“The truth about AEON” - interview with KeepingPaceInJapan

On September 21, 2007 in Interviews

As those who have worked (or moonlighted) as teachers in Japan know, language teaching can be a mixed blessing.

As promised, today we are back with Turner (from KeepingPaceinJapan.com) discussing his English teaching experience at AEON.

Here is what he had to say:

DailyJ: You mentioned that you taught at Aeon for a contract period. Could you tell us a little about the experience? What was the best/worst part of it? (Also please give me the link to your posts about the experience so that I can include them with the interview).

I’ll try to be succinct, but I believe my posts explain it best; read them first. I worked with AEON from June 2006 - May 2007, my first employment period in Japan. Although I had heard concerns about the corporate nature of this particular company, I didn’t have too many other choices if I wanted to pursue a life in Japan. In short, I had a bad experience (due in part to cultural differences, but mainly due to my own behavior and a terrible manager). The worst parts about working at AEON are the deception and behavior surrounding sales and campaigns; the best parts about working at AEON are the student interaction, and the means to come to Japan. I still maintain, despite my experience, that these eikaiwa schools are the best way to begin your journey to this country (see part VII).

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/06/truth-about-aeon-part-i.html

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/07/truth-about-aeon-part-ii.html

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/07/truth-about-aeon-part-iii.html

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/07/truth-about-aeon-part-iv.html

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/07/truth-about-aeon-part-v.html

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/07/truth-about-aeon-part-vi.html

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com/2007/07/truth-about-aeon-part-vii_08.html

A big thank you Turner for sharing these articles with us. For anyone interested in teaching in Japan these posts will shed some light on the good and bad of being a teacher, and (among other things) the frictions that can arise between management and the teachers.

Be sure to check them out and then be here for the rest of the interview tomorrow, when we will be keeping pace with Japan IN SPACE!

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