Got an Interview With
Aeon English School? Get Tips to Help You Succeed

If you’re thinking of teaching in Japan for Aeon, but are unsure of what will be required of you and how the whole interview process goes, you’re in luck. We’ve put together some tips and strategies to help get you through it.

What Type of Teacher They Look For

Like Nova, Geos and ECC, Aeon mandates that “candidates must have an accredited Bachelor's degree combined with a strong understanding and masterful command of the English language, and a genuine interest in the culture and people of Japan as well as in teaching and business.” Well anyway, that's what they say on their website. And it's true. Teacher turnover is high for Aeon and company as your average teacher stays in Japan 3 years before packing it in.

Like the other schools who basically only hire native English speakers, you can get a position if you have 10 years of education provided that English is the primary mode of instruction. More info. on what big English schools are looking for here.

Provided you meet their basic qualifications, you fill out their on-line application form. If your application survives the first cut you’ll be invited to an informational meeting and group interview. Want to see their application? Here’s the link.

If you choose to attend the informational meeting, you'll get a massive amount of info. on what their company is like, what life in Japan is like, what to expect teaching in Japan, contact hours and the usual propaganda. If you like what you hear, the group interview is the next step. More info on contact hours here. After they give their presentation, there will be a question and answer session, where you’ll be able to ask your personal questions and get answers to things not covered.

The Group Interview

During the group interview, you'll be asked to give a short (and I do mean short sample lesson - roughly 5 minutes.) The other interviewees will be your "students." You'll also be given a short written test - it's quite basic so don't sweat this part.

Advice For Your Sample Lesson

Don’t be boring. In other words, don’t do rote vocabulary drills etc. Don’t have them read passages from a book, after all, the job is English conversation right? Keep it fun and focused and most importantly simple.

The Next Step

After the group presentations, you’ll be given a sealed envelope, which will tell you if you made the cut. (Gotta love the drama!) If you did, you’ll be invited back on a different day to do a personal interview.

The Personal Interview

In the personal interview, you’ll be required to give a 10 minute lesson. The interviewer will be the student. Usually they’ll give you a few minutes to plan it. Aeon wants to make sure you can move in an organized fashion through the lesson. Basically you want to introduce the key grammar point or concept and then run a short speaking exercise off of it.

There are tons of sample ESL lessons available on the net so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding something that is interesting. If you survive this final cut, they’ll extend a 1 year contract to you, give you details on where you’ll be located, send you a prep manual and start processing your visa.

Survival Tips and Other Information

• Aeon will check your references, so make sure they’re legit.
• Wear formal attire. No khakis etc.
• Aeon will run a background check.
• They don’t pay for transportation expenses to the interviews.
• Keep in mind the whole hiring process will take 2 to 3 months.
• Aeon staff will meet you at the airport, when you fly into Japan.
• The recruiter will have detailed information on getting your visa.

If you got hired great! You can get U.S. passport information here.

Don’t know what to pack? No problem check out our packing tips page.

See our knock-down and drag-out salary and benefits comparison of the top English conversation schools here to see if Aeon is right for you. If you're not sure, you can look for more work on our job postings page.