2 Comments on AEON Japan

Dagny Taggart on Thu, 9th Jul 2009 10:37 am


I would not recommend AEON whatsoever. The recruiters were less than forthcoming in my case and this lead to huge problems when I arrived in Japan. I was promised a clean apartment, plenty of lesson preparation time, and I was told that I was to work 36 hours a week. Naturally, I would be paid for any overtime and since the company seemed trustworthy, I decided to go with them.

Unfortunately, AEON did not keep their end of the bargain. The apartment I moved into was filthy, and I had to spend my own money and time cleaning up after the previous tenant, no small task mind you. I also did not have much preparation time, which was problematic since I was not yet accustomed to AEON’s way of teaching. I was then “encouraged” to come one or two hours prior to my official start time to prepare for my lessons so that I would have enough time. I was also told to work during my lunch break and since I was not permitted to leave the building, I had little choice in the matter. I also had to stay 30 to 40 minutes after my official end time since that had been an issue with my predecessor. All in all, I worked much more than the 36 hours I was promised and the company refused to pay me for my overtime. I was only compensated after I sought the counsel of a worker’s union.

I encourage teachers who are looking into teaching in Japan to be extremely thorough in their research and to contact a union, such as the General Union of Japan, upon arrival. In order to make an informed decision, it is imperative that you know your rights and that you are aware of problems that other teachers have had in the past. At least, this way you will know what to expect and you can deal with problems in an effective manner.

Mark on Tue, 29th Sep 2009 9:37 pm


Here here to everything said above. I have worked at a couple universities and for 2 other eikaiwas besides and AEON was a nightmare. There was a ton of unpaid overtime. It was not physically possible to do all they required within the given time, and I regularly worked 10+hour days. In the orientation we were told nothing of the sales pitches we would be held responsible for in the name of special classes, self-study material and “open Sundays”. Harassment and badgering by head teacher, office manager and favored NE teacher counterpart was so intimidating that the fellow before me lasted 5 just months, and the lady after me just one month and there had been a couple teachers who had pulled runners prior to this. Students were well aware that our school had a hard time hanging on to its teachers. The level of over the top animation they demanded was something like Sesame Street selling used cars; greed was the driver. The students were fine, but the company business is to get them to spend as much money as possible every chance possible, and foreign teachers are very expendable. Get it right or you’re gone, and they will try to squeeze blood out of your turnip. I finished my contracts and even got my bonus, and they didn’t chase me to the train station as I left, but their treatment of employees was ugly, brutal and probably illegal by American labor laws. ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER AEON.

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