Alex

My name is Alex Golding.
I started studying Japanese independently in 2019 whilst working full-time; the complexities of the language were difficult to me at first, but I found a joy and passion in studying which I had not known previously, and consequently decided to quit my job to pursue it full-time.
Through hours of independent studying every day, I was able to pass the JLPT N2 after only 3 years, and soon after moved to Japan, to progress my studies even further.
After another year of studying, I was able to pass the JLPT N1, the highest qualification that organisation offers.
I previously enjoyed Japanese from a purely academic perspective, but being able to communicate freely and build deep relationships with so many native Japanese speakers has opened my eyes to the true beauty of language learning; it is something I wish for all of my students to experience as well.

Tutoring Experience

In December 2022, I passed the JLPT N2 in the 95th percentile and with an almost perfect reading score, 59/60, and only a year later I was able to pass the JLPT N1. I first started teaching Japanese whilst studying for the N2, carrying out lessons both online and occasionally in person.

Since passing the N1 I have taken on several new students, from children to adults learners.

Tutoring Approach

I tailor each lesson to my student’s needs, create homework tasks myself rather than solely relying on pre-written tasks in textbooks, and save each lesson as a PDF so they can easily be referred to later.

I provide specific examples when exploring grammar points, to make explanations as easy to understand as possible. I also assign reading and writing tasks appropriate to my student's level and provide constructive feedback, to ensure their continued growth.

Japanese is such a complex language; it has many nuanced grammar points, an intricate writing system, thousands upon thousands of Kanji, etc.

However, I believe the true beauty of learning Japanese comes from this complexity. Seeing my student finally be able to read a challenging sentence, use a difficult grammar point and recognize a complex Kanji character is something truly special to me, and continues to motivate me as a teacher.

It can be daunting at first, but with the proper guidance, anything is possible, and I will do everything in my power to ensure your path to Japanese fluency is both fun and rewarding, as it can be, and as it should be.