Language Schools - Worth the expense?

Hello! This is my first post here~

I am 30 years old and am graduating with my BA in December. I want to take some time off before graduate school, and I really want to spend at least a year or two in Japan. I've considered the option of finding work as an ALT or at an Eikaiwa, but I'm also considering going to a language school. I have a couple of friends who have studied at language schools and have had nothing but positive things to say about their experiences! I know it's expensive, but I'm not the type of person who will let that deter me... unless it's completely impossible.

I guess I have a couple of questions (yes, I realize I won't even be able to apply until at least late Summer or Fall, but I'm the type who thinks about these things way too far in advance, haha!) I'd like to do a long term course of study if possible so I'm looking at the 1-2 year certificate programs.

1. As far as expense... I don't have that kind of money lying around, nor do I have anyone willing to pay for my ride (sadly!). Is it possible to take out a student loan to pay for this? If that's possible, I might consider a loan for the tuition and board and then getting a part-time job while I'm there to cover additional expenses. Is this possible?

2. Is this something that would be worth the expense? I wouldn't want to live in Japan for a year or two, but not have enough money to be able to sight see or anything. I'm used to living as a poor student, so I'm very good at budgeting. I just wouldn't want to be "stuck" there as I feel the novelty of Japan would wear off really quickly if I found myself to be entirely broke, haha.

Does anyone here have any personal experience with language schools or advice for me? I'm very interested in learning Japanese and being immersed in the language. I'm also considering the possibility of graduate school in Japan if that seems like the right path for me. As for my current ability, I'm probably at about a JLPT 4 although I have not taken the test.

Thank you in advance!

AlissaMarie said:

1. As far as expense... I don't have that kind of money lying around, nor do I have anyone willing to pay for my ride (sadly!).

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Well, the school will not accept you unless you can prove you have the money.

Is it possible to take out a student loan to pay for this?

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Probably not in Japan. You have no credit rating or home here.

If that's possible, I might consider a loan for the tuition and board and then getting a part-time job while I'm there to cover additional expenses. Is this possible?

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If you can get the load in the USA, and the school accepts you, then you will likely get the student visa. The visa alone is not permission to work, though. In fact, it is a non-work visa, and you have to apply for special permission to work (PT only).
Immigration Services Agency of Japan

I also think you will not be allowed to apply for that for the first 3 months at the school. Plan ahead.

2. Is this something that would be worth the expense? I wouldn't want to live in Japan for a year or two, but not have enough money to be able to sight see or anything.

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Look, you are planning to come as a student, not a tourist. The cold reality is that you will probably live very frugally here. Perhaps others who have gone through the situation can say whether there's enough money left over for frivolities like sightseeing, but if you have to take out a loan just to enter the school, I'm willing to bet you won't have much if any left over for fun. Plus, you just graduated and probably have a ton of loans already to pay off, right?

I'm used to living as a poor student, so I'm very good at budgeting. I just wouldn't want to be "stuck" there as I feel the novelty of Japan would wear off really quickly if I found myself to be entirely broke, haha.

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The novelty will probably not wear off soon. You're going to be hip-deep in studying most of the time. Anything else in your daily life will be novel, from taking out the garbage to answering the phone. Getting a bicycle to roam around the neighborhood is a good cheap way to see things firsthand.

Thanks for your reply!

If you can get the load in the USA, and the school accepts you, then you will likely get the student visa. The visa alone is not permission to work, though. In fact, it is a non-work visa, and you have to apply for special permission to work (PT only).

I also think you will not be allowed to apply for that for the first 3 months at the school. Plan ahead.

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Yeah, I realize it would be PT work. And I know I'd need special permission, too. Just a glance at Gaijin Pot and Ohayo Sensei tell me there are quite a few Part Time job opportunities for a native English speaker with a degree! And I'd definitely plan ahead for that. I have a savings that I started last year in preparation for living abroad after college. Good thing I did that, huh!

Look, you are planning to come as a student, not a tourist. The cold reality is that you will probably live very frugally here. Perhaps others who have gone through the situation can say whether there's enough money left over for frivolities like sightseeing, but if you have to take out a loan just to enter the school, I'm willing to bet you won't have much if any left over for fun. Plus, you just graduated and probably have a ton of loans already to pay off, right?

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I definitely understand that I'd be living the student life (I'm so used to it now, haha) but I wouldn't consider travel and sight seeing to be frivolous activities... I'd want to learn about Japan and see as much as possible. And my student loan situation is not bad, thankfully!

The novelty will probably not wear off soon. You're going to be hip-deep in studying most of the time. Anything else in your daily life will be novel, from taking out the garbage to answering the phone. Getting a bicycle to roam around the neighborhood is a good cheap way to see things firsthand.

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Have you gone to a language school before? Because my friends who have done it had plenty of time to see the sights in Japan. (I know the next logical question here is "Then, why don't you ask your friends?" but, I don't feel comfortable asking them about their financial situations, so I figured I'd ask on a forum where people might be willing to volunteer this information.) But, yes, extensively traveling the country is probably asking too much, but it'd be great if I could be accepted into a school that's in a city I want to explore.

I hope I'm not coming off as an idiot who is in over her head, haha. Mostly just trying to gather some information and figure out what I want to do with the next year or two of my life!

Thank you!

AlissaMarie said:

Hello! This is my first post here~
I am 30 years old and am graduating with my BA in December. I want to take some time off before graduate school, and I really want to spend at least a year or two in Japan. I've considered the option of finding work as an ALT or at an Eikaiwa, but I'm also considering going to a language school. I have a couple of friends who have studied at language schools and have had nothing but positive things to say about their experiences! I know it's expensive, but I'm not the type of person who will let that deter me... unless it's completely impossible.

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You should talk to the school directly. They will have English speakers there. Ask them how much it costs. From my experience, 1 year will be well, well over $10K USD.

I guess I have a couple of questions (yes, I realize I won't even be able to apply until at least late Summer or Fall, but I'm the type who thinks about these things way too far in advance, haha!) I'd like to do a long term course of study if possible so I'm looking at the 1-2 year certificate programs.

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Some schools accept students all year long. The real wait for you will be the time it takes to process your student visa (usually called pre-college visa).

1. As far as expense... I don't have that kind of money lying around, nor do I have anyone willing to pay for my ride (sadly!). Is it possible to take out a student loan to pay for this? If that's possible, I might consider a loan for the tuition and board and then getting a part-time job while I'm there to cover additional expenses. Is this possible?

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Highly unlikely!

2. Is this something that would be worth the expense?

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I love Japanese too. It's an amazing language. It is a passion for me. However, since I don't have a lot of money lying around, I am not going to a language school for a couple of years. Really, it is a big expense. If money wasn't an issue, I would stay with a Japanese family in a homestay program. It would be dreamy.

You should talk to the school directly. They will have English speakers there. Ask them how much it costs. From my experience, 1 year will be well, well over $10K USD.

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Yeah, that's moving into the realm of "completely impossible"...

Highly unlikely!

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Ahhh I wish this wasn't so!!

I love Japanese too. It's an amazing language. It is a passion for me. However, since I don't have a lot of money lying around, I am not going to a language school for a couple of years. Really, it is a big expense. If money wasn't an issue, I would stay with a Japanese family in a homestay program. It would be dreamy.

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A language school really seems like it would be wonderful! But, yes, they're very expensive (and require the money up front). I feel like I can study Japanese all I want, but I'm never really going to be able to approach fluency without being immersed in it. A homestay would be lovely!

Thanks for your reply.

AlissaMarie said:

I feel like I can study Japanese all I want, but I'm never really going to be able to approach fluency without being immersed in it.

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You can be immersed without going to Japan.

About | AJATT | All Japanese All The Time

I've seen that blog before! It's interesting, and I do feel like my Japanese has improved since I've exposed myself to more and more Japanese media (and media that I'm putting an effort into understanding). However, I still want the living-in-Japan part of the immersion.

Since you are graduating with a BA, why not apply to an English school and become a teacher. This way you can have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. You'll be immersed in the culture and getting paid for it. That would be your best bet I believe. There's no other way I believe, in learning the language first hand, than by actually living and working in the country. Trust me, you'll learn quickly enough if you stay away from foreign hangouts and limit your foreign friends.

Since you are graduating with a BA, why not apply to an English school and become a teacher.

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It's looking like this will be a much better option for me after all! So, I guess I can expect to be on the job hunt after graduation. I guess I was a little concerned about being a bit older, but looking around on some forums it seems like there are plenty of people my age and above teaching over in Japan, so I may as well try!

Hey everyone, sorry for reviving a long dead thread here but it seemed to me that the information here could use some clarification.

HelloKyoto said:

You should talk to the school directly. They will have English speakers there. Ask them how much it costs. From my experience, 1 year will be well, well over $10K USD.

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When I first read this I it was saying that tuition would be 'well, well over' 10,000$USD. Tuition for Japanese Language Schools is generally around 1,200,000yen for a 2 year course. Adding in living expenses and spending money you will go well over 10,000$USD/year. If you subtract part-time job pay from this, however, you should be able to keep it under.

Living expenses depend very much on WHERE (and obviously HOW) you live in Japan. If you live in Tokyo you will be living off cup ramen on 100,000yen a month. If you live in the country-side not only are prices cheaper, but there's not as many places to spend your money. One could potentially live quite well on 100,000yen a month. As long as your liver doesn't have a superiority complex.

It's also important to take into consideration the initial expenses involved with getting an apartment here. If you're going to be here for 2 years, signing a lease even if you have to pay reikin (thank you money to the landlord), a deposit and a guarantor fee may likely end up being much cheaper than living in a gaijin house for the whole time.

The cheapest way is to look for a school in the country side with dormitories. There are some schools like this where the dorm rent is only 10,000-20,000yen/month. Of course, there are pros and cons to dormitory life.

HelloKyoto said:

Some schools accept students all year long. The real wait for you will be the time it takes to process your student visa (usually called pre-college visa).

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Some schools accept students all year if you're already in Japan with a visa. Most schools only accept students from abroad (getting them visas) in April and October. This is due to the bureaucracy of applying for visas. School application deadlines are usually 3-4 months (sometimes more) before you would start school.

Hope this helps someone,
-a7mouse