How to acquire English skills even if you don’t want to. 　Chapter 3 Work and English (1) 3.7 English Language Qualifications

1) Practical English Proficiency Test (in Japan)

It is natural that an examination is a product of both the person administering the examination and the person taking the examination. When you are young, it is natural, or perhaps inevitable, that you often find yourself on the side of the test taker. For me, the second interview for the Practical English Proficiency Test (PEPT) is a test in which I am on the side of the test administrator as an interview examiner. I am the one who conducts the interview and grades the candidates. The appointment of me as an interview examiner by the Association for Practical English Proficiency (AEP) is one of the fruits of my English skills.

I have been an interview examiner for 24 years since 1987, which means that each time until 2011 I have conducted interviews in English with about 50 candidates who have passed the first round of the written and interview examinations. The total number of applicants I have interviewed has reached more than 3,000.

The second interview for the Practical English Proficiency Test is held on Sundays in February, July, and November every year. In our area of the Bisan region, including Onomichi where I live, the test has been held at Onomichi Junior and Senior High School in Mukaishima since last year, 2010.

I hope students will all do their best to obtain several English certifications. For university students, if you take  Eiken, please aim to obtain Level 1. The specific process of the second examination can be found at the following address

https://www.eiken.or.jp/eiken/schedule/　

As a side note, the Practical English Proficiency Test and the second interview test are usually finished around 4:00 pm. And sometimes surprising things happen. For example, the daughter of a student of mine at my cram school about 40 years ago took my interviews twice in a row. It is rare to run into an acquaintance or an acquaintance of an acquaintance, but this kind of thing is possible in 24 years of being an interview examiner.

One more thing. A high school girl who came to my cram school when I was a cram school teacher became an adult, got married, and returned to Japan with her American husband, who became our colleague as a second interview examiner. The world seems to be a big place, but it is a small place sometimes. I have learned to be mindful of this.

(2) United Nations English Proficiency Test (UNEIKEN)

As you know, national public officers in Japan are those who work for Japanese administrative agencies or specified independent administrative institutions.

On the other hand, international civil servants are those who constitute the secretariat of international organizations such as the United Nations and its specialized agencies. In short, they are those who work for UN-related organizations. The official languages of international organizations are English and French.

Well-known English examinations include the Practical English Proficiency Test (Eiken in Japan), TOEIC, TOEFL, etc., and there is also the United Nations English Proficiency Test.

To become a member of this international civil service, there is of course an exam, but if you are qualified for the UN Eiken A level, you should be exempted from the English exam. (At least that was the case when I took the test.)

If you want to become a civil servant, you may choose to become an international civil servant after obtaining the UN Eiken qualification.

Serially posted in English every Tuesday.

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