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Nixbear
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Posts: 8 Location: Durban, SOUTH AFRICA
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 8:45 am Post subject: Onomichi Kokusai School |
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Hi everyone! I just wondered if any of you have encounted Onomichi Kokusai School. I am apllying for a position there for December - my first ESL job and am eager to find out anyones opinions of the school etc if any of you know it. Do you think it is risky not going through a proper recruitment agency? Any comments will be appreciated, thank you. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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I just had a look at the contract
http://www.bbbn.jp/~kokusai7/kokusai/employ.htm
Pretty standard salary as thats what immigration asks for. Health insurance deduction (but by law the employer is supposed to pay 50%)
Notice to resign in Japan is usually about one month. 3 months notice is on the long side and no employer is going to hold a job open for you that long if you quit and work for someone else.
teaching privates is not illegal in Japan. that clause is to stop you pirating students from your employer or teaching them at home.
Once you have finished work, your time is your own, including doing side jobs. Onomichi is a small place and Im sure people will know what you are up to as you will stand out a bit as foreigner. Be discreet and dont steal students from your school.
The link says airfare to your home contract is paid for but it doesnt say what happens if you quit early. When do you receive money for the airfare and do you get it if you quit your contract?
Shinkansen from Osaka to Hiroshima is about 90 minutes and from the Kansai airport to Shin-Osaka station about 1 hour by taxi.
BY the way they need College students, not collage students. |
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Nixbear
Joined: 13 Aug 2004 Posts: 8 Location: Durban, SOUTH AFRICA
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:36 am Post subject: thanks |
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thank you for your reply and information provided |
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sanadamushi

Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 21 Location: Osaka
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Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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I met the owner, a nice lady in her 50's I guess about 2 years ago. Onomichi is a cool city, supposedly lots of movies are filmed there. If you're South African it might cause her to hesitate...just as so you're caucasian (I've nothing against you if you aren't, but that is usually the drill in Asian for EFL teachers) and can be understood by other teachers. I've met some South Africans whose accent is barely noticeable and some that are unintelligible..
Anyway, the school is a safe bet, you would enjoy it I think, I just don't know why she has to advertise for the position, that is not a good sign. Good luck! |
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zoubaidah
Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 20
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 12:54 pm Post subject: Health insurance? |
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I'm about to sign a contract, which provides work related accident insurance, but I have to pay the health insurance - you say Paul that the employer is 'supposed' to pay 50% - does that mean that they aren't breaking the law if they don't?
And thank you very much for your help and advice Paul, I think I've found quite a good deal here - and it's a real offer as opposed to the places who are going to contact me after.... whatever date. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 1:02 pm Post subject: Re: Health insurance? |
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zoubaidah wrote: |
I'm about to sign a contract, which provides work related accident insurance, but I have to pay the health insurance - you say Paul that the employer is 'supposed' to pay 50% - does that mean that they aren't breaking the law if they don't?
And thank you very much for your help and advice Paul, I think I've found quite a good deal here - and it's a real offer as opposed to the places who are going to contact me after.... whatever date. |
Japanese law says that anyone who is a full time regularly salaried employee, including foreigners, the employer is required to pay 50% of the monthly premium. In your first year its very cheap but in year 2 your monthly premium will go up to 25,000 yen a month (bet you didnt know that did you) and your employer will cover 50%
How employers get around this is counting your teaching hours in front of students, not the hours you spend in the office doing office work, demo lessons etc. You will be there 9 to 5, five days a week but actually teaching less than 26 hours a week. That is the hours that they will count. You may be considered part time in that case. NOVA has 5000 employees and they save billions in insurance by this neat accounting trick.
You are full time, but to the company accountant, you are considered part time. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan
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Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 1:20 pm Post subject: Re: Health insurance? |
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zoubaidah wrote: |
I'm about to sign a contract, which provides work related accident insurance, but I have to pay the health insurance - you say Paul that the employer is 'supposed' to pay 50% - does that mean that they aren't breaking the law if they don't?
And thank you very much for your help and advice Paul, I think I've found quite a good deal here - and it's a real offer as opposed to the places who are going to contact me after.... whatever date. |
work related accident insurance just covers you in case a filing cabinet falls on you at work and you break your arm, or you get hit by a taxi on the way to work (has to be direct though, you are not covered if you stop on the way home for a drink as its indirect)
Work related injuries cover their arse if you get injured and will help the employer pay your salary etc if you land up in hospital.
You can bet your bottom dollar that the full time Japanese employees are paying some kind of health insurance with the boss covering 50%. Foreign teachers will be expected to pay their own premiums. Not strictly legal but few teachers will call them up on it. |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 202
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 1:04 am Post subject: Re: Health insurance? |
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[quote="PAULH"]
zoubaidah wrote: |
Japanese law says that anyone who is a full time regularly salaried employee, including foreigners, the employer is required to pay 50% of the monthly premium. In your first year its very cheap but in year 2 your monthly premium will go up to 25,000 yen a month (bet you didnt know that did you) and your employer will cover 50% |
If you are going to continue to be the font of all knowledge at least get the facts correct. You have confused 2 different things here - Shakai Hoken and Kokumin Kenko Hoken.
Employers are required to enroll full-timers in Shakai Hoken and pay 50% of the premiums. The premiums ARE NOT very cheap in the first year. You are confusing it with Kokumin Kenko Hoken, for which the employer has no obligation. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:56 am Post subject: |
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Fine by me if you want to split hairs. One is for people with one employer, work full tiime and I believe may include the pension payment (kosei Nenkin) but Im not sure on this one. The health national insurance and pension are combined. I pay both through my university employer but this is not the case with every body. The point being the employer is supposed to pay 50% but doesnt even if he is working full time hours.
The other (kokumin hoken?) is for part timers, self employed people and housewives who pay their own premiums. |
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zoubaidah
Joined: 03 Jul 2004 Posts: 20
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:22 am Post subject: Insurance |
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Thank you for the advice. As I said, I am about to sign this contract, and will check a few things with the employer before doing so. I think though, from what you say, Paul, that what they are doing is probably within the letter of the law. |
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David W
Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 457 Location: Japan
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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PAULH wrote: |
Fine by me if you want to split hairs. One is for people with one employer, work full tiime and I believe may include the pension payment (kosei Nenkin) but Im not sure on this one. The health national insurance and pension are combined. I pay both through my university employer but this is not the case with every body. The point being the employer is supposed to pay 50% but doesnt even if he is working full time hours.
The other (kokumin hoken?) is for part timers, self employed people and housewives who pay their own premiums. |
Correct me if I'm wrong Paul but I believe the way a lot of schools get around this 50/50 law is by advertsing their jobs as full time but in reality having their workers work less than the cut off point for full time workers, i.e you actually have to be there for 40 hours a week for example but your actual work hours are only 26.5 hours a week or whatever the full/part time cut off point is. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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David W wrote: |
Correct me if I'm wrong Paul but I believe the way a lot of schools get around this 50/50 law is by advertsing their jobs as full time but in reality having their workers work less than the cut off point for full time workers, i.e you actually have to be there for 40 hours a week for example but your actual work hours are only 26.5 hours a week or whatever the full/part time cut off point is. |
You are right, you work forty hours a week but they count your teaching hours, not your total work hours.
At NOVA you work from 1 to 9 pm 8 hours a day, but I hear nowadays you teach 8 45-minute lessons a day, 5 days a week. If you add up the minutes it comes to 6 hours a day of actual teaching in front of students and not 8 hours of actual work time you are in the office. The schools will not count the breaks demo lessons, admin, prep time etc.
I work at a private university, only teach 10 classes a week but the university still pays 50% of my health insurance contribution.
With bigger numbers of teachers at NOVA (about 5000 in total) they save a lot of money by not paying out on insurance premiums |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 202
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Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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PAULH wrote: |
Fine by me if you want to split hairs. One is for people with one employer, work full tiime and I believe may include the pension payment (kosei Nenkin) but Im not sure on this one. The health national insurance and pension are combined. I pay both through my university employer but this is not the case with every body. The point being the employer is supposed to pay 50% but doesnt even if he is working full time hours.
The other (kokumin hoken?) is for part timers, self employed people and housewives who pay their own premiums. |
Actually, I am not splitting hairs. You are giving incorrect information and as a moderator should be more careful. You said employer provided insurance is cheap in the first year. This is not true. |
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Gordon

Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 12:29 am Post subject: |
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Iwantmyrightsnow wrote: |
PAULH wrote: |
Fine by me if you want to split hairs. One is for people with one employer, work full tiime and I believe may include the pension payment (kosei Nenkin) but Im not sure on this one. The health national insurance and pension are combined. I pay both through my university employer but this is not the case with every body. The point being the employer is supposed to pay 50% but doesnt even if he is working full time hours.
The other (kokumin hoken?) is for part timers, self employed people and housewives who pay their own premiums. |
Actually, I am not splitting hairs. You are giving incorrect information and as a moderator should be more careful. You said employer provided insurance is cheap in the first year. This is not true. |
My insurance did go up a lot in my second year. |
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Iwantmyrightsnow
Joined: 12 Feb 2004 Posts: 202
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Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2004 7:40 pm Post subject: |
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Shakai Hoken provided by the employer is bound together with pension payments and as such is not "cheap" as stated by Paul in the first year. |
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