Job Discussion Forums

Yona Yona · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 26

Good info from taikibansei.
Yes, that is what I am referred to as : hijokin.
I was really under the impression that the rules, contracts etc that they had in place were not just this school's rules, but general private school conditions. I have no idea how they calculated my starting salary.
The school hired me after an introduction from someone who was
already working here.
I will add that the person who was recently fired (yes, Glenski he did recieve a lump sum payment when he was dismissed.The school actually encouraged him to hand in a letter of resignation.He refused.They fired him) gained his Masters degree whilst working there. The school was not interested and he received no change in contract conditions when he resigned.
It would be nice to say "I am not happy with this job,I wil just get another one", but these kind of positions (privateJHS/SHS) are not THAT easy to
come by. Are they ?

PS : I am a he not a she. Cool

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Yona Yona,

I'm with the other folks who've responded to the thread. You're terribly underpaid, likely being outright lied to about the conditions and type of contract you are eligible for.

The way they treated your coworker is indicative of the school's attitude towards you, too.

You've got considerable experience with all aspects of school life, and you'd do well to go higher, either MA TESOL or a teaching license and move on, if your life situation allows.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

WHAT?! You're a hijoukin, yet work that many hours and have that much responsibility??!! That partly explains the low salary, but you are pretty much letting them walk all over you, IMO.

Yona Yona · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 26

Thanks for everyone's replies.
They have backed up what I was already pretty
sure of.
I have a meeting with the principal in September.
There is definitely some negotiating to be done.
Will report back on the outcome. I don`t have high expectations.
Thanks.
Y.Y.

taikibansei · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 811 Location: Japan

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Yona,
You've been there for 2 years. Have you always been called hijoukin? I would also like to know whether you are enrolled in the shakai hoken plan. If you are not, then you are definitely considered part-time, not full-time, or the school has just decided to break the law by not enrolling a full-timer.

Inquring minds want to know. I'm sure the union would be interested, too.

Why have you stayed there so long with so little pay and such a workload?

Yona Yona · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 26

Glenski, yes I am enrolled in the health insurance plan.
The whole deal, pension etc.
The monthly deductions really bring the take home pay down.
Also the city tax for where I live is very high and that is deducted directly from my salary.

2 years isn't really that long and it is only in the past few months that
things have come to a head with increasing workloads etc.

I have stayed because in all honesty I enjoy the job for the most part.
I should add that the principal who hired me (a very nice guy with a great attitude towards English education) left because of disagreements with
the school administrators. The principal now is a bitter woman who has introduced the extra work loads,declared that I will never be a sennin, and has no interest in the actual teaching part of my job.
Her mantra is " study Japanese and be nice to all the Japanese teachers".
That is about it.
Oh, and it seems naive in retrospect, but when I first started I wasn't really aware of the various types of positions,but yes, I am sure I have been hijoukin from the start.

markle · Joined: 17 Jan 2003 Posts: 1316 Location: Out of Japan

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

How did everything work out?

flyer · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 539 Location: Sapporo Japan

yes

a very interesting thread

sidjameson · Joined: 11 Jan 2004 Posts: 629 Location: osaka

Yes I agree, a cliffhanger that needs a conclusion.

I am surprised by the many posts that were unequivical in their belief that the OP should quit though. From what I can see around me there is as much chance for the OP to end up back in a language school as there is in him finding something better.
I figure his gross salary is in the region of 5 million a year. Really, what percentage of teachers in Japan are doing better than that? A good number of holidays too.

Yona Yona · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 26

Well, I had a meeting last week with the Principal, Vice Principal, and
the heads of the Personnel Section.
I aired some of my grievances. My "contract" (there is actually NO contract as such.None of the Japanese teachers have a contract either, just pieces of paper with their job title, sennin, etc written on it) has johshu written on it.
Full time assistant teacher is their translation of "johshu", even though I do not teach as an assistant would. I teach all my own classes etc.
It says "johshu" on the paper but they said they would like me to consider myself as "johkin". I was not able to get an answer as to the difference between johkin and johshu. Is their a difference ?
They admitted they lie to the Osaka Education Board about what I do.
They produced some documents in Japanese that say by law I am not allowed to teach alone because I do not hold a Japanese teaching license.
They would however, not give me a copy of said documents.
Actually the meeting was sort of going OK, with both the Principal and Vice Principal being fairly reasonable, until the old guy from the Personnel Section lost his cool and went on a bit of a rant about how if I didn't like certain things I could always leave, and how they couldn't change the rules because one foreigner wasn't happy etc etc..
At one point the Japanese English teacher who was at the interview to translate anything that I wasn't clear about found out something about HER working conditions that she had no idea about and kind of got a bit agitated.
They did manage to turn it into a sort of "overly sensitive foreigner worrying about abstract things, and asking questions that we Japanese would never ever dare ask, just get on with your work and work like we do" kind of situation.
In the end the Principal sort of said that if I "do my best" over the next year or so she will recommend me for a "sennin" position.
In the meantime I must prove that I am a "good worker". I sort of thought I had already done that, oh well, and be satisfied with renewing my "contract" every year and having no pay increases whatsoever.
I agree with what sidjameson said though. The reality is that I probably am better off sticking things out here for the time being.

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Now that you have effectively rocked the boat and you are in your third year, you may want to be looking for a new position for next year.
Good luck!
Enjoy,
s

Yona Yona · Joined: 20 Jul 2007 Posts: 26

Actually, no. The end result was actually OK, in the sense that
some of the points that I was raising finally started to get through, though yes, to be honest I can tell that their general feeling is that I am complaining about nothing.
Actually after the meeting I had another meeting with the Vice Principal who basically told me that he agrees with my basic sentiments but
I am kind of banging my head against a brick wall.
I found out that he became Vice Principal because he was VOTED in by all the other teachers at the school. This guy works longer hours than anyone else, but when he was made VP he received NO pay rise.
He is coming to the end of his 3 year term now, and will be replaced by another teacher who was also voted in. The guy voted in has no choice. Huge
increase in responsibilities, huge increase in working hours. Zero pay rise.
Also, teachers who get "promoted" here, and are given positions of great responsibility, for example teachers in charge of new student enrollment etc, get zero pay rise too. I am not sure if this is the norm in private schools here, but it's easy to see why my complaints seemed rather trivial to these people.
Is there really no difference between johkin and sennin , because at this school there definitely IS. When a teacher is hired they are johkin. If they work like crazy (read : stay at the school untill 10 pm every night) and they are liked, after their 3rd year they will be "promoted" to sennin (and promptly made homeroom teacher of the most difficult class in the school).
Also, I need proof in black and white of some of the things mentioned in this thread, especially stuff about foreign teachers without teaching licenses teaching alone.