Returnees - The experiences of families who have taken children abroad and returned to Japan

Time: Sunday, January 25, 2-4pm
Free for JALT members and first-time guests.

NEW LOCATION: ABC House, 2F, Athene Bldg., North 2 West 27, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Tel: 611-3309 (Google Maps)

It's next to the Pizza Hut, just a five-minute walk from the south exit of Nishi 28-chome subway station.

Note: there's no parking on the premises, but there's a Tsutaya shop just one block north.


You have just found out that you will be going to a foreign country for your job. You want your family to go with you to share in the experience but are wondering if it is the right thing to do. Will your children be able to attend school? Will they be able to adjust to the new language? What can you and your family do to prepare? And after returning what should you do to maintain your children's new language skills? These and other questions will be addressed in this panel discussion.

In the first hour, a panel of people who have lived abroad with their children will share their experiences. The audience will then be invited to ask questions and also share their own experiences either directly or indirectly. Each member of the panel has filled out a questionnaire which will be used as a starting point for the discussion.

In the second hour, the presenters will share resources, materials and ideas that may be useful for teaching children who have lived abroad. The audience will also be invited to share their ideas, opinions and experiences.

The goal of this seminar is to provide useful and relevant information for people who might be going abroad with their families and to give teachers confidence in advising and teaching students who might be in this situation.