NC86 wrote:
> The one I was looking at
>
> http://www.geos-japanese-insti.co.jp/english/course/intensive.html
>
> seems to be ok for a short course because they have 8 different skill
> levels, and they don't seem too obsessed with the JLPT.

I don't know how you got that impression, their entire curriculum is
JLPT and EJU oriented. That may be the reason why they have a very high
ratio of JLPT1 & 2 examinees (pass rate about 50%) as a percentage of
total student body. Another hint that this is basically a university
prep cram school is the high concentration of mainland Chinese and
"non-Malaysian/Indonesian/Thai/Phillipines ASEAN" students (which in
nisshinkyo-speak means Vietnam).

The number of proficiency levels should be enough if your main priority
is to improve your grammar and reading skills. It isn't a short course
but a 2 year program you would be sitting in on.

> The downside of them is large classes (15) and they are Geos... I hope
> they would have better standards than Eikaiwa.

They are not owned by Geos but by a small KK. Best case is that the
Geos link is probably contractual (for China recruitment). Worst case
may be that the school is actually a Geos eikaiwa franchise, but
teaches Japanese during the day as a side business - not unusual in
Tokyo (or Osaka for that matter) due to the rent situation. No way to
confirm either without actually visiting/auditing. If you want I could
do so for you later this month after the next meeting.

Class size as of April 1st 2005 was actually 18.3 (those are the most
recent stats I can access). That might present all sorts of fun if the
Chinese students are hotties, given that the entire school occupies no
more than 16 x 16 meters of space (254 sq. meters) including 6
classrooms and administration area. There are 4 fulltime teachers and
155 students. No language lab, computer lab or library.