Japanese Language Schools

Author: Edutraveller
Date written: 04/17/2003 10:13:59 AM
Last edited: 2003/05/04 12:44:03
Keywords: Study in Japan, Japanese, Japanese language schools, Japanese language study, Japan

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Language Schools

Language Schools in Japan are variable in quality. While there are plenty of excellent institutions out there, make sure that you research well before you commit to one, and if you can either visit it first yourself or get a friend to do so.

When choosing a school and a course, consider the following factors:

• When do you want to start studying?
• How long do you want to study?
• What are your aims for the language?
• In what environment do you want to learn?
• What is your present level of Japanese?

Focusing on these points will help you make the choice of where to study, and make selecting a school easier. You will be constrained by immigration laws on certain points (visa requirements, etc.) and your choice will be limited by what is available on others (not many schools offer a choice of courses, and not all those offer them at all levels, or at all times).

Duration

One of the major factors to take into account for long-term students is whether you will be able to use the language by taking part in extracurricular activities or generally socialising. Some schools have a more active program of excursions and cultural activities than others, and these can make a large difference to your entire experience of Japan. It is important, particularly for long-term stays, that you have plenty to do in your spare time and that you will be able to integrate into the local community - not so difficult, given that Japanese are very friendly and courteous to guests, but you generally need a common point to start from - sports and hobbies are ideal for this.

Obviously this will be less of a concern for those staying only short-term in Japan, but other ways of increasing your chances of learning about the Japanese way of life is to take part in the homestay or homevisit programs which some schools organise for their students. If your chosen school does not, many Japanese towns have an International Association which will be able to offer you help - contact the local city hall for information.

Accreditation

Language schools in Japan are accredited by either the Ministry of Justice or the Ministry of Education, and standards are administered by the APJLE (Association for the Promotion of Japanese Language Education) . Only accredited schools can offer long-term student visas that enable you to stay in the country for up to two years (see the visas page for full details). If you don't need a student visa, then you can study for short periods on a tourist visa (although this may depend on your nationality). There are also many non-accredited language schools, but since the standards set by the APJLE are mostly guidelines, and not very hard to meet, this does not always mean that such schools are bad - just that you cannot get a student visa when studying there.

Once you have considered your answers to the questions above, you should be able to find a suitable school in the database. If you need any advice, feel free to contact the edutraveller.com team.

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