Job Discussion Forums

[Rooster.]

I have seen recent posts and threads about Nichii Gakkan's new company Coco Juku and because of how new it is, relatively little is known about it.

I have done some research so hopefully what i have may help some people, but I also have a few questions of my own for those who have interviewed (regardless of whether or not you were hired).

Even though this has been covered in previous threads, Nichii Gakkan is the parents company that currently owns both GABA and Coco Juku.

If you are in Kanto the pay is 265,000 yen an month and for everywhere else it is 250,000 yen a month (all right off of their recruiting page), with locations all over Japan (again off of a link on their recruiting page). They actually have a fairly informative Youtube video that they made in conjunction with Gaijinpot (I don't know if talking about that site is frowned upon here so if it gets taken down and someone is curious either search for it or PM me) pertaining about the whole process of getting a job with their company.

I have an interview set up with them and received this:

"Please attach the following documents to the e-mail and send them at least two business days prior
to the interview. If you have a problem sending them, please try one by one.

1. Resume with cover letter, include your Skype ID.
2. Copies of passport, the pages indicating photo/passport number.
3. Copies of university diploma(s)
4. Copies of Licenses certificate, if you have one (TESOL, etc)

　　　 * If you do not have a diploma issued at the moment, transcripts will suffice, but we do require
　　　 the diploma for visa sponsorship purposes.

　　　Attached is a questionnaire to be completed before your interview. After you complete this,
　　　please email it back to us at least two business days prior to the interview.

　　　All candidates are to prepare a Demonstration Lesson to showcase their teaching style.
　　　Please prepare a 30 minute demonstration lesson for a group of 2 beginner level adult students which
　　　you will teach during the lesson.
　　　The lesson should:
　　　Be student centered, interactive, taught only in English, and have a clear target.

　　　Please choose one of the following lesson topic options to prepare the demonstration lesson.

　　　Lesson A
　　　The target of the lesson is telling the time. You can use the following vocabulary and phrases
　　　together with your own ideas:
　　　Half past one
　　　Quarter　to two
　　　Twenty past three
　　　Three minutes past four
　　　About two o�clock

　　　Lesson B
　　　The target of the lesson is ordering in a restaurant.
　　　You can use the following vocabulary and phrases together with your own ideas:
　　　Are you ready to order?
　　　I�d like...please.
　　　Can I have�please?
　　　Would you like�?

　　　Lesson C
　　　The target of the lesson is describing symptoms.
　　　You can use the following vocabulary and phrases together with your own ideas:
　　　A headache/stomachache
　　　A fever
　　　Dizzy
　　　Sneeze/cough
　　　Diarrhea
　　　A pain in my leg/foot/arm/hand/etc.

　　　Submit your written lesson plan at least two (2) days prior to the interview.
　　　In the interview, be prepared to �teach� the Practice and Application/Role Play Stages of this
　　　lesson to two (2) (imaginary {played by the interviewer}) students.
　　　Assume the students already know each other and the teacher.
　　　The target vocabulary is just that, the vocabulary, or sentence structures, that the students are to
　　　learn during the lesson.　Please come up with a minimum of two (2) questions and two (2) responses
　　　appropriate to the lesson topic. This is what you will have the students practice and learn.
　　　**Teacher talking time should be kept to a minimum and student talking time should be a priority. **

We'll be waiting for your reservation and look forward to meeting you through the Web-based interview.
Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Nichii Gakkan Company"

There was more to the e-mail, but it was only about registering for an interview.

Now this is where my information of the company ceases and I have questions for those who have answers.

I am most likely going to go with the idea of time as a lesson plan and have already gathered up some information and sources for starting out my plan. I believe that I had read somewhere that the "teaching" portion of the interview is to be 10 minutes and have also read that it is to be for the full 30 minutes that I am supposed to create a lesson plan for. Which is it?

Could I heard examples of the questions answers that are required of me and how they were worked into your lesson plan (and what the lesson plan topic was)?

I would like to incorporate some worksheets with analog clocks that have different times on them to use as part of my lesson, has anyone else done this and how did you make it work since it will be over Skype?

Lastly, I think that incorporating a game or two would be good, but the prompt called for teaching to adults (although they would be new to English).

Any other suggestions of what might make my interview and or lesson plan teaching go well?

[HLJHLJ]

I've nothing specific to add about the school, as don't have any experience of it, but from those options I would avoid choosing telling the time. It's up there with directions for topics that some students find difficult and boring, a bad combination if you are trying to impress.

The restaurant option is more straightforward, and gives more opportunities for longer role plays between the two students, reducing your talk time. It's hard to go beyond 2 or 3 utterances with time. I'd make up a page with some pictures of food, napkins, cutlery, cups/glasses, etc so they had prompts and you can go beyond the obvious of just ordering food.

Whichever you choose you can send a file with Skype during a call, so you can just send your worksheet over during the call.

Apologies for butting in with unasked for advice on your lesson plan, but my first thought when I saw the list was that time had been included to catch people out. Be careful with it.

[Rooster.]

I appreciate the suggestions, and the "unasked for advice" was exactly what I was looking for.

[mrmarsit]

Interviewed with them last year. I got this one.

Create a lesson plan for a 30 min lesson for adult Beginner Level students. Submit the lesson plan at least two (2) days prior to the interview.

Lesson criteria:
A) Aim:
1. Ask and respond to questions regarding weekend activities.
(B)Include:
1. Target Language
2. One possible Problem
3. A solution to said problem

In the interview, be prepared to �teach� the Warm-up, Intro, and Presentation Stages of this lesson to an imaginary student played by the interviewer. Your goal is to teach the target language, keep your teacher talking time low, and student talking time high.