Job Discussion Forums

[ntropy]

PaulH,

I found your story re: Hokkai Gakuen very interesting. I regularly teach at HK's sister university in Canada and saw their students here this summer although I didn't teach them this time. I'm sure the management and instructors here will find this very interesting.

[denise]

Guest of Japan--

Thank you for writing. All of the teachers at my school have MAs, so we all get the same starting salary. The new program does want to keep some of us, but they have yet to tell us what the salary/working conditions will be. I'm sure they will not be what they are now, and that they are going to eikaiwa-ize the place in an attempt to save money. I don't know whether they'll get any interested responses from us. One teacher was actually ready to walk out at the end of this week.

Several years back, the management stepped in and changed the teachers' contracts, salaries, etc., creating a huge rift between the more experienced teachers and the newly-hired ones. They started accepting teachers with minimal/no qualifications and no interest in teaching. It was a disaster. If the management has learned anything since then, they will not do that again.

d

[Lovechild]

Hello Denise,

First why are you so agree? Do you think anyone would want to go out of business?

The only way a private school can stay open is by making money and that is why every private school needs a good administration to take on the business aspects of running a school. Of course every school needs a good educational administration as well. Unfortunately, it is hard to find people who are good at both education and business. If anything you should have sympathy for the administration, not anger!

Now to answer your questions:

conflicting loyalties--students/teachers vs. administration? Try to become a bridge. It sounds like the school you are working at needs to work on communication. Try to understand the duties of the administration, they must be under a lot of pressure. Remember they didn't purposely try to go out of business. Being mad at them is like being mad at someone of not know how to speak English.

How did you deal with it in the classroom? Come to think of it, how did you deal with it outside of the classroom?

Let the students talk! Your goal should be to try to let the students express themselves. Again, try to understand the stress of running a business and then having drain all your money. Probably the people in administration feel worse than you, but are trying not to show it.
Going back to how to deal with the students try to be positive while asking questions to get the students to talk.
Outside the classroom working out is a great way to relieve stress. Also having a few drinks with a trusted friend to talk with about the problem is also a great relief!

Whew. Done. If you've made it this far, thanks! This has really been stressing me out recently! (Funnily enough, the thing that worries me the least is that I might be out of a job--I wasn't sure if I was going to stick around anyway...)

If you are out of a job things could be worse. Besides you will most likely get a job and all of this will become a memory. Remember what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger!

[denise]

I'm angry because it's the management that has made us (an American university, NOT a private language school/business) lose money. It is their policies, and their unwillingness to listen to educators who actually know a thing or two about teaching, that have hurt us and will undoubtedly hurt the next school.

Yes, I can understand that all businesses want to make money, but they are really just setting themselves up for failure, and we're all going to sink with them now, even though we'd be willing to help them if they would listen. If only they would realize that perhaps educational decisions should be made by educators and not men in business suits with BAs in random fields (like "recreation"!), maybe they'd stand a chance.

Basically, I'm angry at the incompetence that is going to cost a lot of people their jobs. There are people who have been here a lot longer than me and are far more tied to the school/community who have a lot to lose.

d

[king kakipi]

tada ima

It is a shame that in this country, most `educational establishments` put profit before education. The real losers are the students IMO, whether they are at eikaiwa, uni or school. No wonder their level of achievement in English is less than that of students in other asian countries.

`Wake up` Japan, before it is too late.....; you are lagging behind already.

[Lovechild]

Most country in the world put making money before education. In the U.S. most universities depend on their football team and other sports to finance the school.

Denisee maybe you can express yourself to the people that make the decisions. Find someone you feel might listen. Believe me in theory can not always be implemented into reality. Some many unforseen problems can pop up. And often getting students is a completely different method than keeping them.
Running an English school in Japan is very difficult and stressful. Again my best advice is to find a decision maker you can talk to but also listen to him or her. Try to understand their approach objectively, ponder it than make your recommendations. Good luck!