AEON-Amity, commonly known as Amity is a chain of private English schools (

eikaiwa or are English conversation schools, usually privately operated, in Japan. It is a combination of the word and or . Although the Japanese public education system mandates that English be taught as part of the curriculum from the fifth grade, ...

) in Japan. It operates independently from the larger

AEON The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timele ...

corporation since 1994. AEON schools primarily focus on adult students, whereas Amity schools cater predominantly to children, ranging from babies to teenagers. The company is headquartered in

Okayama is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The Okayama metropolitan area, centered around the city, has the largest urban employment zone in the Chugoku region of western J ...

and has over 70 schools in Japan.

Curriculum and Teaching Methodology

Aeon-Amity bases its curriculum off of the

English as a foreign language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...

(EFL) learning principles of speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. The teaching

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...

employed at Amity incorporates visual, audio, and

kinesthetic learning Kinesthetic learning (American English), kinaesthetic learning (British English), or tactile learning is learning that involves physical activity. As cited by Favre (2009), Dunn and Dunn define kinesthetic learners as students who prefer whole-bod ...

styles. Teachers use props to enhance lesson context and meaning, and employ repetition to correct language errors. Teachers also commonly use teaching materials such as songs, books, and other print-based and non-print-based materials.

Lesson Types

Amity offers group lessons, semi-private lessons, private lessons, and interactive lessons. Depending on the type of lesson, instruction time will range from 40 to 50 minutes.

Teachers

Amity hires teachers from both Japan and abroad. Teachers from abroad are given the title of Native English Teacher (NET), and they must have native-level English proficiency. In order to teach at Amity, prospective teachers must possess a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. The salary for beginning teachers is 275,000

yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

before deductions and taxes. The typical work week runs from Tuesday to Saturday.

Scandals

On June 4, 2011, a 22-year-old woman who worked for the

Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Etymology The name "Kanazaw ...

branch of Amity committed suicide. The Kanazawa Labor Inspections Office determined she had died from karoushi, or death from overwork. Officials estimated that the woman had worked roughly 111 hours of overtime each month, with 82 of those hours of that time being spent working at home.

References

External links

Amity Homepage
Okayama Schools in Japan {{Japan-company-stub