I recently went through the virtual initial interview for a teaching position at AEON and wanted to share some tips/takeaways to pay it forward.
Obviously, be punctual bc they start exactly on time and dress in interview attire FROM HEAD TO TOE. As others have mentioned, they WILL ask you to stand as you introduce yourself. I was only interviewed by one person and he was very pleasant. They’ll start off with typical questions: Tell me about yourself. Why do you want to teach English in Japan? Why AEON? What skills are you hoping to build? How do you work in a team? How do you handle feedback?
One of the main things they assess in this first interview is if you actually paid attention to the fine print on the website, so make sure you study it thoroughly. Some of the questions are easy (“What did you learn about the role and life at AEON?”), but I was asked very specific questions as well: What is the monthly salary? How many hours do teachers work? What days and times are lessons held? What are the business-related responsibilities outside of teaching? I fumbled a bit bc I wasn’t prepared for that level of specificity, but luckily, I remembered enough to answer within the ballpark. I was also a bit thrown off by the “preference” questions they asked (“Do you have a preference on where you’re placed? The age group you’ll work with?” “Are you comfortable with this salary?”) bc I’ve heard stores about them being immediately turned off by any inkling of preferences. It’s very important to remember that this is Japanese work culture: they don’t want inconsiderate, selfish, bratty entitled Americans. They want flexibility, reliability, and professionalism. Whether or not it was actually a trap, I decided to be cautious and stuck with “I’m adaptable and flexible enough to go/do where/whatever AEON needs me.”
The interview lasted about 25 minutes, and I guess I didn’t screw up as bad as I thought bc the interviewer immediately invited me back for the 2nd interview, which will be a virtual group interview with teaching demos/roleplay. Anyway, happy to answer any questions. And good luck to all who are also on this journey!
EDIT: Crossed out an insensitive, unnecessary comment.
by Ok-Marsupial4037