AEON Corporation of Japan Reviews

Pros

Teaching is amazing! Seeing your students improve is the most rewarding part, and I feel like I actually made a difference. You get supported all the way through your time at Aeon. From setting up your apartment and cellphone to training and helping you adjust to Japan. I felt like the company had my back. You get paid well! Also, the apartment is rent capped so I lived pretty comfortably. You will grow as a person. It's a big challenge, and not everyone is going to work out but I don't regret a moment!

Cons

It's super tough at first. Especially teaching kids, I was tired a lot in my first month. But keep going and you'll get through. If you don't speak Japanese, you lose a lot of independence. I remember that even grocery shopping was exhausting because of the language barrier. You will have to recommend and sell materials. It's part of the job, but a lot of people seem surprised by it. (I actually got my current job because I had the sales experience at Aeon, so I guess it worked out!)

Pros

The company is great for helping you settle into Japan. The website is very clear about what gets done and how they set you up (apartment, your pay, etc). You can meet various people and have a great cultural experience in another country. Lessons are generally structured so you don't have to create content from scratch. Your pay is alright for an entry level foreign English teacher position (and compared to other companies). You get healthcare insurance and health check-ups!!!

Cons

A lot of it depends on your own school. If your school isn't well organized, work is going to be rough. Even if it's a good school, you're going to be very busy. You can be overworked, but that's technically accounted for in your pay. If you have the usual weekends, then you miss out of 10 national holidays in the year. Getting someone to cover for you when you take time off can be difficult. Vacation days and sick days are the same 5 days combined. Upper executives seem very distant and lacking connection with staff in terms of what to expect. Probably not important in the future, but compared to other companies, AEON responded the slowest. Main takeaway is YMMV.

Pros

You can get a 3 year work visa in Japan that does not become invalid when you leave the company as long as you have a different job

Cons

The “flight allowance” is false advertisement. They give you extremely low pay during training so that training pay + flight allowance= one normal paycheck. Legally, every company in Japan must give 10 days of paid time off per year that employees can use at will. AEON only provides 5, and they count national holidays (usually on Mondays, already a normal day off in this job) as the other 5. This loophole allows them to limit your days off. The “subsidized rent” is also false advertisement. The company pretends to cap your rent at ¥55,000, but in reality you can find company apartments listed at much less on the internet. The extra money most employees are paying in rent goes to subsidize rent for employees in Tokyo. They used to tell applicants this openly and only started covering it up when they faced backlash. Sexual harassment and racial discrimination are rampant within the company, and the management and trainers do nothing to protect teachers from it. The overtime work required for this job can be insane entirely depending on where you are placed. Commute times can be up to 1.5 hours one way, and you are expected to be 15 minutes early and leave the school 15-30 minutes after closing. Managers make a good part of their salaries from monthly bonuses for reaching sales goals, so they will push teachers very hard to sell unnecessary items to students in order to get these bonuses. You never see any of the money from your own sales. Generally this company limits your freedom by inconvenient work days/hours, forcing you to use terrible company owned apartments, and extremely limited PTO. It’s the best way to live in Japan without ever experiencing it.

Pros

Depending on the school you’re at you’ll have a great time. I had a great time at my school. The pay isn’t so bad if you are single, not a lot of debt. I was able to travel a lot and eat yummy food.

Cons

The schedule can tire you out so much you need to force yourself to go out on the weekends.

Pros

• You can get a lot of teaching experience out of this position - especially because you will be working with a wide range of students (infants, toddlers, elementary, jr. high, high school, college, office workers, teachers, seniors, families, etc.) • Very structured hiring process - they will provide you with all the necessary forms and will also specifically tell you what information they need from you to apply for the position, receive your visa, upon arrival, etc. • Housing is provided and rent is capped - no need to worry about looking for your own place and staff will help you with the moving in and out process • You get to fully immerse yourself into the Japanese culture - Japan has so much to offer from the people, food, history, traveling, etc. I really enjoyed traveling around Japan. It's very easy with the option of bullet trains, cheap overnight buses, and LCC flights.

Cons

• Remember that you're in Japan and not your home country anymore - it's going to be different. The social views are vastly different and so is the work culture. Do your research so you know what you're getting into. Although each branch school's work culture will be different, it will depend on the administration/management of the school • If you don't have prior teaching experience, ESPECIALLY with kids, it will be challenging at first. Do not expect the kids to be goody two shoes - they will be energetic, bouncing off the walls, checked-out, not listen, etc. You'll need great patience, flexibility, and you'll need to be able to think quickly on your feet. It'll take time, but you'll be able to build the stamina to keep up with them. • Language barrier - not all of the staff in the office will be able to speak English fluently. There will be challenges outside of work as well. If you are placed in a less urban, more suburban or rural area, don't expect everyone to know some English. Highly recommend having some ability to speak and understand Japanese. • AEON is ultimately a business - you will have to contribute by selling products and landing contracts with students. If you do not have sales experience, it may feel strange but it'll come with practice.

Pros

-Fun and easy job (if you get lucky in location placement AND have good staff working with you) -No prior knowledge of teaching needed -Great living support from the company -Work hours avoid any train congestion (but, the hours are still less than ideal) -Overall a great experience and opportunity to experience working in Japan

Cons

-Long work hours. Expect to work overtime everyday. (Come into work at least 15 minutes before and start your morning chores, leave work 30 minutes after to clean or do counseling) -Lack of trust and respect between Japanese and Foreign staff (I hear a lot of trash talk between each group which sometimes creates a hostile environment) -Most National holidays are on Mondays, which is already your day off so you don't get any extra days like other office workers. That is (kind of) soul-crushing.