Living in Japan. Which membership makes sense?

WaniKani
#1

Hi all,

I’ve been studying Japanese for a year and a half or so. Took two intensive (five days a week) courses at a local college last year which really got me on the right track.

Lucky to have the opportunity to live in Japan and teach English for the foreseeable future (I’m here now).

I’m just about at the end of level 3 and enjoying WK immensely. Of course, like many people at this point I’m trying to decide if it makes sense to get lifetime or just yearly? I want to get to level 60 at some point for sure, and being here immersed in it will most likely help get me there within a sensible timeframe. I know this stuff gets really hard really fast but I also have the luxury of time on my hands as my job is only part time (my partner is full-time English teaching).

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks so much!!

~SC

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#2

Lifetime, if you can afford it in one go. There’s no need to rush this and lifetime means you can take as much time as you need. NB there’s normally a sale around New Years so it may be worth paying monthly until then.

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#3

Ah, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

#4

Also, when you upgrade your plan, the cost is prorated based on how much time you have left in the old plan. That means, even if you get annual now and upgrade to lifetime when the sale starts, you’re good to go!

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#5

Lifetime. I also live in Japan, and am currently on my second annual subscription. If I can’t raise some funds soon, I might have to take out a third! That makes no sense at all!

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#6

Okay, cool. But what happens after level 60 if you go yearly? When the subscription ends are you blocked from seeing what you’ve done?

#7

Depends on how motivated you are by money. I bought an annual when I move down to japan 14 months ago and I’m at level 40, probably going to finish everything by the end of my second annual. Very motivated to keep up the pace because I don’t want to buy a third annual subscription. My boyfriend bought annual about four years ago, but we’re on the same level. Personally, annual works better for me because it motivates me to get things done ASAP. My boyfriend wants to take is slow and steady, so annual made sense for him. Depends on which style you prefer!

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#8

That’s why, for me, lifetime would be much better.

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#9

That’s Sam Vimes’ Boots Theory of socio-economic unfairness:

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#10

And it’s totally true! Cheers @Belthazar! :+1:

#11

TBH, when I lived in Japan, I had ZERO motivation to use WK. Like, 828 days on level 2, lack of motivation. I was much more interested in going for the JLPT, studying out of Shin Kanzen Master and Sou Matome. I felt like WK’s speed was a little slow for what I was picking up and needing in daily life. Having returned back to my home country, I find it a nice way to stave off the inevitable attrition of my Japanese language skills.

You may feel otherwise, of course. So…you do you. :+1:

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#12

Just curious how is teaching going; hopefully it’s fun, and also which program are you doing?

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#13

Teaching is fun for me so far. It’s just part time at a small English school. Mainly kids (3-13) and a couple of adult courses. Each day is a new experience for both teacher and student. :slight_smile: Thanks for asking.

I think I’ll do monthly for now and see how it goes. I like the idea of having to get it done within a certain timeframe so I guess at least until the sale comes. :slight_smile:

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#14

@SpindleCity Im glad you said its fun so far, but I’m surprised you landed a part time gig–how is that possible, considering covering living costs

#15

I’m the lucky spouse of a full-time English teacher.

#16

@SpindleCity I see, thing is I may be going to Japan to teach English for the first time, and I feel very conflicted and confused. Hearing good things from people like you keeps me positive!

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#17

Having Lifetime has saved me quite some money, and december’s just around the corner.

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#18

The one you can pay for, lifetime is the best one to go for, but if you’re poor, monthly just has to do!

#19

Always nice to see this one out there from time to time…

#20

I see you’re still a free member at this point, so I’ll add in my two cents:

I am a major advocate for lifetime membership. It takes the time pressure off, I would have needed at least three years to finish, and WK is always adding new content, so even when you get to 60 there are occasional small updates to look forward to.

However, given your current level of Japanese, maybe yearly is worth it for you. You’ve probably got a lot of resources already, and I’m not sure how much WK’s little updates would be worth it for you. I’m also assuming you have at least a few hundred kanji down, which would make the first 10-20 levels of the program a relative breeze to get through. But if my assumptions are off, then go for lifetime! Do it do it doitoditodittioditoditodit

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