Interview

Shane Lipscombe

Page 1 | Page 2

In any business, there will be disputes, disgruntled employees and other such problems. Does the fact that some former Shane teachers have used the Internet to attack the school bother you?
Not particularly. I have an excellent team running the schools in Japan and I have every confidence in them. We all share the same ethic. We are not in business to cheat students, employees or anybody else. I sincerely think the best policy for long-term success is one built on honesty and a mutual respect for others. I think, as a company, we have a good record in retaining teachers and the number of teachers who return to us after breaks back home testifies to this. Happy teachers mean happy students, which means a steady business so it is certainly not in our interests to make our staff unhappy.

One of the well-known reasons for the success of Shane English School is that teachers report to Directors of Studies who are, like themselves, native English speakers and who understand the way of thinking and mentality of fellow expatriates. We, therefore, have few problems with a gap between expectations of Japanese employers and western teachers.

Do you think the double-decker bus image used in a recent Nova TV commercial was a subtle dig at your school?
I'm sorry, but to be honest, I haven't seen that ad.

Why do think that the English ability of Japanese people as a whole has not really improved that much despite the huge amount of money spent at eikaiwa schools?
Yes, it's a fair comment, isn't it. I am in a good position to be able to compare Japanese students to our students in Taiwan, Mainland China, Poland and Vietnam. Again, I could go on for hours on this topic. One reason is the lack of real dedication. Unfortunately, most students will only study English once or twice a week in Japan for an hour or so a time, whereas in other countries, our students are more dedicated and spend more time studying. Another reason is the emphasis on doing well at school and passing entrance examinations remains strong. This is not conducive to improving the general English language ability of Japanese. When I first came here 26 years ago, there was wide discussion on this problem and it was generally acknowledged that it needed to be solved. 26 years later and far too little has been done to actually solve the problem.

A lot of money has been spent at English schools. Until recently, far too many Japanese people have equated high fees with quality teaching. That is not necessarily the case in Japan. Ironically, it has often been the opposite. With the continuing recession, things are beginning to change and students are beginning to be more like their fellow Asians in increasingly demanding more value for money. I just hope they realise there is no magic wand that any teacher has to give them instant English fluency. At the end of the day, studying English takes time, effort and real dedication.

Do you agree that there has been a visible shift in interest among Japanese away from a narrow focus on America and towards other cultures and languages? Did you see this as a factor when you set up your school?
Oh, absolutely. When I first came to Japan, most schools were 'beikaiwa' (American English) and my friends warned me that I should pretend to be American if I wanted to get a job teaching. Over 26 years, I feel I have been chipping away at this mentality and I am pleased to see that the Japanese market has been very receptive to the quality and expertise of British education generally and the strengths in the industry of UK teacher training and publishing. I like to think Shane English School has played no small part in this shift. There is now a plethora of British English schools throughout Japan and this pleases me enormously.

Has the way English is taught at Shane English School changed over the years? How would you describe the methods used today?
Yes, it has always changed. It's still changing and, no doubt, will always change. We are constantly trying to improve our teaching styles and take advantage of new ideas and technology to stimulate the students and the teachers. Looking for that magic wand?

Shane English School was presented with a Coat of Arms in 1998 by the 'Heraldic Household of the Queen' for recognition of services to English teaching. That must have been a huge honour.
Yes, it was. This was the first time that an English school has been awarded a Coat of Arms.

Tell us about the Shane Global Village project.
Two years ago, the Shane English Schools in the UK, New Zealand and South Africa merged with the Global Village schools in Canada and the USA. We have since established two Shane Global Village schools in Australia: Sydney and Brisbane, and will be opening a new school in England next month - on the south coast in Hastings. With immersion schools in six English speaking countries, we are now one of the major players in this market and have aggressive plans for yet more schools over the next three years.

We are now able to offer our staff more varied career opportunities, too. We already have a number of teachers who have, for example, worked a year in Poland then gone off to Taiwan for two years and then arrived in Japan (by which time they could well be Assistant Director of Studies or Director of Studies) and, similarly, we are now encouraging Shane Global Village staff to move between countries. We now have Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans and Canadians working in our schools in the UK, British people working in New Zealand, South Africa and so on.

We could also offer teachers careers in other parts of the English language business, whether it be in publishing, book selling, teacher training or recruitment. It makes me proud that we can offer such opportunities and continues the tradition of having fun and exciting schools for students and staff alike, which that first school back in Funabashi in 1977 was based on.

What does the future hold for you and your school?
Lots of hard work, lots of fun, lots of satisfaction and being able to think that I've done my best.

Page 1 | Page 2

<<Back Number | Top | Recent Issue>>