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Webelo
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:23 am Post subject: couple questions about ECC |
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I got invited to an interview in Toronto for ECC. I was wondering if anyone could chime in on a couple of questions I had before I go and buy an airline ticket.
o Apparently ECC doesn't offer heath insurance... is it easy/cheap to get?
o ECC's website says that all teachers' contracts expire in March 31st. So, if I get hired in Oct/Nov do I work until March 2007, Oct/Nov 2007, or March 2008?
o Is it difficult to travel between schools day to day?
o Could someone comment on the living situations?
Thanks! I just want to be sure the trip to Toronto is worth my time and money.
-john |
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chirp
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 148
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| Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:59 am Post subject: |
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Webelo,
Where do you live? How costly (in time or dollars) is the trip to Toronto? |
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callmesim
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 279
Location: London, UK
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| Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 9:07 am Post subject: Re: couple questions about ECC |
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o Apparently ECC doesn't offer heath insurance... is it easy/cheap to get? |
Shop around and search BEFORE you leave. It might be cheaper to get it before you leave. ECC will NOT help you in any way get health insurance. It sucks but that's just how they do it.
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| o ECC's website says that all teachers' contracts expire in March 31st. So, if I get hired in Oct/Nov do I work until March 2007, Oct/Nov 2007, or March 2008? |
Your first contract will be until March 31st 2007 then as that date approaches, provided you're an adequate teacher, they'll sign you up until March 2008.
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| o Is it difficult to travel between schools day to day? |
Not at all. You'll probably get one bad commute (1 hour each way) but all the others should be around 30 mins. Trust me, 5 schools of varying commutes is better than 1 school. Variety is your friend!
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| o Could someone comment on the living situations? |
You can usually choose where in the region you want to live (I had a choice between Osaka or Kobe) and whether you want to share or if you want to live on your own. The housing agents they use are more expensive than normal HOWEVER, the place is furnished and offer minimum fuss. |
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Webelo
Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 11:53 am Post subject: |
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| chirp wrote: |
Webelo,
Where do you live? How costly (in time or dollars) is the trip to Toronto? |
I live in MA. It would cost me a flight to buffalo, NY, a rental car to Toronto, a hotel room, and three days of my time. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:29 pm Post subject: |
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| I just want to be sure the trip to Toronto is worth my time and money. |
No offense, but you have only 2 choices. Come here and look around, or stay at home and try for interviews with the very few employers that visit the USA and Canada. To come here, plan on supporting yourself for 2-3 months before seeing a first paycheck. |
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wangtesol
Joined: 24 May 2005
Posts: 280
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:26 am Post subject: ECC union |
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There is a teachers union branch at ECC. You can find them within the larger union, the General Union, at
http://www.generalunion.org/ecc/
For your information, all Japanese companies are obligated to enroll full-time employees into National Health Insurance. However, ECC has been a pioneer in weaseling out of this obligation by hiring teachers at 29.5 hours a week (just half an hour below what is legally considered full-time by Japanese Social Insurance Law - 30 hours).
ECC teachers are still in dispute with the company in regards to National Health Insurance. You can see a couple of protest pictures here...
http://www.generalunion.org/news2005.htm
and there are some video clips here...
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=shakai+hoken
Last edited by wangtesol on Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:36 pm; edited 3 times in total |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| For your information, all Japanese companies are obligated to enroll full-time employees into National Health Insurance. However, ECC has been a pioneer in weaseling out of this obligation by hiring teachers at 29.5/hours a week (just half an hour below what is considered full-time - 30 hours). |
True, and many employers don't tell you about this legal loophole until after you are hired. The jobs are often posted as full-time, despite this discrepancy, too. |
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