Learning Chinese in Japan

[maxiewawa]

I live in the PRC, in Shanghai. I'm working towards my HSK, which is the 汉语水平考试。If you know your Kanji well enough you should know that it's a Chinese Exam. It's a 能力考试，(I believe the Kanji is the same in Japanese!)

By the way, I listen to chinesepod.com every day too, and would recommend it to anyone interested in Chinese, and who enjoys the Japanesepod format.

I'll never be able to learn Japanese properly from here in China (no offence to the Japanesepod crew). I hope to head over to Japan sometime in the distant future.

I teach English to kids. From what I've heard this is popular in Japan. I actually have made lots of Japanese friends and we do language exchange all the time. I don't think I'll have problems finding a job, especially considering my experience in China.

I'm wondering if learning Chinese is popular in Japan. I'm sure it's not as popular as English, but is there any demand? Would someone who speaks Chinese be able to find a job teaching it?

[premium]

maxiewawa-san,

Thank you for posting, and apologies for the late reply. In response to your inquiry: in Japan, Chinese is growing rapidly in popularity! Opportunities to teach the language have increased; however, the only downside to finding a job is that there are many Chinese here, so competition is quite fierce. I notice when I travel to Shanghai many people speak English and Japanese in addition to their native tongue, Chinese. Currently, I would have to say that teaching English offers more of an opportunity.

What to do?
Have you checked any Chinese forums regarding this subject? The Chinese network here is quite well knit, and they often help each other out. Have you looked into this on any forums? Or, have you contacted your embassy? They are usually helpful. Furthermore, contacting the Japanese embassy or consulate in China could help too.
I will keep my eyes open, and let you know if I find any new info.
Yoroshiku,

Peter

[maxiewawa]

Thanks!　どうも！谢谢！(xie xie)