Job Discussion Forums

[Canuck2112]

Hi everyone...this is my first post here. I was recently granted an interview for GEOS. It is to be held over three days (Friday through Sunday). If I decide to go to it, what can I expect in terms of questions? Do I need to review grammar etc before the interview? Also, if anyone has any general feelings about GEOS I'd really appreciate hearing them...the one resounding thing I hear is "they work their teachers like dogs".

Oh, one more question (sorry for the barrage here), are all GEOS interviews over the weekend? The reason I ask is because I usually work saturday and sunday.

Thanks

[angelshade]

Hi Canuck2112,

I interviewed with GEOS just last weekend and have been given an offer with them. The 3-day long process was perhaps the most organized, efficient, grueling, and intense (yet somehow, fun) interview I have ever been through. In a way, it was like being on a reality TV show, where you are thrown together with a group of strangers from all over and are given various tasks. You don't know how many positions are available and you're doing your best to not get eliminated. Do not expect to relax during the weekend (except Sunday night or unless you get cut), and definitely do not plan on any activities for Saturday night if you make it past the 2nd cut.

Friday's session starts at 9 am or 11 am depending on which time slot you signed up for. If you are part of the 9 am group and you make the first cut, you will need to wait until 2 pm for the afternoon session which combines the candidates from both the 9 am and 11 am groups.

You should definitely review your grammar before taking the 20-min quiz. The quiz is the first thing they administer to determine your English skills. They use the results to make the first cut. After grading the quizzes, they will discuss your results during one-on-one interviews.

During the afternoon session which runs from 2 pm until 4:30 - 5 pm, they will formally introduce you to GEOS by giving you some basic information. They will explain their company, philosophy, history, salary, vacation, teaching methods, etc. You are allowed to ask any questions you have regarding Japan, teaching, or GEOS. You then do some pairwork and group activities such as a 5-min group demonstration.
At the end of the session, they make the second cut. If successful, you are invited back to continue with the rest of the weekend.

Saturday's session starts at 8:30 am or 9 am, depending on whether you need to retake your quiz. It ends around 3:30 - 4 pm. During Saturday's session, training officially begins. You are given a handbook which exposes you to even more information about GEOS. Here, they cover the basic information they gave you yesterday in more detail. Expectations, dress code, schedules, apartment furnishings, training, company organization, career opportunities, their teaching format, the business side, etc. are all discussed. They demonstrate the GEOS teaching method and even give you their evaluation form so you know exactly what they are looking for. You are required to make your own teaching materials for your 30-min demonstration on Sunday. It definitely helps to have scissors, glue, tape, construction paper, etc. to construct your teaching materials. Many out-of-towners had to purchase their own supplies. Since the Japan head office evaluates you by your materials, everyone I knew, including myself, stayed up until 3:30 am working on them.

Sunday's session begins at 8:45 am sharp and lasts until 12 - 1:30 pm. You form pairs and take turns delivering your teaching demo to one another. Afterwards, you are called in one by one to discuss the results of your demonstration and interviewed for any final remarks. By the time you are through, you should have a good idea of whether or not they will give you an offer. The entire process was similar to a GEOS bootcamp. There was a high degree of comraderie among the interviewees because we were all going through the same thing. The results of the interview will be given to you in 2 days. Their response time is amazing compared to most American companies.

I am not sure about whether all GEOS interviews are held over the weekend, but I'm thinking they probably are since most people have to fly in for the interview.

I also would appreciate hearing about any recent GEOS experiences firsthand. After the interview, my impression of GEOS is quite favorable in that they were extremely professional, organized, and efficient for such a large company. They were very clear, open, and upfront with their expectations. The interviewees were all really cool people that I'd like to work with. However, since GEOS was the first company I've interviewed with, I'm not sure if I should hold out for JET, Aeon, or ECC.

[Judo]

I worked for GEOS for two years, and left in the late 90s. I would agree, yes, they do work you very hard. There is a business aspect too, and you are expected to sell texts, and also get new students to sign up or existing students to renew. This was the least pleasant part of the job for me.

On the teaching end, they had good resources available, some decent training, and good suport from the trainers if you need it. Expect to teach all ages - I was told in my predeparture training that I wouldn`t teach kids, only to arrive and find out that 30 percent of my classes were with children. The manager had requested someone experienced with children, and she got me, so I`m not too sure about their recruitment and placement process.

The Japanese teachers - most of whom are `part time` and make terrible pay for a lot of work - were great, and helped me out a lot with everything from recommending restaurants to helping me make reservations for a holiday. Teachers at other GEOS schools said the same thing about their Japanese colleagues. GEOS always paid on time, and the apartment was in good shape when I arrived.

My class load varied from 8 /day during a very busy summer, to 5 or 6 a day most of the rest of the time. I enjoyed it, but know some who didn`t, primarily because of the heavy teaching schedules and the sales expectations. GEOS is also cheap about some things, and was getting cheaper by the day when I was there. One Japanese friend who left gEOS and went to another job told me how surprised she was to be given stationery supplies on her first day at the new job - at GEOS you generally had to bring your own.

The only thing I can say about the interview is look professional and be enthusiastic. Look very professional. I interviewed with a different format, but noticed that those of who were called back for the second interview were the ones who had worn suits to the first interview.