Job Discussion Forums

[Shakey]

Japan Times:

For Japan’s English Teachers Rays of Hope, Amid the Race to the Bottom

[Lamarr]

I've said plenty about this already: eikaiwa is not about teaching, it's about getting as much money off people as possible, using whatever tactics they have to to get that, while keeping pay and conditions as low as possible, bullying and "oppressing" the staff to keep them in line so that they don't piss customers off and drive them away. The ultimate aim of all that is for the powers-that-be behind these rackets (often funded by organized crime) to funnel as much cash out of them and into their offshore bank accounts. It's got sod all to do with teaching. As an eikaiwa "teacher", you're basically a cog in that machine, to service your invisible overlords and keep their criminal money-making racket going.

The "product" is about simply giving the impression to the customer that they're getting what they want, whether that be conversation, "proper" English study, a fun hobby where they can meet their friends, hanging out or flirting with a gaijin, or being entertained by a dancing monkey. They make a good point in the article that fewer uni grads will waste their time with it because of the low pay, unless they've got a strong interest in Japan. They'll probably have to hire more non-native instructors, move over more to the Gaba and Nova model of pay-per-lesson, or maybe even scrap the university degree requirement for the visa. Any dunce can satisfy the job requirements, you don't need a university degree to do it.

The only silver lining in all this is that there are at least some smaller eikaiwa that are growing and give a better product and service to their customers and treat their staff right, taking on instructors with experience and commitment to Japan, and with better pay. In the long-term, if they continue to expand, they'll pick up the better and more committed teachers, while the big eikaiwa turn into an even bigger steaming cesspool.

[RM1983]

[quote="Shakey"]Japan Times:

For Japan’s English Teachers Rays of Hope, Amid the Race to the Bottom

[timothypfox]

Although these practices seem widespread in the bigger eikaiwa companies, I wonder if these business practices hold true for smaller English chains or privately run schools. Rather than condemning the villains, are there any good employers we can list?

[bigjoe]

[Miura Anjin]

Thanks for positing the link, Shakey; it was an interesting read.

It seems to me eikaiwa teachers - particularly those at the national chains - need to get organised and join unions, but since most eikaiwa teachers are short-term (for whatever reasons) they are unlikely to see any value in a) joining a union and b) going through the stress of such a battle. Long-term eikaiwa teachers are likely to have either made peace with their situation and aim to make the best of it, or don't want to rock the boat for fear of negative consequences.

All of which makes me feel that that things are unlikely to change for the better in the eikaiwa industry; the "rays of hope" referred to in the article's title are very, very faint rays of hope.

Hardly a revelation, I know.

I have a few friends and acquaintances working at independent/local eikaiwa schools, so I'll have to ask them how things differ from the chains, which is where my experience was. I'd echo timothypfox's call for info on more reputable and trustworthy schools.

[rxk22]

[Lamarr]