in
Japanese), this office will be your key support center after your arrival at Yamasa. Located
on the ground floor of the Yamasa II building next to the library, the office opens early and
closes late.
|
| Online Program Catalog |
Light Graphics Version of this section
|
Site Navigation:
About Yamasa <<< Student Services >>> Programs Catalog Student Network Newsletter Subscription Our Suggestion Box PDF now available
|
Known at Yamasa as "Student Services" (it is called in
Japanese), this office will be your key support center after your arrival at Yamasa. Located
on the ground floor of the Yamasa II building next to the library, the office opens early and
closes late.
The staff members are all bilingual (there are 2 English speakers, other languages include Korean and Chinese etc), and they handle most of the day-to-day administration. All telephone inquiries to Yamasa are initially answered in this office. This is where fees for tuition and housing may be paid, all documentation such as letters of acceptance, receipts etc are issued, and your main source of advice regarding living in Okazaki.
Additional advice is available from the International Office staff and of course the teaching faculty.
Light Graphics Version of this section
The housing office coordinates all of Yamasa's student housing resources as well as the homestay and homevisit programs.
It handles all futon rentals and all inquiries concerning accommodation.
Students who wish to rent apartments in other parts of the city or accommodation not owned by Yamasa
can still seek advice from the office regarding contracts and Yamasa will be able to act as the guarantor for the
lease if required.
The Housing Coordinator is Ms Kyoko Kurokawa.
Yamasa is unusual in having 3 full time housing staff - but these are essential for quality management of the apartments and student village facilities, and for smooth scheduling.
One of the most difficult challenges involved in providing a large number of programs and start dates is the accommodation scheduling.
Students often need to extend their stay (sometimes at very short notice), change their preferences,
encounter financial difficulties etc. These are part and parcel of student life. Responding to these needs isn't easy, but it is essential
that it be professionally handled so that your housing needs are met and you can concentrate of successful study.
The key advantages made possible by our full time staff...
Light Graphics Version of this section
The Student Services office will help with advice regarding money transfer, credit cards, bill payments and all other
related matters. The banking system in Japan is not very competitive and offers poor services compared to most other
countries. Many students have some difficulties adapting to what is basically a cash-only society and to Japanese language
only services.
Students studying at Yamasa on a long term basis with student visas usually open a bank account during their first couple
of days with assistance from the office staff. It is then relatively easy to have bills such as gas, electricity and water
paid by deductions from your bank account.
Short term program students CAN open bank accounts, so it is possible for money to be transferred to you.
But if you are a short term student then please note that it is best to bring traveler checks so that you have some safe
but accessible funds available when you arrive. Credit cards are of limited utility in Japan and
it can be very difficult to get cash using credit cards. Most ATM machines only accept cards issued by Japanese banks.
Traveller's checks usually offer the best Yen exchange rate. They offer a better rate than cash and are much safer.
Credit cards are usually accepted by the larger stores for payment purposes, however please note that many stores
and restaurants will not accept payment except by cash. For withdrawing money from ATM's or at banks, please note that
Visa card is more widely accepted than Mastercard or American Express.
Light Graphics Version of this section
Tuition and accommodation fee payments are processed via the Student Services Office. Prior to your arrival at Yamasa,
payments are coordinated by the Admissions Office, however all processing still takes place in Student Services.
After you arrive at Yamasa, please go to this office if you need to pay for extensions. Receipts are issued for all payments and
if you need a translation of the receipt for tax or work purposes then this can be supplied free.
Payment can be made by credit card (Visa / Mastercard), yen-denominated checks, cash or bank transfer.
Light Graphics Version of this section
The office provides advice and assistance with all visa and legal matters. If you are studying on a student visa,
there are various rules and laws that you need to be aware of and conditions such as attendance rates, rates of progress etc that
need to be met before visa extensions can be issued.
As a foreign citizen wishing to study in Japan your visa status is all important. The office will ensure that you complete
the process of "Alien Registration" with the city government,
receive instant advice regarding re-entry permits and part-time work
permits, and assist you with the paperwork required.
Please note that this office provides all advice on visas after your arrival in Japan.
If you have not yet enrolled in Yamasa, then advice regarding the student visa and other visa categories
is best obtained from Admissions.
You can also consult with the office concerning yor plans after graduation. If you are interested in working in Japan
or further studies, then Student Services can provide all of the information you need regarding change of visas status
and procedures.
Light Graphics Version of this section
"What happens if I get sick?"
Almost every student considering extended overseas study asks
this question. An equally important question is to ask for precisely
what assistance you will receive from the Institute you are
considering enrolling in.
Reprinted with permission from JLEIC Japan Study Guide.
Japan is a safe country and the standard of medical care is one of
the world's highest. However we do advise that you need to consider
and in some cases make preparations so that your life will be easier
during your stay if illness occurs.
Inside the main campus building, Yamasa has constructed a purpose
built infirmary for student use. Also, please note that Yamasa's
campus is located next to Minami (South) Hospital - in fact the doors
of the hospital and those of the main Yamasa II building are less
than 200 meters apart.
All students with student visas are eligible for
Japanese National Health Insurance (JNHI). At all times
during your stay, Yamasa faculty and administrative staff
will be available to assist you with any medical problems or
questions you have, and wherever required - in your own
language. Communication is usually the most frustrating part
of health care when studying abroad, it is something you
won't need to worry about as a Yamasa student.
Virtually all of Yamasa's faculty and administrative
staff have first hand experience of living and studying in a
foreign country. For the safety and welfare of our students,
Yamasa strongly recommends that all students coming to Japan
with a student visa join the Japan National Health Insurance
(JNHI) program on arrival. We will provide full assistance.
For Yamasa students, the program is administered by the
Okazaki City government and will be funded partly by your
premiums, with significant subsidies from both the national
and prefectural governments. It provides full cover for
medical services include dental services.
The premium usually varies depending on factors such as the
applicant's annual income, the number of dependents, etc., with the
minimum being approximately 38,000 yen per year. An AIJP student may
apply for a reduction of the premium at the time of application, by
declaring at the Okazaki City Hall that they have not received any
income during the previous year (as the JNHI measures income in terms
of 'income earnt in Japan' - this isn't a problem).
The maximum rate
of reduction is 60%. The JNHI policy covers between 70% and 80% of
the cost of general medical and dental care and hospitalization. You
will receive receipts for the part payments you need to make if you
require medical attention. If your expenses for one year exceed a
certain level (usually 60000 yen per year) then the excess is
refunded. Yamasa staff will assist you in obtaining the insurance and
any required refunds.
JNHI will provide students visa holders with more extensive cover
at lower costs and with less bureaucracy than any overseas
health insurance provider can match. However since students
coming to Yamasa for short courses are not eligible for the
JNHI program, we strongly encourage short term students to
ensure that you are covered by travel insurance or an
international health care insurance policy that is
acceptable in Japan for the full period of your stay.
Please
note that Japanese hospitals, clinics and other health
facilities will generally not accept foreign insurance
policies in lieu of payment, so all fees for treatment and
hospitalization must be paid in full before discharge.
Students covered by foreign policies will be required to pay
for all services immediately, and to wait for reimbursement
later from their particular insurance scheme. This is
something of a hassle - also note that as the receipts
provided by Japanese health care providers will invariably
be in Japanese, you would normally have trouble gaining
reimbursements from the foreign policy provider. However
Yamasa's multilingual staff members are experienced at
providing certified translations and will assist you in
obtain the documentation you need for reimbursement.
Light Graphics Version of this section
Not all of Yamasa's students are familiar with computers. Even those who are may initially encounters some
difficulties using Japanese operating systems due to the language barrier (all icons and commands in Japanese for instance), or
not be sure how to connect to the LAN.
If you do experience difficulties using the computers or LAN, student services staff will be able to provide assistance.
If the assistance needs to be more technical, the staff will contact the Frontia office for you.
Systems engineers or other Frontia staff will then be available to assist you.
Light Graphics Version of this section
As mentioned earlier in the fee payments file,
a translation of the receipts issued for all payments for tax or work purposes can be supplied free.
Translations of essential documents such as receipts for overseas health insurance funds,
academic transcripts for employers or universities etc, can also be supplied free.
If you would like personal documents such as resumes, introductions, essays etc translated then a small fee may be required.
The cost of the translation will usually depend of size of the file or word length, the languages involved and time.
However in most cases the cost would be substantially less than a translation company would provide.
Light Graphics Version of this section
All new students arriving at Yamasa can be met at Nagoya airport. This is a free service provided by staff members of Student Services
and the International Office.
We also provide free train station pickups for new students or for anybody who would like to visit the Institute just to take a look.
For more information regarding airport transfers or train station pickups, please click here.
Light Graphics Version of this section
If you would like to have your studies at Yamasa credited towards your degree you will need to go through a process of
transferring your results at Yamasa into credit points at your university or college. No two countries, and no two
universities have the same system - and your success in obtaining transfer credit is going to depend heavily on preparation.
The Japanese programs you take at Yamasa, and your performance in that program will then be evaluated and judged via
"transfer credit" procedures and standards. The people most likely to be involved in the decision as to whether to award
credit or not include....
At your university and college:
The grades given by Yamasa faculty will usually have
a direct contribution to the outcome. If Yamasa faculty rate your performance poorly - it is of course unlikely that you
would obtain credit.
The procedure of obtaining transfer credit usually involves your university or college examining documentation provided by
Yamasa's international office and the teaching faculty. In some cases formal institutional agreements are also required.
In addition, you will probably need to be interviewed before and after your studies.
Contents:
Light Graphics Version of this section
This letter is issued after Admissions has (a) processed your application form, (b) received your
photographs, and (c) confirmed your tuition payment. It is this letter that you need to present
to a Japanese Embassy or consulate to obtain a visa, OR if you do not need to apply for a
visa then it is this document that you show to Immigration officials if you are asked for the purpose of your visit to Japan.
Click here to view a sample. (New window - Light graphics version)
This document is only for applicants who require a student visa. The documents can only be issued
in strict accordance to Immigration Bureau regulations. It is
only issued twice a year (early March and early September), and cannot be issued until after you
transferred a least 1 quarter of tuition (Acceleration/ AIJP/ AJSP).
After you receive this
certificate you need to go to a Japanese Embassy or consulate with the certificate and your
passport to obtain your visa stamp. After this you are able to enter Japan.
Click here to view a sample. (New window - Light graphics version)
NOTES: A Certificate of Eligibility can not and will not be issued to an applicant to an extension program.
Nor can a student visa holder enroll in or transfer to an extension program. For long term studies, enrollment in
academic programs (Acceleration/ AIJP/ AJSP) is a pre-requisite. See Admissions for further details.
When you complete your program at Yamasa you will receive your graduation certificate. The certificate will clearly state program hours and duration.
Transcripts and statements of proficiency can also be requested. In some cases a small fee may be required as transcripts
usually need to be sent directly to third parties.
The certificate will also have your photograph on it so if you are worried - please supply a good
quality passport photo! OR if you aren't happy with the photo your supplied at the time of your enrollment, then give
Student Services a new one before you graduate. Click here to view a sample. (New window - Light graphics version)
Light Graphics Version of this section
Studying Japanese is not an end in itself and as a center specializing in Japanese language acquisition we recognize
that placement is a key part of the services Yamasa needs to offer.
The educational background of Yamasa's students
is substantially different to that of the other APJLE institutes, university based "Bekka" and the Japan centers of foreign
universities in having a substantial graduate base. It is for this reason that we place more emphasis on job placement and
individualized service.
Job Placement Service:
An increasing number of students, particularly professionals who enroll in Yamasa with the longer term goal of working in
Japan are making use of the Job Placement service. This is not for part-time work but for students with shugakusei visas
seeking full-time positions employment or full time internships in Japan after they complete their studies.
To be eligible for this free service students are usually required to...
Yamasa maintains close links with local industry and has helped find quality jobs
for students in fields such as manufacturing, information technology, financial services and international trade.
University Placement Service:
If you study at Yamasa for two Academic quarters or more with a Student visa and intend to continue studying in Japan after
you complete your studies then the placement services available from Yamasa will make it easier.
The bilingual
"Access" online database was developed by Yamasa and includes all of the information required by foreign students for
every university in Japan. This database can be accessed even before you enroll in Yamasa to help with long term preparations.
After your Japanese level improves and you are ready to enroll, Yamasa faculty and student services staff will be able to
assist you with selection, obtaining interviews, scholarship information, exam preparation etc. In addition, many of the
universities in central Japan accept Yamasa graduates on our recommendation ("suisen daigaku"), which allows students to
by-pass examinations.
Statistics:
And for the statistically inclined...where do Yamasa's graduates go???
Percentages:
Currently working in Japan: 15.9%
Now enrolled in Japanese universities/colleges and graduate schools: 46.9%
Departed Japan for home country or third country destination: 37.2%
(Note: The information above is for student visa holders who graduated in March 2000.)
Created and maintained by Declan Murphy and the students and staff
of the Yamasa Institute Multimedia Studio
Other key members include the maintenance
coordinator Mr. Yoshitaka Tsuzuki, and the resident manager of the Student Village Mrs Kikuyo Furukawa.
1) the Japanese language faculty, (2) Studyabroad Office personnel and (3) the registrar or equivalent.
At the Yamasa Institute:
1) the faculty, 2) the International Office.
(a) Obtaining Pre - Approval Credit,
(b) Obtaining Post - Approval Credit,
(c) Credit by Examination
1. Complete at least 2 quarters of Academic Program studies AND
2. Obtain at least JLPT Level 2 proficiency AND
3. Have a degree in their country or a third country AND
4. Have a minimum of 2 years work experience.
(Principal areas include finance, engineering and information technology)
(As has been the case in each of the past 4 years, 100% of the students who sought university and college places were
successful.)
(The majority of these to commence or resume careers - remainder to continue academic studies).
©1997-2000 Yamasa