good lessons online.
As we are committed to provide the best possible lessons for our students, wefd rather not do it.

When do I pay my lesson fees?

Basically, lesson fees are payable after each lesson or on your last lesson day of each month.
However, if you take 3 or more lessons per week, payment is due on a weekly basis.

If you would like to ask about other payment options, please consult with us when making a booking.

Can I always book lessons at my preferred times?

So far, about 80% of our students have been able to book lessons at their preferred times. For the rest, we are asking them to make bookings on their next best dates and times.

After 2004, sometimes there were so many lesson bookings that we couldnft keep up.
We would be grateful if you could give us many possible options in terms of lesson times.

Why are you short of teachers?

Since the late 1990fs, there has been an oversupply of Japanese teachers.
Although it is relatively easy to hire a sufficient number of teachers, it is becoming harder and harder to find professional ones who meet our high standards.

Of course, we are always open to suitable applicants.
Although we get around 100 applicants visiting our online office every year, only 2 or 3 teachers are hired.

How much study do I need to improve?

You will need approximately 50 hours to reach survival level, such as shopping and travelling and 150 hours to be able to easily enjoy conversations.
What is the Japanese language proficiency test?

It is a Japanese language test that is held once a year by Japan Foundation, which is a government organisation. We can plan your lessons as preparation for the test. We have copies of the real examination papers held after 1990.

Do I have to study "Kanji"?

You have to know about 2000 Kanji to pass the first grade Japanese proficiency test and twice as many to be able to read newspapers.
As Kanji can be read in different ways, it can be tricky to learn.

Even for Japanese with university degrees who read newspapers daily, there arenft so many who can write all 2000 Kanji, so please donft think you have to master them all in order to improve your Japanese. Donft worry!

Even if you donft know any Kanji at all, it is still possible to reach the level in which you can enjoy simple conversations.
However, if you are aiming for more than intermediate levels, learning Kanji is important as it is necessary not only for reading but for building up your vocabulary.

There are many people who start learning Kanji once they are more comfortable with their conversation skills and ready to move up to the next level.

Can you teach at higher levels?

Yes. We have experience teaching translators and interpreters as well as teaching speciality areas such as university dissertations and research study.

We always enjoy helping our students even in some unusual areas, such as reading books on elementary particles and comic reviews.

How do you teach?

The biggest advantage of private lessons is that we can tailor-make teaching methods according to our individual studentfs needs.
You donft have to be stuck in the teaching method that doesnft really suit you.
We modify our teaching styles and methods in the way that is the best suited for individual learners, which is our area of expertise.

After an initial interview with the student, the teacher decides the most appropriate and effective approaches, including the choice of textbook and the degree of English use.

Of course, even after the initial lesson, we continue to make small adjustments as the student improves, which includes using more Japanese during lessons, using higher-level vocabulary and increasing the speech speed.

If you would like to use a specific textbook for your lessons, thatfs fine with us. Please let us know.



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