Saturday, July 24, 2010

English Teacher Tokyo. Is Shane English School in Tokyo Japan a good school

English Teacher Tokyo. Is Shane English School in Tokyo Japan a good school?
http://letsjapan.org/wiki/Shane
Baseball - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :

Not the best school, but I heard they have a great baseball program. j/k....looks like YA guessed the wrong category for you, this ended up in baseball.

Read more discussion :

Friday, July 16, 2010

Japanese High School For Senior Year

Japanese High School For Senior Year?
I'm 15 and I'd like to go to a Japanese high school in Japan for my senior year (or at least half of it). How much does it cost and how can I go about doing it? I plan to work in Japan in the future so I'd really like to go. How can I convince my parents? Anyone ever done this before? What would living there be like? Please post any useful information. Thanks. I'm homeschooled. I don't have any clubs to join or counselors to talk to.
Studying Abroad - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
In high school I was part of this club called Interact which is the high school verions of the Rotary club and because I was in it, they offered me a chance to study aboard my senior year of high school. I wound up not being able to go but my friend did go to Japan through the program. The great thing about being in Interact is that you can go to Japan and study there for free (just pay for your food, souvenirs and plane tickets)! It's actually an exchange program. You go and live with a family in Japan that has a daughter (if you're a girl) your age so that you would have someone your age to talk to. I think you would go to an international school where classes are taught in English but you would still be able to learn Japanese. To go about this, you should contact the Rotary club in your area (if you have one check :http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/SiteTools/ClubLocator/Pages/ridefault.aspx) and see if they can sponser you). My parents were really open when told them I wanted to go so I hope that your parents are the kind that are willing to let you have this really great experience. Japan is one of the safest places in the world but the problem might just be that your parents will have a very difficult time letting you go. You might want to convince them by saying that you will be going to college soon and going Japan is just for you to get experience on being very independent. I'll be going to Japan for the first time this winter break but I know it's an amazing place to live if you like city life. It's extremely clean and amazingly safe compared to most places. I missed out on this but I really hope you don't because I was so jealous of my friend that did go.
2 :
Rotary is a great option for this! It is also the cheapest, but the most competitive. The good news is there are MANY program out there. Here are some ideas to help convince your parents. 1. Maturity. You will grow up and get experiences overcoming some of the biggest challenges of your life. You will learn great people skills and gain the ability to get along with people from all walks of life. 2. Language. You will have the opportunity for language and cultural immersion, the proven best way to learn! People who speak more than one language are in high demand in the workforce and can often command a higher salary. 3. College. Colleges and university LOVE exchange students and many prestigious ones offer preferred admissions and sometime scholarship money. 4. Citizenship. While you are learning to appreciate another culture and country, you will also be getting a deeper understanding of your own. As an exchange student, you'll be finding yourself researching the U.S. political systems, history and culture -- so you can explain it to your new friends! You'll be a young ambassador for the U.S. 5. Fun! Yes, it will be fun and exciting. It will also be boring and you'll be homesick at times too -- but that's part of the experience and you should let your parents know you realize this. 6. Expenses. This is expensive! Offer to pay for part of it and apply for scholarships. Get a job so you can pay your own personal expenses. 7. Research! Before approaching your parents again, do some research. Find some good organizations. Rotary is the cheapest, but most competitive. You can find a list of all of those certified to operate in the U.S. at www.csiet.org. Contact your school counselor for a recommendation as well. An organization is only as good as the local people who represent it. 8. Have a plan. Talk to your counselor about how you could arrange your classes so you graduate on time. 9. Go to www.exchangestudentworld.com. This site was developed for exchange students around the world and it will have a lot of information for both you and your parents. If you should be lucky enough to go, it also has a diary you can keep. 10. Meet and get to know the exchange students at your school (if you have some). Invite them home to meet your parents. The best "persuasion" might come from kids already doing it! Good luck! I hope you realize your goal!
3 :
I think most of high school students are the exchange student and stay with host family. Living expenses are high in Japan, but if you go by exchange programs, I think it's not extremely expensive at least compared to universities/colleges. In my high school (1990s), there were one or two exchange students from US, Australia, New Zealand and Thai each year. http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/jicc/studyabroadprograms.htm http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj_stope.html In 2006, there were 1866 students in high schools in Japan, they came from China, US, Australia etc. http://news.goo.ne.jp/article/kyodo/life/CO2007110801000582.html

Read more discussion :

Thursday, July 8, 2010

what are some good exchange student programs? i really want to go to japan as a high school student there:]

what are some good exchange student programs? i really want to go to japan as a high school student there:] ?
also, what would be the best time to go? i live in california if that helps.. i don't want to miss much of my high school years, especially graduation of high school. i'm a freshmen right now though. also... do i get credit for becoming an exchange student and would that help me get into a university once i get back into my home country? thanks for helping me out ^_^
Studying Abroad - 3 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
HI, The three best programs are AFS, YFU and Rotary. Rotary is the cheapest, but most competitive. YFU has some nice scholarship opportunities to Japan. I recommend staying away from AYUSA/Intrax and Two Worlds United. The best time to go is your junior year. Since you are just a freshman now, that will allow you time to work on a good class schedule so you can graduate with your class, raise some money and study some Japanese. You may have to take some classes earlier (i.e. American HIstory as a sophomore instead of a junior.) Credit is up to your high school, but usually you will get AT LEAST foreign language, social studies and independent studies. Some schools will also grant math and science credit. Sit down with your counselor to figure this all out -- then get it in writing! Colleges and universities LOVE exchange students and often offer preferred admissions and/or scholarship opportunities. Here are the web sites for the programs I mentioned. http://www.yfu.org/ http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/youthprograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx This site also has lots of info on becoming an exchange student: http://www.exchangestudentworld.com/
2 :
Actually, a lot of people say that sophmore year is the best time to go. SOME people say that 15 year olds are not "mature" enough, but it is all a personal thing, and if you are taking the initiative to find out about the exchange and make it happen, then you are probably good. The reason for this is that there are few graduation requirements your sophmore year, there is no SAT to take, there are no college visits do, and this is supposed to be an "easy" yr. compared to Junior yr. I am hopefully going as a sophmore next year. Also, I would go for a whole year, because people who go for a semester always (often) regret it. They don't have time to totally get used to life there or master the language as they would. You should get credit for your time there. As AFS says, there is no reason for your credits not to transfer. You need to go to your counselor now and make a plan of what classes you will take here, what classes you may take there, and if there will be any work in order to graduate. This is another reason sophmore year is the best, because then you have time to complete any credits you missed when you return and can still graduate on time. Check out this website about transfering credits: http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/view/5342 . This will help you get into a good university. The colleges like to know that your independent and have world experience. It is a great way to make you stand out! http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/view/5341 Some good prorams that you could check out are Rotary, AFS, and YFU. Rotary is the cheapest, but also the hardest to get into. The main difference of Rotary is that you may not get to pick your country and you stay with multiple host families. Unfortuantely, it is too late to apply for Rotary for next year. http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/youthprograms/RotaryYouthExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx AFS is also one of the best. They have a great reputation. I am going with them and they are super helpful. It is a bit expensive (mayb 11,000 dollars) but there are lots of scholarships. Also, it is easier to get in, and it is more likely that you will get your first choice country (Japan). Especially if you apply early! http://www.usa.afs.org/usa_en/home YFU is similar to AFS and they have a lot of scholarships to Japan. It is also a bit cheaper to begin with and a tiny bit easier to get in. They also have a pretty good repuatation. These are all the many scholarships of YFU: http://www.yfu-usa.org/ao/scholarships.htm Good luck, I'm sure your exchange will be.... awesome
3 :
Yeah, I really agree with Zadrii that sophmore year is the best time to go. I am not sure why Feisty thinks that Junior year is the best time to go. I went to Japan as a sophmore and I LOOOOOVVEDDD it. If you won't to go now, that I wouldn't wait... I know I was too impatient.

Read more discussion :

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Bad points about big English schools in Japan

Bad points about big English schools in Japan?
Know good/bad points about working at a big Eikaiwa school such as Geos, Nova, Aeon, ECC, etc in Japan. Bad points I've heard: Nova--Share a place with a room mate. No prep time, just teach and wing it. Lots of classes. Lots of paper work to be done in between classes. Geos--Slow to change, they don't even have computerized attendance sheet as of July 25th 2006. They also jam as many classes as they can in a schedule for tha $$$. Sometimes the teacher will prep at home to be on time for the next day's classes right at 12pm when the day starts. Aeon--foreigners are all equal and none can speak or are able to learn how to read road signs, which means no car and no driving whatsoever because it's dangerous. But they will make you go to work and send you home in a typhoon though. They also try to control your outside life as well. ECC--split days off, eg Tues and Fri off. ALSO, you start at 9am-12pm, 3 hr break, 4pm to 9pm.
Teaching - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I'm ok with big english schools in Japan, as long as they build them in Tokyo. That way I'd have more stuff to stomp.
2 :

Pretty much all of the big schools are in it for the money, and the students be damned. They will pay you the minimum going rate per month (or lesson) and will often try to cut corners in many other aspects of teaching (cookie cutter lessons, dodgy textbooks, fill-the-empty-seat mentality). They might well place you in a school off in the middle of nowhere (because other teachers have transferred and/or bailed). Most of these schools will also load on the kids classes, which is great if you love kids (and have a lot of patience), but sucks if you don't. Also, don't expect great things from your supervisors...for the most part, they'll be company-blinded social rejects with delusions of grandeur and noses permanently glued to their bosses' hindquarters (with a few exceptions here and there). That being said, they will get you a visa, they will put you up in an apartment (not a bad deal if you are only staying in Japan for a year, but a total ripoff if you are going to stay longer), they will find the students, it's a guaranteed paycheck, and the expectations of both the schools and the students are pretty low (which means that they'll love you if you are anything more than merely competent, and they will be slow to catch on if you are a crap teacher). In all, they are ok if you just want to get to Japan and get a feel for the place for a year or two before you find a better job at a smaller school (or can float yourself with private lessons). Hope it helps.

Read more discussion :