ENGLISH conversation schools in Japan are offering more courses for the middle-aged in an attempt to carve out a new market for people with relatively more time and money, Japan Today has reported.
According to the Japanese government data, the gross turnover of Japan's English conversation schools, compared with that of 2006, decreased in 2007 when the former largest language school chain Nova went bankrupt. As a result, a growing number of English conversation schools are putting more emphasis on attracting middle-aged people born between 1947 and 1949, when Japan's birth rate jumped after soldiers returned home at the end of World War II. These "baby boomers" total about 6.9 million in number, or 5.4 percent of the Japanese population, according to the 2000 census. Considering that many set off on trips abroad upon reaching retirement age, English conversation schools in Japan aim to give them the skills to communicate.
A 55-year-old woman in Tokyo started taking an English conversation course last November after retirement. "I was able to speak English when I was young," she said. "But I've forgotten quite a bit. I thought I should study once again." However, she was reluctant to study in a group of younger students because it made her feel embarrassed, so she attended a special course for the middle-aged. "Thanks to the lessons, I don't feel nervous," she said.
Berlitz Japan, one of the most well-established language schools in Japan, began to offer an English conversation course for adults in 2004. It was designed for middle-aged people who do not feel confident about keeping up with younger students. The school not only took the students' ages into account, but also prepared textbooks in large letters with many pictures.
GABA, a Tokyo-based English conversation school, set up a course titled "Senior 50 plus" last December. It targets students aged 50 or older and boasts a one-on-one teacher-student system.
At present, most English conversation schools offer lessons to adults in the daytime on weekdays because the schools are generally full with students and company employees in their 20s and 30s in the evenings and on weekends. Such an arrangement enables the schools to utilize their facilities effectively.
