Studying English in Japan? There are so many choices thesedays that it can be difficult to choose the right way to study. So here are some tips...
(Let's be honest. I want you to come to my school. And if you live anywhere near Nishifunabashi, you should! But these tips are valid information for any ESL learner.)
1. BRAINSTORM ALL YOUR OPTIONS
Make a huge list. Don’t limit yourself. Consider standard 英会話 such as Berlitz & GABA, independent 英会話 such as GetGO!, online lessons through services such as Cafetalk & private teachers found through matching websites such as senseisagasu. Consider self-study using textbooks, twitter (read Mayumi Ishihara’s book), watching movies.
2. ELIMINATE ANY INCONVENIENT CHOICES
I’d love to recommend that you all come to GetGO, but if you live in Shibuya it’s just not practical. Choose a school &/or way of studying that you can sustain. If your school is conveniently located, there will be no excuse for quitting.
3. KNOW YOURSELF
What kind of study do YOU need?
Are you a self-motivated, independent learner? Maybe you can handle self-study. Are you confident? Maybe you can handle speaking English in crowded cafes.
But be honest with yourself! Most people are NOT self-motivated or confident enough to handle self-study or café lessons. And most people get more benefit from face to face lessons than online ones – it’s like the difference between a conference call and a business meeting. Communication is more complete in person.
4. KNOW WHAT STANDARDS ARE NECESSARY FOR YOU
If you just want to practice chatting, you only need to find a convenient, willing and sympathetic English speaker. But if you want to IMPROVE your English – look for a real teacher, real lessons and a real curriculum. How?
a) Check the teacher(s)’ qualifications. At minimum, they should have a TESOL Certificate. A Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma or Masters’ in TESOL are much higher qualifications. In Japan, foreign teachers are in high demand so quality is inconsistent. Teachers who’ve ONLY worked in Japan aren’t always qualified. Check.
b) Check the curriculum & the assessment system. Do they exist??? Independent schools and café teachers often don’t have a curriculum. This means your lessons may be too hard (or too easy) to follow because they don’t understand your level; you may waste time studying irrelevant information based on your teachers’ interests & language structures may not be presented clearly; you may not be able to see how you’ve progressed.
c) Check the textbooks used in the curriculum.
No textbooks? If the teacher is well-qualified, this could be great. Your teacher will be exhausted, though! If not, it’ll probably be a slow & painful way to study English.
Textbooks designed in-house? Be careful! These texts don’t go through the same screening processes that professionally-published ones do. Berlitz probably has the best texts of any of the Big 英会話, but even Berlitz texts are full of language errors, and not always based on great teaching methodology.
A mixture of good textbooks (from publishers such as Cambridge, Oxford & Macmillan) & ‘real’ material (such as newspapers & youtube videos)? This is the best way to learn.
5. MEET YOUR TEACHER(S) – LIKE THEM.
Or, at least, don’t DISlike them. Language learning requires high motivation and low anxiety. At minimum, you need to feel that you can trust your teacher(s). At best, your teacher should be so much fun to be around that you feel motivated to go to their lessons.
So take advantage of the ‘free trial’ system. But check – is the trial teacher going to be your real teacher? Is the trial lesson really a lesson or just a meeting? At GetGO, we offer 2 free trials, as well as a 1st-month money-back guarantee. Ask other schools if they can match that.
6. DON’T GET RIPPED OFF!
Look for hidden costs. Is there a registration fee? A maintenance fee? A textbook fee?
Do you have to sign a long-term contract?
What’s the cancellation and rescheduling policy?
When comparing prices, consider ALL these factors.
7. LOOK FOR ADDED VALUE
Does the school have parties or other activities (eg We invite special guests from different countries to organize cultural activities every 2 months.)? Can they lend you books? Do they have an online presence so you can connect with other English learners?
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