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Navigating Aeon's Initial Training Week
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rslrunner



Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 1:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

yurii wrote:
Why don't you email them and ask? [email protected] or [email protected]


Ask them what? Whether it is permissible or allowed to come to Japan early?

This topic about the initial training week exists precisely because there is information that the office cannot or will not provide. This is an alternative source about the initial training week, so it is highly unlikely that they will share this information with me at this juncture.

It is now understood by all parties that I have the right to discuss these matters, but as you can probably surmise, the company would not like to hear from me personally.

As a result, if you can ask the question above, for the benefit of the studio audience here, that would be very much appreciated.
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rslrunner



Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 1:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fluffytwo wrote:
rslrunner wrote:
Most trainees arrive two days before training starts. I recall that Aeon wants you to arrive just before training.

This is not enough time to adjust to the radically different time zone. Indeed, the rule of thumb is that it takes a day for every hour difference to adjust to the new time zone.


I've never needed more than a day or two to arrive (from the UK) and settle in before starting jobs in Asia. A full week would be quite unnecessary, especially if the initial period involved merely training rather than actually teaching (and even the actual teaching is hardly that demanding given the method school/language mill set-up).


I strongly disagree with this assessment, for two reasons.

1. There is an 8 hour time difference between London and Tokyo. I believe it would take more than two days to adjust.

If you think that this view reflects a certain constitutional weakness on my point, you can certainly say so, but the rule of thumb is that it takes a day to adjust for each hour of difference in the time zones.

Adjusting to a new time zone is more of an art than a science. Here is some information on that.

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/long-over-jet-lag-63114.html

2. The training period is very rigorous and demanding, as I pointed out in the original posts. So you are doing a disservice to new arrivals by stating that it is not demanding. Unless something has changed, it is.
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fluffytwo



Joined: 24 Sep 2016
Posts: 139

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can disagree all you like with my assessment of the way things generally operate if not your constitution, but the fact is that few jobs allow for more than a day or two to arrive and settle in before work begins.

There are a number of reasons for this, primarily 1) the unavailability or expense of accommodation (where this is provided by the employer) until a previous teacher vacates and/or the new teacher arrives, 2) not wanting to waste any more days than is necessary from the work visa, 3) not wanting recruits disappearing off on extended sightseeing or finding other jobs or whatever and leaving the sponsor in the lurch, and 4) an understandable need or desire to be starting to earn at least one's keep that bit sooner than later.

Sucks I know but welcome to the real world, which in this regard isn't that nasty or unreasonable actually. Try to see it from the employer's view sometimes.
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yurii



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 106

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 5:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rslrunner wrote:
yurii wrote:
Why don't you email them and ask? [email protected] or [email protected]


Ask them what? Whether it is permissible or allowed to come to Japan early?



Yep. So you're well-known to AEON (in a bad way)?
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rslrunner



Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 2:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

yurii wrote:
rslrunner wrote:
yurii wrote:
Why don't you email them and ask? [email protected] or [email protected]


Ask them what? Whether it is permissible or allowed to come to Japan early?



Yep. So you're well-known to AEON (in a bad way)?


I just explained this. Read through past posts to get the full story.

That's all tertiary and unimportant compared to the situation of new trainees. Can new trainees make a decision to come early to Japan, on their own dime, so they are not sleep-deprived during training? Did you send the e-mail that I asked you to send?


Last edited by rslrunner on Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:09 pm; edited 1 time in total
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rslrunner



Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fluffytwo wrote:
You can disagree all you like with my assessment of the way things generally operate if not your constitution, but the fact is that few jobs allow for more than a day or two to arrive and settle in before work begins.

There are a number of reasons for this, primarily 1) the unavailability or expense of accommodation (where this is provided by the employer) until a previous teacher vacates and/or the new teacher arrives, 2) not wanting to waste any more days than is necessary from the work visa, 3) not wanting recruits disappearing off on extended sightseeing or finding other jobs or whatever and leaving the sponsor in the lurch, and 4) an understandable need or desire to be starting to earn at least one's keep that bit sooner than later.

Sucks I know but welcome to the real world, which in this regard isn't that nasty or unreasonable actually. Try to see it from the employer's view sometimes.


I would agree with this assessment if new trainees were being flown in on the company's dime. But they are not. New trainees pay for their flight to Japan. (Of course, they could and should find accommodation on their own. That isn't too hard, Japan is an advanced country.)

As a result, the employee should have a modest amount of flexibility in terms of when they arrive, as they are covering that cost. I know that sucks, but welcome to the real world.
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fluffytwo



Joined: 24 Sep 2016
Posts: 139

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Newsflash: Many if not most jobs nowadays don't cover airfares. (The only time I've had it covered - half of it repaid within a month or so of arrival, and the remaining half upon leaving - was in China, where the pay was correspondingly lower and the conditions somewhat more challenging at times). Ideally things would be different but who flies in on their own dime and then seriously complains about it? And just because you've paid for the airfare doesn't mean you can sit too idle for long - do you want the job/to work or not? etc.
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rslrunner



Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fluffytwo wrote:
Newsflash: Many if not most jobs nowadays don't cover airfares. (The only time I've had it covered - half of it repaid within a month or so of arrival, and the remaining half upon leaving - was in China, where the pay was correspondingly lower and the conditions somewhat more challenging at times). Ideally things would be different but who flies in on their own dime and then seriously complains about it? And just because you've paid for the airfare doesn't mean you can sit too idle for long - do you want the job/to work or not? etc.


Not sure of the breakdown, but most schools in Korea pay for the flight. Some do, some don't, everywhere else.

Who flies on their own dime and then complains about it? That's not the issue. The issue is being told that you have to arrive at a specific time and on your own dime, so you can't proactive prevent issues related to jet lag. The company is literally preventing people who want to be at their best from being at their best. It reflects a reflexive attempt to deprive new hires of autonomy, which is a pattern I saw and see a pattern of, over and over and over again.

As far as being idle, most new Aeon hires get hired months in advance. Even though there is plenty of time to prepare, the company provides information about pretty much everything except what you need to know to be an instructor in the classroom. It's all artificially crammed into a one week period, for reasons that I consider to be less than wholesome.

Fortunately, there is a lot of information at the beginning of this thread which should help new hires, even to this day.

We could talk about this forever. We are going to disagree. The beauty of this forum, however, is that people can make up their own mind. If they take your side in this case, it means that they have the mindset to succeed. (You want a teaching job where you cannot sit down? You want to be told who to be, how to act, what to do? Join the team, I say!) If readers agree with me, it's best they know the score beforehand, so they can make a conscious decision not to apply, and everyone will save lots of time in the process.

In the end, everyone wins.

Discussion is good. Openness is good. Transparency is good. Clarity is good.
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yurii



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 106

PostPosted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rslrunner wrote:

Discussion is good. Openness is good. Transparency is good. Clarity is good.


Is not letting go of the past also good? What profession are you in now?
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fluffytwo



Joined: 24 Sep 2016
Posts: 139

PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The point is that few jobs in Japan other than JET cover flights, and having to cover it oneself doesn't entitle one to demand a week or more off before undertaking anything remotely work-related. The two things aren't logically related in most people's minds, and most like I say seem to get over jet lag or general fatigue from travelling a lot quicker than you. You're ultimately just making excuses (but I appreciate that being let go can't be or rather can't have been pleasant).

Talking of JET though, one doesn't get a second to oneself from the moment one reaches the given airport for departure let alone arrival. Names need to be ticked and collated, and once in Japan one is bussed en masse to a hotel like the Keio Plaza in Tokyo, and has to share a room with at least two other people, then spend days on end sitting listening to pretty boring inductions, speeches etc. So I guess a few might conceivably not make it fully onto/into JET either eh (paid airfares and "four star" hotels notwithstanding).
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rslrunner



Joined: 12 Feb 2010
Posts: 252

PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

fluffytwo wrote:
The point is that few jobs in Japan other than JET cover flights, and having to cover it oneself doesn't entitle one to demand a week or more off before undertaking anything remotely work-related. The two things aren't logically related in most people's minds, and most like I say seem to get over jet lag or general fatigue from travelling a lot quicker than you. You're ultimately just making excuses (but I appreciate that being let go can't be or rather can't have been pleasant).

Talking of JET though, one doesn't get a second to oneself from the moment one reaches the given airport for departure let alone arrival. Names need to be ticked and collated, and once in Japan one is bussed en masse to a hotel like the Keio Plaza in Tokyo, and has to share a room with at least two other people, then spend days on end sitting listening to pretty boring inductions, speeches etc. So I guess a few might conceivably not make it fully onto/into JET either eh (paid airfares and "four star" hotels notwithstanding).


1. I take it from your comments that people who pay for their flight to Japan to start training week should not ask to come earlier. Is that correct?

2. In light of this, stopping at another destination before arriving in Japan would make sense, as it would ameliorate the jet lag. Of course, this could prove too expensive or prohibitive for new trainees. If that is the case, they will have to adjust in a short period of time.

3. Regardless of when most people get over jet lag, at least incoming trainees know what will be expected of them, and what to prepare for.
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yurii



Joined: 12 Jan 2017
Posts: 106

PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

rslrunner wrote:

1. I take it from your comments that people who pay for their flight to Japan to start training week should not ask to come earlier. Is that correct?


Correct. You have absolutely no control over the date of the flight and cannot say "Oh 22nd suits me better than 20th can I go then?" Teachers from the same country all go on the same flight.

Quote:
2. In light of this, stopping at another destination before arriving in Japan would make sense, as it would ameliorate the jet lag. Of course, this could prove too expensive or prohibitive for new trainees. If that is the case, they will have to adjust in a short period of time.


Depending on flight connections there may be a stopover but probably only a few hours, not some stopover in Hawaii where you can spend a week soaking up the sun and drinking pina coladas and having your very own private hula dancer entertain you each evening.

yurii wrote:
rslrunner wrote:

Discussion is good. Openness is good. Transparency is good. Clarity is good.


Is not letting go of the past also good? What profession are you in now?


Didn't you talk about openness and transparency? You still haven't answered my question.
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The Transformer



Joined: 03 Mar 2017
Posts: 69

PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 9:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

AEON is a criminal shyster money racket, just like all the other "big" eikaiwa chains. They operate on the principle of ripping as much money off their customers as possible while keeping their expenses as low as possible, in order to maximize the amount of money they can make and then, I would guess, funnel into offshore bank accounts for their "investors" (most probably organized criminals).

Once you realize this is how they operate, it explains why there is no way they would ever give people "adjustment time" to get over jet-lag, get familiar with the new surroundings etc. New instructors are just more pieces of meat to be shipped over to Japan, put through the sausage mincer and spat out the other end. Pay, conditions and civilized treatment don't even feature.
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fluffytwo



Joined: 24 Sep 2016
Posts: 139

PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You know what, rslrunner? What ultimately matters isn't what you take from my or other's posts, but what people take from yours. So, yes, in conclusion Aeon would be a horrible horrible company to even consider, let alone train at, let alone work for, so consider yourselves warned. And warned again. And again, and again, and again, including about the truly scandalous price of broccoli florets even. That way lies no end of fully-justified, apocalyptic grievances.
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The Transformer



Joined: 03 Mar 2017
Posts: 69

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It might sound far-fetched to some people that big eikaiwa are organized criminal money rackets, but that's exactly what they are. Although it can't be proven beyond doubt, you only have to look at the way they do business, as I outlined in my previous post, to realize that the only logical explanation for their behaviour and business model is that they're criminal operations, run by organized criminal rackets.

This applies to all "big", prominent nationwide eikaiwa chains, not just Aeon.

This is why I said in another post on this forum that anyone should give big eikaiwa chains like Aeon as wide a berth as possible. Only work for these criminal shyster outfits if you absolutely have to. Try not to get sucked into the trap that some people fall into of working for these places just because you need a job and these places are always looking for people, or because it's "easy work" and "easy money".

By working for them, you're feeding the pockets of and sustaining the lavish lifestyles of some very unpleasant and vicious people.
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