"There are many things that wish to doubt the eyes," a Japanese entrepreneur who started in Guatemala talks

Spanish is an online Spanish conversation service launched by travelers around the world in Guatemala, Central America. I have been disturbing the daily lives of the men who continue to struggle for a year from launch, in the land of foreign countries.

Hello,World newspaperA special reporterKeihito Kiyais. I surround the world, now,GuatemalaofQuetzaltenango (commonly called Sherra)I am in a town called. I will enter Honduras in the future and plan to go down to Central America to Panama as it is.

Shella is around here

On a larger mapRoute of travelShow

Shera's central square. Sherra is Guatemala's second largest city.


Sierra's streets where street parking is prominent


The market is full of vibrancy


"Kiyotani-kun, there would have been a young man who launched an online Spanish conversation service at Shella.When I coverage (January 2012) before service starts upWas it. I wonder if they are doing fine ... "As my desk is far away, I went to see them.

It is said that there is an office as their base in the corner of the 3rd floor of this building


I founded SpanishmoYoshihira Yoshikawa(Photo left) andTakuro Arimura(Photo right). After graduating from college, Mr. Arimura was a recruit corporate sales company, and Mr. Yoshikawa served as a foreign affiliated manufacturer named Mars Japan. Two people began to walk on different paths in this way, but in January 2011, the two who left the company departed to travel around the world. After traveling South and Central America for about 9 months, I wanted to start an online Spanish conversation service in Guatemala, "I want to find not only sightseeing but also the seeds of the business if I go around the world anyway."


Office at the time of moving in. Of course there is nothing


Avoidance device and storage battery for power outage procured locally. It seems that there are many blackouts in Guatemala.


I found a colored paper written as "dream". This is a message from a street poet.


Teachers are making desks for use in classes


Covering the egg pack with cloth is a sound leakage prevention item. I purchased the cloth at 1200 yen at the clothing store, and the egg pack was handed over at the supermarket.


Completion


World newspaper (hereinafter abbreviated as the world):
What kind of service is Spanissimo?

Spanissimo (hereinafter abbreviated as "Su"):
Spanishmo is an online Spanish conversation service that you can take lessons from Spanish instructors in Guatemala on a one to one basis using Skype. It is open from 21 o'clock in Japan time to 12:30 pm the next day and you can receive 50 lessons of 50 lessons from 500 yen.

world:
Why was Guatemala?

Su
I am departing from my personal feeling "There is no way to repay Spanish teachers who have taken care of themselves." Early in the round of the world, we went to Spanish school in Guatemala, but as we became able to speak Spanish, we saw teachers' poor working environments.

world:
How is that?

Su
The language school industry is flourishing as it is said to be "in Guatemala if you learn Spanish," but in this country the language school industry is flourishing, but there are quite a few parts that depend on sightseeing. In short, most of the people who go to school here are travelers. In the tourist season, the demand will rise, but in reverse there was a situation inevitably made a side job or become unemployed when it is in a quiet period.

world:
Is it online?

Su
That's right. With online, teachers can teach with students around the world while staying in Guatemala and students can feel free to learn Spanish at home. By creating a new model independent of the season, we can improve the constitution of the Spanish language school industry, increase the pillars of teachers' income, and create more employment. All we want to learn Spanish is to learn at a reasonable price, which is an intellectual fair trade that will help livelihood of instructors in Guatemala.

world:
It is over a year since the service started, but what is the current size feeling?

Su
Thanks to you, hundreds of paid members are currently receiving classes through Spanishmo. The number of students is not explosively increasing, but sales are growing monthly. Until now, the service usage period per student was about 2 months, but now it has been nearly 4 months. The teaching methods of teachers are getting better and I am familiar with online. I am wondering if you evaluated it.

world:
Has the number of teachers increased?

Su
At the beginning, I started employing and trained one person starting from several people, and now more than 40 teachers work at Spanishmo. However, the manpower on the administrative side is not enough at all ... ... So if you saw this article and someone saying "You guys are funny, you helped!" Please do not hesitate to contact Arimura and Yoshikawa (lol )

Teachers who are online at school


It is a serious look


Next to the desk is a print with the time difference between Japan and Guatemala written.


Training landscape with teachers


Meeting with the head teacher of the language school of the partner


The teachers have a nice face!


Some students who actually visit the teacher who met through Spanishmo's class. I have come to Guatemala!


world:
I heard that it will finally advance to the US.

Su
Finally, on the 21st of this month we can release the English version of Spanishmo for America. From now on, I will think about the drivers with the two pillars of Japan and the United States. Of course, there are still many things that can be done in Japan, so I will continue to work on it while I am doing it. There are already a lot of online business in Spain in the USA, so it is a game of gachinko.

world:
Why to America?

Su
From the beginning of entrepreneurship I have been doing business overseas. The first reason I first started in Japan was to improve the quality of service. The market size of the United States is about 200 times that of Japan, and speaking Spanish is becoming a situation where it becomes positive in career. Despite the growing desire to learn Spanish among students, some students are studying Spanish for the first time as a compulsory subject at university, so it is hard to study hard. Although one is aiming at the mass market, I think that if you can build a system that can follow such students, I think that it will make a considerable advantage.

world:
How about winning?

Su
Of course, there is. We recognize that Spanissimo is excellent from the viewpoint of usability. For example, we are introducing a student chart so that we can always start teaching from the latest state no matter when you teach with any teacher. I believe that the environment that students can continue to learn is done. In the online language learning industry, functional differentiation can hardly be differentiated. That is why I think that it is important to know how I tried using it and how good it is.

world:
How will Spanissimo change in the US?

Su
By entering the United States, teachers can take lessons in times that students have not come before. Of course not only does the profit per teacher increase but also the teachers who are now are more likely to increase the number of students than they can accept, so you can create more employment in Guatemala. I will make such a new flow from now.

Apartment where 2 people live. It is about 10,000 yen per person per one person in a shared room.


Welcome to Arimura and Yoshikawa family!


There is one room per person.


A cluttered kitchen ......


It is proof that we cook properly


Rice cooker is an essential item. Mr. Arimura put it in a suitcase and brought it from Japan.


Also see inside the refrigerator.


Sprinkle brought from Japan is "vitality to tomorrow!"


Pick up from a friend! I am still wanting more (laugh)


Scenery from the rooftop of the apartment


Leave the laundry to the launderette. 170 yen for one bag.


There are lots of fruits in the street market.


I'm so happy that I bought a mango. One piece 12 yen.


world:
Even so, working in a foreign country and also in Guatemala is hard work.

Su
That's right……. "It is impossible to think in Japanese values!" Is a routine event, everything is basically different. Particularly struggling is part about people. For example, people in Guatemala are loose on time and they do not come on time on time.

world:
That is troublesome ...

Su
In service in Japan this was fatal. So, I did training that bridges the differences in consciousness there, and made it possible to manage the attendance time by using the system. When it comes to classes on time, it is decided that a part of salary for one lesson will be paid, and if the lesson is completed, the rest will be paid.

world:
Is there anything else?

Su
If you mention it there is no dirt (laugh). That's right ... Another thing to mention is that people in Guatemala must not be mad at public. They have extremely few experiences to be scolded. And pride is high. It is NG in this country to get angry with public or name. Even if the teachers advances things by selfish interpretation, forgetting, forgetting multitasking, or being unable to do so, he never said NO ... ... .. ..

world:
It is spectacular ...

Relax at your teacher's home


Called to my wife's sister's wedding


I am making lunch at school.


It is delicious when everyone eats it!


At the party. Nobody turns this over (laugh)


I got mixed up and yay!


world:
Were not there any setbacks?

Su
It is not a setback, but there are things that make me feel sad. The business of Spanishmo is basically done with people of Guatemala, not for their own interests. But there are many things that wish to doubt what this is going to be.

world:
Like a betrayal?

Su
It is still sad when I do not go as expected. Sometimes I wonder how far I should believe them, but when we can not believe it, Spanishmo is over. So I decided to swear by two people to believe.

world:
Finally, please tell me your feelings towards Spanishmo.

Su
Create the best online spanish conversation service in the world that contributes to the employment of Guatemala. This feeling to Spanishmo is hot enough to burn herself still. Through the work, the teachers will be able to do what they could not do, to become more professional awareness of work, simply increase their income. That is our pleasure. Some of them are changing their own lives, teachers saying they want to build their own houses, and some teachers who can bear the medical expenses of their fathers. I'm very happy to help you to open up the future with my own power, to see them actually change, and I want to increase that kind of people even more. In order to keep providing stable jobs to the teachers, I want to keep this will in any way. We can not lose. I do not want to open the road, I will step on it, I want to make it a good road.

At the summit of Mt. Fuji. Arimura declares his enthusiasm for Spanishmo.


SPANISIMO JAPAN Specified Nonprofit Organization
Online Spanish conversation service "Spanishmo"
http://spani-simo.com/

Sentence / coverage: Keihito Kiya@ T_kiyotani
http://kiyotani.com

Supervision: World newspaper
http://sekaishinbun.blog89.fc2.com/