“Interested in Japanese culture”, “Want to work for a Japanese company to improve my career”, “I don’t have any problems with everyday conversational Japanese, but I’m not confident in business Japanese”, etc. There are various reasons why people want to study Japanese.

In this article, We would like to introduce the advantages and disadvantages of the online Japanese learning service that has recently increased, and some recommended online Japanese services.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Online Japanese Learning Service

With the increasing number of foreigners and international students working in Japan in recent years, the number of companies offering online learning services is constantly increasing.

First of all, I would like to introduce various advantages and disadvantages of learning online.

Advantages

Below, We would like to explain the four main advantages of online learning services.

Lessons fee are cheaper

Since there is no physical school, the cost of administration is low and students can be provided with learning services at a low tuition fee. Language schools in Japan have high lesson fees, so it is recommended for those who want to study at a low tuition fee.

One-on-one lessons

It is quite important to “talk” as a method to learn a new language.

In the case of studying in a group, depending on the lesson time and the number of people in the group, the case where you can speak is greatly different from the one-on-one case.

one-on-one lessons is an advantage with you can improve your level more efficiently in a shorter time than group lessons by monopolizing the instructor during the lesson and speaking a lot.

The instructor can be selected by yourself

Japanese schools generally assign teachers based on their language level. Even though it is level-based, it doesn’t mean good chemistry with the teacher. This can be one of the reasons why you may not be able to attend a language school or your motivation to study may decrease.

One-on-one learning can eliminate this “trouble”.
In online language service, the teacher’s profile, personality, career, learning method, etc, are included in the teacher’s profile.

Students can take lessons with instructors who are interested, and in the unlikely situation that they do not match, it is also attractive that the online service is able to choose another instructor for the next lesson.

Flexible hours

There are many other reasons why you can’t attend a language school, such as wanting to study Japanese but not having time to go to a language school or wanting to practice the Japanese you’ve learned because of your work.

By studying Japanese online, you can book even during the hours from early morning to late at night. In other words, you can take Japanese lessons before going to school or even after work.

Disadvantages

On the other hand, We would like to explain the three main disadvantages of online learning services.

Quality of the Instructor

Among companies that offer online learning services, we appeal to the low recruitment rate, but some instructors teach with a professional attitude, but unfortunately, many do not.

Of course, the service provider should improve so that this kind of phenomenon does not occur, but because it is online, it is ok to book another instructor in case of such an instructor.

It is not a Face-to-Face conversation

It is said that the concern about learning Japanese online is “different from a face-to-face conversation.” The atmosphere you can enjoy by having the other person in front of you is different from when you talk with the instructor who is watching the screen.

We think it’s ideal to absorb a lot of information through online learning, where you can input information and practice how to express so that you can communicate things as you think during a face-to-face conversation.

Difficult to keep motivation

There are positive aspects such as making reservations at any time you like, but this is one of the reasons why students are not motivated to continue. In a physical language school, the days and times generally are fixed, so it is possible for those who cannot actively learn by themselves, can continue forcibly. Because of the flexibility of online services, you need to be motivated and self-learning.

Guidelines for choosing an online Japanese learning service

Content enrichment

Be sure to check not only the teacher and the lesson method, but also what other content is providing.

For example, in addition to learning Japanese, Zipan/Online Business Japanese Lessons, which is described below, also provides services such as interview preparation for businessmen, business communication, and checking Japanese emails and documents.

Number of teachers

To study online, you have to reserve your own time and its teachers. Although it is time-consuming, there are many other cases where the teacher’s reservations are full and it is not possible to make reservations. Therefore, when choosing an online Japanese learning service, make sure that the number of teachers who can easily make a reservation is not too small.

Recommended online Japanese learning service

We would like to introduce some recommended online Japanese learning services. Feel free to refer to it.

Zipan

This is an online Japanese learning service provided by Bizmates, the No.1 online English conversation company specialized in business English. All trainers have the characteristic of being business people, following the slogan of “high quality” Japanese learned online. An online Japanese conversation school that you can learn from polite Japanese spoken in the Japanese workplace to business etiquette, effective communication, Japanese business processes, and culture.

Classes are prepared according to the Japanese level of each person, and it is a recommended service when learning Japanese that can be used for business.

J-OS

It is an online Japanese conversation school that offers online Japanese learning services for foreigners, but also services such as Japanese training for companies. It is also used by many Japanese companies for foreign employees, and some courses can also support Japanese qualification tests such as JLPT.

Japaneasy

Online Japanese conversation school with contents for kids and adults. Besides, it will be a service that provides substantial Japanese language support for job hunting and business.

Conclusion

Apart from the online Japanese language learning service introduced here, there are many other schools, including face-to-face Japanese schools. There are advantages and disadvantages to learning Japanese online, but the important thing is to make the most of these advantages.

We sincerely hope that you will come up with a suitable Japanese conversation school, thinking again about the level of Japanese that you’re aiming for and how you want to influence the Japanese language in your career.

Also, if you are looking for an opportunity to work in IT-related work because you want to use Japanese for business, please register with G Talent a recruitment agency specializing in IT engineers. A professional consultant will support you in changing jobs for free.