Job Discussion Forums

[tokyo_girl]

It doesn't ring true with my experience of Korakuen where anytime
I have had a problem they have intervened to sort it out.
I have only had to do so perhaps 3 times in 3 years but they have been very good to me.

[Big John Stud]

[quote="unhappychappy"]I talked to him once about all of this harassment etc. Nothing has happened and that was last September and I am still being harassed...
That is the reason I joined the union.

The union has been trying to meet with him to discuss all of this but he is just refusing to meet the union.

Dont get me wrong, I love Japan, but what I am experiencing is NOT the Japan I know. I feel like I am living in North Korea.

Unhappychappy[/quote]

I've stated before you sound like a good person. You don't sound bitter at all. You sound frustrated from not getting support to resolve this!

I am just shocked that Iwata has so drastically changed. He was old when I used to work for him. How is his physical health now days? I ask because maybe he has gotten too old to do this business anymore!

Have you talked to the person doing the harassment? I can't understand what pleasure a person could feel by making sexual passes at a women who is not interested!
Second you might want to talk to Iwata again and again!

I don't know if the union is going to be able to do anything. I have a lawyer working for me, and the union told me I am in better off hands with him. He has yet been able to get a past employer to pay me a month and a half rages from 3 years ago.

You might want to contemplate are the kids worth enduring the harassment! If not then tell Iwata if something isn't done, you are leaving in two weeks.

Anyway good luck to you!

[unhappychappy]

Perhaps I should clear this up.

I am being sexually harrassed from an old woman staff. I am a guy!
Today I got told that she is going to have my kid!
WHAT THE FU%K IS THAT ABOUT! Am I going to be raped or what?

You may say oh I am overreacting but either way sexual harrassment is sexual harassment whether it is directed to a female or a male.

I have asked for that person to stop it but nothing has been done.

WIth regard to the union, I think they are on the right track.

Your right I am fustrated that nothing has been done.

[tokyo_girl]

Have you tried taping her secretly?
It may not be legal but it might be enough
to embarrass her into silence or to get
someone to act on your behalf.

[Big John Stud]

unhappychappy you night want to try reverse psychology! Next time she comes on to you agree to it. She might be just playing with your head. You situation is not a typical experience in Japan!

[yamanote senbei]

Again, there are many problems with indirect employment. If you are directly employed by your schools or school boards, like Korakuen English Centre teachers should legally be, it's possible to take immediate direct action against the offending party instead of going through a middleman who rarely leaves Tokyo. Korakuen management itself probably receives it's fair share of abuse from its clients. In some cases, Iwata probably just waits it out rather than risk losing the contract, a contract that he shouldn't legally have even had in the first place.

[Mark]

There's been a lot of talk on this post as well as the one about Interac and other posts as well about the legality of ALT outsourcing. I'd like to ask questions:

1) Can anyone explain what precisely (and briefly) is the difference between legal dispatching and illegal outsourcing? Or rather, correct me if I'm wrong.

This is how I understand it:

Dispatching is where a company (or school) hires an agency to provide potential employees to fill a vacancy. The agency receives a fee and the employee then works for the company or school.

Outsourcing is where a company (or school) actually hires an outside agency/company to do a job. The agency then hires an employee to do the job and the employee works for the agency and not for the school.

2) If the ALT system as it currently exists in Japan (i.e. outsourcing) where agencies hire native speakers and then send them to teach in schools is blatantly illegal, why is nothing done about this? And are we absolutely sure that outsourcing in schools is illegal? Private as well as public?

It seems odd to me that schools would knowingly break the law and engage in illegal business practices. It also seems odd to me that the government would pass laws and then do absolutely nothing to enforce them.

Actually, one further question:

3) Does anyone know how Japanese part-time teachers are typically hired? Directly? Dispatch? Outsourcing?

Thanks.

[wangtesol]

You can check the discussion at ELT News to find some answers. If it still confusing then post again. Your questions are somewhat unclear. A public school cannot hire a teacher. The board of education hires all teachers and ALTs.

http://www.eltnews.com/community/?board=general;action=display;num=1137813786

[Big John Stud]

Mark wrote:

There's been a lot of talk on this post as well as the one about Interac and other posts as well about the legality of ALT outsourcing. I'd like to ask questions: 1) Can anyone explain what precisely (and briefly) is the difference between legal dispatching and illegal outsourcing? Or rather, correct me if I'm wrong. This is how I understand it: Dispatching is where a company (or school) hires an agency to provide potential employees to fill a vacancy. The agency receives a fee and the employee then works for the company or school. Outsourcing is where a company (or school) actually hires an outside agency/company to do a job. The agency then hires an employee to do the job and the employee works for the agency and not for the school. 2) If the ALT system as it currently exists in Japan (i.e. outsourcing) where agencies hire native speakers and then send them to teach in schools is blatantly illegal, why is nothing done about this? And are we absolutely sure that outsourcing in schools is illegal? Private as well as public? It seems odd to me that schools would knowingly break the law and engage in illegal business practices. It also seems odd to me that the government would pass laws and then do absolutely nothing to enforce them. Actually, one further question: 3) Does anyone know how Japanese part-time teachers are typically hired? Directly? Dispatch? Outsourcing? Thanks.

Good questions Mark! I know this is so confussing! I am not sure if my information is true or not so anyone who disagrees or agrees please state!

I heard BOE doesn't like to hire guijin(foreigners) because in Japan after 3 years of employment, the company has to make the employee perminent which gives the employee many benefits and almost impossible to be fired. Also very few of BOE staff can speak English well enough to hire native English teachers.
I worked part time for Korakuen English Centre years ago as an ALT at a high school. I had no troubles with them and was always paid on time.

[Mark]

Ok, then replace public school with BoE.

I'm not really sure how to make my questions more clear.

1) Am I correct about the difference between dispatching and outsourcing?

2) If schools are doing illegal outsourcing, why does the government not seem to care?

3) Are Japanese part-time teachers (ie not full-time staff) hired the same way as ALTs or are they hired legally?

As for Big John's comments, I agree that those seem to be the 2 main reasons for using the ALT agencies. But I think the problem could be solved by:
1) Offering a one year contract renewable a maximum of 2 times
2) Expecting the dispatch company to not only provide employees but to also prepare an English copy of the contract and to be available throughout the school year to convey information to the employees.

At any rate, the main point of my post was that I find it difficult to believe that so many Boards of Education and private schools are blatantly breaking the law and the authorities don't do anything. If the law is being broken, then presumably the authorities either don't know about it or don't care. And that just seems odd to me.

[Big John Stud]

[quote="Mark"]Ok, then replace public school with BoE.

I'm not really sure how to make my questions more clear.

1) Am I correct about the difference between dispatching and outsourcing?

2) If schools are doing illegal outsourcing, why does the government not seem to care?

3) Are Japanese part-time teachers (ie not full-time staff) hired the same way as ALTs or are they hired legally?

As for Big John's comments, I agree that those seem to be the 2 main reasons for using the ALT agencies. But I think the problem could be solved by:
1) Offering a one year contract renewable a maximum of 2 times
2) Expecting the dispatch company to not only provide employees but to also prepare an English copy of the contract and to be available throughout the school year to convey information to the employees.

At any rate, the main point of my post was that I find it difficult to believe that so many Boards of Education and private schools are blatantly breaking the law and the authorities don't do anything. If the law is being broken, then presumably the authorities either don't know about it or don't care. And that just seems odd to me.[/quote]


If the full time ALT provided my dispatching companies are illegal then so are the part time ALT. I've worked at a part time and a full time, the hiring process was the same.
Mark you do ask a good question, if illegal why do most BOE hire illegally and why the government doesn't do anything.

[Mark]

[Big John Stud]

Mark wrote:

So, yeah, can anyone help with the questions? Why do schools and BoEs knowingly break the law? Why doesn't the government do anything about it? Does anyone know if the union has actually asked the government to clarify in simple language whether or not the practice of outsourcing is illegal? Has the union informed BoEs that outsourcing is illegal?

Funny that no one has answered, because on other threads people have written so passionately how outsourcing is illegal. I don't know for sure. I think, it is legal because so many BOEs do it! In fact very few BOE hire ALT directly. Some will hire an ALT after a few years of the ALT teaching.
I first heard it was illegal on this website.

[Mark]

[Big John Stud]

Mark wrote:

Yeah, I first heard it here too. There are a couple of posters who are quite vocal about the illegality of this practice. It's not that I don't believe them, it's just that I don't know enough to actually know for myself. I just don't get how this could go on if it's plainly illegal. Oh well, perhaps someone will answer at some point.

I am in the same boat! I also wonder if so illegal why does most BOE use out seourcing companies!