Overall, I'd give them a 7/10. It wasn’t a bad experience, but it could’ve been better. They definitely have room to improve.
Flights and Financials: Booking your own flights offers more flexibility and may be more cost-effective. When I had a family emergency in Japan and needed to return home early, it was challenging to reach the EF America base to discuss changing my flight. Communication was difficult due to time zone differences, and responses addressed only some of my questions. I was quoted a higher price than my original roundtrip ticket for the return flight, so I arranged my own ticket. Additionally, receiving a refund for the canceled flight is proving to be very complicated, even with a cancellation protection fee. As well as continuing the conversation about a partial refund for my classes and homestay.
The staff at EF Tokyo were supportive, but they had limited ability to answer financial questions and referred back to the American team. There were also some billing errors with charges for services I did not sign up for, so it is important to check your payments carefully. Having dedicated financial support staff on-site would streamline the process. Feedback from other reviews suggests financial support is an area of much needed improvement at EF, especially in the case of refunds. I hope they can continue working with me to get a partial refund, I’m anxious about this process after reading the reviews. I will update this review when that process has commenced.
Classes: These are great classes. I have 100% learned a lot even in my short time here. If you stay for a few months, you’ll be having conversations in Japanese. I would definitely recommend learning some on your own before you come to the school. Using any app for a couple of minutes a day will better prepare you. The classes move fast. That being said, you can only miss 80%, so if you’re coming to meet people and see the country, you will not have a good grade and won’t get your certificate. You need to speak and read English to do this program 100%! They say the classes will be an 80/20 Japanese to English, but in reality, it was 95/5 Japanese to English. English is the only language they give directions and explanations in, if you can’t understand English you will struggle. That being said, It’s hard but really rewarding. In 2 weeks, I went from nothing to introducing myself, my entire family, and a lot of basic phrases. This is an amazing language school if you put the effort in.
Homestay: I stayed in a homestay with a roommate and two different families. The school’s policy is for host families to provide breakfast and dinner on weekdays and three meals on weekends. If you are not receiving this, you should request a change. It took some persistence to arrange a move, but it was accommodated. My first host family did not provide the expected meals, and I rarely saw my host mother, which did not meet my expectations for a family experience. If you’re not prepared to sleep on a futon, this will not be for you. I slept on a 2cm thick futon on wood floor for the first two weeks. This is apart of Japanese culture, but it’s not the most fun part. those with back issues, or sleep issues I don’t think this would work for you. My second family, the Irinami family, provided a much more positive and welcoming experience. The mother was kind and an excellent cook. They welcomed me into their family with open arms. I feel very blessed to have spent a week with them. If you get put in this family you are very blessed. Based on these differing experiences, it seems EF could continue to develop host family standards to ensure consistency for all participants. The investment in the program warrants attention to these details to help ensure a positive stay.
Trains: personally, I never want to see another train or bus again in my life. Some people love it, others hate it. The normal commute to school is an hour. For a lot of students, it’s even more. It’s very overwhelming. They don’t teach you how to navigate the trains or how to get to school. You wing it till you make it. I definitely think there could be a program with students who are experienced to help out the new students on the first day; these more experienced students could get activity credits or something in return. It would be extremely helpful. YOU WILL GET LOST… a lot. Just accept it, learn from it. It does get better. In total, there is 100% something more EF could and should be doing to teach students about the trains and how to get around this new country alone.
Activities: honestly, 4/10. Nene is very sweet and is definitely working hard to set up these activities, so I'm not dissing her hard work. I think there is a lot more that could be done, though. Timing-wise, I found it hard to attend anything. They have the activity once a month and at one time during the day. If they offered the same things more frequently and at a variety of times, I think a lot more students would be able to join. I also think that more staff and teachers joining in on these would create a much deeper bond between student and teacher, while also allowing more teachable moments. During my stay, I did an excursion to Kyoto. It was pretty good, 8/10. I’m pretty sure I overpaid, but it was a great trip, and I made some lifelong friends. They had a VERY packed itinerary, but I was able to go off with a few friends and do our own thing. It was super fun, and I 100% recommend going on an excursion trip if you can.
Day-to-day life: you have a lot of free time. If you struggle to make friends quickly, this will be difficult. The school does not give nearly enough information on exploring Shibuya. You are thrown into the fire as soon as you get there. I think the staff could give a list of activities to do around, and maybe a map with some staff-picked spots! Making the city a classroom, and the opportunity to hear and speak Japanese easier and less intimidating for students. I think this aspect is missing any staff support. There is way more the school can do to help you feel more confident while in this HUGE new city in your first few days.
Staff support/ school environment: the staff I worked most closely with throughout my family emergency and my experience as a whole was Micah. He was very helpful and understanding. I think he is very good at his job. The teachers were also very helpful when it came to class time. They did a good job, but like I've been saying throughout this whole review, they could be doing SO much more. Moving on, the environment of the school is very nice. They provide a great space for students to lounge, call families, hang out, and study. The building is very convenient, and there is a supermarket in the building for lunch! I believe there are also restaurants, but I never personally went to any of them except for McDonald's on the bottom floor.
Overall, I do not regret coming here. The friends and memories I made here are something I will forever treasure. That being said, there is room for EF as a company to grow, and I hope they continue to try to improve the work they do.
