Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I study Japanese?
If you’re a citizen of another country but living in Japan, you may have found that it is very possible to survive in Japan without speaking much Japanese. The problem, however, is that such a lifestyle is only surviving. In order to enrich the experience of living in Japan, the ability to communicate with those around you is invaluable. You can make more friends, be more independent and understand more about the culture?from the historical sights to the menus in restaurants. If you’re planning to stay in Japan long-term, knowing the language opens a whole world to you as far as jobs and higher education. The ability to utilize your other skills in the Japanese environment will be unlocked as you gain knowledge of how to speak Japanese. Come in and find out how to Unlock Your Potential and unlock the Japanese world.
Why should I study English?
If you’re not a native speaker of English, learning to speak English proficiently is something that could change your life profoundly. English is the most widely spoken language in the world. Often times, it is the language of choice for native speakers of different languages to communicate. It is the official language of many businesses as well. Learning to speak English can help you:
- Get a better job with a higher salary
- Get a promotion on your current job
- Get a job overseas
- Get into a foreign college or university
- Make foreign friends
- Communicate well when you travel
- Understand Western Culture
- Unlock Your Potential and Unlock the World!
When will CILS open?
We are currently planning to open between September and January.
Why doesn’t CILS offer anytime scheduling?
Unlike most other language schools, our classes are not all the same. At some language schools, students may attend lessons on three different occasions and end up taking the exact same lesson each time; other times, they may take lessons which are completely unrelated to the previous lessons and offer no review. Our classes are designed to avoid such situations. We offer different courses to address specific language learning needs, and our courses are cumulative in nature.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, however, through our research and experience, we have found that it is fundamentally impossible to follow the progress of students without consistent observation. Essential to being a good teacher is getting to know the student well; essential to being a good student is regular attendance. It is therefore our practice to have regular classes so that we can observe and learn about the individual student’s style of learning and easily identify and eliminate the roots of consistent and long-standing problems. This allows accurate diagnosis of problems, accurate prescriptions to correct the problems, customized feedback, and much faster progress in language learning. Remember, as you study language, we study you.
At my school, I understand almost everything; but when I go abroad, I don’t understand anything the native speakers say. Why?
At many schools, instructors use very artificial language. Frequently, simple, slow speech, and uncommon, book-style language is used. Many teachers often teach things they have never actually encountered in conversation! Recently, a few schools have attempted to introduce more natural speech; but these are usually small-phrase introductions which are offered few and far-between. Further compounding the problem, pronunciation correction is often avoided!
Poor listening comprehension leads to poor pronunciation; poor pronunciation can in turn lead to poor listening comprehension. This creates a vicious cycle of unnatural speech and low comprehension that eventually becomes an ingrained, systemic problem. That systemic problem is a primary reason for why new learners of language are often unable to communicate with native speakers.
Practical language ability means understanding what is naturally and commonly spoken by native speakers. At CILS, we offer a full course designed to teach language which is regularly encountered in native conversation for a wide variety of situations. Natural speech, pronunciation and listening comprehension are all inextricably bound ideas which are essential to improving language skill.
What languages does CILS teach?
Currently, CILS offers classes in Japanese and English. In the future, the number of languages we teach will grow as we grow. Please see our course offerings for details on available classes.
How many proficiency levels are at CILS?
There are seven levels of proficiency at CILS, plus customized lessons suitable for any level. Please see our course system for more details.
Does CILS give feedback on student progress?
Absolutely; CILS is dedicated to being very communicative to all students and to ensure that students understand their needs and how to achieve them. We also listen very closely to all our students to be sure that we understand our students’ objectives and personal expectations.
How long are CILS classes?
CILS classes are 60 minutes long; that’s 33% longer than the average eikaiwa school’s classes?and our Personal Lesson rates are approximately 25% lower than the average eikaiwa schools rates for man-to-man classes.
How many students are in CILS group lessons?
There may be up to 4 students per class in CILS group lessons.
Aren’t CILS Personal Lessons kind of expensive?
Our Personal Lessons are 60 minutes long, just as all our classes are. That is 33% longer than the average eikaiwa school’s classes; and for Personal Lessons, our prices are up to 25% lower than the average eikaiwa school’s man-to-man lessons.
Does CILS have online lessons?
Unfortunately, CILS does not yet have online lessons. However, we are planning to include online lessons in our schools’ curriculum as soon as possible.
What are CILS’ hours of operation?
CILS offers lessons from 9:00AM to 9:00PM Monday through Friday.
How can I get a job at CILS?
Please take a look at our Employment Page for information on becoming a member of the CILS Education Team.
Can I make a suggestion to CILS?
Of course! We’re always listening to you! You can send us e-mail at suggestions. We’ll try to respond as soon as possible. For more contact information, please look at our Contact Us page.
Can I ask a CILS teacher some questions?
Yes! Please email your language questions to sensei@chicago-gaigo.com and we’ll respond as soon as we can. If you’d like more contact information, please look at our Contact Us page.
How can I contact CILS?
Currently, you can contact CILS by email or by postal mail. Please see our Contact Us page.
Thank you for your interest in CILS. Please continue if you’d like to learn more About CILS.
