One of the easiest ways to learn Japanese and get a visa to live in Japan is through school exchanges, like the popular 6-month Japanese course with a student visa that costs at least 5000 dollars or 800,000 yen.
For this process, several companies offer assistance, usually of quality and with full support, but despite this, some partner schools have done horrible things to students.
Of course, many schools are good, but others are bad. Some during the 6 months teach nothing beyond Hiragana and Katakana, leaving the student completely aside and treating them like trash.
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Brazilian Victims in Japan
In one reported case, several Brazilians arrived in Japan to study at a school that had gone bankrupt during the pandemic.
They were lost at the airport, but luckily another school had bought the bankrupt school and received all the money invested by the students, who were able to continue studying.
The big problem is that later the school wanted to charge the students again 25,000 BLR, which they had already paid to the old school. Many students had to return to Brazil with their heads down, losing all their investment.
Other students did extra work, paid the amount again, and many went to court suing the school, which in front of the judge said it would give the money to Brazilian slums. (As if).
Ukrainian Refugees
A Japanese language school offered hundreds of Ukrainian refugees free classes with a student visa, making them sign a contract.
After 6 months, the school started charging these refugees, forcing them to work, even after promising free schooling. Several students had to return to their country.
The problem wasn’t even that; if it had been stated in the contract, there would have been no issues. The worst part was the school president calling the Ukrainian students luxury refugees. This case resonated and made it to Japanese television.
Other School Reports
Some language schools want to prevent you from getting a driver’s license, as they are somewhat responsible for your guardianship in the country. Fortunately, it’s worth clarifying that you can indeed obtain a license easily, regardless of the student visa.
Some exchanges promise quality apartments and accommodations with beautiful photos, but in the end, they deliver a precarious place with a smelly and dirty kitchen. Of course, in this case, you can request new accommodation if you don’t like it, or do like a friend and rent your own apartment. So think carefully before arranging accommodation through the exchange process.
How to Choose a Quality School?
Unfortunately, we cannot recommend schools or say which ones are bad, as some have links to the Yakuza and this could put my life at risk.
You can try researching the name of the school in question to see if you find related scandals, but usually, these schools hide well and manage to cover up the cases.
Another thing you can do is read comments and reviews on Google Maps, which are usually honest. It’s very likely that if someone has something negative against the company, they will post it there.
If you expect to learn Japanese by going to Japan, studying 4 hours a day, choose a good school, one that will really fit you in the correct level, and that truly teaches new things every day.
Be careful with your choices, there are many good schools, but also many bad schools!
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