Shane English School
Native nameシェーン英会話
Romanized nameShēn Eikaiwa
IndustryEnglish schools
Founded1977 (age 49) in Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Hq location cityTokyo
Hq location countryJapan
Area servedJapan
ServicesEnglish conversation instruction
OwnerZE Holdings Company[1]
Num employees (2016[1])1,106
Websitewww.shane.co.jp

Shane English School (シェーン英会話, Shēn Eikaiwa) is a chain of English conversation schools in Japan and other countries.[2] It was founded by Shane Lipscombe[3] in Chiba Prefecture in 1977.[4] Formerly part of the Saxoncourt Group, it is now owned by the cram school operator Eikoh. As of March 2017, it has 206 branches located all over Japan, and is also present in Taiwan, mainland China, and Vietnam.[5] As of November 2013, it had about 20,000 students throughout Japan.[1][6]

History

In 2001, after an education ministry panel recommended English education at elementary schools, the company offered courses for Japanese elementary school teachers to prepare them for teaching English to their students.[7]

In 2010, the company was purchased by the cram school operator Eikoh because they wanted to move into the teaching of 5th- and 6th-grade students due to the new compulsory English teaching at that age level.[8] At that time, it operated 199 schools in the Kantō region — of which 46 were franchised—and had four subsidiaries: Shane Corporation Japan, Shane Corporation Kita Kanto, Shane Corporation Higashi Kanto, and Shane Corporation Minami Kanto.[8]

Controversies

In March 2017, two teachers filed a suit against the company, claiming wrongful dismissal.[9]

References

  1. ^ "会社概要" [Company Overview] (in Japanese). Shane English School. Archived March 20, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  2. ^ "English Schools & Franchising". Saxoncourt Group. 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Message from founder. Saxoncourt. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved on March 21, 2017
  4. ^ "Shēn Eikaiwa to wa" シェーン英会話とは (About Shane English School) (in Japanese). Shane English School. Retrieved on November 15, 2013
  5. ^ "Chiaku Sukūru wo Sagasu" 近くスクールを探す (Find a school near you) (in Japanese). Shane English School. Retrieved on March 21, 2017
  6. ^ Budmar, Patrick (November 3, 2013). "Six years following bankruptcy, Nova boosts the brand". The Japan Times. Archived July 13, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  7. ^ Hani, Yoko (May 30, 2001). "Elementary school teachers to run English gantlet". The Japan Times. Archived June 11, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Martin, Alex (November 20, 2010). "Cram school buys out Shane English School". The Japan Times. Archived March 13, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Kikuchi, Daisuke (March 9, 2017). "Teachers claim dismissals were invalid in suit against Shane English School". The Japan Times. Archived March 21, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 21, 2017.