Job Discussion Forums

[randyteach]

I'm scheduled for an interview with GABA pretty soon, and I've been checking out their website to find out more about them. I've also been reading comments here from those who've worked there in the past.

I'm getting all kinds of conflicting information, and I'm really confused. From what I've read on their site, GABA seems a bit too loose in allowing the teacher to come up with whatever schedule he/she wants. That kind of deal seems a bit too good to be true, and I've heard some unpleasant stories about the wages. I've also read that GABA is for part timers, but then I've read here that people have been working full time, and that they were paid quite well. I myself prefer something steady full time because I'm trying to make and save a lot of money. Would I have that option (full time) working there? How long exactly are the contracts for, and is this place a reputable one to work for?

[Apsara]

I'm wondering what you mean by "too loose". Gaba allows you to choose whatever schedule you like. If you want one lesson a month or 150, they will accept what you submit. What unpleasant stories have you heard about the wages? They have always paid on time. You only get paid for the lessons you teach, and the per lesson rate is relatively low, but it is a very easy job.

You may have seen me recommending Gaba for part timers because the pay is not guaranteed- I stand by that, although I know people who work there full time who have a bunch of students who always take their lessons, so they get a full schedule every time and make a decent living out of it.

You can work as much or as little as you like, but the income is not guaranteed so it sounds like it is probably not for you. It is a reputable place to work- the students tend to be highly motivated, they don't mistreat their instructors and they pay on time as I said above, however there are no benefits like paid transport or paid holidays, so a lot of people see that as too much of a negative.

[Inflames]

I also worked there part-time, and I also recommended it to people as a part-time option. I don`t recommend it for people full-time, although I knew people who did it full-time.

The flexibility is one thing that I recommended. We had numerous ALTs when I worked at Gaba. During their breaks, they would come in and teach a ton of lessons to make extra money. I used to go in and teach 3 lessons in the morning before I started work at Nova. The atmosphere at the LSs (Learning Studio - Gaba`s term for school) was far better than I experienced elsewhere. We would have parties just for the teachers and staff that the company paid for. If students complained too much or was too difficult for the staff, they didn`t have their contract renewed (we were actually told how many students weren`t offered the option of a renewal; IIRC it was around 1%). If you actually had a legitimate reason, students could be prevented from taking your lessons. For example, I have a problem with my left eye that makes it hard to see most details or read with. There was a student with a condition that had a similar effect. I taught him once in a very awkward lesson, then informed my ISL (your boss) about it and he wasn`t even able to see me online. This compared to Nova where I had students yell in lessons and have a hand in their pants for 35 minutes, yet somehow it was your problem.

[randyteach]

[seklarwia]

Because you can make up your own schedule but if you don't have any students turning up for your class, you don't get paid. It's not a salaried job. Some people have obviously become popular with their students which means they are getting enough full classes to use it like full time work.

[Apsara]

seklarwia is right. Gaba can be an very unstable form of income, which is why I and other people recommend not making it your only, or even main form of income. As I said above, I know people for whom it is their main source of income- they also teach privates or pursue other lines of work (one woman I know teaches piano in her free time) and they do well as they have a number of dedicated students, but that is not the case for everyone.

Many people see the flexible schedules as a huge plus- I met a guy recently who works for Gaba three months of every four and spends the fourth month in Thailand- he does a bit over what you would consider a full time schedule while he is in Japan, and he is over the moon about his current lifestyle.

[stevenbhow]

I've thought about teaching p/t at GABA, but I only have time during the morning and afternoon and I live in Nagoya not Tokyo. My fear is that I'd have very few or no students during the day time. Does anyone know how busy the Nagoya GABA is on Monday and Thursday mornings and afternoons? I just hate the idea of sitting around and not getting paid.

[randyteach]

FWIW I just had an interview with GABA. It went ok, I guess. Given the relative instability of the job (uneven pay or even lack thereof), I think in my case the minuses outweigh the pluses, which is not to discourage anyone else from applying there if they want to. I'm still waiting on Westgate, which is probably more what I'm looking for as far as pay and stability are concerned. Plus the short term period is appealing as well.

[basilbrush]

And how much preparation do the lessons require? I s it just a case of goi in teach, leave and forget about it until the next lesson, rock up again and teach? O r do you need to put in extra time to prepare and do office work?

Thanks

[Jamerikoi]

They give you 10 minutes between lessons to prepare (if back2back), but the focus is on conversation, and you'll more than likely get a wide spread of students so it's pretty much on the fly. No office work until you go up a few belts. Their progression with pay and other work is like the martial arts belt system. Take a look at their payscale system on their site and don't forget "peak" vs. "non-peak" pay.

[Apsara]

I'm pretty sure it's actually 5 minutes between lessons, unless things have changed very recently. The lessons are cookie cutter-style though and don't really need any preparation other than looking at the student's info page on the computer to see if they have any special requests. More time is needed for typing up comments afterwards- you're supposed to do it at the end of the lesson with the student but you usually end up having to spend a few minutes of any breaks you might take to finish them off.

You only get office work if a student cancels within about 12 hours of their lesson, so you do some work for the Japanese staff if there is any as you get paid even though the student has cancelled.

[basilbrush]

Hi

Another thing, will they renew your visa?

[anne_o]

does gaba do group lessons or one to one??

[Apsara]

One to one only.

[Cool Teacher]