Has anyone gone to Berlitz classes?

[Goldiegirl]

So, has anybody used Berlitz? I have been studying on my own, well with the very, very part-time help from a high school teacher, but I don't actually know any spoken Japanese. OK, very, very little, and not even enough to say I need help or am lost. I did learn hiragana and am working on katakana, but I want to speak with people, even just basics. The teacher there is from Japan and he seems really excited to have an eager student. Would Berlitz classes be ok, even just for a starting point for conversation. Yes, my better half could teach me Japanese, but he wants to do that as much as I like teaching him English! Oh, I do have the Genki books and tapes, but I really found out something, I hate studying alone.

 

[epigene]

I don't know about Japanese language teaching, but Berlitz has a solid reputation for teaching English effectively.
I think Celine Dion studied English there and so did Seiko Matsuda, etc., with their English immersion program. James Joyce used to teach English at Berlitz??? ... Sorry for veering off-topic!

Anyway, I think it's a reputable place, so why not?
Self-study needs very strong sense of discipline. If you can get someone to force to you learn, so much the better!

 

[Goldiegirl]

Thanks, I think it may be worth it. I just didn't know much about it. I found some old posts here on Jref, but I couldn't seem to find out much info. Please veer off subject! I don't mind, I usually get to learn something new. (which I just did!) Self discipline, I hate to admit it, but it's not a strong point. I find studying alone, lonely. I honestly think I learn more and faster with other people around.

 

[Supervin]

Not sure about the classes, but some of the Berlitz books are pretty good. I recently bought one as a gift for a friend who is beginning another language - having browsed through some of them, I found the style was quite sensitive to the needs of the learner, with many common pitfalls well explained.

 

[tokapi]

My SKYPE chat-pal was a part-time English teacher @ Berlitz ( 2004-5 ) during his 1 school year at Todai as exchange student,he mentioned once it was mainly for business people.