Job Discussion Forums

[ohahakehte]

i have an honours english degree from a canadian university and one year teaching experience in seoul. i wanna find a job teaching in japan in the next few months and im curious to know what the minimum conditions of a contract should be?

for korea a rookie teacher should go for a contract that includes:
-2 million won salary
-return airfare paid for
-rent paid for
-insurance partly or mostly paid for
-school w/i walking distance of apartment

i got all of that out of my contract that i did in korea and i didnt even do a lot of research. if i went back to korea i would look for contracts that paid at least 2.1 or 2.2 million.

but whats the story for japan? from what i hear its not like korea in that most schools dont pay for airfare or rent and sometimes you have long commutes to work. generally 250,000 yen a month is the standard salary from what i hear, with rent coming to about 50,000 a month.

what minimum contract conditions should i be looking for? since im an experienced teacher should i be expecting more than the bare minimum?

[PAULH]

[Glenski]

Sometimes it depends on your visa.

Work visas require 3- or 4-year degrees. I don't know what an honours English degree entails in Canada. That's about it for the work visa and usually for most eikaiwa work.

You may be eligible for a working holiday visa as well. No degree required, but there is an age limit, and you have to apply in your home country.

What conditions should the CONTRACT have?

"Have" is a bit strange way to put it. You will find that the majority of eikaiwas have contracts only for a year, and that the salaries will be monthly (250,000-280,000 yen/month before taxes). I think most employers will pay for your local transportation. Most probably offer some sort of housing which you will pay rent and utilities for. (Some exceptions exist.) Don't expect the location to be convenient; it will vary on the employer. Many (don't know the percentage) will not pay into your health insurance or pension plans because they get away with a legal loophole. About 99% do not pay return airfare.

These are the conditions for rookies as well as most veterans (yes, salary does not change much if at all, no matter how long you stay at a place). Anything other than this is a luxury item that will probably be rare.

[Doglover]

What things should be included in my labour contract with my employer?


Your labour contract must include the following: the length of the contract, wages, and working hours. If your contract and actual working conditions differ you may cancel your contract immediately (Article 15).

The Labour Standards Law Ordinances also lay down that the methods for deciding on, calculating and paying wages, must be clearly stated in a written document delivered to the worker.
There is also a stipulation in the law that states that if you moved residence in order to start a new job and then your actual working conditions are different from the stated working conditions, you may quit and if you return home within 14 days the company is obligated to pay your way home. This would be the case for someone working at a school that recruits overseas. As far as the General Union knows, this law has never been tried with foreigners returning to their home countries. If you're in this situation, let us know (Article 15).

Outside of my contract are there any other kind of workplace rules that I should know about? (Chapter 9)

Yes. All workplaces with over 10 employees must have working rules which are available for all workers to see and must also be filed at the district Labour Standards Office. Not only must these rules exist and be made available to all workers, but the comment of either a trade union or a workers' representative must be attached and registered at the Labour Standards Office.

The things that must be included in working rules are as follows: working hours, overtime regulations, wage calculations, wage payment dates, and all procedures for discipline, fines, or firings.
Also, because working rules are to be made accessible to all employees your employer should provide the rules in English (Article 106).

[Iwantmyrightsnow]

[Lister100]

screwed up

[Nismo]

[Lister100]

screwed up.

[ohahakehte]

[Glenski]

A few places that I know have this clause. Be advised that not everything in a Japanese contract is legal, let alone enforceable. This is definitely one of those that is neither.

[Lister100]

What about the hours?

Is a 45 hour work week for Y250000 normal? Works out to about $16 an hour, but isn't Japan about two to three times the price? That would means that I am actually working a minimum wage(or less) job when you balance it out.

I have a university degree in English, true its not ESL but it is language based.
I have a TESL certificate from a not very reknown provider and some training and tutoring experience.

The holidays look to be pretty good but I'm not sure if this is a standard deal.

I don't want to sound like a complainer. All I want is to know what I'm getting into. At 8 hours teaching time with weekly reports that means that I will likely have a pretty lengthy preparation time. Throw that on top of my teaching hours and guide lines.

Should I accept this?

[Lister100]

ed

[PAULH]

[PAULH]

[Glenski]

I'm sure the 9 hour work week is a typo and should be 9 hour work DAY (assuming 8 hours in the building teaching, plus an hour for lunch).

Formal dress code doesn't imply tuxedo, Paul. It MIGHT mean that, but I wouldn't take it that way. Just a full suit, not a sport coat and nice slacks. Personally, a bow tie is a little weird to me. Lister had better confirm what is really wanted (and perhaps learn how to tie a bow tie).