Hey guys,
So I think I have this mostly figured out from reading a ton of threads here on Reddit. I’d like to go to Genkijacs for a year as conversational Japanese is really important to me. However, I also really want to pass the JLPT N1 and learn advanced Japanese in the workplace as well as advanced Japanese in general.
For this, I’ve seen transferring to FFLC after a year at Genkijacs to be a good choice. How would that work? Would I just enroll in FFLC in my own or would I try to go through something like GoGo Nihon. I’d imagine Genkijacs could help me do this since I’d already be there?
Are there better options than FFLC? I already contacted Genkijacs and plan to go In April or sometime near that.
4 comments
Just email the school and ask what material they use and a typical week schedule and compare. Anything else will be nothing but anecdotes. This is going to help you more than Reddit.
I don’t know anything about Genkijacs, but from what I’ve seen, FFLC seems to take speaking and communication pretty seriously. Is there a reason you don’t want to do FFLC from the start?
Some language schools put up resistance to students transferring out so just keep that in mind.
At your second school, you might face some repeat material. For example, the curriculum of each school will differ somewhat. Or the new school’s placement exam may find a weakness and require you to essentially repeat a level.
In Japan, Minna No Nihnogo is a very popular first and second book, so how much would beginner classes vary? At the intermediate and advanced level, textbooks and concentrations (e.g. speaking or writing tilts) seem to vary a lot indeed; that said so many students are taking the JLPT exam that schools may use prep materials plus offer optional JLPT prep classes.
There are many western “agents” that provide some services you might find useful (e.g. university credit in your country, culture classes, JLPT classes, dorms, some logisitics, etc.). If you contact the schools directly, you might find lower tuition costs.
Depending on your passport country you’ll need an N5 Certificate or an equivalent 150 hour of language study course to apply for the student visa.
We would advise you to try to obtain this outside of Japan and attend FFLC directly if your goal is to pass N1 within the year, as it will be more kanji intensive, and for a longer duration during the day.
Genkijacs is a good option if you’d like more speaking practice – but please keep up to date on regulations for the visa application process – as well as what you would need to change schools.
You may have an issue transferring your visa from one school to the other – and be in need of a guarantor / financial guarantor to help you re-apply for paperwork.