Job Discussion Forums

[Company Calls]

Hello everyone! I was reading through The Japan FAQ: Secrets on Teaching English in Japan (http://thejapanfaq.cjb.net), and was wondering of what those with experience thought of this statement:

"Most of the larger chain schools that hire outside Japan do so because they have soiled reputations among teachers in Japan."

I was recruited by a company who came to my university, so I have a particular interest in this. Also, I'm finding it difficult to find any kind of information about them other than their official Web site.

Overall, the FAQ site painted the eikaiwa experience as negative. Is this person disgruntled or is there a lot validity to the statements?

Thanks everyone!

[starteacher]

Firstly, people's experience will always vary, people who have a good experience often never write about it, and those who don't do.

Saying that, what are the reasons for big eikaiwas hiring from outside -
1. go directly to the source of most teachers (ie.. US. UK. OZ, Canada)
2. find fresh and naive faces who do not know what it is really like in the REAL Japan and ask few questions
3. sweet talking candidates when they want

But this is nothing new in any selling game. The only difference now and that of 10 years ago, say, is that savvy folks like yourself use the internet a lot to do your searching which did not exist back in the "old days". It means you are more informed. But surprisingly methods still do not change by recruitment companies, they are the ones holding the carrot and they will dangle it until the temptation lures candidates into submission to take a job, and there always are going to be. Especially in recession times. English teaching is a business first, and teaching second. Unfortunately.

And you're right, companies will do whatever they can to not have anything on the internet about their schools. After all, what is there to hide.

The person who write the article about soiled reputations could be right in some way.

If you going to do a job, irregardless, you've go to approach it positively, even if you get screwed in the end. That how it goes.

Good luck.

[Company Calls]

Thanks for your response! Yeah, experiences will definitely be varied; I just didn't know if there was any kind of general trend that might have carried across the eikaiwas.

It is a pretty big/vague question that I've asked (sorry). I wasn't sure how to narrow it down at this point. (I'm currently doing more research).

I do find it a bit unsettling that there is little information on my company.

[womblingfree]

I don't think that eikaiwa teachers necessarily have 'soiled' reputations with former employees. It's more that you can view them for what they are, corporate retail businesses designed to employ people on a transient basis.

The longer you work for them the more transparent this becomes, and it can lead to resentment for various reasons.

having said that a decent job with a large chain-eikaiwa is at least as good, and often better than, any number of alternatives.

If you just plan going to Japan for a year or two they are an excellent way in.

[mizugameza]

I've been working for an eikaiwa for more than two years now and overall it's been a positive experience. I actually found the job on this site, had a phone interview and got the job. If the school is in a smaller city like mine is then it is harder to find teachers within Japan so the internet really is the best way for them to find them.
The nice thing about my school is that I have complete freedom in what I teach and how, as long as the student is happy. My boss was very helpful in getting a Visa for me and even bought two new futons when I arrived. The pay is pretty good, though not as good as the JET program of course.
There are blacklist sites that can warn you if certain companies have a bad reputation. But I wouldn't necessarily be suspicious just because they were recruiting outside the country.

[SoulCal]

I worked for one of the big chain schools for a few years, and during my time there, I never felt that this company cared about their employees or their students. Everything was a ploy to get students to spend more money and to get staff to work harder for this dead end job. Also, I met countless co-workers who felt the same way, but dealt with it until their contract was up.

I would say that if youre really intent on experiencing life abroad but are not planning to follow through with a career in ESL/EFL, then do it for a 1 year period with a big chain school, and then move on. If teaching is a future career field for you, youd be better off getting the proper academic training/credentials first, then applying for positions with International schools/Universities. These institutions hold much more value on a resume and will also pay you higher salaries and provide better benefits.

In the end, the foreign teacher is often used as the scapegoat for anything that goes wrong at these Eikaiwa chains, and you dont want to commit a serious length of time to a company that will just see you as an expendable pawn.

[Glenski]

Company Calls,
Practically every eikaiwa in Japan has that "soiled reputation" if you look at things generally. The big 4 or 5 hire more people, so they get more complaints posted on these forums.

Some are justified. Some are not. Some are in a gray area.

The thing you have to know is this:

1) If you can't come here to look around, you're stuck with trying to get hired through the JET Programme (a good way in) or through the few (dozen or so) places that hire from abroad.

2) The big 4 or 5 have more than one branch, so a complaint from one may not apply to another branch. Find out which. You may not be able to avoid them in the hiring process, but at least you'll know where to request placement.

3) Very few to no people will tell you about a fantastic problem-free employer here. Why risk losing one's job by advertising to someone who might take it over?

[Company Calls]

Thanks for the replies everyone! They certainly helped.