So yesterday evening I made it back, successfully, if I might add, from a 4 night sojourn to our Nation's capital.
The buzz that London once held for me now seems more like a light static "electric shock" that you could give yourself after rubbing your feet madly on a shagpile carpet. It's strange that the City holds little of interest for me now. Sure it has some great galleries and museums; some interesting places to hang out, but maybe because I've been through my "London phase" it seems a tad empty.
The reason I went to London ? 2 interviews for my attempted return to Japan!!!
My hotel was great. Around the corner from Earls Court station, clean and friendly. The room was excellent with a nice ensuite bathroom and ten times better than the one that myself and Rie stayed in a month or so earlier.
My first interview on Saturday morning was a 10 minute walk away in a hotel in South Kensington with Eikawa school, AEON. About 30 plus candidates turned up looking equally apprehensive and equally excited. What made me slightly more nervous and yet more glad and eager about AEON was that my fellow candidates were all more mature and more experienced than my NOVA interviewies 3 years ago.
The presentation and introductions from the AEON recruiters, Motoko Taki and Lars Frank were professional, friendly and extremely warm. It boded well. Then we were split into groups and given times to return for demo lessons and a grammar test. I was given a later group (3 hours later to be exact) so headed off to lunch with a sweet, yet terribly nervous girl from Singapore.
My demo was up first and went well. My lesson plan was well prepared and I felt my experience as a teacher helped no end. Yet I always think praise is HUGELY important in teaching and I made sure I gave my "students" as much as possible.
The grammar test was tricky, but not really difficult. Then it was out into the hotel foyer to wait for envelopes from the recruiters to see if we could return tomorrow for our personal interviews. In the foyer my other interviewees were nervous, but in good spirits and we chatted about previous jobs/applications etc.
When the envelopes came out, it was like being on the X-Factor. I opened my envelope to reveal that I had to come back at 9am tomorrow (Sunday). YATTA!!! I wandered on back to hotel room, after wishing the others good luck, and had some take out Sushi and a beer.
The personal interview went as well as I could hope. After presenting an AEON lesson to my interviewer, Motoko (as if she was an intermediate level student) which again recieved no negative feedback (DOUBLE YATTA!!!!), she then proceeded to ask me questions about myself, teaching, AEON etc. I gave it all I could. My heart and soul very much open to her scrutiny as an interviewer. If it isn't enough then I can do no more.
I have to wait 2 weeks to here a HAI or IIE.....GANBARIMASU!!!
