Job Discussion Forums

[kojimoji]

Hey, I think I've posted this question before... but has anyone worked for The English Club before? They are a private language school in Saitama.

I was supposed to be there in March, but my date keeps getting postponed... here it is late April and now they're telling me to arrive at the end of May. I am currently not working another job, obviously, since I thought I'd be working for this company two months ago. And I kind of need to be on insurance.

So has anyone had this problem? From what I've heard from other people who have taught in Japan, this situation is unusual.

They are also telling me that the apartment situation is unclear; I may have to share a room with another teacher until they find housing for me. I don't want to be an obnoxious foreigner, but I feel like I'm getting the runaround! Should I be worried, or should I just fly out and hope that everything works out for the best? I mean, this is my life, and it's a job - I'm not a kid attending summer camp in Tokyo for a year and a half. I don't have a large savings account to spend while they string me along for nearly half a year.

Am I overreacting to this situation? Any info on this school? Maybe they are a great company and everything will be fine once I arrive... (if I arrive...?)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Glenski]

The name doesn't ring a bell.

Have you filed paperwork for your visa yet? What's the word?

No, you are not overreacting. To delay you like that without (presumably) a good explanation is one thing, but to change housing options is another. What's in your contract?

I hope you have not put all your eggs in one basket. Tell them directly you will not stay with another teacher, and see what happens.

[Company Calls]

Hey, I'm actually supposed to be working for them in the early fall. Has anything else developed? I couldn't really find much about them online, but I do have a friend from Tokyo who checked out the company's Web site and he said it looked pretty legitimate.

Any other information would be great, though! Especially from someone doing what I'm supposed to be doing in the near future!

[bornslippy1981]

I interviewed with them a few years ago. I'm assuming you mean "English Club, Inc.?"

They were a legitimate company at the time. Not a bad place to start in Japan, but I had already been there a little over a year, so it wouldn't have been much different than the job I was in at Nova.

I don't remember, but I think they had issues that I had my own place to live. I was living in a guest house in Saitama, and they really were trying to push me to live in their place.

It's been a few years since I've left, so I don't know or remember much else about them.

[Company Calls]

Thanks! It's good to hear of your experience. From what I understand, they like the new teacher to take over the old teacher's apartment because they are under the company's name.

[bearcat]

[Company Calls]

[seklarwia]