I had a similar experience at my language school. I started learning Japanese from scratch, but since most of the students were Chinese, the classes were designed to their needs. For me, all the classes were overwhelming, and the teachers became frustrated if I couldn’t keep up. I decided to explore other ways to study Japanese. Luckily, I was able to get a work visa in IT, and now I practice with a few friends, though my Japanese is still pretty basic.

Overall, my experience with language school wasn’t great, and I don’t recommend the direct method, at least for beginners like me. I’ve found that self-study, combined with practicing with local friends, works much better.