K&F English Academy

Schools
K&F English Academy maintains two schools, one in Takehara and one in Mihara. These two cities are thirty minutes apart by train or car.

Our Takehara School opened in April 1993, becoming the first English language school in the city of Takehara, and because of its success, we were then able to hire additional staff and open a second school in Mihara just two years later.

The Takehara School has eight classrooms, an office/reception area, a small kitchen, and a two bathrooms. The Mihara school has five classrooms, an office/reception area, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.

Staff
In addition to the one school director, who serves both our Takehara and Mihara Schools, one managing director and three members are currently based in Takehara (two teachers and two office managers) and three staff members are currently based in Mihara (two teachers and one office manager).

Classes
K&F English Academy teaches both on-site classes (for children, teens, and adults) and off-site classes (for companies).

On-site classes are small in size, generally from 4-8 students (and private lessons with individual students), while off-site classes at local companies and schools may range in size from 8-10 students.

Classes are generally scheduled between 2:00-8:30pm, though company classes may need to be scheduled during their lunch hour, from 12:00-1:00pm.

Classes for children and teens are 50 minutes in length, and for adults, 75 minutes in length (while company classes are either 60 minutes or 75 minutes, depending on the company's contract).

Though our classes include a balance of language skills (grammar ,speaking, listening, reading, writing), the emphasis at K&F English Academy is on developing communicative competence through the oral skills of speaking and listening.

As K&F English Academy strives to maintain a lively and creative program for both our teachers and students--depending on teacher interest, student interest, and availability of time and space--special classes (on language or cultural topics) are sometimes incorporated into the curriculum.

Our teachers work a 40-hour week with no more than 22-28 teaching hours.
Students

On the whole, students at K&F English Academy are at typical levels of English language proficiency for Japanese.

Our children range in age from 3-12 and most attend K&F English Academy only once a week as beginning or high beginning students.

Our teens range in age from 13-18 and most attend K&F English Academy only once a week as beginning, high beginning, or low intermediate students.

Our adults range in age from 20-60, and most attend K&F English Academy only once a week. The language level of these adults ranges from beginning to advanced students.

Our company classes generally consist of males, often engineers, from local companies. These company classes may range from beginning to advanced language levels.
School Development Projects

In addition to their teaching responsibilities, teachers at K&F English Academy are offered the opportunity to creatively contribute to the development of the school through projects involving curriculum design, administrative support, planning and preparation of extracurricular activities, etc. These projects are based on the skills and interests of the teacher, and initiative in conceiving and carrying out school development projects is encouraged.
Extracurricular Activities

K&F English Academy regularly sponsors extracurricular activities--parties, trips, etc.-- so teachers and students can interact outside the classroom setting.

LIVING
City/Region
Both Mihara city (population: 100,000) and Takehara city (population: 30,000) are small and picturesque cities, bounded by the mountains and sea of western Japan.

Hiroshima City is about an hour by train or bus from both Takehara and Mihara. Hiroshima International Airport is about 30 minutes by car or bus from either city.

Climate
The climate in western Japan consists of four distinct seasons. Spring is warm and pleasant; Summer is hot and humid, with a rainy season from late -June to mid-July; Fall is lovely with mild temperatures and colorful trees; and Winter is fairly cold with little snow.
Accomodations

Furnished accomodations, apartments, are provided at a reasonable monthly rent.
Culture

As Takehara and Mihara are both relatively small cities, with few native speakers of English, a strong interest in an "immersion experience" of Japanese culture is necessary for an ultimately successful experience at our school. An "immersion experience" naturally has its challenges, but the potential rewards are indeed great.
Language
Though Japanese language ability is not a hiring requirement at K&F English Academy, some background--and especially, interest--in learning Japanese is