The Interview Process

So after waiting a couple weeks, I actually heard back from all three. ECC had sent me a “Thank you for your application but...” letter while the other two, AEON and Interac sent me emails of interest. Yes! So now the interview process began but before that, I started to create a list of pros and cons per company to get a better idea of where I would want to be. 

When trying to find genuine, truthful information, Google and Youtube helped alot. I had found many other blogs, like this one, and Youtube channels of people just like me expressing their process and their thoughts. How perfect!

AEON is considered a “fast food” language school. And by that I mean that the schools are usually located near a train station, part of a strip center, and much smaller like a business versus an actual school. The students you get here are more like after school kids or business men coming after work to learn English for a work trip or to better their foreign communications. Also with AEON, I read that the school also functions half like a business. As a teacher here you would be required to sell books to students to get them to come back etc. That idea I kind of didn’t like too much but still pursued the company anyways. Along with the con of the business aspect, there was the more convincing pro of better pay and better lifestyle. With AEON, the pay versus Interac was a little bit better as well as the living situation. With AEON they promised to put you hear a train station to easily get to and from work and also “hand hold” you the whole process through to make it as stress-free for new teachers as possible. 

Interac is an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) dispatching company. What they do is train foreign teachers to work in actual public schools all over the country in big cities and small towns. The pay depended on if you would have a driving position or not. Right away I was hesitant about driving in a foreign country but didn’t want to write off the company completely because of that so continued with the interviews. Even though pay was a little lower and their was a chance of possibly having to drive, the thought of actually being in public schools really swayed me on this company. Having to interact and be part of the real school system was so exciting. Out of the two, Interac definitely had more of my interest but only time would tell who would actually pick me.

Upon getting emails of acceptance into the interview process, both company’s had a little different procedure. I was reached out by Interac first, being that their interview process was first your application, then a phone interview, and if passing those two, an in person group interview. Excitedly to know, I already passed the application part, I anxiously awaited the phone interview. My phone interview came when I was at my job. I nervously went to speak to them outside as my heart raced with hoping I would answer everything correctly. Luckily, the person on the other line was very relaxed and asked me questions I was already ready to answer since they were similar to the ones in my essay. After the phone interview, I concluded that they truly just wanted to hear your voice and see if you had the personality type to handle a job such as this. I really think that it helped me having travel and living abroad experience but also a super bubbly voice was good too! 

After the phone interview, I was informed that I would be evaluated thus far and that I would be receiving an email as to if I would be invited to the in person group interviews or not. So again, I waited. During the wait, I heard from the company AEON inviting me to the in person group interview that would be located in Austin, Texas. Of course I jumped on it and said yes, picking an interview date that fell in early November. Shortly after, I got the invitation from Interac to come attend their in person group interview in Dallas, Texas just a couple weeks before AEON’s interview. Odd that neither company would interview in Houston being that we are a big city too, but nonetheless still good because my sister lives in Dallas so it gave me a chance to see her and I love the city of Austin and it wasn’t too far so that was great too.