GEOS (eikaiwa)

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GEOS 株式会社ジオス

Type	Kabushiki kaisha
Founded	Tokushima, Japan (1973)
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Tsuneo Kusunoki 楠　恒男 President and CEO
Industry	Language instruction
Website	www.geos.co.jp (Japanese) www.geos-network.com (English)

GEOS (株式会社ジオス, Kabushiki Gaisha Jiosu^?) is one of the big five ^[1] private eikaiwa, or English conversation teaching companies, in Japan.

GEOS, which stands for Global Education Opportunities and Services, was started in 1973 by Tsuneo Kusunoki. The first school was based in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, also the location of one of the company's main registered offices. The company has regional head offices in Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka.

GEOS has an overseas hiring office in Vancouver. The GEOS group also runs children-only schools called "Kodomo Schools" (子供校) throughout Japan. The adult GEOS Schools have themselves taken on more classes for children. As of February 2007, GEOS had a total of around 500 "Kodomo" and adult schools in Japan and over 55 schools ^[2]in countries outside of Japan.

The main language GEOS teaches in Japan and its overseas schools is English. Other languages taught at GEOS include, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese and Korean. GEOS also teaches Japanese to foreigners living in Japan at their Kudan Japanese Culture, Research Center and Language Institute in Kudanshita, Tokyo^[3]

1 History
2 Labor issues
3 International Expansion
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

In 1973, roommates Kiyoshi Aki and Tsuneo Kusunoki founded the company AMVIC, an acronym of the phrase, "for AMbition and VICtory." The company would focus on foreign language studies.

Later, AMVIC International would be split into two divisions. Aki became the head of AMVIC Gaigogakuin (AMVIC　外語学院), which provided foreign language training for students. Kusunoki would assume control of the AMVIC Eikaiwa (AMVIC 英会話), which specialized in English language education for non-native speakers. In 1989, Kusunoki's branch of AMVIC International entered negotiations with Warner Pacific College to assume control of 49% of its physical plant for $6 million, a 30-year lease on the schools facilities, and a seat as a regent of the school.^[4]

Not long after, AMVIC International would split into two separate companies, as the former partners developed differing visions of the company's future. Aki went on to create AEON, focusing on language learning in Japan^{[citation needed]}. Aki remains AEON's President as of 2008. Kusunoki created GEOS^{[citation needed]}, focusing on global language learning with focus on English language education. GEOS and AEON remain competitors.

[edit] Labor issues

An article in The Japan Times noted working conditions of Geos managers. In 1999, the Company was taken to court by 14 of its managers over unpaid overtime. At the time of the case, the main plaintiff said that she was working a 72-hour week under constant unmanageable pressure to increase sales at her school. Even though the managers won their suit, costing Geos 300 million yen in unpaid overtime, the media mostly ignored the case. In the same article, managers noted high staff turnover and long working hours. However, a spokeswoman for the company said that GEOS, and the language learning industry as a whole, provides women with a rare opportunities to begin business careers. ^[5]

[edit] International Expansion

International expansion began in Vancouver, in 1987, and New York, and Brighton, UK in 1989. In 2001, GEOS created a network of international support offices starting with GEOS International Korea and followed by offices in Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Hong Kong, Mexico and the Czech Republic.^[6] On July 6, 2007, The Japan Times reported that GEOS would open a school for 150 students in St. Petersburg, Russia as part of a recent expansion by Japanese companies into the Russian market including Toyota and Nissan. Kusunoki, CEO, said the company had "high growth potential in Russia", and that GEOS would be "targeting, businesspeople, aspiring athletes and artists, including aspirants in figure skating, ballet and music".^[7]