Translated from 日本語 • View original ISAO's salary is open to all employees.
Salaries are determined among the 11 grades, and grades are promoted or lowered in real time according to each person's ability and achievements, and the salary rises steadily depending on the individual's hard work.
However, even if you can produce abilities and results at work, there is one wall that does not increase your salary...
That is the TOEIC score.
If you do not have a minimum score of 500 points for promotion to a general grade (grade 15) and a score of **730 points for promotion to a higher grade (V0V5),** you will not meet the promotion conditions. (*As of September 2019)
Therefore, there are many employees at ISAO who are about to be promoted but cannot be promoted because they cannot meet the conditions (called TOEIC refugees).
In such a situation, there is a person who raised his TOEIC score from 265 points to 790 points and increased his annual income by 2.3 million yen by being promoted to a second grade.
That is Ranmaru Akakawa, an infrastructure engineer.
What kind of English learning did you incorporate and how did you use this system to achieve so many results?
ISAO's new PR officer, Harada, **will approach the success story of the TOEIC refugee escape! **
Engineer Ranmaru's Success Story
Harada:
Mr. Ranmaru, I would like to ask you about your English skills first.
I heard that your first TOEIC score was 265, but **how did you feel about your English level? **Akagawa:
My previous job was at a foreign company, so I only did support work and read documents in English.
I was exposed to English a little, so I was really shocked when I saw the TOEIC scores. However, I was originally a little reluctant to use "English".
Harada:
I see~. It was a shock to you that your TOEIC score was in the 200 range. By the way, Mr. Ranmaru is an infrastructure engineer, have you ever used English in your work?
Akagawa:
I haven't had much until now. Occasionally, I was exposed to English when I participated in overseas cloud vendor exhibitions or new presentations.
Also, when talking to members who don't speak Japanese.
The Road to Improving TOEIC Score by 500 Points
Harada:
Now, let's get to the main topic. Please tell us specifically about your journey to a TOEIC score of 500 points.
First, how long did it take?
Akagawa:
It took four years.
I joined the company in 2015 with a grade 3, but at that time, a system that reflected TOEIC scores in grades had just been established, so English was not as strict as it is now.
In the first test he took to test his skills, he lost crushingly with 265 points.
At that time, I had the opportunity to stay in Singapore for a month for work, so I was allowed to come forward even though I couldn't speak English.
For a month, I actively used English by giving lectures in English to local engineers and going out to eat alone.
On the test I took after returning to Japan, I improved to a whopping 450 points. This is where I gained a little confidence (if you work hard, you can speak English!). ）。
After that, I only studied English vocabulary on my own, and I didn't put much effort into studying English.
After that, I continued to take the test for several months, but I only scored about 500 points...
In the meantime, my grade went up first, and I went up to grade 5.
After that, the grade went up again and became V0, and at the same time, I joined the ranks of "TOEIC refugees" (laughs).
From grade V, you have to score 730 points or more, so even though your grade has gone up, your salary has remained at grade 5.
Then, in October 2018, it went up to V1...
Harada:
The speed at which Mr. Ranmaru's grade rises is also amazing... Laughter
Akagawa:
Well... If you do your best, ISAO will bounce back to the grade as much as you work hard.
But in my case, my grade goes up, but my salary doesn't go up. It was like serving the company about 2 million yen a year.
At that time, I had a child. When my child was born, I made a big decision.
Be **sure to score 730 points by March 2019! ! **
Harada:
Oh!
Akagawa:
So I decided to use the company's "English learning subsidy system".
Normally, subsidies of up to 100,000 yen are provided in one year, but TOEIC refugees with a grade of V or higher receive subsidies of up to 300,000 yen.
I ended up paying about 100,000 yen out of pocket, but I thought it was a self-investment to increase my salary, so I applied to an English consulting company that could improve my TOEIC score, and I started studying English hard for two months from November 2018.
Harada:
How exactly does an English consultant teach you English?
Akagawa:
I don't go to a general English conversation or English cram school to be taught, but I do my daily studies on my own.
They make a plan for their daily study and submit what they study online for feedback.
After that, I went to ask them to review and improve the plan once a week. Is it easy to understand if you say the English Ryzap method?
Harada:
I see~. That means that if you don't have a strong will, you won't be able to continue every day, right?
Akagawa:
That's right. In my case, I was also allowed to use the company's system, and I was hungry.
I studied for three and a half hours a day, even on Saturdays and Sundays.
Harada:
3 and a half hours every day while working! ? Moreover, your child was just born, wasn't it a lot of effort to spend studying English until the holidays?
Akagawa:
Certainly. My wife told me a little bit (laughs). But when I said, "It's to raise my salary!", my wife was convinced.
Effective Study Methods with Improved English Skills
Harada:
It is said that there are some teaching materials here, but what was the effective study method that led to a dramatic increase in TOEIC scores by 500 points in Ranmaru's way?
Akagawa:
Especially effective was "shadowing"!
I did "shadowing" for one hour every day, submitted the recording to the coach, and received advice, and my listening skills improved by a lot.
[Note] What is shadowing: one of the ways to practice a foreign language. While listening to a speech in a foreign language, repeat it almost simultaneously. In addition to practicing listening and pronunciation, students can get used to the speed and rhythm of speech.
Harada:
What was the result of those two months of intense study?
Akagawa:
It was 710 points in January of this year. I was determined to score 730 points next time.
The score I received in May was 725 points... I had just one more question.
Harada:
What! ! That makes me cry... (tears)
Akagawa:
I was able to listen to 8~90% of the self-analysis, and the rest was a matter of reading ability.
So, I started using the smartphone app "Study Supplement" in June, and I spent about an hour and a half on my way to and from work in English.
At the end of the test, there were many things that I couldn't solve because I ran out of time.
Using the app was very convenient because I could measure how fast I was reading.
Harada:
I see~. It is the use of "shadowing" to improve listening skills, and the use of smartphone apps for reading skills. It's very helpful.
Growth and Change as an Engineer
Harada:
Now that your TOEIC score is 790, of course there are changes in your salary, but have you changed yourself as an engineer?
Akagawa:
The month my salary went up, my wife said, "I don't have to work now~" (laughs).
I made my wife wait for a long time, but I'm glad she was happy, and as a father, I was able to keep my mentality (laughs).
As for the change in work, I will be coaching a member from Brazil who just joined the company this week and does not speak Japanese.
This is the first time that a member who does not speak Japanese has joined the project I am currently working on.
However, there are situations where English is always necessary when dealing with companies that are actually expanding overseas and in business interactions, and the possibility of expanding my current job globally in the future has expanded.
Harada:
Amazing! It feels like new growth is expected! Finally, please tell us about your next goal.
Akagawa:
I want to use the English skills I have developed so far in my work.
When I participate in overseas conferences, I want to be at a level where I can understand my own words without a translator.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Proof of Ranmaru's 4 years of hard work[/caption]
The time will come when engineers will have to be able to speak English!
What I felt in this interview was that Mr. Ranmaru is able to draw a picture of the future as an engineer.
We live in an era where we don't need to study English because we don't use it for work, and we don't understand it anymore.
Through the interview, I had high hopes for Mr. Ranmaru, who would lead the engineering members of ISAO, and I felt that I should not be complacent in studying English.