Job Discussion Forums

[worlddiva]

Hello all!

Well I just got through day 1 of interviewing with AEON. I must say that I was quite impressed with their presentation, information and organization.

What they are offering seems to be much better than other schools I've researched and interviewed with.

Does anyone have any tips for the individual portion of the interview process. They said it lasts about 90 min.

What types of questions will they be asking?

What does the lesson look like that I will have to present on day 2?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

WD out.

[Glenski]

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=4544&highlight=aeon+interview

[KathyK]

WD,

I taught at Aeon for two years back in the early 90s and would definitely encourage you to take the job if it is offered to you. A small number of people on these boards may say not to but I'm sure the vast majority will agree with me that, all in all, it's a really great gig. As you yourself said, the terms are as good or better than other of the language schools. It's a huge operation and you're 100% guaranteed that they're not going to try any fast stuff like not paying your salary or trying to stick you in a crappy apartment.

Someone in the posting that you get to by following the link in the message above talks about Aeon's "K-Mart style" of English teaching. Well, sure, they're right. It's a profit-motivated business. They are selling English. If you are clear about that from the beginning you won't have any problems. They want you happy and peppy and to make the students like you so they will come back and buy more expensive English lessons. So what? I had a blast for two years. I had a great manager, I lived in Tokyo, made friends with my co-workers and higher-level students. I saved almost $1,000 a month from my salary and then, towards the end of my two years applied to grad school back in the U.S. I was told later that my teaching experience in Japan gave me an edge over the other applicants. I now have a Ph.D in Comparative Literature and am considering a move back to Japan, perhaps at a college or university if I can find a good job. (This explains my presence here at the ESL boards--I'm not some freak re-living my past glories by reading about other people's current experiences!)

Your original question was about the second day of the Aeon application. In my case I was brought in for a private interview and then asked to prepare a short lesson in the time given to me by the interviewer after she left me alone in the room to work. I think she gave me five minutes or something like that. Honestly, all they want to see is that you don't fall apart under pressure. If you can come up with anything intelligent and deliver it with aplomb, you're in like flint. Be friendly and smile a lot. It's really a simple formula: If it will make their students like you and want to buy more classes, it's Aeon-approved. People are so critical of these schools for trying to sell their classes and I don't really understand that position. It's a business like any other. My attitude was to give them what they wanted from me: a happy, peppy English teacher who made the students love taking lessons from her. I feel like I got a lot more in return.

I sincerely wish you luck in this interview. Just relax and have fun with it and you'll be fine.

Kathy

[worlddiva]

Hello all!

Well, I'm happy to report that I survived my AEON interview, and with great success I think!

Since there was no updated info or detailed info on the individual portion I thought I would help the next person out.

No matter how hard I tried to relax, I found it very difficult to keep calm and cool. My first tip: don't wear anything to warm...LOL, if possible try to wear a layer that if you get hot you can remove and if you get cold you can put on. The first day, during our group interview it was so cold I was trembling more from the cold than the nervousness. Oh, yeah, make sure you eat enough before you go as there were a few stomachs a-gurgling!LOL

Anyways, getting to the point of my post:

1. the individual interview lasts 90 minutes.
2. bring a pen and paper
3. prepare interview answers in advance:

examples of what they asked me:

- why should we hire you?
- why do you want to work for AEON?
- if we contacted your previous employer what would he/she say is one of your strengths? and also, one of you weaknesses?
- where do you see yourself in 3 years?
- have you applied for other teaching jobs?
- how does AEON compare to the other schools?
*NB: they also asked me to explain info on my resume... be prepared to do that! However, the essay never came up once.
- Why do I want to go to Japan?
- Are there any concerns that I could foresee that might affect my commitment with them?
- If your manager in Japan came to you and gave some negative feedback that you disagreed with, how would you handle it?
and so on...
*TIP* remain calm and keep smiling even if you don't know what to say or what they are talking about.

I did have 10 minutes to prepare an AEON lesson for intermediate students...my lesson had to last 5 minutes-EXACTLY- tip: keep talking until they stop you.

I don't know how well I did on the lesson, but try to be creative and use as many different presentations as you can.

The last 30 minutes was them giving more info on AEON and making sure I'm ready for the 1 year commitment. (they suggest you bring 3000$CAD.)also, there is a 300$cad deposit that is refunded to you when you get to Japan.

Overall, I think it went really well, and I really hope they call because for all intents and purposes they are the best choice I've seen so far.

...I don't think I'll be going to my GEOS interview...just doesn't seem worth.

OK, I'm blabbing........

gotta go,
WD out:)

[Senshixena]

Thank you so much for posting this!! I have an interview with them on Tuesday, and knowing in advance that the personal interview will take 90 minutes is good! That means I can panic now and be fine come Wednesday Did they tell you how long it would be before you heard from them again?

Good luck and I hope you get a positive answer from them.

P.S. I have a short sleeved business suit that I plan on wearing but I wonder if I will get 'points' taken off since it is short sleeved? Does anyone have an opinion on that?

[worlddiva]

They said it would take 15 days to get an answer from them, by phone or by mail.

As for your outfit: all the men there were wearing suits, only one woman wore a suit. The rest of us wore skirts with a dress shirt. I think you should be fine with the short sleeve, although I did not see anyone wearing short sleeved anything at AEON or ECC interviews. Use your judgement, you should look "business-professional".

Good luck, let me know how it goes.
WD out:)