Job Discussion Forums

viddy · Joined: 07 Jan 2004 Posts: 50 Location: London, England

In your opinion (from personal experience or accounts of others), which do you think is the best of the Big 4 schools?

shmooj · Joined: 11 Sep 2003 Posts: 1758 Location: Seoul, ROK

I put GEOS because they have less advertising and signage (in our area at least).

avahanian · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 123

This might be unfair to say but I think that after reading forums (on this website as well as others), I doubt that many people would say NOVA is the best...

I havent heard too many negatives about AEON, they seem to be the most professional one but I could be wrong.

I have heard horror stories about GEOS' paperwork and having to be a salesman.

I am sure all of these schools have their good and bad points however.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Just curious- this word 'professional' gets bandied about when referring to language schools but I'd just be curious to know what the professional training and background and training is of the managers, the foreign instructors that break in the new staff. Who trains the trainers and what are their qualifications?

BY definition professional people should be those with CELTAs, Trinity diplomas, professional qualifications. Do they work in positions of responsibility at AEON, GEOS, and NOVA, or are they just obsequious lackeys that have their noses in the company trough?

How is AEON deemed professional but NOVA is not? Last i heard most of their teachers got paid for a living, which does make anyone working there, a professional teacher of sorts. Is there any other kind?

BuddhaRhubarb · Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 14

hi new poster here, i've (btw i tend to eschew capital letters online, so i hope no one minds that) been teaching for a while at aeon, and will be there until next december.

i dont know that aeon is "more professional" than nova or anyone else. we do have to wear a suit (not just a tie and dockers) everyday...there is a definite "appearance of professionalism"...but as far as atmosphere goes, it has much less to do with the mother corporation and more to do with individual schools as far as aeon goes...

some branches are more professional seeming (notice how i keep using seem, appearance...hmm) i like aeon in terms of my school, my apartments okay. (the less contact i have with honbu ((head office)), the better) i teach a lot of classes - 28 usually, but i get a decent lunch hour most days, and aside from the usual petty squabbles between management and some teachers, things are very pleasant at work...

the students are great, sometimes i hang out with various students, but most of them are too busy to hang with, so its left at the school, which is fine. in fact i am signing today for another six months when i finish my 2nd year in July.(ooh a capital letter) well, thats my two cents...thanks buddha
Very Happy

Nando-X · Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 7 Location: Japan

Do you really have to wear a suit every day at Aeon? Wow, I didn't see that in their web site though I did notice the photographs of the male teachers wearing them. I thought they were just dressed up for the sake of the photograph. Good to know!

BTW, how many suits do you own? How many do you recommend for daily work? Is dry cleaning expensive? This is kind of a turn off actually as I only own one suit. I suppose I could by some cheap ones here in Toronto if I were to get hired on at Aeon (I just applied their recently) but in my usual fashion I'm counting chickens before they've hatched. Thanks again for pointing this out!

Buddha, do you mind if I PM you with some questions about Aeon?

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Nando-X · Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 7 Location: Japan

BuddhaRhubarb · Joined: 22 Jan 2004 Posts: 14

nando, yeah you have to wear a suit everyday, but you dont have to wear the jacket all the time at most schools, just when you are in the lobby, doing interviews with prospective students...you can take it off while teaching, planning etc....i wear mine all the time, but thats just me.

they recommend you bring 3 suits(or at least 3 jackets that can go with black dress pants...you are in Canada? head to a value village or some other second hand store, and you will be able to pickup 2 or 3 nice suits for less than 100 bucks...thats what i did, in Vancouver...people here are always commenting on how nice my suits are!

good luck