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Eikaiwa school

or often shortened to , are English conversation schools, usually privately operated, in Japan. It is a combination of the word and.

Although the Japanese public education system mandates that English be taught as part of the curriculum from junior high, (elementary schools in Japan can still vary their approach) the focus is generally on English grammar. Some students attend eikaiwa schools to supplement their school studies, to study a second language, to improve their business skills, as a hobby, to help socialize, or to prepare for travel. Many parents send their children to these schools in the hope of improving their child's hopes of higher education, or to encourage them to be at ease with foreigners.

Schools

Although there are many eikaiwa conversation schools in Japan, the most widely recognized ones are generally agreed to be GEOS, Aeon, and ECC. Berlitz was once considered one of the Big Four, but its market share has declined in recent years and was replaced by ECC. Nova, the biggest, filed for bankruptcy in October 2007. These major chains of commercial language schools have branches in cities and towns throughout Japan as well as large number of smaller independent outfits. Foreign language instruction in Japan represents a 670 billion yen industry, of which the five largest chains (Nova, Geos, ECC, Aeon, and Berlitz) accounted for 25% in 2002. The large eikaiwa operate extensive advertising campaigns in print and on television; they sometimes feature Japanese or international celebrities in their promotions and have a very high profile and strong brand recognition. Several chains offer instruction in other languages, including Spanish, French, Italian, German, Chinese, and Korean. These languages are taught primarily at larger city branches or through videoconferencing.

Staff

Eikaiwa teachers are generally native English speakers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland or New Zealand, although Gaba Corporation openly hires non-native English speakers. According to The Japan Times, the Justice Ministry estimates that some 90 percent of foreign residents in Japan stay for three years or less. For eikaiwa teachers, however, that figure rises to between 96 and 97 percent. Very few instructors have a formal teaching qualification; most receive on-the-job training. Some companies offer teachers the ability to gain CELTA certification while teaching. Teachers coming from countries that do not have a working holiday visa agreement with Japan must have a university degree to obtain a Japanese work visa.

Eikaiwa school managers generally do not have formal backgrounds in management, but some do have Japanese language skills that allow them to communicate with Japanese management. Some larger schools have unions, which are affiliated to the National Union of General Workers, but in smaller schools discrimination is not uncommon.