International Schools in Japan - Special Advertising Section

Japan, Inc., Jan, 2003 by Stuart Braun

For English speakers who need basic business coaching and returnee Japanese speakers looking to further their business education and work in an international environment, there are a number of schools designed for language and business studies in English. New Leaves, for instance, offers business seminars in English aimed at native speakers -- which until now have only been offered in Japanese -- but primarily targets Japanese business people looking to study marketing, mail order or general management in English, including entrepreneurs looking to do business with other countries or Japanese people studying for an MBA.

For expats, bicultural students and returnees, New Leaves also runs weekend seminars in PhotoReading -- a whole-brain approach to speed reading. A student completing this weekend intensive course receives a certificate upon graduation, enabling them to take the course as many times as they wish, anywhere in the world, at no additional cost. New Leaves is the first school in Japan to offer PhotoReading seminars in English, and these have been very successful over the last year. New Leaves' special service is an "immersion weekend" for Japanese people wishing to brush-up their English before going abroad for work, or people who have to deal with foreigners in their business life. In addition, New Leaves plans to offer business coaching and self-development courses in English for expats in the New Year.

Japan's international schools offer a wealth of educational opportunity for expats, multi-racial families and returnees looking to secure an international education at the early childhood, elementary, secondary or post-secondary level. Not only are school students, MBA/university candidates, and language students able to broaden their educational horizons in Japan, but with the right choices, they will also be able to hold their place in an internationally competitive educational environment.

RELATED ARTICLE: ELT Resources

Tools to get the job done right.

One of the biggest gripes heard from ELTs and English conversation teachers is that they are forced to teach with inappropriately designed materials. We do not know who is more frustrated, the teacher or the learner; however, there is hope. We have found a company that is trying to do something about it. Macmillan LanguageHouse. Although they publish effective English language textbooks for the Japanese school market, and a wide selection of self study English textbooks, their best selling item -- the Macmillan English Dictionary -- is the foundation of any language learner.

Peter Schuetz, ELT Sales and Marketing Manager of Macmillan LanguageHouse, tells us of numerous cases of highly capable teachers who have their hands tied because their schools have not given them the proper books or resources. Besides their Macmillan English Dictionary (available for advanced learners in American and British editions), Macmillan has released numerous titles especially developed for young Japanese adult learners who have studied English for a few years yet lack the ability to understand, or the confidence to communicate effectively outside the classroom. "How many people do you know that match that description?" laments Peter. "It is a shame that I didn't have these (holding up a text and the dictionary) 20 years ago when I first got here. We are on our way to relieving much of the pain involved with learning English in this country as well as right across Asia."