Information About Kae - Godalming teacher -

(3 reviews)

Personal Description:

I grew up in Okayama, Japan, moving to Tokyo for graduate studies in Linguistics. I later trained as a teacher of Japanese, working for several years in a language school in Tokyo.

I moved to the UK in 2007, first to Edinburgh and then later to Surrey. I live with my husband and our three young children. He is English, and we're doing our best to bring up our children speaking both English and Japanese.

Teaching Experience:

While working at a language school in Tokyo, I taught Japanese conversation to a wide range of people from all over the world, from students to businesspeople, and from beginners to advanced levels. Since coming to live in the UK, I have been tutoring both on a private basis and for the Japan Society in London.

Teaching Approach:

From my experience as a teacher of Japanese, and from my own experience in making a life in the UK, I appreciate the power of a person's deep and basic desire to communicate with others in driving them forward with their language learning.

I see my job as recognising and working with that desire, helping my clients to build up the vocabulary, phrases, fluency and - eventually! - the confidence to express themselves naturally and clearly.

I also welcome students who are studying towards specific goals, such as JLPT and GCSE.

I realise, too, that speaking good Japanese involves understanding a bit about Japanese culture and society - a phrase can be technically correct, but completely inappropriate for a particular situation! I enjoy sharing my passion for Japanese culture with my clients, helping them become able to move around in Japan if and when they visit with as much comfort and confidence as possible.

For people who know Japan and the Japanese language well, I can help you practice your conversation in an informal way, based on topics that either you or I might suggest. I will help you to retain your hard-won gains, and add some new dimensions.

For people who are newer to the language, and may either be visiting Japan soon - for pleasure or for work - or dealing with Japanese clients remotely, I can prepare you for the situations that you may find yourself in. Tell me a bit about yourself when you get in touch, and I can adapt my approach to suit you.

For people with no immediate plans for Japan, but who are simply interested in Japanese language and culture, let me know what you like! We can chat about that, and I may try to get you interested in some of my own manga, anime and TV favourites.

I don't currently offer preparation towards specific academic goals (JLPT, for example) but I can do any of the above and I am happy to converse with anyone, of any age and stage.

A typical lesson would be 60 minutes, but this is flexible depending on your language level and your needs.