Job Discussion Forums

[rslrunner]

Aeon tells visitors to its website that responsibilities of its teachers include:

a 40-hour workweek consisting of a standard number of 25 teaching hours, with the remaining hours spent on office responsibilities. (Office responsibilities include, but are not limited to interviewing prospective students, recommending texts, counseling students, completing progress reports, and greeting students in the lobby)

Except, well, a work week for AEON isn't 40 hours, in my opinion. You see, there are additional responsibilities before and after each work day that AEON does not include in its schedule, and it does not include the time required to prepare for classes.

Here is a typical AEON schedule:

Tuesday, 12:00 - 9:00 -

11:45 - 12:00 - Arrival, Daily Meeting
12:00-12:45 - Emily (kids)
12:45 - 1:00 - Office Duty
1:00 - 1:50 - Grammar based class
1:50 - 2:00 - Office Duty
2:00 - 2:50 - Grammar based class
2:50 - 3:00 - Office duty
3:00 - 4:00 - Office duty
4:00 - 4:50 - Trails (kids)
4:50 - 5:00 - Office duty
5:00 - 6:00 - Break
6:00 - 6:50 - Private lesson
6:50 - 7:00 - Office duty
7:00 - 7:50 - Grammar-based lesson
7:50 - 8:10 - Office duty
8:10 - 9:00 - Function based class
9:00 - 9:15 - School Cleaning and Upkeep


Wednesday, 12:00 - 9:00 -

11:45 - 12:00 - Arrival, Daily Meeting
12:00 - 12:50 - Private lesson
12:50 - 1:00 - Office Duty
1:00 - 2:00 - Break
2:00 - 3:00 - Teacher’s Meeting
3:00 - 4:00 - Office Duty
4:00 - 4:45 - Isabel (kids)
4:45 - 5:00 - Office Duty
5:00 - 5:50 - Grammar Based class
5:50 - 6:00 - Office Duty
6:00 - 6:50 - Function Based Class
6:50 - 7:00 - Office Duty
7:00 - 7:50 - Grammar-based Class
7:50 - 8:10 - Office Duty
8:10 - 9:00 - Function Based Class
9:00 - 9:15 - School Cleaning and Upkeep


Thursday, 12:00 - 9:00 -

11:45 - 12:00 - Arrival, Daily Meeting
12:00 - 12:30 - Baby (kids)
12:30 - 1:00 - Office Duty
1:00 - 1:50 - Function based class
1:50 - 2:00 - Office Duty
2:00 - 3:00 - Break
3:00 - 3:50 - Wizard Red (kids)
3:50 - 5:00 - Office Duty
5:00 - 5:50 - Grammar Based class
5:50 - 7:00 - Office Duty
7:00 - 7:50 - Discussion based class
7:50 - 8:10 - Office duty
8:10 - 9:00 - Grammar based class
9:00 - 9:15 - School Cleaning and Upkeep

Friday, 12:00 - 9:00 -

11:45 - 12:00 - Arrival, Daily Meeting
12:00 - 1:10 - Office Duty
1:10 - 2:00 - Discussion based class
1:50 - 2:00 - Office duty
2:00 - 3:00 - Business Meeting
3:00 - 4:00 - Break
4:00 - 4:45 - Grace (kids)
4:45 - 6:00 - Office Duty
6:00 - 6:50 - Discussion based class
6:50 - 7:00 - Office Duty
7:00 - 7:50 - Function based class
7:50 - 8:10 - Office duty
8:10 - 9:00 - Grammar based class
9:00 - 9:15 - School Cleaning and Upkeep

Saturday, 10:00 - 7:00 -
9:45 - 10:00 - Arrival, Daily Meeting
10:00 - 10:45 - Grace (kids)
10:45 - 11:00 - Office duty
11:00 - 11:50 - Wizard red (kids)
11:50 - 12:00 - Office duty
12:00 - 12:50 - Wizard blue (kids)
12:50 - 1:00 - Office duty
1:00 - 1:50 - Function based class
1:50 - 2:00 - Office duty
2:00 - 3:00 - Break
3:00 - 3:50 - Grammar based class
3:50 - 5:00 - Office Duty
5:00 - 5:50 - Function Based class
5:50 - 6:00 - Office Duty
6:00 - 6:40 - Private lesson
6:40 - 7:00 - Office Duty
7:00 - 7:15 - School Cleaning and Upkeep

I included the first fifteen minutes and the last fifteen minutes of each day's responsibilities, although AEON did not include this in my schedule. I thought it was appropriate to do so here, because AEON specifically describes meetings at the beginning of each day and cleaning at the end of each day as required responsibilities.

Here's what Aeon says themselves on their own website:

11:45 a.m.
The school’s office hours usually start at noon. Teachers and staff generally arrive at the school fifteen minutes prior to their scheduled starting time. In Japan, being “on time” for work means arriving early so as to be ready for the start of the workday. There is a five-minute meeting everyday, which gives the manager an opportunity to go over the previous day’s business results and the current day’s schedule with the teachers and staff working that day. Teachers teach an average of five to seven classes a day.

And here....

School Cleaning and Upkeep
Everyone at AEON schools works together to keep their school looking clean and organized to provide a comfortable learning environment for both students and staff. Chores include vacuuming, wiping desks and whiteboards, and disposing of garbage. Teachers also help create displays for their school lobby and classrooms to promote different events or activities at their school and, at the same time, create a positive working environment.

Nothing wrong with AEON asking its employees to do these tasks. However, if AEON is to be internally consistent, it's website should include 42.5 hours of required work for week, not 40.

Furthermore, a teacher is really not able to work on their lesson plans during office hours. As a consequence, when new teachers are acclimating to the new coursework, methodology, etc…, they will have to use their time outside of class to prepare their lessons.

How many hours of work does this add to the work week? For me, it would have taken probably 30 hours of week when I first started, although that would not be the norm for most people. Now, once teachers get used to the new system, that lesson preparation time will decrease to a great extent. However, one has to keep in mind that the extra prep work will make the first couple of months of work very busy. Clearly, much more time would be required for new arrivals to prepare their lessons than more experienced AEON English providers.

Here's what an AEON teacher says about the subject:

When I first started working at my school I felt that Saturday was particularly challenging as it was just so hectic! Eight classes in one day leaves little time for much else, though luckily the teacher I was replacing taught me the secret to enjoying the day with minimal stress – preparation! So long as I prepare well the day before Saturday, I can start the day feeling confident and excited to learn what my students have been doing that week! Before each lesson I’m always excited to chat with students about their week in the lobby, and occasionally carry out check tests or counselings with them. Sometimes I also interview prospective students between lessons.

For the sake of argument, let's say it takes an average of 8 hours per week to prepare for lessons. That means you are up to working 50.5 hours per week. (To me this is a low estimate, but others are free make their own assessment on this forum.)

In addition, teachers have to work half-days at least once a month. I am not sure if these hours are included as overtime or not. In any event, that means one has to add an additional hour to each work week, if working Sundays is limited to only one half-day a month.

So now, we are up to 51.5 hours of work per week.

Teachers are also expected to participate in some activities after school hours. This may not be work in any real sense, as one is socializing or having fun for the benefit of one's branch. Nevertheless, this is activity that you are not paid for. (I don't include this in the final count of average hours worked per week, which is 51.5 hours at this point.)

I tried to be as thorough as possible, so one can get grasp all of the responsibilities and time commitments that a typical AEON employee would have, all in one place.

This is for the benefit for outsiders who want to learn more about the company, and for people who are considering the company, so they can know exactly what to expect. This also provides anyone the chance to see a typical AEON schedule before participating in any interview, and inform anyone who does participate in an interview.

If there are any errors here, please let me know so I can correct them. It is very important that I do so.

Below are some additional notes related to the schedule:

____________________________________________________________

There are a lot of office duty periods. During these periods of time, you are expected to support the business in many different ways. This may include lobby talk, intensive counseling for prospective students, self-study and check tests, perhaps handing out flyers, and marketing AEON materials.

Grammar based classes go by the acronyms KO, LU, GS, TO, GU, BT, CP, VP, FP

Function based classes go by the acronyms Voyage, Discovery, Encounter and Odyssey

Discussion based classes goes by Aspire, Frontiers and Discussion Matters

[HLJHLJ]

Really rslrunner? It must be what... well over a year since you DIDN'T work for AEON, 18 months maybe? Every time you do this you just reinforce the idea that AEON dodged a bullet when they kicked you off the training course.

However, some unfortunate soul who isn't aware of your extensive and obsessive history with AEON could happen across this. So, based on the experiences of people who, unlike you, have actually worked for AEON, although you will sometimes be asked to undertake other work during office duty periods, for the most part, they will be free for you to do your prep. Also, it's rare that you would need to create a lesson plan since the vast majority of lessons are taught straight from the book.

However, yes, as with pretty much every EFL position (or indeed like most jobs), you will probably have to put in additional unpaid hours at home when you first start, until you learn the ropes. That's not special to AEON, it's just life.

[rslrunner]

[rxk22]

A lot of big companies here have legit criticisms. But you'd have to ACTUALLY WORK THERE for any of them to be legitimate.

For real man let it go already.

[Maitoshi]

You really still at this rslrunner? I am really beginning to think you are a troll. You have seriously offered nothing of value to this site since I've joined and I suspect you are posting more for yourself than for anyone else at this point. Let it go!

[rxk22]

[kpjf]

I think ultimately no matter what we say s/he is not listening and will still continue; in other words, no advice to drop it from several people here has worked. I think any of his AEON threads should be locked or something. Like Maitoshi says Rslrunner hasn't contributed anything and these threads are probably to make himself feel better i.e. by criticising AEON.

I feel sorry that someone simply can't let it go 18 months later (note: Rslrunner was "let go" from AEON in March 2013). I mean I could understand feeling bitter for a month or two, but a year+ later, it's not healthy to be like this. In life we have good experiences and bad experiences, sometimes the bad experiences depress us or make us bitter and angry, but there comes a point where we must move on and find new, better experiences forgetting about the bad ones.

I finish with a quote by Rabindranath Tagore that I really like:

'If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.'

[rslrunner]

Regarding my motives, here is what I wrote: "This is for the benefit for outsiders who want to learn more about the company, and for people who are considering the company, so they can know exactly what to expect. This also provides anyone the chance to see a typical AEON schedule before participating in any interview, and inform anyone who does participate in an interview."

I had an old schedule. I thought it would be helpful for outsiders to see it. I didn't write anything incendiary. So what's the problem?

[dove]

OK, RSL won't let his/her gripe with AEON go. We get it. But I'll bite.
Anybody who decides to work in Japan should face the fact that unpaid extra hours are part of the deal. Anyone who wants to be a good teacher in ANY country should face that fact, too. It's just the way it is. Teachers often prepare lessons--hopefully interesting ones--outside of working hours. I am in Brazil now, and I spend hours preparing lessons because I don't use a book or have any set curriculum. I love it! I know there are other teachers who just teach from a book, but I'd be bored if I did that. So I choose to spend at least 3 hours a week preparing. It all pays off because I have lots of work and I have to turn requests down.
I know in Japan you don't have a choice, especially when it comes to cleaning, meetings, school functions, selling materials, passing out fliers. But actually, you do. My last few years in Japan, I self-sponsored my visa and I did everything part-time. I mainly taught business English at companies, private lessons, and part-time at schools. I made lots of money, didn't have to attend those boring and awkward parties, never passed out a flier. But I still prepared lessons in my free-time, without compensation.

Learn to deal, accept, and find situations that work to your advantage in life.

[PO1]

To me, if I were seeking to work with AEON, I'd probably contact someone that actually worked there to get an opinion. From what I gather, rslrunner only did a couple of training sessions (if I've been following the threads correctly, which I guess maybe I haven't). Forums like these are often full of people with axes to grind, but I think (I hope anyway) that rslrunner is trying to provide some kind of information from his/her experience to help others. Being that the experience was so limited though, it's hard to say if it's terribly useful or not. Companies do change policies over time, so I'd check with someone currently working there to see what their current schedules entail.

[rslrunner]

[rslrunner]

[kpjf]

You have 103 posts and 84 of them are all about AEON. If you don't think there's something up with that when you worked there for 4 days 18 months ago and are no longer teaching English then there's not much else that can be said.

[rxk22]

[move]

Maybe there's a support group out there for him. Like a group called "people who got canned from eikaiwa during training and can't move on."