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Hondo 2.0
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 69
Location: Canada
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 Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 4:46 am Post subject: |
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| What would you think about a school that asked you to pay a deposit? |
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guest of Japan
Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Posts: 1601
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 4:59 am Post subject: |
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Again I don't like the idea, but I have taken two jobs that require a deposit. Both jobs have been honest employers and I have worked at both jobs for more than one contract year.
The AEON system is designed to stop people from screwing them for a visa not to stop them from quitting early in their contract.
My current position placed me in a private high school. Adapting to working in a private high school is not easy at all. If my company places a teacher who quits after two weeks then it looks incredible bad on the company and they will likely not get a renewal of the contract in the coming year. I'm quite sure they lose out on quality teachers because of this system, but it is more important for them to have teachers commited to fulfilling their contracts or at least sizable portions of them.
My current company has a pretty good business system for themselves. They require a $300 deposit when they hire. This is then paid back half way though the first semester. After this point the teachers are coming up on a long paid summer holiday, so they tend to endure through the first semester. The summer holiday is only paid if the teacher is still working at the school as of payday in September, so their is a huge incentive for the teacher to return to work. By this point the teacher is usually acclimated to the high school. Even if they are not, they are still halfway through the contract and looking forward to a decent length paid winter vacation and a nice contract completion bonus in March. Their system works very well for them regardless of my opinion of it. |
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Hondo 2.0
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 69
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:23 am Post subject: |
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| There is no question that a deposit would discourage someone from leaving a job early. However, I think the benefit of a $300 deposit would be outweighed by the negative effect it would have on your selection of candidates. I just don't see it being an overall benefit to the employer. |
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Mike L.
Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Posts: 519
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 5:28 am Post subject: |
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| If I didn't require a deposit, it would be a terrible business practice. And if I do require a deposit, I loose nothing (because I still have people flocking to my school), and my new hires loose nothing (because I give them back everything as soon as they arrive). Seems like a no-brainer to me. And I don't even have an MBA! |
Actually in 5 years in Japan I've only heard of low ball eikaiwas, not the decent ones, doing this!
Most employers suss their people out very carefully, and visa versa, so when it comes time to sign the contract we're ready to proceed!
Few employers will hire form overseas these days! The big four do and are a safe bet!
Actually those who engage in this usurious practice probably lose many qualified applicants.
Not to mention, the practice is probably illegal under Japanese labour law!
Think about: You don't pay employers! They pay you! |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 7:59 am Post subject: |
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| Hondo 2.0 wrote: |
To retain employees, it might be more effective to restructre the common Y250000 monthly salary. You could offer Y200000/month, with a guaranteed completion bonus of Y600000. That would certainly motivate people to finish off their contracts. |
Which says 2 things;
teaching EFL pays even worse than it does before and gives employers to pay you less for the same work. as some one here already on 250,000 yen a month. Doesnt make getting a job over here more attractive if it pays less than what you can get back home, not to mention airfare etc.
I would also like to ask how you can make your employer pay the bonus as the end- it will be like a carrot for people working their first contract, but as is often the case, an employer will find ways to either not pay you, pay you less or get you to quit before the year is up. Many people can not handle a year as it is on a higher monthly salary its unlikely they will work harder or stay longer for lower pay, even though they are offered a carrot at the end.
Anyway, extra pay should be for performance, not just because you keep a seat warm for a year. |
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guest of Japan
Joined: 28 Feb 2003
Posts: 1601
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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Honda 2.0 wrote:
[/quote]However, I think the benefit of a $300 deposit would be outweighed by the negative effect it would have on your selection of candidates.
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As I mentioned earlier, in my current job the qualitity of the candidate is outweighed by his or her commitment to finish the contract. Japanese companies think that they have a system that enables learners to learn English or at least to make the company money. To them any old gaijin will do although they prefer smiley, genki ones who will finish their contract. AEON does not actually want good teachers. Having a good teacher means that when they are eventually replaced the company will lose money. AEON prefers to have uniformity in all lessons with similar presentation in all of it 290 schools on any given day. Obviously they don't think that the qualities of individual teachers are important. They view the foreign teachers as a promotional tool to attract business and then a factory worker in the creation of a product and finally a stage performer for the delivery. They will happily hire good, experienced teachers, but they are just as content to have fresh out of university no nothings.
In Japan the company is the parent and the worker is the child. The child is to do exactly as told by the parent. You don't need a lot of qualifications and experiences to be a child. You just have to be present and obedient.
PaulH wrote:
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Anyway, extra pay should be for performance, not just because you keep a seat warm for a year.
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I agree completely, but in most of the English teaching world of Japan keeping the seat warm is the primary performance requirement. No teacher = no money. Bad teachers still make the business money as long as the Japanese saleman are good. The salemen (managers) get nice performance bonuses.
I think I may be in a bitter, testy F--- Japan kind of mood today. |
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Hondo 2.0
Joined: 05 Aug 2004
Posts: 69
Location: Canada
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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In professional sports, teams often buy insurance on player's contracts. If something happens to the player, the insurance kicks in, and the team isn't on the hook for whole of the contracts.
An actuary could probably quantify the variables that lead to early departure from a contract. Then, you could offer insurance to language schools. It wouldn't be worthwhile to the larger companies, but it might help out the smaller independent schools. |
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