Job Discussion Forums

[Sour Grape]

[sallycat]

[Jazz1975]

[yamanote senbei]

Sexual harassment isn't anything to joke about. The problem is when you are dispatched, and in this case illegally, who do you complain to Korakuen, the school board, or the school that you work at?

[wangtesol]

I recently heard that the owner of Korakuen claims to be the person to have created illegal outsourcing (gyomu itaku) to public schools 30 years ago!!!!

And now he runs an offshoot branch in Shanghai, so China and illegally dispatched English teachers will go through similar legal problems as here. Time to export our labour knowledge to the China Forum on ESL Cafe.

[Big John Stud]

Sour Grape wrote:

unhappychappy wrote: I am being sexually harrassed from an old woman staff. I am a guy! Today I got told that she is going to have my kid! WHAT THE FU%K IS THAT ABOUT! Am I going to be raped or what? You may say oh I am overreacting but either way sexual harrassment is sexual harassment whether it is directed to a female or a male. An old woman is sexually harrassing you? The reason nobody is dealing with this particular complaint is that they can't believe (as I can't) that you are being serious.

I completely agree with Sour Grape. unhappychappy is playing with everyone's head on this thread!

[Big John Stud]

wangtesol wrote:

I recently heard that the owner of Korakuen claims to be the person to have created illegal outsourcing (gyomu itaku) to public schools 30 years ago!!!! And now he runs an offshoot branch in Shanghai, so China and illegally dispatched English teachers will go through similar legal problems as here. Time to export our labour knowledge to the China Forum on ESL Cafe.

Iwata the owner of Korakuen has been around for many years and does have an offshoot branch in Shanghai. I must admit I wonder if he started this, but Koraduen is no where near the size of Interac or ALTRIA.

At least Iwata operates pretty honest. There are so many dispatch companies that bid low and then try to take advantage of their employees.

[yamanote senbei]

[wangtesol]

Okay so it is right on the Korakuen company website that they do business in China. Has anyone gone to the China forum and explained to teachers there what is going on? That is illegal contracts, their management tricks etc...

I have never worked for them, so I really don't know their tricks.

[yamanote senbei]

[wangtesol]

from the korakuen website

[amonjakku]

I recently had the unfortunate experience of working for a hakken gaisha by the name of Korakuen English Centre, managed by one Seiji Alan Iwata in 2016. I had previously submitted my information to Korakuen for consideration as a teacher trainer. As for me, I have been teaching EFL for over 2 decades and have a graduate degree in Linguistics. I’m also black and fairly tall.

Iwata contacted me by phone looking for a last minute replacement 3 business days before the beginning of classes. Iwata asked me about my experience at the jr. and sr. high school level. I told him I hadn’t worked at that level since 2004. He also asked me about my experience teaching essay writing. I explained in detail how a regular essay writing class was conducted. He then arranged an interview for the next day with Ichikawa Gakuen, where I told them the same information. I got the job; full-time.

As there was no employee handbook/code of conduct and I received no orientation to the school, I stressed that I would need help regarding information about the school, classes and students. Didn’t get that. Long story short, 5 weeks later (3 weeks total class time), I was terminated without notice. No discussion. No meetings. No letters. I wasn’t even given reasons for my termination. I actually had to ask. The “reasons” given, by email, had nothing to do with my duties and/or responsibilities as outlined in my contract. In other words, not professional reasons.

For asking for these ‘reasons”, Iwata responded with threats and power harassment in an effort to intimidate me. My dismissal was personal; some student or students and/or staff just didn’t like me. 5 “reasons” had to do with me using short forms or “nicknames” for the students (e.g., Kaz, instead of Kazuyuki). 4 “reasons” had to do with inferiority/narcissism regarding an innocent observation made 4 weeks previously (student came up suddenly behind me and I mentioned she was tiny, as in petite). This same student angrily tried to confront me during class and afterwards, actually tried to start an argument. I had no idea she had tried medical treatment to increase her height, but it had failed. I apologized, but she subsequently accused me of using profanity in our private conversation; sometimes, kids lie. 2 “reasons” even criticized me for actually “forcing” the students to write essays in an essay writing class.

I was paid an extra month for being terminated without notice. However, I believe my termination was wrongful and asked for 3 months. Iwata mentioned he would “never” agree to that. I approached the Labour Inspection Office in Kudanshita, but they seem to have limited influence on companies. The Tokyo Bar Association in Shinjuku mentioned that if I had been employed directly, I couldn’t have been dismissed for the reasons given. Korakuen should pay the entire year’s salary simply for having the audacity to perpetrate this farce.

It is clear that despite the fact that I was hired for my experience, education and skill, in my opinion, person or persons at Ichikawa Gakuen found it impossible to accord me any degree of professional courtesy or even a modicum of respect by talking to me, directly, about their concerns. Quite ironic when you consider that we’re talking about the communication business. Not to mention this behavior is textbook racist.

[victory7]

That's just low, how low can they go?

Sorry to hear about that. Yep, for all its first world features and technology Japan still belongs in the 'developing' category re labor relations and rights, especially in industries where foreigners are employed.

I understand most of the people employed by J government bodies like Labor Standards Boards are genuine about improving this but at the same time they don't have the legal weapons to cut down these m chuckas and make them pay and hurt to pay for their abuse of foreign workers. Including English teachers.

On that note I heard an unbelievable story in my local nomiya recently. At first I didn't believe the person who told me, I said it was too late for April Fool's. There is a school with a no. of branches that has just screwed over the English teachers who were good enough to work for that school on a no basic pay system.

They earn jack if students don't ask for them. So the job has zero security. You'd think the people who now run the place might understand that and have some thanks for gaijin willing to work in that system but hell no - they tore up the contracts the teachers had and replaced them with a very short new contracts. So the teachers are under more pressure and can lose their jobs before next year comes.

I want to ask those people - why would you take a reaming like this? And I bet even the Labor Standards Board could do something about that.

[victory7]

Deleted because of double post.

[taikibansei]