Job Discussion Forums

[DaDragon]

I've got an interview with PKC in Toronto in a couple of days. I've already spoken with them on the phone three times, and filled out all of the necessary application documents, including the grammar quiz. All that's left now is to meet them in person. They asked me to bring copies of all of my important documents, eight 30x40 mm photos, and to get started on my criminal record check. From the way they talked they made it sound like I pretty much already have the job and that the in person meeting is more of a formality or orientation.

For anyone who has interviewed with PKC, or even with the Toronto office itself, what is your opinion? Also, what can I expect to happen during this final, in person interview?

For those of you already working for PKC, these are just a few questions that come to mind:

What are the company apartments like? How big are they? How much do you pay for rent and utilities each month?

Did you get placed at or near your placement preference?

Does the salary increase over time?

Overall, how do you like working at PKC and what are the biggest challenges?

[Tara2117]

Company apartments are mostly Leopalace these days. That means really tiny. Mine was maybe about 20 feet by 15 feet. I was paying around 45,000 yen a month. Utilities depended on how much I was using the AC. Anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 yen month for gas/electric/water/cell phone. The only perk of Leopalace is that it comes with free internet. Google Leopalace for more info. Tons of youtube vids about it, too.

It's a toss-up as to where you'll get placed. You'll be placed where there is need. I happened to be in Japan and applied exactly when the guy from my town was leaving, so I didn't have to move to a new town. But that was EXTREMELY lucky. You probably won't be quite that lucky.

No salary increases, ever. (Unless you are promoted to supervisor or something.) They do give a pretty nice bonus at the end of your contract, at least in comparison to other companies where I live. They also offer 40,000 yen a year to help you pay for health insurance. (That is maybe a quarter of what you'll pay in total for a year, maybe less.) It will be extremely cheap your first year, but watch out in your second year.

I like working for PKC pretty well. I will probably stay here until I leave Japan. The schedule is CAKE compared to most other eikaiwa. I left my old job for PKC for the better schedule, and because I didn't like teaching adults. The best AND worst thing about it is that you are almost always on your own. You'll be the only adult in the school most of the time. It's nice because no one is looking over your shoulder all the time. It sometimes sucks when you have super crazy kids, or babies who cry, etc. If you are an extrovert, it might be rough to be on your own all the time with only kids for company. There may or may not be a lot of other Peppy teachers in your area. Depends on your placement. I'm very introverted, and even for me it gets hard sometimes, so I imagine it can be quite hard on extroverts.

One tip... try to make friends with the Japanese teachers at your schools. They can be amazing at helping us bumbling gaijin out! I feel sorry for teachers who don't have good relationships with their JTs.

I also recommend bringing some games from home that you can use in the class. Anything silly and simple, like stacking games/balance games/etc. Not things with lots of rules like Monopoly. The kids usually love me because I have lots of games from the US, so its different from what the other teachers have. If you want any more advice, ask away.