Job Discussion Forums

[mimiminime]

hi everyone,
I am celta qualified EFL teacher and have a job offer from Himeji /Japan
That is not an agency, it is the school itself.
I am trying to make sure if I should trust them or not and I can't thınk of anywhere else to ask or search about them.
I appreciate any of your contributions related to subject.

Here it is their contact details
Osamu Fukuda *IS THE PERSON I SPOKE TO
> THE QUEEN'S LTD
> 2-47-2 Ebisucho, Ohtsuku, Himeji, Hyogo, 671-1136, JAPAN
> tel: +81 (0)792 30 4181 mob: +81 (0)90 1133 2314
> fax: +81 (0)792 30 4182
> email: [email protected]
> homepage: http://www.thequeens.jp/

* I just had an email from them answering my questions and they say they [b]will sign a contract on my arrival.
is it the way how it works?
* another thıng to keep me thınkıng about air fare
AT THE FIRST PLACE THEY SAID THEY WOULD PAY INCOMING AIR FARE AFTER 6 MONTHS AND THEN THEY SAY 1 YEAR AND BUT WHEN I ASK THEM TO PAY IT ON MY ARRIVAL THEY ACCEPT IT
* 250000 YEN FOR 40 HOURS A WEEK ,
IS IT A GOOD OFFER FOR JAPAN OR WORKING HOURS ARE TOO LONG?

THIS IS THEIR ONE OF FIRST EMAIL

<<<Summary>>>

THE QUEEN'S is an ambitious English school whose purpose is to grow capable human resource to the world. Teachers are free from traditional frameworks. The only aim is to develop customers' demand.Therefore, THE QUEEN'S demands you to be creative, challenging and tolerant. Come on, join us and enjoy!

<<<Details>>>

THE QUEEN'S expects candidates to teach English your own way based on your certificated knowledge and experience, to chat at the salon in order to develop customers' speaking ability, and to broaden your horizons in Japan through not only customers but also visiting various places.


<<<Qualifications>>>

Candidates must have TESOL or CELTA or equivalent qualification plus at least three year post qualification experience. Candidates must have at least BA degree due to work visa requirement.

Candidates also must have experience with children and teaching very young learners. Our students range in age from 1 years old. As such a young learners qualification would be desirable.

Only candidates who meet the above criteria will be considered for the position.


<<<Job Description>>

Teachers' working hour is 8 hours which lead to 40 hours a week and

teaching hour a day is up to 6 hours.Teaching hour is various in a week; however, it is up to 6 hours a day including outside teaching, which our staff takes you to working places.

The rest working hours are to be not only for your preparation time but also chatting at the salon.

We have the cosy salon open to all the customers for their English practice not lessons.

This means that the customers want to talk and absorb some knowledge from native speakers.

Because they need more practice rather than classes especially for Japanese.

I hope you can accept this company philosophy.


The working day is from Tuesday to Saturday which means that Sunday and Monday is off.


<<<Compensation>>>

THE QUEEN'S provide gross 250,000 yen per month including rent, gas, electricity, and water + paid holiday.

For visa concern, we are quite happy to change your tourist visa to working visa at the immigration office.

We are happy to grant you a coming air ticket up to 55,000 yen subject to six month completion. Of course, at the end of one year working visa, we promise to give you a return ticket!!

We offer you flexible holiday scheduling with request in advance.

You can contact our teachers for further information.

AND THIS IS AFTER TELEPHONE INTERVIEW WE HAD, HE EXPLAINS HOW MUCH I WOULD HAVE AFTER TAX AND EXPENSES (IT IS ABOUT 186000 AFTER ALL)

Dear Mimi

Thank you for our interview.

I would like to write the some numbers.

Monthly salary 250,000

income tax 6,400

rent 45,000

bills 7,000 electricity, gas, water

National Health 5,000

Incoming air 55,000 subject to one year completion


I would like to provide our colleague's email.

,,,,,,,@,,,,, : Wendy Gorman


I would like to ask you to send the copy of following documents.

passport

degree certificate

CELTA certificate


I would like you to strongly recommend coming to Japan on 20th Jan.

Please let me know your convenient date.

I am sure to finace your tourist visa to work visa.


I look forward to meeting you soon.



Best regards,

Osamu FUKUDA

THE QUEEN'S



THIS IS THEIR TEACHER'S REFERENCE LETTER , WHICH E-MAILED TO THEM AND THEY FORWARD IT TO ME


Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: gorman
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Your email address
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:05:42 +0900

To Whom it May Concern

I have been asked to give my E-mail address to a candidate for the position as teacher in Queen`s and am delighted to do so but as I am flying to KL tomorrow then a small Indonesian island with no Internet after that, for a holiday, I will try to give a brief description of the job.

I have been working in Queen`s since July. Before that I worked in a good national plus school in Indonesia for a year, in a couple of language schools and as a classroom assistant in the UK.

My previous jobs were good, but working in Queen`s is the by far the best job I have had. It is a small family run business, catering students with a variety of ages and needs. Class sizes are very small. There are only two classrooms so its a friendly, intimate setting. Most classes have only one or two students but some have 3 or 4 and I think I once had 5 students. We also go out to nursery schools which are big classes held outwith Queen`s.

Teachers are free to work autonomously. However both Osamu and his wife, Ekuko are very supportive. Ekuko is a skilled, creative teacher and I have learned a lot of her techniques in nursery education, which was new to me when I arrived. She is also able to advise on teaching adults and teenagers and is very knowledgeable. Despite this, she is extremely respectful and allows me to do my own thing without any interference.

It is important that the teachers can build rapports with customers, since it is a small friendly place where customers come to socialise as well as learn. The job requires us to create or adapt individual lesson plans for students. Teaching time is not high and there is ample time for planning. The atmosphere in the staffroom is relaxed and easy going.

The challenges of the job for me are cultural, having come from Indonesia, I initially found the people here reserved and felt slightly isolated at first. I have come from one extreme to another as far as people giving me space is concerned. It took me a little while to settle in but has been worth it. There is also less English spoken here than in Indonesia because people are worried in-case they make a mistake.

Accommodation is in a small but comfortable and well equipped flat. I have not had to buy anything for the flat and have been given a bicycle for transport. I enjoy the cycle past fields and along lanes to work-there are plenty cycle lanes here and cyclists seem to have right of way evrywhere. There are a TV and Internet connection installed and included in the rent but the amount of English TV is very limited so it would be good if you had a laptop to download films or books to read. There is a small veranda which is nice. The surrounding area is suburbia with a lot of vegetable plots, rice fields and rivers with nice birds. The majority of the buildings are one or two storeys with some 4-5 storey flats dotted about. The air quality is good and you can drink the tap water.

There is ample public transport and are plenty of places to shop locally. There are lovely shops and restaurants etc. in the centre of Himeji, in attractive arcades. Himeji, and the castle, is a 190 yen, 2 stop journey on the train.

As I am getting up early to catch a flight from Osaka, I will sign off just now but will be glad to answer any questions as truthfully and accurately as I can-I will try to get to an internet in KL or Banda. I will be back at Queen`s on Jan 3rd.

Kindest regards
Wendy

--- On Sat, 19/12/09, biz THE QUEEN'S <[email protected]> wrote:

From: biz THE QUEEN'S <[email protected]>
Subject: [TQ] Your email address
To: "'Wendy Gorman'"
Date: Saturday, 19 December, 2009, 21:11

Dear Wendy

I hope you have great time in Malaysia.
Can you do me a favour?

I would like to send your email address to a next teacher candidate.
May I do it?

Please let me know.

Kind regards,
Osamu FUKUDA
THE QUEEN'S

THIS IS LAST E-MAIL, I RECEIVED WHICH HE ANSWERS MY QUESTIONS ON MY E-MAIL

Dear Mimi

I am glad to answer your questions.

Dear Osamu,(THEIR ANSWERS ON EMAIL WITH QUESTIONS)

Thank you very much sending me the comments, ıt is helpful.

As I am considering to work with you seriously, I have a few more things to ask.
I would appreciate your kindness if you can answer.

Would you please tell me more about your syllabus/curriculum and resources, do you have a good library for teachers?
Do you have a set curriculum and materials?
Yes, I do. I have a resource library which the teachers can use freely.

Please bear in mind that we don't have particular text books for the students.

Therefore, the teachers must prepare the handout before the classes.

Because teachers can use textbooks easily without considering student's level.

That is the reason why the teachers must have the qualification such as TEFL or CELTA equivalent certificae.

I do expect the teachers to use their challenging and creative ability.

As same as above, we don't have a curriculum, instead the teachers must make it depended on the class levels.

We have provided the classes depened on the teachers ability.

I would like to know how many foreign teachers you have in your school, can I contact to someone else than Wendy if it s possible, and is there any other foreigner in the area?
I have two foreign teacers; one is Wendy, the other is Wayne.

Wayne is leaving due to his private issue. That is why a position will be vacant.

Please contact Wendy directly, if you wish to know more about THE QUEEN'S by email. She is in Malaysia now.

This is Himeji which has two English pub, Tiger and Hosanna. They are very crowdy at weekend.


Do you provide Japanese classes for teachers?
Yes, I do. I will ask one of our students to teach you.

Furthermore, this city, Himeji, provides the new comer with free Japanese lessons. Don't worry about Japanese lessons.


I would like to make it clear about accomodation also, Is it single housing/flat -not sharing with somebody else?
Your accommodation is single flat with kitchen and bath room.


Will I be elligible to work in your school before I get working visa as you asked me to come over with tourist visa, as I think it might take 1-2 months to get a working visa?
Yes, you can work.

The next day after you arrive will be the apllication day for your work visa.

That is the reason why I asked you to send me your passport copy.

As for your visa concern, in reality it will take about two or three week to get work visa if we can apply from Japan. I will take more time from outside Japan.

I am glad to know that you will be paying for incoming fare at the first place but can I kindly ask that when?
Will you be paying it on my arrival as it s not a cheap flight cost to Japan?
For the incoming ticket, I do promise paying you at your arrival day.

Please let me know your ticket fare in Japanese yen beforehand.


When will we be sign a contract?

It is your arrival day. The next day I will take you to the immigration office to apply for your work visa.


Please instruct me for the next step.

Please let me know your will whether you are intended to work for THE QUEEN'S.


I will give you a position as an English teacher at THE QUEEN'S.

[Glenski]

The reference letter from Wendy is full of typos. Either the QUEENS wrote it, or they hire poor writers for teachers.

Their claim that national health insurance is 5,000 yen is false. Starting out, you will have to pay roughly half that. A year later it goes up tenfold.

Housing seems cheap enough, although they have not said anything about phone service.

Sounds like you would be extremely busy, working up to 6 hours a day in classes on site or elsewhere or just chatting up students in their salon. Just how much real prep time you would have is hard to say. I wouldn't call chatting in a salon "rest hours", especially if you truly need the prep time. Also, they really should (by law) specify how many hours per day you are required to work, not say it is "various in a week".

Having no curriculum and giving teachers freedom may sound nice, but it also sounds like a lot of work to prepare, especially when they say "without considering student's level".

Having Sunday and Monday off is not entirely unusual, but realize that Japan has about a dozen national holidays which fall on Mondays, so if you want to get certain banking or post office work done then, you will be out of luck.

They said they will "finace" your work visa, but there is no financing involved. You would usually pay the 4000 yen (plus whatever for the reentry permit), not them. Asking you to come on Jan. 20 is not a guarantee that you will have the COE (certificate of employment); immigration cannot promise any time frame, and it takes 4-8 weeks normally, but this is not normal circumstances because it is over the busy New Year holiday. Be sure they have applied for it. To say that you can work on a tourist visa is illegal! Some people have been promised that their employer has applied for the visa, only to find out when they have overstayed a tourist status that the employer lied about "delays" or "mistakes" in visa processing, and then the poor teacher finds himself/herself without a job, often without a last paycheck, and without any legal recourse to argue this. You might consider all of the other things I've written to be tolerable, but this is a very serious item.

[mimiminime]

Thank you very much for tips it s all helpful.
still hard to decide