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Anyone can imagine the difficulties of a language barrier. It's an awkward situation for some, but not for Beau Mueller and Kenzo Kawabe, two University of Hawaiʻi at M�noa alumni who graduated this past semester.
"We thought this site would be a valuable service," Mueller said. "There is a need for students to find teachers they like."
Mueller, originally from the Big Island, and Kawabe, from Japan, were both Asian Studies majors. They were hanging out at Magoo's one night, having a few drinks and talking about Japanese websites, when the idea to start a partnership crossed their minds.
And faster than the speed of light - the speed of Corona Light, that is - the two founded YourSensei.com, a service-providing website especially for incoming or outgoing Japanese-speaking students or visitors.
The website, which was launched in February, is similar to a dating service or a network of friends. English as a Second Language professors can post their profiles online for free through the website. The profiles include qualifications, teaching style, lesson content and price.
In turn, interested students are able to browse through the profiles for a small fee to find prospective professors, tutors or even friends before leaving Japan. They can then pay YourSensei.com for the contact information of that teacher or tutor.
The site merely serves as a medium through which an introduction can be made. After that, it's their responsibility to schedule meeting places and times.
Private lessons are about $25 per hour, but teachers and tutors can charge as much they choose. Teachers can work around their own schedules and teach with their own materials.
Within the first two months of the website's launching, the company had already proven its worth.
"We have had over 1,700 teachers sign up (about 150 in Hawaiʻi) and are now receiving over 12,000 unique visitors a month," Mueller said.
Currently, there are approximately 3,000 teachers affiliated with the website throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
These statistics are only the beginning of the road for the former students and their website.
"[We] hope to expand to cover 21 more countries, including Hong Kong and Singapore, and to go into the market of setting up tutors for students living in Japan," Mueller said.
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