What position do you hold at Gaba? What has been your career path so far?
I graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in New York with concentrations in piano performance and Japanese language. I worked as an instructor at Gaba for one year in the Kyoto Learning Studio. Teaching at Gaba was a big change from the classroom setting since we only offer one-to-one lessons. I really liked the fact that Gaba encourages more career development. As an instructor, I had the chance to get directly involved with lesson sales as a First Meeting Instructor.
Currently, I am an Instructor Support Leader at the Umeda Learning Studio in Osaka. I provide support to itaku-contracted instructors who teach at Gaba. Basically, I act as a bridge of communication between the instructor and the company.
Did YOU teach abroad?! If so, where and what inspired you to go?
My first experience teaching abroad was with the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program in Chippubetsu, Hokkaido. In my junior year of university, I studied abroad for one year as a member of the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies at Doshisha University. After my year at Doshisha, I became particularly interested in Japanese religion and culture and wanted to pursue my Japanese studies even further. I was considering a career in teaching, so my academic advisor encouraged me to apply for the JET Program. My year in Hokkaido was extremely rewarding and I will always remember Chippubetsu with a great fondness.
What does the future hold for Gaba - any exciting new programs to share?
Gaba just launched a really exciting Starter program for true beginners of English. I’m really looking forward to getting the word out there that clients don’t necessarily have to have a background in English to be able to get something out of a one-to-one lesson. Also, our corporate offsite program is rapidly expanding. This program is giving more instructors the opportunity to get a first-hand look inside Japanese companies.
What about the future of the teach abroad industry? How do you think education will change over the next 10 years?
I think as the popularity of web-cam lessons over the internet starts to take off, the teaching abroad industry is in for some extreme changes. Recruiters in particular are going to face new challenges of persuading native English speakers to completely relocate to a new country. In the next ten years, I imagine that many clients will take their lessons from a home computer.
