Is there any teacher training provided?
Yes, initially you'll spend about a week in orientation at the HQ or one of our satellite-offices, learning to use our texts and teaching methods. The head teacher and senior teachers in each area will do the training. The full training period is your first full month at the company. During this time, you'll listen to lectures, observe classes, practice teaching with a volunteer student, and be expected to start teaching classes. At the end of this time, you'll be assessed by the senior teacher in your area who'll evaluate whether further training is required. You'll also have the option of evaluating the effectiveness of the initial orientation and the month long training at this point.
Can I learn Japanese while I’m there?
Of course. Some teachers arrange their own teachers from among friends and acquaintances. Community classes are available in most cities, and at very low rates. Everyone comes saying they're going to learn Japanese. A few actually knuckle down and do it.
What kind of clients does LH teach?
About 80% corporate clients, 19% adults and 1% children, though those percentages will vary according to the exact locality. We specialize in corporate clients, contracting with companies to teach their employees on their own premises. We conduct a Needs Analysis and Level Check, Curriculum for the client, and write our own, focused lesson material. Teachers are expected to research and write lesson material.
How are company clients to teach?
They are fun to teach. Most students are motivated and know that one key to getting ahead in their company is through better English skills. (Translation: higher TOEIC scores!) Some students may have been coerced into signing up for classes, but the majority is there voluntarily, and many contribute to the lesson fees from their own pockets.
What about Japanese kids?
Sometimes pretty difficult. A spoilt upbringing and an attitude on the parents' part that schools should do a lot of the disciplining of their children can make them hard to handle. But we don't accept big groups. In smaller numbers, we find we can better communicate with them. And our recent policy is to suggest that they might do well to try other schools that specialize in kids. We now have hardly and kids' classess.
What texts do adults use?
We have our own progressive series of texts for adult learners, ranging from material for true and false beginners through to high-intermediate material including abstract topics, supported opinion, hypothesis and the like. The texts are developed in LH and are exclusively for our own customers. Each page of the text contains a detailed 'Teacher's Guide' which teachers follow in class. Teachers are expected to contribute to the lesson material with dialogs developed from true-life situations, and other exercises. We also have more industry-specific texts and supplementary material for our corporate clients, including topics from pharmaceuticals to shipbuilding.
