Welcome to the 999999th thread on language schools, thanks for coming! My brain hurts from the amount of research on this but I'm hoping for some school-choosing help! I'll give a little DOX info before digging in – 30yo, fam of 3 (and pet – travel-ready), Bachelors of Japanese, 7 years IT experience (not programming).
The next step in my career transition from IT to research is to move out and get language experience. I thought jobs would be a good route, but in spite of (hopefully passing) last year's N2 exam, I can't read these job postings! I'll keep applying to government sponsored stuff but they're competitive (looking at you MEXT).
I have 4 schools I'm picking between – trying to avoid Tokyo but will go if it's the best choice. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on them concerning higher level classes, the transition to grad school, and non-dorm housing in the area.
- KICL – seems like it's difficult, but the proximity with the college is appealing. They have home stay and dorm options, but the way they phrase it on the website seems like other possibilities are accessible.
- Yoshida – The cheapest option considering they offer discounts to those with prior experience, although I'm not entirely sold on the deep city life. Seems like this school is very much a get-what-you-put-in (all school is like that, but some give more guidance than others)
- Fukuoka YMCA – I love the idea of Fukuoka, and it has the most information on their website but the least I could find on people with actual experience. This is my second-most-favored after the next one.
- ISI Nagano – ISI is the only place where I had trouble finding negative comments (outside Takadanobaba). Their curriculum appears to be customizable enough to meet my needs.
Overall, I'm hoping to become grad-school-ready before the 1-1.5 year mark without neglecting conversation skills and I'd prefer to bring the family for the journey (been saving $$ for all, but life changes fast). Thanks for any input you might have.
by WoodlouseSpider