Experiences at Interac

The interview process at the Osaka branch of Interac is fairly painless, if not a bit odd. After they've screened your resume, they will contact you about setting up an interview time and tell you to prepare a 10 minute lesson plan. During the actual interview you have to "teach" your lesson plan to either your interviewer or a video camera. This is easily the most stressful part of the interview, and I think that is intentional on their part. I think they are trying to see if you can act enthusiastic and interesting even without any audience input. I went to the interview prepared with paper students I had drawn the night before. That livened the atmosphere of the room up a bit, and made it much easier for me to act naturally. The key to the trial lesson is to be yourself and do something that is equally entertaining and educational.

Other than the trial lesson, you will be asked standard interview questions, and you will be asked to give a self introduction and answer some questions in Japanese.

After they have talked with you and you have completed the trial lesson, they give you a series of worksheets to fill out. I had a spelling test, a Japanese current events test, an Osaka subway test, and a personality test. While it seems odd even in retrospect, I doubt these aspects of the interview matter as much as your trial lesson.

Be prepared and have fun!...