STUDENT INTERVIEW

JOINING OUR JAPANESE SCHOOL IN MELBOURNE

Joining a Japanese language school in Melbourne for the first time can be daunting. What are the teachers like? What are the students like? Will I like the teaching style?

Normally the standard process with course enrolment is that you book online, pay for your seat and find out what it’s like on the first day. This process just saves time for the organisation.

“We do things differently”

We meet every student before they start.

Sure this takes up our teacher’s time but we need to get to know you properly (learning speed/prior knowledge etc) before you join our Japanese language school in Melbourne. Just filling out an online form isn’t enough.

Below is a blog written by one of our students ‘Jake’. We asked him what his experience was like joining our Japanese language school in Melbourne.

Areas covered:

• Our trial lesson process
• What our teachers are like?
• Experience learning in a small group
• Structure of the classes/lesson material

“Joining Japanese Language School Melbourne”

Why did you choose our school?

Simply put, it was the trial lesson. I’d been learning Japanese on my own for a while and realised if I wanted to improve, I needed to be able to speak Japanese regularly.

This is why I started to consider learning in a group/language exchange type environment. The thought of attending a regular class each week., meaning like minded people would be the way to go.

Once I started the trial lesson and got a handle on the teaching style and approach, I was completely hooked.

What was the first class like?

Really easy to get into. I don’t always enjoy new social situations but this was a breeze. Everyone wants you to succeed and it’s always clear what you have to do. The trial lesson is what sold me on signing up. It’s a great way to see if the approach is a good fit for you.

Do you enjoy group learning?

It’s been a lot of fun and a really effective learning environment. You become a team, encouraging each other along the way. The teachers really do facilitate professional Japanese lessons Melbourne.

What are the teachers like?

The teachers are the ideal mix of professional, committed to delivering the best teaching experience they can, and most importantly fun. What it means is that during a class it feels like you are learning non-stop, but you’re laughing the whole time too.

“Joining Japanese Language School Melbourne”

What helps the most?

Grammar. I’d been learning phrases and isolated vocabulary prior to starting at the school.

Very quickly it all started making a lot more sense once the underlying structures were explained in class. It also gave me more freedom to construct my own sentences much more easily.

What have you struggled with?

Vocab was a bit challenging at the start but discussing approaches to memorisation with other classmates helped there.

I couldn’t begin to explain all the ways the teachers help. I think the experience guiding us around common pitfalls or giving us study tips to improve learning has been invaluable.

Based on previous learning experiences, what makes our Japanese classes so beneficial?

I can’t overstate how powerful it is learning alongside others who are at a similar level to you.

You encourage each other along the way, are all tackling similar issues at the same time. Not only do you learn something, but you get to watch other people learn it at the same time.

I find that gives me extra insight into new material I probably wouldn’t have access to if I was learning on my own.

“Joining Japanese Language School Melbourne”

How has learning the Japanese language impacted your life?

I didn’t think it was possible for me to learn another language. I started learning purely for the challenge of it and I can’t tell you how exciting it was the first time I was able to understand the meaning of conversations while in Japan.

It’s made me realise that seemingly impossible tasks are entirely manageable, if you take it one step at a time and have the right support around you.

Any final comments?

If you are even vaguely considering learning Japanese in Melbourne or have already started and want to get more efficient in your study, then just take the trial lesson and see for yourself. It’s that simple – I promise you won’t regret it.