Learning by Moving Between Japanese Language Schools

There are roughly 500 or more Japanese language schools in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. They vary widely—from high-level schools that partner with Japanese institutions and carry government certification marks, to loosely run schools where students’ motivation and attendance rates are low.

According to what we hear from students actually attending Japanese language schools, when they choose a school for the first time they tend to start with a looser school as step one in school selection, then gradually move up to higher-level schools, learning as they move from one Japanese language school to another.

A characteristic of Nepalese people is that they tend to react negatively when presented with a perfectly structured course, so they start at looser schools and gradually raise their motivation and level.

The way students move between Japanese language schools can also be seen as one process of gradually adapting to the disciplined and strict Japan they are heading toward, and as a means of raising their motivation.

Flexible Tuition Payment

Tuition payment practices are quite flexible, and students are able to attend classes even while behind on fees. Some schools also accommodate less affluent students for a certain period by neither collecting late fees nor charging the full regular rate, allowing them to continue studying at a discount. This is a very Nepalese style, though it can be hard to understand from the perspective of Japanese society. Among such students, some do this out of poverty—wanting to study but lacking money—while others refuse to pay because they believe the amount is not legitimate.

Shrewd yet Serious Students

That said, not all students are loose about tuition payments. Some combine poverty with thick-skinned boldness, while the large majority seriously pay their fees and study Japanese. They take the goal of studying Japanese seriously, but some are shrewd in the methods and means they use. One reason they need to be shrewd to achieve their goals is that, in learning methods within Nepal before going to Japan and in dealings with intermediaries involved in procedures for going to Japan, deception and being deceived are common conflicts for some people; those who pursue only legitimacy and seriousness find it hard to climb out from within Nepal—there is some truth to that. Even when paying tuition, they need to judge in advance whether the amount is legitimate. Among Nepalese who have gone through such struggles in Nepal and headed to Japan, some end up violating Japanese law and committing improper acts. In their mindset, however, even if they are treated as illegal foreigners in Japan, they believe they will be absolved in their home country of Nepal, and some are indifferent to the seriousness of breaking the law.

How They Engage with Japanese Language Schools

Until they obtain a status of residence in Japan and reach employment, some students practice self-study of Japanese online, but the majority choose to study at an actual Japanese language school. Starting at a Japanese language school appears to be the common understanding among Nepalese people for beginning their job search toward Japan.

In reality, however, some Japanese language schools in Nepal convey accurate information about going to Japan to students, while others pass on filtered information. When Nepalese people choose a school, whether to pay tuition or continue attending, they must act shrewdly and work to obtain the necessary information and skills, or they cannot move forward. As they move between Japanese language schools, students come to understand that there are things they cannot learn from a single school alone; even at immature schools they boldly learn what they can, and they act wisely in how they engage with Japanese language schools.

The Long Job Search Toward Japan

There is no simple clarity that choosing a good school and following the presented information, tuition, and process through to travel will advance a job search toward Japan. Students, Japanese language schools, and intermediaries alike each expose immature aspects while still moving toward going to Japan.

Especially for students, opportunities to correctly understand the systems, the current impact of COVID-19, and Japan–Nepal diplomatic relations are rarely given. Amid that lack of clarity, they seem to move between several Japanese language schools, searching for chances as they explore their way.

Japanese language schools in Nepal operate while relying on Nepal’s loose regulations—far removed from Japanese society—even though there are system-based regulations for sending international students or for technical intern trainees / Specified Skilled Worker respectively. Those who press the question of what morals a Japanese language school should have are pushed out. Amid Nepal’s characteristically loose environment, schools whose loose regulation and unique style work well for students aiming for Japan endure, while schools that merely coast on loose regulation will of course tend to disappear.

For Nepalese students aiming for Japan, there are cases in which they move from school to school, raising their motivation, drawing out information and learning from each school, and shifting around while considering methods with less economic burden. Nepal’s loose regulation is also a necessary element for Nepalese people conducting a job search toward Japan, and at the root lie the characteristics and customs of Nepal—a country that is the opposite of strict Japan.