Job Discussion Forums

[souljer_777]

Hi all!
I've applied to several TESL companies in Japan, and was wondering if anybody knows whether the following conduct drug tests during the hiring process, and if so when:

Aeon
Interac
Westgate
ECC

Thanks fellows!

[seklarwia]

Interac asked us whether we would submit a sample for testing if the schools or BOE asked for it. Then point 7 on the letter that accompanied the offer of employment said that we may have to undergo random drugs tests at some point in our employment. We were also led to believe that we would have one when we arrived in Tokyo since that was when we supposed to have medicals.

Due to circumstances out of anyones control, we didn't have our medicals done whilst at training as was planned.

I had my medical done at my placement. I'm pretty sure there was no drug test there.

I'm not sure whether they were really intending to do a drug screening in Tokyo or whether it is just a scare tactic. And I suppose the idea of random screening may have just been put out there as a deterrent.

I hear they can't legally force you to take one, but if they asked and you didn't, its quite likely they might find a reason to have to terminate your contract... it is a dispatch company, afterall.

I haven't been here all that long, so I can't say for sure that a drug test won't come up somewhere. But I can tell you that we were never asked to have one at any point before our arrival.

Is it really a problem for you? If you used something in the past, I don't think I was ever officially asked about whether I had used them, so you could always not bring it up. If you got asked to take one after arrival in Japan, you could then come clean about your past, and hopefully the test will confirm that you haven't used recently if it tests positive at all.
If you are a current user of any controlled substance, including pot, then I hope you realise that the Japanese law has very heavy punishment for any illegal drug use.

[iverin]

When I was hired with Aeon last year there was no drug test, nor any mention of using drugs (apart from the heavy penalties of using drugs in Japan). Not sure if anything has changed in a year.

[Glenski]

Bear in mind 2 things:

1) if they don't test the Japanese staff, too, it's discriminatory and probably illegal.

2) don't do drugs here

[Great Teacher Umikun]

If your contract or application says you agree to it, it's dead letter. They can't make you take a drug test.