I teach Japanese to a diverse range of individuals, from school children to professionals. They are people from all different walks of life. I also do occasional Japanese language interpretation for Berlitz who is the world's premiere provider of language training and cultural consulting services. It all depends on how old the individual is, but I customize every class to the individual's needs. For example if it is a child, I will start from scratch with grammar, etc. I use different textbooks for each individual's exact need and level. I teach 2 and a half hour classes at Berlitz. For Berlitz I have also, in the past, taught on cruise ships that go to Japan.

EDUCATION | Graduate from Tamagawa University, Tokyo in Art: oil painting

HOW TO GET STARTED | To be a language instructor you have to know your country extremely well. You not only need to know the language but about your culture as well including art, culture, history etc. Language is a combination of all these things. I also recommend buying some teaching books that you find interesting and talk about different techniques.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Flexibility, intelligence, analytical, people-person, patience, social, positive attitude

how I got started | I moved to California many years ago to study abroad from Japan and ended up staying when I met my husband. One day, I saw an add in Berlitz that said they were offering one free class. I went to the Berlitz with the intention of learning French, but I was a little late so the instructor was already gone. I started talking to the director and asked if they needed instructors out of curiosity. The director took my number and called me because they needed Japanese instructors, got trained, and have been doing it ever since.

why this job?| Though I somewhat fell into my career, I still absolutely love it. I I love teaching people my native language and conveying a part of Japanese culture that is unknown to them. When I teach a language, I am not only conveying the language but Japanese culture as well. I fell into this career by chance, but I realized I really loved it.

why I love this job!| Interaction with interesting people, teaching others about Japanese culture, Job flexibility.

my typical day| It really depends. Some days I go to the Berlitz office to teach and some days I go to the company where an individual works. For example I have taught people from Google, General Electrics, Roche etc. When I go into the company I usually use Berlitz text books and mainly teach them conversational Japanese. There are some days that I act as an interpreter for Berlitz at law offices etc. and also have worked on cruise ships for Berlitz as a Japanese language instructor.

what they are | The challenge is getting people to continue their practice and to keep them motivated. It takes a lot of effort from the teacher, but at the same time you cannot be pushy. Your teaching has to come naturally for it to be effective and appear as effortless. You have to be extremely positive and patient, which can sometimes be difficult.

all about growth | There is growth in the career. Some people choose to become directors of different offices or work in their corporate office. As far as teaching goes, there is not much individual growth.

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