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metropolis



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:39 am    Post subject: Advice Reply with quote

So...I got accepted with a certain ALT company and came to Japan this month. Their week long training was terrible. We were subjected to trainers yelling at us, embarrassing us in front of tons of other teachers, making fools of us, and basically treating us less than human.

I have tons of EFL experience in Asia. I have taken numerous training courses. I have family in Japan. When I got here, they totally placed me in the wrong place...far away from family. They placed me at a high school instead of the level that I've been teaching for the last several years. They haven't even sorted out my housing or exactly where I will be teaching. They basically have messed up many things for a lot of people.

What can I do? I have the initial E for Instructor Japan visa (since I just got here two weeks ago). Can I just quit and find another job? Or do I have to wait until I get my real visa from this company and then put in my month notice?

I've been teaching abroad for quit some time, and this has been the worst experience I've ever encountered.

I need advice on finding a different job and the visa situation I will have to deal with.

Many thanks.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What were you promised 100% for sure as far as location and age group of students goes? If it was not guaranteed, there is no basis for complaining, even though the situation is not to your liking.

What can you do?
Resign
Suck it up
Ask for a transfer

What does it mean when you say "E for Instructor visa"? ALTs should have an instructor visa. Period.

If they have not sorted out where you have been teaching, how can you be so sure you are not going to get what level/age students you think you deserve?

Are you saying that you are actually working but do not yet have a work visa? Illegal, you know.
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metropolis



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:56 am    Post subject: jsdf Reply with quote

What the? I wasn't looking for some rude, condescending answer. Please read my post again. I plainly stated my grievances and asked about jobs and visa.

What can I do? Resign, you say? I am aware of that. I am asking about what I can do if I resign (regarding visa and jobs).

If I am not mistaken, the initial Instructor visa is a 60 day entry visa. After that time, it changes into a year visa, correct? So I'm wondering if some other company/institute can use that visa to hire me.

I was told I would be teaching a certain age group. Then they changed their minds when I got here. They basically have gone 180 degrees on most points that that offered at the interview and in emails.

I know not working on a visa is illegal. I'm not stupid. I already have stated that I have that Instructor visa, so why would you think I'm working illegally?

Please don't patronize me. I simply came here to ask advice.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:08 pm    Post subject: Re: jsdf Reply with quote

metropolis wrote:
What the? I wasn't looking for some rude, condescending answer. Please read my post again. I plainly stated my grievances and asked about jobs and visa.
I think you have read an emotion into my reply that wasn't there.

Quote:
What can I do? Resign, you say? I am aware of that. I am asking about what I can do if I resign (regarding visa and jobs).
If you have a visa, you can continue looking for work. The visa remains valid until it expires. Sorry, but I didn't read that much of a question into your initial post, and you put several questions into one paragraph. I simply answered the first one separately.

Quote:
If I am not mistaken, the initial Instructor visa is a 60 day entry visa. After that time, it changes into a year visa, correct? So I'm wondering if some other company/institute can use that visa to hire me.
If I understand your terminology "60-day entry" correctly, you are wrong. The visa is good for either 1 year or 3 years (soon to have an option for 5 years starting in July). These time periods are valid the moment you enter the country. Once you have been issued the visa, you have 3 months to come here and validate it. That's when the 1 or 3 year period begins.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/j_info/visit/visa/procedure/validity.html

And, yes, as I indicated above, you can get hired on that same visa. What is important to understand is that you need to get hired for a job in the same work area as the visa. For example, an instructor visa does not permit you to work in an eikaiwa.
http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_print

Quote:
I was told I would be teaching a certain age group. Then they changed their minds when I got here. They basically have gone 180 degrees on most points that that offered at the interview and in emails.
Valid complaint. Have you mentioned this to the employer? What sort of response did you get? It amounts to false advertising, and it's up to you to decide whether you want to pursue some formal complaint process (such as with the Labor Standards Office).

Quote:
I know not working on a visa is illegal. I'm not stupid. I already have stated that I have that Instructor visa, so why would you think I'm working illegally?
Because you wrote this: "Or do I have to wait until I get my real visa from this company and then put in my month notice? " I think I see now what you meant.

And, I think in the above quote you might've meant "working without a visa" instead of "not working on a visa", is that right?

Quote:
Please don't patronize me. I simply came here to ask advice.
Again, I'm not doing that.

BTW, you have not answered one of my questions. What were you promised regarding location? Be aware that ALT dispatch agencies are not obligated to put you where you request. The same holds for large eikaiwas. Both types of employers will often say they will take your request for location into "consideration". It's unfortunate that you didn't get placed near family, but the employer probably had an opening he wanted to fill with you.

Other questions of mine you didn't answer were about the "E for instructor" visa, and the not sorting out of your location.
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Tsian



Joined: 10 Jan 2012
Posts: 85

PostPosted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 11:57 pm    Post subject: Re: jsdf Reply with quote

It sounds like a really horrible situation... sorry you are in it. As Glenski pointed out, the visa belongs to you, so you are free to seek other employment that falls under the realm of your visa as long as it remains valid (though, upon next renewing your visa, you will probably need to explain to immigration why you left your job so quickly and quite possibly need to provide a release from employment form).

But I am curious about this:

metropolis wrote:
If I am not mistaken, the initial Instructor visa is a 60 day entry visa. After that time, it changes into a year visa, correct? So I'm wondering if some other company/institute can use that visa to hire me.


If your current visa is a "60 day" entry visa (i.e. "short term stay"), then it would be what most people think of as a "tourist visa". Even if the employer told you that you could work on it, this is unfortunately not the case.

If it is a short-term visa, then this complicates what you can and cannot do in this situation.

I hope you can work things out.
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Apsara



Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 12:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As people have said above, there is no such thing as a 60-day Instructor visa- you either have a completely valid 1 or 3 year Instructor visa, or a 90-day tourist visa waiver permit- sounds like you have the full visa. It should say on the visa stamp in your passport (the one given to you at the airport) when the actual period of stay finishes- either 2013 or 2015 in your case.

Did the company tell you you were on a 60 day visa?
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ultraman111



Joined: 17 Sep 2011
Posts: 148

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It sounds like they are picking the best ones through the training.....and the rest get told.....sorry not enough work.

Bet its interac.......those scumbags.
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Inflames



Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 486

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:31 am    Post subject: Re: Advice Reply with quote

metropolis wrote:

What can I do? I have the initial E for Instructor Japan visa (since I just got here two weeks ago).


I don't understand this. What exactly do you have? Before you enter Japan, you take your CoE to an embassy or consulate and get a visa, at which point you have the time listed on the visa to enter Japan. After you enter Japan, the visa is stamped and you have a "status of residence" sticker put in your passport which lists your status of residence (in your case, instructor) along with its validity.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:02 am    Post subject: Re: jsdf Reply with quote

Tsian wrote:
It sounds like a really horrible situation... sorry you are in it. As Glenski pointed out, the visa belongs to you, so you are free to seek other employment that falls under the realm of your visa as long as it remains valid (though, upon next renewing your visa, you will probably need to explain to immigration why you left your job so quickly and quite possibly need to provide a release from employment form).
You won't have to explain anything, just provide that letter of release.
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metropolis



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 12:51 am    Post subject: ere Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies. I see where the white entry sticker says 1 year. The initial visa says valid until June. That's why I was confused, but I figured it out after I posted.

I don't mention the company because I don't want to directly bad-mouth them. So let's leave names out of this.

100%? I've been in China man. I know the 'bending the rules' thing. Of course it doesn't say 100% anywhere in my contract. HOWEVER....when a company goes 180 degrees on just about everything they told you would happen, it kinda makes life difficult and pretty much makes me angry and disappointed.

So an instructor visa person cannot work in an language institute (elkiwa)?
A humanities visa person cannot work in a public school?
Once you get your gaijin card, can you work both?
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G Cthulhu



Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1373
Location: Way, way off course.

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:44 am    Post subject: Re: ere Reply with quote

metropolis wrote:
Once you get your gaijin card, can you work both?


No.
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Apsara



Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
So an instructor visa person cannot work in an language institute (elkiwa)?
A humanities visa person cannot work in a public school?
Once you get your gaijin card, can you work both?


Having your gaijin card doesn't make any difference, you're still restricted by your visa category. It is possible though to change your status of residence from Instructor to Humanities if you get a job in an eikaiwa for example, provided the new employers are willing to sponsor you.
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Glenski



Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 4:58 am    Post subject: Re: ere Reply with quote

metropolis wrote:
I know the 'bending the rules' thing. Of course it doesn't say 100% anywhere in my contract. HOWEVER....when a company goes 180 degrees on just about everything they told you would happen, it kinda makes life difficult and pretty much makes me angry and disappointed.
We can see that you are angry and disappointed, and we empathize/sympathize with you. However, as I wrote initially, what have you done to discuss this with the employer? If you won't answer direct questions from forum people, how can you expect to get friendly advice?

Now, you have written twice that the employer has gone back on "just about" everything they promised, but you didn't say explicitly what they did promise in terms of location. What was it? We know what you requested, but that's all.

Quote:
So an instructor visa person cannot work in an language institute (elkiwa)?
A humanities visa person cannot work in a public school?
Once you get your gaijin card, can you work both?
Your gaijin card means nothing about work. People who are dependents on others and don't work, or who are students that don't work all get gaijin cards.

If you have an instructor visa, your main job must be in a public school.
If you have a humanities visa, your main job must be in an eikaiwa or similar institution.
That's what is meant here:
http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_print

However, you can apply for special permission to do any other sort of work outside the realm of those visas as supplementary income, including working in the other type of school/institution.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/tetuduki/zairyuu/shikakugai.html

And would you please clarify what sort of visa you have?
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spidr245



Joined: 26 Nov 2008
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:29 am    Post subject: Re: ere Reply with quote

metropolis wrote:

I don't mention the company because I don't want to directly bad-mouth them. So let's leave names out of this.


Yeah, that's great. Rolling Eyes Let's all not bad-mouth the companies that treat us like crap. Let's not save other people from going through this kind of situation.

Score
Company: 1
Us: 0
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metropolis



Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 32

PostPosted: Thu Mar 29, 2012 9:29 am    Post subject: soso Reply with quote

Why are you so interested about the location? Why does that matter so much to you? Giving location details would not help anything...it would only put me in danger of divulging my identity. The point is that they told me things that haven't happened...or the opposite has happened. The details do not matter at this point. I came to this site to ask about visas and finding other options...not to explain details. I'm already past that. What has happened cannot be changed. I'm looking for a solution.

I'm on an instructor visa...of course. I think I mentioned in my first post that it is an ALT position. So I guess I have a visa that lasts for one year. If I want to resign and find an academy job, what are the steps I need to take in order to change my visa to a humanities visa? Leave the country? Get some letter of release from this current company? If I do resign, does my visa get revoked? Etc.

To the other poster. I know I should warn others, but I really don't want to discuss the company in detail...or give the name. I'm trying to maintain my dignity and be a professional about it.
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