[Parenting] The English Conversation Learning Method I Used to Reach a TOEIC Score of 615

I originally liked English for university entrance exams.

The reason was simple: I liked my English teacher at the cram school. Haha.

However, as many people experience, no matter how high you score on university entrance exams, you cannot speak English.


Even before my child was born, I tried to create opportunities to connect with English.

Japanese-English exchange meetings at a Japanese language school, or helping out an elderly woman who had been running a guesthouse by herself for many years.

I would prepare dinner for the guests and eat with them, and sometimes we would go out for drinks.

However, many foreigners who come to Japan already speak some Japanese.

So, surprisingly, there were few opportunities to use English, and my English conversation skills did not improve significantly.



After my child was born, I showed them English videos and read them picture books.

But that was English education for my child, and a different story from my own English conversation skills.



The turning point was enrolling my child in an English-environment kindergarten.

That was where I made a Filipino mom friend.

I wanted to talk more.

I wanted to become closer friends.

That was my biggest motivation.



What I specifically did is very simple.

First, YouTube.

I watched a channel called "Friends English Conversation Cafe" every day while cooking.

I also watched videos of English phrases and pronunciation on Instagram, just inputting as much as I could.


And for output, I used HelloTalk.

I talked with many people.

Native expressions.

Situations where those phrases are used.

Natural ways to respond.

I learned things that aren't in textbooks through actual conversations.



This combination worked quite well for me.

Input through YouTube and social media.

Practice with HelloTalk.

And feedback.

It was a cycle of that.



In about three months, I no longer had trouble talking with my mom friend.

In about half a year, I had almost no trouble even when traveling abroad.

By the time a year had passed, I was able to convey my opinions and discuss history and values with native speakers.



After that, even after I started working full-time, I wanted to keep my connection to English.

So, I started working as an online Japanese tutor as a side job.

After putting my 3-year-old and 5-year-old children to bed, I taught Japanese about four times a week to students in countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Poland, and Thailand.

Although it was a Japanese class, the explanations were, of course, in English.

I could continue using English while maintaining a connection to the world.

It was a very good environment for me.

I believe the foundation for starting my studies for IELTS and academic English in preparation for studying abroad was built during this period.



By the way, the first time I took the

TOEIC, I scored 615 points.

I did not do any test preparation at all.

The reason was simply that I didn't have the time.


From here, I planned a parent-child study abroad trip and aimed to enter a university in Canada.

I have written about that process in detail in another article.