GEOS (eikaiwa)

GEOS (eikaiwa)

GEOS (株式会社ジオス, Kabushiki Gaisha Jiosu?) was one of the Big Four private eikaiwa, or English conversation teaching companies, in Japan. Its extensive network of overseas schools made it the world's largest language school chain. The firm went into bankruptcy in Japan on 20 April 2010. Its headquarters were in the Shin Osaki Kangyo Building (新大崎勧業ビルディング, Shin Ōsaki Kangyō Birudingu?) in Shinagawa, Tokyo.

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.

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 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 GEOS uses a one-teacher system it calls "Tanninsei" where students keep the same teacher for an extended period of time and advertises this system as having benefits of promoting continuity and strong teacher-student relationship.

Geos Corporation filed for bankruptcy on April 21, 2010; 99 schools were closed and the remaining 230 were sold to G.Communication, which is also the "sponsor" of Nova. On October 1, 2010 the schools were resold to Inayoshi Capital. On October 15 it was announced that 20 more Geos branches (those located near Nova schools) will close, and 20 more will integrate with cram schools. Another 50 will be rebranded as "Nova x Geos" and start using Nova curriculums.