Job Discussion Forums

[Bylkun]

Hello all. I have read many many posts regarding the big schools and have decided to go ahead and interview.

I will be having an interview with AEON in about one month and am quite concerned about the 30 min. lesson plan that must be prepared and that I must present 5 minutes of it.

I have a B.A. in Psychology and have no TESL experience. One of my main goals in life is to live in Japan for that contract year. I have much confidence that I would be a great asset to the school and students, but I can become very nervous when speaking to groups of people for the first time.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice at all about completing the lesson plan and presentation and if my nervousness shows through how much that may affect my interview.
Thanks for any tips or comments.

[jen]

Not to worry. I went through the lengthy interview process about 6 months ago.
Just go on the internet and pull up a lesson plan, maybe format it to the alotted time, level you choose, etc. Then, take 5 minutes of it and just practise it. Maybe make a handout or something. What's more important is to SMILE. Sad, but true. In my group of eight, I saw some truly sad performances and I'd bet they got a second interview. And I'm sure they understand if you're nervous. Plus, you don't necessarily have to teach them grammar -it can be another skill - speaking, for instance. so maybe type in your search engine - 'conversation lesson ESL' and see what comes up. Also, vocabulary lessons are very interesting.
Also, be prepared to write a short grammar quiz. They leave the room though, so you can cheat[though the stick in the muds I was with didn't talk].
But I'll warn you of something which caught me by surprise: at the second interview, they give you their textbook and five minutes to prepare a section to present to the interviewer. One of the only criticisms I got was that I wasn't smiling like an idiot[not their words].
Relax, have fun, and don't forget to SMILE!

[melisa]

Hi,
I interviewed w/ AEON. They didn't notify me that I was hired until a month or so after the last interview. I was offered a job but they sent me an email w/ the job offer and gave me two days to decide whether or not I wanted to take the job. And when I called them to ask for more time, they said I had the whole weekend to think about the decision! And they told me to re-apply when I felt 100% sure I wanted to go!!! The interview process took forever bc there are only two guys interviewing so people have to wait and take turns to give their presentations. So you might have a 2.5 hr lunch break. Just speak slowly, enunciate and smile! If you make it to round two the first thing they'll ask you to do is make another 10 minute lesson plan in 10 minutes. It was easy though and after you make through the dreadful first day of interviews, the second day seems a lot easier. Feel free to ask me any questions. I hope this was helpful. I interviewed w/ NOVA recently and got a job offer and decided to go w/ them.
BEST WISHES.
Melisa
[email protected]

[jen]

I'm certainly not defending AEON but it's very strange that they took over a month after the last interview to get back to the candidate. It took them 2 weeks for me and that was only bc there were some problems with my refs[my fault]. I was then given another week or so to decide[actually, I initially accepted but didn't sign the contract for another week or so].
It seems the previous poster has had a bad experience and this isn't typical.
I think overall, all these big schools SUCK and they'll work you like a dog BUT I believe AEON to be the least of the evils. And if you're more into planning your own lessons instead of following a sheet in front of you[like at Nova], then choose something other than Nova. They make me cringe. And to reiterate the many posters who've said this before me, there's a reason why Nova is the only school to have their own union, no?
email me if you have any more queries. [email protected]