Reviews

Paul Sensei offers Japanese lessons to suit your needs. From helping you prepare for JLTP’s to getting fluent in Japanese; his lessons are fun and use a variety of resources. He also offers memory training and incentives to keep students motivated. He is highly recommended. Holder of JLPT N5 Certificate. Passed first time in 2021.

Tiaan Jordan October 2022

I’ve been doing Japanese with Paul for a little over a year, he’s an amazing teacher. He’s been patient enough with me and gone through everything at slow paces. All the lessons have been fun and his wisdom of stuff has been helpful. Overall he’s a great teacher, do Japanese with him.

Kelsey Lang July 2022

Been learning Japanese with Paul sensei for about one to two years now , the lessons are fun, and the time trial lessons have really helped me set how much my Japanese have improved.

Nalien Wessels April 2022

I’ve been going to Japanese lessons with Paul for about 4 months now, and I actually make real, significant progress every week. There is still no app or website that can beat a real life teacher and Paul Sensei is the best if you want to learn Japanese! Highly recommended!

Iwan Pieterse April 2022

What an enriching experience!! I have been taking Japanese lessons with Paul for 10 months now and haven’t had a single day of regret about it.

We started from scratch, and here I am today on my way to Japan for studies and rugby and I feel confident to interact with the locals as a foreigner, thanks to Paul and the motivation he provides , not because he “must” but because he wants to. (Due to covid complication with border his departure was delayed, entered Japan on 19th March 2022 .)

Paul has amazing people’s skills and has always made sure I enjoy taking the classes and I really do. He has taught me so much more than just Japanese – without wasting any time.

The fact that he helped me by starting of just by understanding the historical part of the language, made it much easier to understand the “what’s” and the “why’s” – especially later on.

Paul’s materials include many enhancing things, such as the vocabulary, reading time, reading exercises, and learing the basics that is critical part he focuses on and many more.

I would recommend his classes to any person of any age who is eager to learn and find love for the language.

Thank you Paul, I wouldn’t be able to take this big step in my career if it wasn’t for you.

Sebastine Watney. Age 19 (November 2021)

Paul is a fantastic and amazingly understanding teacher. He was my main and most insightful source of Japanese language studies for the 2 years I studied with him and in that time I went from an amateur with a feint understanding of Hiragana to living in Japan, independently with a full time job. Paul helped me in the following ways:

· He helped me study for the JLPT N5 test and pass first time with less than a year of study and adjusted lesson plans to accommodate certain parts I did not feel confident with.

· He wrote recommendation letters for various programs I applied for such as the JET.

· He answered every single silly question I had about certain words and translations in Anime and Manga.

· He suffered through every bad pun I made once I learned a new word.

· He was very understanding about rescheduling and lesson times as I was doing all of this all while I was in the midst of a very labour intensive university life.

· He also taught me the necessary and best tools to use to help translate and understand different things independently by myself.

Without Paul’s help I would not be living the life I currently am, nor would I have been able to navigate some of the serious problems I have encountered in Japan such as rectifying a major bank account issue and getting lost in a small town at midnight. He is a fantastic teacher and receives my highest recommendation.”

Jason, Age 23

I started studying with Paul in March 2019.

Our journey has not been long, but I feel that I learned a lot from him in this short period of time. I especially like his teaching methods, it doesn’t matter what your goal is for studying Japanese he as a method to get you there and fast. His methods make studying Japanese very fun and easy to remember. Having tried self-studying for a while, I know it is a really difficult process and doesn’t seem rewarding at times, but since my classes with Paul I really look forward to our lessons and the progress that I’ve made. His lessons always keep me on my feet and that’s what makes it so exciting.

I would highly recommend Paul’s Japanese tutoring to anyone that is interested in learning Japanese for whatever reason, because it is a very fun journey with him and worth the time.

Michael Coetzee (April 25th 2019)

I have been studying Japanese for 2 years and recently passed my JLPT N5 exam. I can honestly say I could not have gotten this far without Paul. He has been an excellent teacher and totally indispensable to my Japanese studies! Looking forward to taking my Japanese all the way to N1 with his help! Thank you Paul!

Ciara (10th April 2019)

Pooru Haitto is a rock solid full time Japanese language teacher who has a wealth of knowledge and understanding.
Paul has a unique teaching style, combined with his enthusiasm and patience he’s able to make each and every lesson memorable.

If you want to learn to read, write and speak Japanese in a relaxed & fun environment, I highly recommend Pooru Haitto who knows what it takes to advance your Japanese from zero to hero!!

The force is strong with this one!!
Jacques Steenberg (27 Aug 2018)

Paul is a calm and encouraging tutor for Japanese.

I started learning with Paul back in 2015. We started with a 3-person group session, which shrunk to 2 people fairly soon. Every lesson Paul is prepared to take you beyond what you think you can do.

I specifically enjoy how open Paul is to your interests as a learner. I always felt comfortable saying what I think I need, the way I like learning… and he shows incredible flexibility finding ways of matching his curriculum to those needs.

I would highly recommend Paul’s Japanese tutoring for anybody curious about learning the language; and especially anybody who is preparing to take the JLPT in South Africa. Paul is committed to getting his learners through that gauntlet and it feels like he is with you every step of the way.

Tristan Jacobs, 30 (20 Aug 2018)

“Having tried self studying for the JLPT and realizing it is not easy when working, I came across Paul who has helped me greatly with my Japanese.

His knowledge of the levels of JLPT I am working towards, N5 through N3, is excellent and has helped me reach a point where I can hold a small conversation with my Japanese colleagues. All round very professional.”

Morgan D’Arcy (2 Jul 2018)

I would highly recommend Paul to any person who is interested in Japanese studies. He is passionately involved and shares his drive and enthusiasm for Japanese studies. The lessons are well prepared, easy to learn and enables every student to commit to them.

Stephen Hayward, Age 31 (2 May 2018)

I started lessons this year, and its going well I find the work challenging, but I also find the more responsibility I take for my own progress the faster I learn. Having said that, Paul is a great teacher – he answers all my questions in detail, the work is useful and fun. Highly recommended to anyone that loves to learn!

Adam, age 24 (12 Apr 2018)

I am really enjoying the classes. I definitely feel smarter after every lesson. You are a really cool guy J. Thank you for explaining this incredible difficult language, I wouldn’t be able to do it without you J

Freddie (12 Apr 2018)

“Lessons with Pooru Sensei have been great.I take them with my wife over the weekends and we look forward to the lessons every week.Paul has a great way of pacing the content in a way that feels challenging but not overwhelming. Me and my wife learn at different paces but he still manages to keep us both engaged while showing endless patience.I just started additional weekly Manga lessons with Paul over Skype, and he is always ready and well prepared, I was really surprised how well the Skype lessons work!I would recommend Paul as a teacher to anyone, he has a manageable pace and affordable prices.”

Xander, age 27 (14 Mar 2018)