Anyone heard or have feedback on ESL Company

[sugarboots]

anyone heard of the Kogakusha Language School. I'm going to interview with them on November 3 but i'd like to hear any good or bad feedback on them so I know what i'm getting into!

thanks!

Edited by sugarboots on Dec 17, 2004 at 01:07 PM

[marine_corpse]

never heard of 'em but then again, schools like this are a dime a dozen in Japan. you might wanna check out Dave's ESL Cafe or gaijinpot.com and ask someone over there, i'm sure they can be more helpful to you. on a side note, I noticed this school helps pay for Japanese language lessons which is a nice little bonus. how'd you find out about this school?

if they move, kill 'em.

[presto718]

How did your interview go?

[sugarboots]

hi - i actually got the job in tokyo

fuck - everyone wants me to go but i'm suddenly scurrrrred.

[marksound]

Congratulations to you!

As for being scurrrrred, hell, just suck it up and go! For all the difficulties that you may encounter, you are going to have a wicked time; well, at least I did, and still am. Anyway, if the job turns to shit then there are literally hundreds of others out there. Also, it doesn't hurt to keep your eye out for something better right from the get go ...

What are you waiting for?!

[sugarboots]

hmm the only thing i'm waiting for is MONEY.

i basically wanted to get my credit card paid off

and they want the teachers to save up at least 2 gs before they move out

that's going to be pretty damn difficult for me...

plus i'm moving to seattle in two months so it's all sort of bad timing...

[marine_corpse]

Quote:

hi - i actually got the job in tokyo

fuck - everyone wants me to go but i'm suddenly scurrrrred.

--- Original message by sugarboots on Nov 15, 2004 11:56 AM

then why even bother applying for the job if you're going to get cold feet? did you decide to move to Seattle first or did you accept the job in Tokyo and then decide to move to Seattle? it would probably cost just as much money to move to Seattle as it would for you to save $2k for Japan (if you consider moving costs, having $ for an apartment, etc).

and why are you scared? seems to me you have an opportunity to live & work in Japan and now you're backing out....because of what exactly? the language barrier? the money? you'd easily make that money back in no time. and trust me, once you've been in Japan for several weeks you get over the initial shock and move on.

if they move, kill 'em.

[presto718]

Congrats!

I say go for it.

I lived in Tokyo for a few months and loved it. Thinking about going your route in a year or so.

Good Luck!

[sugarboots]

Quote:

Quote:

hi - i actually got the job in tokyo

fuck - everyone wants me to go but i'm suddenly scurrrrred.

--- Original message by sugarboots on Nov 15, 2004 11:56 AM

then why even bother applying for the job if you're going to get cold feet? did you decide to move to Seattle first or did you accept the job in Tokyo and then decide to move to Seattle? it would probably cost just as much money to move to Seattle as it would for you to save $2k for Japan (if you consider moving costs, having $ for an apartment, etc).

and why are you scared? seems to me you have an opportunity to live & work in Japan and now you're backing out....because of what exactly? the language barrier? the money? you'd easily make that money back in no time. and trust me, once you've been in Japan for several weeks you get over the initial shock and move on.

--- Original message by marine_corpse on Nov 15, 2004 08:35 PM

for starters - it's a big decision for me. i'm 25 - i'm not a little kid anymore and i'm starting to feel like i can't be running around doing whatever i want without trying to figure out what i want to do with my life. the whole seattle thing was bound to happen and i knew i'd move there before i left for tokyo - our moving expenses are paid for thru my boy's company so it's just finding a temp job there and saving up for the trip. the biggest reason is money. i need at least 2 gs to survive that first month - month-and-a-half without a paycheck. i want to be realistic and responsible and not flighty. paying off most of my credit card AND saving up 2gs is a lot of money and right now, my job just isn't cutting it and i sure as hell am not asking my parents for help.

either way - i did say yes to the contract.

[sugarboots]

on my contract, they put Kanagawa/Kawasaki - which, to my understanding is NOT tokyo. still asking questions as to why it's not tokyo, as they promised.

besides all this. slated to leave in february and will stay in san diego until then.

[mickey holmes]

I haven't heard of that school and I lived in Tokyo for 16 months.

Then again, Tokyo is huge and English schools are everywhere.

So, you're gonna be posted in Kanagawa....it could be not what you expect.

It may be a remote part of Japan.

I guess you'll find out sooner or later.

As they sponsored you to get the visa, they kinda have a big say in what's what. Without them you couldn't get the working visa.

Companies like Nova hire from abroad. You state which place you'd like to live in, but it's not until you get to Japan that you find out about where you will actually stay.

I was on a working holiday visa in Tokyo, then changed mine to working visa after a year.

I had to come back to England, then change visa status here. I go back to Tokyo in 5 weeks.

[sugarboots]

hm this is the area where i will be working:

Shinmaruko Station on Tokyu-Toyoko line

i'm not really sure where that is. I have an apartment secured which is about 1 minute walking distance from yoyogi hachiman station..i have to ask my sister how close that is...

also, i am going to try to get the "child of a national" visa that my sister currently has. basically, if i hate my job, i can quit and find another one without losing my visa....

[presto718]

The Tokyu Toyoko line goes from Shibuya to Yokohama in about 30 mins on the express.

I believe your station is located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa which would place you in about the middle betweeen Shibuya and Yokohama.

Hope this helps.

[marine_corpse]

Quote:

hm this is the area where i will be working:

Shinmaruko Station on Tokyu-Toyoko line

i'm not really sure where that is. I have an apartment secured which is about 1 minute walking distance from yoyogi hachiman station..i have to ask my sister how close that is...

also, i am going to try to get the "child of a national" visa that my sister currently has. basically, if i hate my job, i can quit and find another one without losing my visa....

--- Original message by sugarboots on Dec 14, 2004 11:14 AM

kawasaki isn't too far from Tokyo proper so it shouldn't be too far by train.

also, try checking http://www.zone81.com/arch_sections/trains for their train fair calculator. if you know your origin/destination points it can tell you which trains to take, how much it'll cost and how long it'll take.

if they move, kill 'em.

[marksound]

Damn dude, sounds good if you ask me.

That's not Tokyo? Well, that's Tokyo enough for me (well, you will be closer than I am! I'm in Ichikawa on the border of Chiba and Tokyo).

Also, remember that once you have the visa then you have it and the company can't change that. If the company is not what you want then I recommend looking for something else as soon as you get here (something I wish I had done earlier).

Best of luck!

[marine_corpse]

I would definitely try to go for the 'child of a Japanese national' visa if I were you---more flexibility. shouldn't be too hard. have you spoken to someone from your local Japanese consulate?

if they move, kill 'em.

[sugarboots]

Quote:

Damn dude, sounds good if you ask me.

That's not Tokyo? Well, that's Tokyo enough for me (well, you will be closer than I am! I'm in Ichikawa on the border of Chiba and Tokyo).

Also, remember that once you have the visa then you have it and the company can't change that. If the company is not what you want then I recommend looking for something else as soon as you get here (something I wish I had done earlier).

Best of luck!

--- Original message by marksound on Dec 14, 2004 07:20 PM

whoa - you're scaring me. what job do you have?

also marinecorspse - yes i've talked to the consulate. i think we had this convo before in another thread . . . .

[marksound]

That wasn't meant to scare you!! My intention was to say that although I'm technically living in "Tokyo", I am close enough to get there as much as I want to. And by the sounds of things, you're gonna be in a reasonable location yourself so no need to worry. By the way, I'm working in a junior high school along with an extra teaching gig three nights a week.

[sugarboots]

hmm well do you enjoy it and do you have time to do other things? the whole teaching thing for me is just a way to get paid...i want to try to do some art stuff (curating) but we'll see what happens - i just want to make sure i have enough time so that my teaching job will not become my life for the year that i am in tokyo...

yes my living location is in a primo spot!! it's basically about 10 mins walking distance from both harajuku and shibuay..i am very lucky (family hookup) and the price is pretty much the same as what i'd pay for a studio here in san diego...

[frogeyes]

Edited by frogeyes on Jan 27, 2005 at 07:40 AM

[sugarboots]

hmm - if that was my life story, this thread would be a lot longer than it is! - thanks for looking out, though. i'm on a few message boards and blogs, etc, and i think i'll be alright. but what about you? you sound a tad paranoid. or maybe i should be.