Teaching in Japan Update

Time to share some news!!

I have been offered employment by 3 companies!

Backing up to share how this all happened, I have started applying to eikaiwa's in hopes of getting a start date sooner than the March '14 date that Interac has set for me.  There haven't been any alternate start dates available from them, and waiting 8+ months is going to test my patience a bit too much.  They are still my 1st pick and back up, however if I can get a position that starts sooner and possibly only be 6 months then that would be perfect to hope me over until Interac.

About 2 weeks ago I applied to COCO Juku, Jibun Mirai, and MIL Language School.  They all accepted my application and I had a Skype interview with them.  And thanks to me forgetting the time zone issue (DUH!) I scheduled them all back to back in one night.  However, they all went well and I have so far been offered employment by Jibun and COCO's.

I turned down Jibun simply because they didn't have a location for me before signing and would not offer a 6 month contract.  Their interview was very simple, mostly a lot of talk about past experience, and did not include a sample lesson.  The company seems to have an okay reputation in the online communities, but didn't pay as much as some others.  I let them know that I appreciated the offer but was going with something else and would keep them in mind for the future.

COCO's just offered me a position last night and I have 5 days to consider.  They are owned by the GABA corporation and do not have the most favorable reputation, however I think I could make it work as a learning experience and filler before Interac in March.  They tend to focus on medical terminology for doctors and nurses, so would certainly be fun making lesson plans to demo and learn. I'm thinking playing a game of 'Operation' would be an interesting way to learn:)

Lastly, I haven't heard back from MIL yet.  They are my top pick for an eikaiwa for many reasons.  The salary is pretty decent compared to others.  The 9 locations are all within the same area of Chiba, right on the Keisei line into Tokyo from Narita.  That location would be perfect!  Also, the apartments that they set their teachers up in are huge for Japanese standards.  Their motto is that 'a happy teacher is an effective teacher', and the man I interviewed with said much of the same.  They also have a decent online reputation.

I'm hopeful that I'll be shipping out much earlier than March, so fingers crossed!  I should hear back from Interac about the November alternate positions sometime this week, and will most likely send them an email practically begging for a position..can't hurt since they've already offered me employment, worst they can say is 'no'.  And I'll keep applying as jobs pop up!

So for now、じゃね！