Japanese Language Volunteers

At the SenTIA, Japanese volunteers support foreigners with their Japanese language study. Foreign nationals that would like to learn Japanese fill out an application form, and will then be introduced to a Japanese volunteer that matches their study time and place requirements. Japanese is mainly used during the lesson and the learner and volunteer study one on one.

Contents of Activities

Japanese study support
-Assist Japanese learning online or in person. Lesson schedule can be modified to fit the availability of the volunteer and the learner.

We are looking for:

Individuals who agree with the purpose of our program and can assist foreign residents who would like to learn Japanese, regardless of the learner’s nationality and language background.
Individuals who work within Sendai City
Individuals who have attended lectures related to Japanese language learning support, or has more than one year of experience assisting Japanese language learners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do lessons begin?

A1.

Once Japanese learners have completed an application, SenTIA will look for a volunteer that matches your request and will contact the learner(Several times a year the registered volunteers are sent a list of people that wish to learn Japanese, and the volunteers find learners who match them)
Decide on a date and meet up with the learner
Lessons ensue after matching requirements have been confirmed

Q2. Where do the lessons usually take place?

A2. Many people have their lessons at Sendai International Center, or at public facilities, or cafes etc.

Q3. What type of people usually take the lessons?

A3. People from various walk of life including international student and researchers, full-time workers, and those who came to Japan as dependents participate in the program.

Q4. Who pays for lesson expenses?

A4. Generally, the learner pays for the expenses incurred through lessons. The cost of the volunteer’s transport and basic textbooks etc. will be decided upon when the learner is matched up with the volunteer. If there is going to be expenses for things like copies, please let the learner know in advance, e.g. the cost of transport for the volunteer, textbooks, copies etc.

Q5. Are there training opportunities for volunteers?

A4. Besides from the annual training held by SenTIA, we also inform our volunteers of any external training host by other organizations. Please make use of these opportunities.

Number of Registered Volunteers:

86 (as of November 2024)

Voice of current volunteer…

Although I had taken a course beforehand, I was unsure whether I would be able to give a Japanese lesson to someone who I couldn’t communicate with well in the language. Then SenTIA contacted me and found someone who matched me well. At the beginning we decided on the place and the content of the lesson so I felt a little more relaxed and we got off to a good start. During the lessons, I not only helped with Japanese study, but I also taught them a lot about Japanese culture. The learner also taught me a lot about their own culture and I am much more knowledgeable about various countries now. I think of teaching Japanese as a multicultural exchange and so the lessons continue to be enjoyable for me.