STUDENT VOICE

2 months

Evening Business Class

I’m just not disciplined enough to study on my own. I really needed more of a guided course to be able to study the language. Plus I wanted to learn in person in a classroom with other students also learning at the same level as me.

I looked at all the in-person language schools in the area that offered evening classes (there weren’t as many as you may think!). I contacted each school to learn more about the curriculum and how they could get me to my language learning goals as I aim to reach JLPT N2 proficiency. TCJ was the most organized of the three school I found and had a detailed road map for how I could reach my goals of N2 within 2 years. (Everywhere else quoted me around 3-4 years). The commute is a bit far from my work, but I also have the option of learning online if I don’t feel like going downtown that day. It’s been worth it so far.

I was able to order a cake at a bakery for a coworker’s birthday. I did struggle a bit since I’m still working towards N4, but I wouldn’t have been able to get that far a few months ago. I didn’t have to use Google Translate and the store attendant was able to understand what I wanted written on the cake and when I wanted to pick it up. I was so excited I texted all my friends back home and even told my teacher before class started that day!

Since there is a different teacher for each day of the week, you’re able to learn with different teaching styles. Not every teaching style works for everyone, but I think out of the three teachers, you’ll find at least one who you can learn easily from. I definitely have my favorites, but I can appreciate the styles of all the teachers since they are there to help us learn and push us to study. I personally learn much better in a classroom rather than online. The class size is fairly small so you have a lot of opportunities to participate in class and ask questions when needed. I also like having the option to learn online if I’m traveling or just can’t make it into class that day. I was also skeptical of the hybrid system; I didn’t think the online students would be involved in the class as much as the in-person students, but I was wrong. It’s like the online students are there in the class with us and have the same opportunities to participate and learn as the in-person students.

My biggest concerns were the cost and the distance from my job. I decided to make the investment in myself. Learning Japanese was one of the biggest goals I had when moving here, and I think this is the best way for me to achieve that. I’ve already learned so much in the 2 months since classes started. I can’t wait to look back a year from now and appreciate how far I’ve really come. It’s worth it if you want to put the work in and learn this difficult language to better adapt to life here.