Job Discussion Forums

[XMizer]

I got a GEOs 3-day interview from June 16-18

But Interac is scheduled on June 17!

Which one should I go to?

What are my options?

[patsensei]

Hi when I worked for interac and while i was there they had a cashflow problem and their teaching training was quite poor. However you'll have different teaching opportunities not just eikaiwa but in high schools and such. With Geos it's mainly eikaiwa style.
Good luck!

[luckyloser700]

Are you mostly looking for the Japan experience or EFL teaching experience. With Interac you'll most likely get stuck in a rural location during your first year or two. ALT work tends to be a little easier than eikaiwa work in terms of actual teaching hours, but you could end up teaching elementary school classes all by yourself with a load of overly genki little snots who know nothing of discipline. Junior HS and HS ALT work is great, though.
With an Eikaiwa company like GEOS you have a better chance at being assigned to a school in a larger-sized city. If it's a busy school with a teacher shortage, you'll work your ass off.
I read one of your prior posts and recall your dislike of job interviews. GEOS is more grueling than Interac. GEOS is 3 full days. Interac is one afternoon with a filmed demo lesson. It'll probably be just you and the recruiter in the room at the time of filming. With GEOS you'll be up in front of one or more people every day. But, when you teach for either company you'll be doing that anyway.

[Willy_In_Japan]

If you are near both interviews at the same time, go to the first day of the GEOS interview. You should get a good idea about what it is like with them.

You may even get cut on the first day. MANY people don't make it to the second day of the GEOS interview. If you like what you see, you can decide then if you should attend the Interac interview or not.

If I was in your situation, and made the second day of the interview at GEOS, I would also try and arrange an evening interview with Interac, explaining that you are also interviewing with GEOS.

Or, I would just Interview for GEOS and then on the second day, make an evaluation as to if you have a shot at GEOS, and then cancel with Interac.

I have a feeling even if you make it to the second day at GEOS, you will go to the Interac interview.

[womblingfree]

If this is your first teaching job then I'd definitely go with GEOS.

You'll get the full eikaiwa experience which should be great fun for a time at least. You'll be teaching mostly adults in the afternoons/evenings and will be free to go and party with them as you wish.

Interac will stick you in a high school and you'll be getting up super early every day with limited chances to meet other ex-pats or Japanese adults. In my experience high school co-workers rarely have the energy or will to go and get pissed at karaoke.

I reckon it's worth getting some ALT experience after you're fed up with an eikaiwa. But if my high school job had been the only experience of Japan I'd have missed out on some great times and great friends.

[Willy_In_Japan]

If you are coming to Japan to party, sure, Eikaiwa might give you more opportunities to go out drinking and speaking English.

However, working in a Junior High school, they do have Enkais from time to time which is partying in Japanese style with real Japanese people who aren't there to get free English practice. You might have missed out on 'great times' but I seriously doubt the 'great friends' part.

Personally, when work ends, I would prefer it to end, and go do things with my friends, or on my own. I always felt taken advantage of when I paid 3000-5000 Yen every month to give free English practice to my GEOS students. Going out with specific students at GEOS is not something you will get in trouble for, but it is seriously frowned upon. Their idea of socializing with your students is to make sure you do it with ALL of your students at the same time.

If getting up at 11am versus 7am is important to you, go with GEOS. However, if getting home at 5pm versus 11pm is important to you, go with ALT work. Also, if learning a bit of Japanese is important to you, and not being 'talked to' by the manager if you speak Japanese, take a pass on GEOS. If pushing books is something you enjoy, go with GEOS. If you like teaching 30 plus classes a week, again GEOS.

[womblingfree]

[Willy_In_Japan]

Naw, I wasn't talking about dating.....just associating with the students you like and leaving the pains behind so to speak. They didn't like that.

Sure I went to Kamakura with a female student, but it wasn't a 'date'.

I guess I am not that enamoured with partying, because Im 42.

And, I disagree about being free to go home from GEOS 'parties'. THere was a lot of pressure when I didn't go to every one enthusiastically, because I did try to take a miss on as many as I could get away with. I heard from head office asking 'why don't you like to go out with your students?". If that is not a subtle 'hint' I don't know what is.

Perhaps you never experienced the pressure to attend because you never avoided the parties. In theory they are 'volunteer', but just try to miss them because you don't want to go.

I found the Japanese lessons to be pretty useless..I learned more Japanese my first month as an ALT, than I did a year in Japan at GEOS.

[womblingfree]