During the last couple of years studying for a PhD in Mathematics, a weekly highlight of mine was the Japanese classes run by the Skills Centre (Foreign Languages). I attended six courses over the span of two years. The courses ranged in level from complete beginner to lower intermediate. Our teacher, Satoko Suzui, was extremely engaging; the classes had a great atmosphere and were brilliant fun. A good balance of vocabulary and grammar was introduced, with speaking, listening and reading practised in class while writing was set as homework. I’d highly encourage anyone curious about learning Japanese to sign up and give it a try! The Skills Centre also organises cultural events, my favourite of which was a concert of traditional Japanese music where I got to try the shamisen!

Moving to Japan

I have always wanted to visit Japan and put my language skills to the test. Last October I applied to the UK JET Programme, a year-long teaching assistant scheme in Japanese schools. The process consists of two main parts: first, to compile a long list of documents and forms to send to the Embassy of Japan in London, and second, an interview at the Embassy. In December I was invited to an interview at the Embassy, which took place in late January. I am very grateful to the Japanese teacher, Satoko Suzui, for her help preparing me for this!

A couple of months of agonising waiting later, I received an email to say that I was accepted. I don’t know exactly where in Japan I’ll be going yet, but I’ll be leaving in August.