Job Discussion Forums

[nobuko]

Hello Everyone!

I have been recently hired as an ECC teacher and training commences on the 5th of December. Is anyone else heading up there around the same time? I'm looking for someone to share the excitement jitters.

Danielle

[Mahik]

Hi Danielle!

I've also been accepted to ECC and am starting in December. Maybe we could make this the official thread for new ECC teachers since the Nova thread one... Well let's not talk about that.

I'm expecting my CoE soon which is coming a lot sooner than I initially thought. I don't think it's gonna completely settle in until I'm just leaving though, although I do have these occasionaly spurts of enthusiasm.

I assume you're going to Osaka since you're in the December 5 training group. Have you been there before? I haven't so I hope it's a good experience. I only know Japan by Tokyo and some of the Kinki area.

Fun fact, Osaka is the 8th most expensive city in the world for Americans this year. http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/15/pf/most_expensive_cities/

[southofreality]

Congrats!

A message of hope for those discouraged by the NOVA situation.

Good luck!

[jenn24]

I'm also headed to Japan with ECC.

However, my training starts November 12th. I'll be in Kanto/Tokyo.

Excited!

[algo]

Danielle, I remember you from our interview group！

It's nice to see that you're going over to Osaka too.

So I guess so far we have 4 confirmed for Dec 5 in Osaka...

Ky

[gonzarelli]

[Mahik]

Dunno, guess it depends on the value of their currency to the yen.

@jenn: Ah so you got one of the coveted November slots, when was your interview if I may ask?

[jenn24]

My interview was July 19th in Toronto.

[Jibbo]

Well done to all of you!

I have an interview with ECC this week. Can anyone offer any advice on the English test?
How long did you have to wait after the interview to find out that you had been successful?

[jenn24]

For the English test study parts of speech. Know your tenses. The test is hard. I studied quite a lot for it and still found it challenging, so don't freak out about it if afterwards you feel like you didn't do well.

I think they say you will know if you're successful or not within 2 weeks. I found out close to the end of that time period, so don't worry if you don't find out straight away.

Good luck.

[Mahik]

Regardless of how much you study, it'll be harder than you expect. There's a lot of "find what's wrong with the sentence" parts but it's very subtle, hardly obvious at all. Then there's one of the last quarters of the test which is identify parts of speech from underlined words in a paragraph. But it's 20 questions, so there's a lot more than just adverb, adjective, etc. They have past progressive, prepositional phrase, really weird stuff you don't have to identify often.

More important though is the mock lesson. I think if you do very well in the lesson they'll forgive a poor test. Be sure to "follow the lesson" to the letter. If it says "Have subjects say ____" then have them say just that, don't put it another way or wing it, they don't like that. John is a nice guy though so he should put you at ease. Just try to be confident, energetic, and outspoken. REMEMBER IT IS A JOB INTERVIEW! So wear a suit and tie and arrive early.

Funny story, they said they'd tell me two weeks after the interview. Three weeks later I was told I would know by Friday. That Friday I was told I'll definitely know by Saturday morning. Apparently they aren't open on weekends. The following Monday I was told "WEDNESDAY, for sure!" and then they offered me a contract on Tuesday.

[nobuko]

Hurray! I just got an email today telling me that I should receive my CoE (Certificate of Eligibility) in the mail in approx. 3 business days.

What is everyone doing to prepare themselves for their trip to Japan? Personally, I have yet to allow this idea of me leaving sink in but now that my last week of work is near I'm now considering getting my act together. So far, I have purchased a phone line using Comwave so that way I will have a 416 area code and can talk to friends and family without the long distant hassle. It's like they're my next door neighobours. It's very reasonable without the contract too so expect to spend $15/month.

Another thing, friends have told me stock up on cold medicine because the little kids you teach may not keep their hands to themselves and spread all their flu goo everywhere. Be prepared and get your flu shot.

Hmmmm..Does anyone else have advice that you care to share?

[Patrique]

[Mahik]

So you got in Pat? Congratz, when and what part are you headed for?

@nobuko: Personally, I plan to get an International Driver's License from AAA since it's cheap and seems relativily painless to get so it can't hurt to have one. I'm not sure about having a local number though, wouldn't a phone card be easier? I only ask because we'll be there a year and you're bound to make friends and I'm sure there will be instances where ECC will want to call you and they may not be cool with having to call you long distance every time. I plan to use either a phone card or Skype. Btw, are you going to the Osaka area? I PM'd you about a little correspondence group I'm in (with Kylie from your Interview group) if you're interested. There's only a few of us but we're all in the same training group and it seems like a good way of having a small group of friends you know when you land.

I also got my CoE, it's pretty spiffy if I do say so myself (and I do say so, myself). I gotta work out a time to get to the embassy and what they need for my VISA. Oh so very exciting!

[gonzarelli]

I must admit that I'm jealous of the enthusiasm in this thread. I remember being that giddy when I first got a job offer with ECC and then the lead up to landing in Japan. I was so excited to be in Japan and everything was great for the first year or two. After that, I began to see things differently. I think it's because I began to understand a bit more of Japan and people's attitudes. One of my first students at ECC told me that foreigners who stay in Japan longer than two years are punks.

Any of you guys heading to Nagoya?