Job Discussion Forums

[purple_piano]

This may well be a stupid question but I'm feeling anxious at the moment and I just wanted to hear the opinion of the voices of reason on here

I am starting at AEON next month. It will be my first teaching job post-CELTA and I'm looking forward to the experience itself as well as the teaching experience that I will hopefully gain. However, I know that AEON, like a lot of the eikawas, have their own teaching method which they want their teachers to use. I experienced the AEON method during the selection process and it didn't appear to contrast too much with the "CELTA Way".

I want EFL teaching to become a long-term career and my AEON post is, hopefully, just the start. But will my experience at the eikawa be taken seriously when I am job hunting in the future? I don't intend to stay in Japan forever and hopefully will eventually get a teaching position in Europe, closer to home in the UK, maybe with International House or the British Council.

My main concerns are that even though I have the CELTA, a lot of people who apply for eikawa jobs do not as they are not essential. Also because the lesson structure is on the formulaic side will future employers think that I am unable to plan lessons effectively?

Or is ANY experience Good Experience?

[Mr_Monkey]

Will all future employers actually have heard of AEON?

Besides, you can always, y'know, ignore the "AEON method" when no-one's looking, which, in my experience with GEOS (who are similar in that they have a "system"), was practically all the time

As far as I could tell, the purpose of the formulaic method at GEOS (the "GEOS Communicative Method") is twofold: First, it provides scaffolding for inexperienced teachers to put together a lesson. The in-house textbooks are largely built around the method, so you can put together a lesson if you know what the method is. Secondly, it serves as a marketing tool - it allows managers/salespeople to talk in a clear way about how the customer will learn - even if this is not the literal truth 'on the ground', so to speak.

In the classroom, however, the lesson planning and implementation is your call - I certainly had alternative and supplementary books that I could bring in and use in class whenever I liked, and later training sessions introduced me to alternative approaches to planning lessons that clearly did not follow the method prescribed by GEOS.

I don't know if AEON use their own texts for their entire range of books. If you have any texts prepared by other companies, you'll find that they certainly don't follow the methods used in the in-house books, and will certainly make different assumptions about the learners.

In short, if you have any degree of freedom at all in planning lessons at AEON, you will be able to later argue that you can plan lessons that reflect the needs of the individuals in your groups. This is a core part of what future employers will look for when interviewing you.

You may find (I certainly did) that teaching monolingual, monocultural groups will washback in to your teaching style - when I left Japan and moved into EFL teaching in the UK, I found that my first two months were a complete nightmare, as I had no experience of teaching multi-lingual groups and dealing with their needs, which are quite different from many Japanese learners. Saudi learners, for example, generally have very poor writing skills compared to Japanese learners, but are more confident and willing to speak out, even if they lack the skills and vocabulary to properly express themselves. I would expect that an interviewer would question you on something like this when you decide to move away from Japan - how will you manage the transition and learn to adapt your teaching methods to suit the new context?

You probably already have a copy of The Practice of English Language Teaching by Harmer from your CELTA - if you don't, I recommend you buy it, as it is full of practical teaching ideas and discussion of different methods and approaches. I can also recommend Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom by Tricia Hedge. It's similar in concept to Harmer's tome, but has a really, really comprehensive bibliography, and some alternative ideas. Both will serve you well in planning lessons, and, importantly, most future employers will have heard of one or both of them. Being able to discuss what you think of each book, or how they aided you in planning and delivering individualised lessons, would help to show a commitment to professional development that will make later interviews easier.

[Glenski]

Experience is experience, of course. If you plan to look for work in Europe after a year or so with AEON, then work with AEON will at least be considered. The longer after you work at a place, the less it is deemed of value. And, if you want to get university work, AEON experience will probably be given very low consideration anytime.

[purple_piano]

Thank you Mr_Monkey and Glenski for your replies.

Mr_Monkey- I do have a copy of Harmer already (very useful during the CELTA) and I'll have a look at the Tricia Hedge book.

I suppose I'll see how (if at all) my experience in Japan alters my teaching style. As Glenski said, "experience is experience." Even if AEON give me nothing else at least I'll have experience of standing in a classroom trying to get learners talking!

[Rezz]

Congrats on the placement with AEON purple_piano. I notice your from the UK too, I have a presentation/interview with AEON next month. How long ago was it that you had your interview?

Just wondering how long it takes to get from one stage to the next.

[purple_piano]

Hi Rezz,
Good luck with the interview! I hope it goes well, the AEON peeps from the New York office are really friendly.

I had my interview at the end of February. They said at the time that placements would be for July/August start dates however I was lucky and got an earlier start date in June. With the June interviews that you are attending if you are successful I would expect you'd get a start date around October/November time. Don't quote me on that!

As a tip, make sure you take a notebook with you and take notes during the presentation, they give you so much info it helps to write it down!