09 April 2011

Status Report, plz

I had my first ever interview for a TESL position with Amity.

Rejected.

HOWEVER.

AEON wants to do this whole wacky interview process in June in Portland.
I had my interview with Peppy Kids Club last week and she mentioned the "next step is an in-person interview" so I'm going to assume this means I got it- the phone interview went well I think (except my rusty Japanese got in the way).
And the reject with Amity means I'm going to submit an application to Interac now. I totally forgot to finish it but now that I have contact information for references it's all good.

THE HUNT CONTINUES!

31 March 2011

That was effin fast. o_O

So I checked my mailbox today...

PKC wants a phone interview with me.

Amity flat out invited me to their interview seminar in Los Angeles on the 9th.

AEON is reviewing my application and will get back to me.

Holy cow, Amity and PKC. But so excited!

30 March 2011

Let the waiting game begin

So, I think I hit all the main bases of eikaiwa-

PKC (#1 choice)
AEON
Amnity
ECC

Let's see if any of them bite......the waiting game begins.

Also I need to finish my Interac application, although I'm not as big on that one as I have one somewhat big barrier in my way of that one- no license, and apparently on their site they state they prefer people who can drive because all that's left for Sept ALT starts (different from eikaiwas who are conversational school people, not travelling between elementary schools), are inaka (boonie) places mostly. Ugh.

PKC update

Yeah, it was their website that was acting funky. Resubmitted the app, this time I got a confirmation page and email, so, fingers crossed they get back to me!

(OMG I really want to work for PKC...they look like such a nice little company, at least compared to AEON or ECC which I also put applications to...)

26 March 2011

AEON + PKC

Okay, I've had no peep from PKC, and considering the strange behavior of their webpage, I'm submitting my app to them again. If they wonder why they got two apps, I'll just say the truth- "your webpage was acting strange- I wasn't sure it went through the first time."

Also submitting an application to AEON- last night I was comparing the two companies, AEON and Amity, and I actually like AEON's work flow a bit better....adults and kids compared to just kids. But overall, I'm not too keen on AEON/Amity for a strange reason (Their two day interview process plus their larger work schedule compared to other eikaiwas turns me off a bit), but, I'm submitting to the Portland interviews which don't happen until...June, so, I'll have something to fall back on if PKC or Interac don't offer anything to me.

(That, and Spokane to Portland is cheaper than, going to LA or Toronto, so....)

Also note to self: ON MONDAY LINE UP MY REFERENCES. MY LACK OF THEM BEING DEFINITE IS MAKING ME NERVOUS.

24 March 2011

Keep on poking those ads

So, I found one through a recruitment agency in Vancouver for ALT positions. Zapped them a resume.

*keeps on tossing darts*

23 March 2011

Day 2

Started that Interac application.....omfg, there's alot to do on it. Need to gather my reference's contact information, apparently.

Submitted an application for ECC- went through and was confirmed. Let's see what happens with it.

Submitted an application for PKC- I took a bit long on it and never got any confirmation screen for it- will follow up on that if nothing happens.....?

I also was watching "Yan-San" videos in the labs last night. Reminds me of high school as those were videos we watched in Japanese class...yes...I studied Japanese for 4 years in high school, and have self studied ever since. Thus why I feel like I want to work in Japan- I have an interest in the culture, and I know a little of the language to where hopefully smacking myself into the country will help me learn more faster.

22 March 2011

The first swats

So, as I said before, my resources for interviewing, are a bit limited, so right now I'm focusing my applications on 3 sorts of opportunities in Japan and crossing my fingers at least ONE of them works out......

Peppy Kids Club- Eikaiwa, working with children. Reviews of this school seem to be fairly positive. Would require me to interview in either Los Angeles or Toronto.....this would be my number one pick. I have heard that they need more hires as they're starting up new programs, so, hopefully the process for hiring is easy?

Interac- ALT contractor. Hit and miss because it's the second largest ALT contractor next to JET hires, but, with none of the protections JET offers, and less pay. This would put me in Japanese Elementary/JHS/SHS as an ALT to a Japanese teacher. Does interviews in Orlando or , hey, Spokane.....depending on when the dates are offered for the interview I could do either one? #2 because Orlando is closer than Toronto/LA, BUT, I have heard hit and miss things about this company.

ECC- Eikaiwa, children/adults, one of the "big" Eikawa chains. Only doing interviews in Toronto......mehhhh....also their interview process seems a bit tough.

There are others that do not require me to interview in person, mostly of the ALT variety, but, I am waiting on those because I have heard some bad things about these opportunities....only if one of the other ones do not pull through.

So, day 1? Submitted an application for ECC, and PKC. Interac needs to wait as I need to upload a photo for them. I also need to contact people for references....oh boy, that'll be interesting. But. That's why I started this blog, so I can pressure myself to suck it up and try and get SOMEBODY to vouch for me in this world of mine......

Oh, also- listening to NHK Japanese Lessons. I took 4 years of Japanese (2 at the college level via WA state's Running Start program) in high school, and have self studied ever since- no clue what level I'm at, probably JLPT 4, unfortunately, but I'm trying to at least pull my conversational skills to something or the other.....

じゃあ、待ったね〜

I must be mad.....

So.....hello, person! Welcome to this blog. This blog is going to record my adventures in attempting to find a job in the wacky world of TESL, and the adventures that come with it.

My main goal is to go to Japan to teach English, someway, somehow. When there is a will, there is a way. I'm graduating this year with my BFA in Illustration, and frankly...I must admit, I'm a little burnt out from the experience. Not to mention the field is hella crazy thanks to our economic downturn here in the US.

So I want to chase another dream of mine- going to Japan. It's been there with me since high school, courtesy of Mr. Yoshida and Japanese classes. (I grew up in WA state where they offered the language in high schools).

So, how do I get to that? Well....

As of the date I write right now, the main program everyone recommends to apply to, JET, or the Japan Exchange and Teaching program, has already done interviews and I missed the application date (ALL the way back in October.). I was too busy last semester to try, and the application was a bit extensive. Oh well. Maybe if my journey this time around fails, I'll give that a whack when the apps open for next year in October.

So the alternatives to JET, are private contractors in Japan. There are two varieties-

ALT- "Assistant Language Teachers"- which are what JET hires also do.Various companies provide them, the main one that hires from overseas that is trustworthy (ish) is Interac.

Eikaiwa- Private english conversation schools.....there are tons of them, but only a few companies apply from directly overseas. And alot of them require me to travel to a major city from FL (possibly to flippin Toronto), to interview.

Also on the table is teaching in South Korea or China- I started an application for a program in China but they are backup plans for me.

So....as they would say, good luck to me, or, がんばれ!