Japanese Language Internship in Hokkaido or Kyoto

The Kyoto JaLS Internship program was my first experience doing an internship, and it was an amazing experience. The staff were incredibly supportive, and they were very invested in making sure I got the most out of the experience. They arranged for me to take private Japanese Business Etiquette classes, and constantly made sure I could understand instructions since most of them were given in Japanese. I would recommend this program for those who already know some conversational Japanese, as the primary language of this internship was Japanese. In the mornings, I would go to a Japanese language class from 9:30 - 12:30, have a break for lunch, and then start my internship. Part of my responsibilities as an intern was to plan and host activities for students, coordinate social media, and work in the onsite cafe. As long as I fulfilled my weekly hour requirements, when I actually did them was very flexible. If there was an after school activity I wanted to join, I could easily schedule my hours around it so that I could attend. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in learning more about Japan and Japanese. The teachers and staff were excellent - they really did their best to make sure I felt welcome, and taught me so much in a limited amount of time. The staff were able to find me a very comfortable apartment only 15 minutes from the school. Every day I was able to apply what I had learned in class to real-life situations. During the internship, I was encouraged to focus on initiatives and tasks that interested me. I met a lot of really interesting people, and I gained a lot of really useful experience. It was a wonderful experience, and I would do it again!

I had a great time at JALS. From beginning to end Peta was attentively answering emails and always so helpful. Once I arrived everything was great! Accommodation that was recommended to me was affordable, clean and comfortable. I met such great people at JALS and it really made Sapporo feel like home. I cant more highly recommend this language school. All the teachers there are very well qualified, great teachers passionate and dedicated to teaching Japanese in the most engaging ways.

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I have attended the Hokkaido Japanese Language School for two consecutive summers now, and both times have been more rewarding than I'd ever imagined. I spent all of my first summer there as a student - I came in with absolutely no background in Japanese Language, and by the end of 12 weeks, I had completed what my college considered a full year's worth of college-level Japanese. During my second summer, I continued language classes in the mornings and also participated as an intern in the afternoons. I had the unique chance to see what a growing organization like Hokkaido Global Linx does behind the scenes, and was even able to contribute with my own ideas and experience. By staying at the language school in the afternoons, I had the chance to practice the Japanese I'd learned every morning with the Japanese students who came in for their foreign language classes, giving me immediate firsthand experience in using business-appropriate speech. I also got to help organize field trips for the foreign students, teach Saturday classes in English, and give a presentation on Harvard University for interested students. This internship was also unique in the amount of control I had over my projects: in addition to my regular responsibilities, I could choose my own hours, and I even got to explore social media outreach by creating weekly posts from interviewing both students and staff members of the school. All in all, it was a great experience, and is especially valuable for those who come in with ideas, a good attitude, and an open mind.

I was at Hokkaido JaLS in the summer of 2016, as both a foreign student studying Japanese and a young intern for the company. Through the 6 weeks I was there my Japanese improved a hundredfold – my Japanese friends were so surprised when I returned and we could just talk in Japanese for hours on end! What's more my Japanese level wasn't even high to begin with - I arrived there a "pre-intermediate level" and am probably now an "intermediate level"; it doesn't seem like much on paper but I feel so natural and much more effortless speaking Japanese now! It's thanks to the 50/50 split of international students and Japanese students studying English at JaLS: there were so many opportunities to speak Japanese with others, and I made many lasting friendships with people of all sorts of ages and countries. As for the internship, the experience will vary for those between those who are native Japanese speakers and foreign interns. The amazing thing was that JaLS so flexible in offering types of things I could do for the company, even though I wasn't a native Japanese speaker. I hosted my own Language Exchange event, took students to festivals, baseball games and activities such as Japanese Taiko drumming lessons! I even learned how to operate a cafe and cash register, and shadowed some of the English teachers' classes with Japanese students learning English (as I have an interest in education). Finally, JaLS allocated me a share-house in which I stayed - which was an incredible experience. There were about 40 people living there, 50% International and 50% Japanese - we each had our own rooms and a giant shared living room/kitchen space. It was another great opportunity to learn Japanese and I really enjoyed spending time and being taken around the city by my Japanese share-house mates - we went to hot springs, spent whole nights at Round 1 and even slept on the roof together! Incredible. A truly unforgettable 6 weeks of my life, I miss JaLS and Sapporo already!! Plus, the school will come back better than ever in October 2016, bigger and with even more possibilities in store! 12 out of 10 points!!