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Cole
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 31
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 Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:20 am Post subject: Over 40 at ECC? |
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Hello,
Can anyone who works at ECC tell me if there are many people over 40 years of age working there? If so, are they relegated to teaching mostly adults rather than children?
Also, what is the dress code? Shirt and tie? Khakis or dress pants for women?
Thanks for any helpful information you can provide. |
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Miyazaki
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 635
Location: My Father's Yacht
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:23 am Post subject: |
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Bud, I've seen guys in their 50s teaching EFL at NOVA and Berlitz.
Pin it, man! Give 'er a shot! |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: |
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| "relegated" to teaching adults? A year or two at a junior high or elementantary school in Japan as a foreigner and that attitude will likely be gone. |
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Cole
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 31
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:54 am Post subject: Gambate... |
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| Perhaps "relegated" was too strong a word. Actually, I taught children in Thailand for a year and I agree with your sentiments. My adults on the weekends were a quiet respite in comparison. |
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Mahik
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
Posts: 89
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| Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:55 am Post subject: |
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| I've encountered many teachers in ECC well into their 40's or beyond. The thing is though, those teachers started at ECC when they were in their 20's and 30's. If you maintain the status quo and the company is doing well, then ECC will keep you on forever. But I'm not sure of your chances of getting hired when you're in your 40's competing against a bunch of 20-somethings. You'd definitely have to step up your game considerably. |
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poohbear
Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Posts: 46
Location: Toronto & Tokyo
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| Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:59 am Post subject: |
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| Mahik wrote: |
| But I'm not sure of your chances of getting hired when you're in your 40's competing against a bunch of 20-somethings. You'd definitely have to step up your game considerably. |
lol step up his game? dude, have u seen some of the 20 something yr olds these companies get? they're not exactly ivy league material, the OP will do fine.
Infact, i think it'll be in his favor that he's 40+. the recruiters dont wont a bloody athlete, they want someone to teach and stay for the duration of the contract. period. some 20 yr olds that are just too wild are turned away cause they fear he'd cause problems for the company, i.e. banging female students on the side, partying way beyond their capabilities, not being able to handle living alone in another country away from family, etc.
i was in japan in my 20's and boy i have some stories..... seen young kats get kicked out for some ridiculous behaviour. suffice to say recruiters like older, more mature applicants. |
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maingman
Joined: 28 Jan 2008
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:51 pm Post subject: |
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thats one warm CLASSROOM?
over 40  |
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Mahik
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
Posts: 89
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| Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 11:05 am Post subject: |
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| poohbear wrote: |
lol step up his game? dude, have u seen some of the 20 something yr olds these companies get? they're not exactly ivy league material, the OP will do fine.
Infact, i think it'll be in his favor that he's 40+. the recruiters dont wont a bloody athlete, they want someone to teach and stay for the duration of the contract. period. some 20 yr olds that are just too wild are turned away cause they fear he'd cause problems for the company, i.e. banging female students on the side, partying way beyond their capabilities, not being able to handle living alone in another country away from family, etc.
i was in japan in my 20's and boy i have some stories..... seen young kats get kicked out for some ridiculous behaviour. suffice to say recruiters like older, more mature applicants. |
And yet, they continue to hire 20-somethings in large numbers. And yet, I've yet to meet a single teacher in their 40's working who hasn't been in Japan for at least 10+ years. I'm sorry pooh, but I don't think your analysis meshes with reality. Large Eikaiwa don't give a damn if their students actually learn anything, all they care about is if the student renews their contract from one year to the next. Even at ECC, which I think cares more about education than any of the other Eikaiwa, theirs is still the bottom line of turning a profit. They may even tell you this in the interview.
It may not sound nice or PC, but younger teachers are more appealing to look at than older ones and are therefore likely to bring in more customers, at least in the short-term. Of course I don't claim to know anything very deep about the matter, all I know is what I've seen thus far. But I don't see the problem with telling the OP that he'll need to step up his game. He is applying towards a position in which he is not the common applicant, and at a disadvantage from the get-go. And they definitely don't want a new applicant with experience, which age usually suggests.
But who really knows? Maybe I'm full of *beep* and my advice doesn't mean anything. Even if he seemed like the ideal candidate I'd still tell him to try hard and step up his game because that's just good advice in general. They don't accept everyone, so you want to stand out. |
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poohbear
Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Posts: 46
Location: Toronto & Tokyo
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:05 am Post subject: |
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i think the reason u dont see many 40+ yr olds is because most of them have obligations back home and dont really care to travel about to foreign countries and explore. simple as that. my training group did have a 40+ yr old lawyer who decided to take a break from his 60hr work weeks and just go shoot the $hit in another country. 20 somethings are'nt tied down by many obligations, so they decide why not see the world a little. its really not that complicated.
the recruiters i stayed in touch w/ said they simply look for someone who's gonna fulfill their contracts, and not embarass the schools. looks are indeed taken into consideration when the company highers the managers and assistant managers at eikawas, but that's because they handle contracts and its just more appealing to students contemplating a contract renewal to be looking @ a pretty young manager.
just my .2 cents, or more like a $1.50. 
| Mahik wrote: |
Large Eikaiwa don't give a damn if their students actually learn anything, all they care about is if the student renews their contract from one year to the next. Even at ECC, which I think cares more about education than any of the other Eikaiwa, theirs is still the bottom line of turning a profit. They may even tell you this in the interview.
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lol i always crack up when i hear people say this. how does this differ from any other school? u know 100% of the universities in North america will NOT allow u attend class unless u've paid your tuition. Education be damned, some will actually have u escorted out of the class or thrown out if u have'nt paid your tuition. i dont see anyone being altruistic about education, there are expenses that need to be paid, i dont see how japanese conversation schools are unique in this regard? |
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ripslyme
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 481
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:28 pm Post subject: |
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| poohbear wrote: |
| Mahik wrote: |
Large Eikaiwa don't give a damn if their students actually learn anything, all they care about is if the student renews their contract from one year to the next. Even at ECC, which I think cares more about education than any of the other Eikaiwa, theirs is still the bottom line of turning a profit. They may even tell you this in the interview.
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lol i always crack up when i hear people say this. how does this differ from any other school? u know 100% of the universities in North america will NOT allow u attend class unless u've paid your tuition. Education be damned, some will actually have u escorted out of the class or thrown out if u have'nt paid your tuition. i dont see anyone being altruistic about education, there are expenses that need to be paid, i dont see how japanese conversation schools are unique in this regard? |
Yeah, but a university isn't going to freak out should a student decide to drop out or transfer to another school. If a student is thinking about doing this at a conversation school, the teachers and staff are under pressure to perform and keep the contract going. |
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poohbear
Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Posts: 46
Location: Toronto & Tokyo
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| Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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| i guess it depends on your character and ofcourse your manager. when i was working in a conversation school i never felt any pressure to "teach harder". lol what else did they want me to do? i passed on the flyers and info to the students as they asked, that was all i could do, they knew i sucked at being a business man and they just left it at that. most of my students renewed though, and they loved the class, so i guess the managers just left me alone since i seemed to be doing something right. |
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Vince
Joined: 05 May 2003
Posts: 559
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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When I worked at ECC, there were several teachers in their forties. Many of them had been there since the golden days, but I think a few were more recent.
Although eikaiwa prefer attractive and more easily manipulated youth, they realize that having a few older teachers is a good thing. Some students want older teachers, and having teachers who look seasoned makes the eikaiwa appear more credible. |
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Mahik
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
Posts: 89
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:19 am Post subject: |
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| poohbear wrote: |
lol i always crack up when i hear people say this. how does this differ from any other school? u know 100% of the universities in North america will NOT allow u attend class unless u've paid your tuition. Education be damned, some will actually have u escorted out of the class or thrown out if u have'nt paid your tuition. i dont see anyone being altruistic about education, there are expenses that need to be paid, i dont see how japanese conversation schools are unique in this regard? |
Nowhere near an accurate comparison, not by a long-shot. While I agree that Universities in America are taking the way of business, they operate on a totally different model than Eikaiwa. They need students to make money, so they have to build a reputation, and that reputation is almost always in quality of education. I never said anything about money, of course they're not gonna teach you if you don't pay, where did I say otherwise? They're a business but they care about education because that's what keeps them in business. And besides that, going to University actually means something because in today's society you need a good degree if you want a decent job.
What do you get for 4 years at an Eikaiwa? A little certificate that says "Well done" but doesn't actually help you get a job? A more accurate comparison would be between an Eikaiwa and a Gym membership. You may feel like you're accomplishing something by having it but any progress you make depends 100% on you, and you'd probably make just as much progress on your own if you were dedicated enough. Anyways, I digress.
Certainly the OP has a good chance of getting a job with an Eikaiwa if he's determined enough to pursue it. I'm just saying that it seems like he might have to work harder to do it. But I honestly wouldn't know. |
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ripslyme
Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 481
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| Mahik wrote: |
| A more accurate comparison would be between an Eikaiwa and a Gym membership. You may feel like you're accomplishing something by having it but any progress you make depends 100% on you, and you'd probably make just as much progress on your own if you were dedicated enough. |
Great analogy, I'm going to have to remember that one. Cheers!  |
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poohbear
Joined: 01 Mar 2005
Posts: 46
Location: Toronto & Tokyo
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| Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:01 am Post subject: |
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[quote="Mahik"]
| poohbear wrote: |
What do you get for 4 years at an Eikaiwa? A little certificate that says "Well done" but doesn't actually help you get a job? A more accurate comparison would be between an Eikaiwa and a Gym membership. You may feel like you're accomplishing something by having it but any progress you make depends 100% on you, and you'd probably make just as much progress on your own if you were dedicated enough. Anyways, I digress.
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to each his own, but in a university any progress also depends on you. maybe u went to a small town university where everyone knew each other and the student services office was friendly, but i went to a uni w/ 40, 000 people and if @ the financial services office u didnt have your tuition paid, they were ruthless.
I'm not sure which eikaiwa u're talking about, but the one i worked @ they were super anal about their reputation and they based it on their ability to have their students speak or pick up a little english during their time there. most of their money was made from student's renewing their contracts, not from new students. Its ultimately a balance between student care and making profits, any private school is like that. I think u're argueing w/ Nova in mind, of which i heard many many nasty things and it seems their rep caught up w/ them in the end, but my eikawa was hardly that mercenery in their treatment of their students. i only wish my japanese school treated me the same way the japanese staff @ my school treated their students. |
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