Satomi - Birmingham tutor
Information About Satomi:
Personal Description:
★★★ Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language ★★★
<Key Credentials and Expertise>
- A native Japanese from Tokyo with the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language.
- Specifically trained to teach English speaking learners.
- Lived in the UK for over 30 years, so able to explain the grammar in depth or the differences in nuance between similar expressions.
- Teaching full time as a profession.
<Personal Background and Location>
- My background is in graphic design having a creative roots, but I travelled around New Zealand and Australia before coming to the UK. I met people from many different countries through my travel and teaching, and greatly enjoyed the experience.
- I live in the south side of Birmingham.
Teaching Experience:
I taught my son Japanese singlehandedly from home without outside help and he got A* for both Japanese GCSE and A level. I take on both adults and students ranging from adults with Japanese connection in business, students who are studying for GCSE/JLPT. Young people who want to live and work in Japan in the future, people who want to watch Japanese anime without subtitles, people who want to visit Japan on holiday and much more. The level of my students range from complete beginners to upper-intermediate. I have also taught groups of children, and also a group of adults at a company. Both group types had some cultural sessions in which I received excellent feedback.
Number of people I teach weekly on one to one bases as of September 2026:: over 25 people
Tutoring Approach:
<Teaching Methodology and Tools>
- Google Meet and Google Document are used spontaneously for online tuitions so that I can leave the grammar notes, Kanji and main transcription on the Google Doc so that learners can revise later. I also conduct face-to-face lessons.
- A 'no-obligation' weekly homework is normally issued unless you opt out, from over 30 textbooks and workbooks which I have accumulated over the years. So you can keep up your motivation ;)
- Lessons are normally 1 to 2 hours, and continue throughout the year including school summer holidays and Christmas.
I am friendly, enthusiastic and dedicated, and am happy to incorporate various aspects of Japan such as culture, anime, food etc. to add depth and insight in order to enrich your learning experience.
Please see one of the feedbacks I received from my students since this website doesn't have a feedback section.
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'I have been studying with Satomi since 2021 and have found her an excellent tutor in all regards. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to achieve fluency in Japanese: she is also a warm, patient and considerate tutor who is a pleasure to spend time with, consistently making our lessons the highlight of my week.
Satomi goes above and beyond with committing herself to her students' learning; researching and comparing new resources, preparing lessons that fit perfectly to her students' skill level whilst still challenging them to improve, and covering many aspects of fluency in Japanese that are not taught by conventional textbooks. When travelling in Japan, I am constantly praised on my accent and the natural flow of my speech, and feel confident in communicating any situation, including high-level discussion and dialogue.
Satomi is an excellent tutor for anyone looking to push themselves in their studies, as she is very skilled at recognising the techniques and time required to master new grammar, vocabulary, kanji, pitch accent and natural speaking and writing patterns, while matching her approach to the learning style of her student.
She goes to great lengths to thoroughly correct my written and spoken prose, and to then ensure that these lessons are internalised and practised to mastery. Whilst doing so she remains reassuring, gentle, kind and considerate, making my progress feel like a mutual goal, and celebrating our successes together.'
Subjects Taught:
Qualifications:
- Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language
- Teaching certificate in Japanese calligraphy
- HNC in Graphic Design
Further Information:
| Availability: | Weekends / Weekdays (all times) |
| Types of Tutoring: | From their home / Online |
| References Supplied? | Yes |
| Additional Languages Spoken: | English |
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