Job Discussion Forums

[Mtnkiwi]

Well, it seems that they've caught on that paying for Summer holidays etc is not necessary anymore. Temp agencies (I've spoken to two recently) now pay ALTs for days worked only. In August you earn nothing! Public holidays, nothing! April, nearly nothing.
Maybe ALT teachers have had it too good too long. I assume that the only reason these kind of contracts can offer sponsorship etc, is because the government has done away with the 250,000 yen/month minimum.
In some ways the ALT job is still attractive, especially if you are wanting to make a documentary this year , but is it a sign that Foreign staff are becoming more and more expendable in this country?
Any thoughts, comments or personal experiences of these kind of contracts welcome.

[Glenski]

Considering that many university teaching positions are being replaced by teachers who are farmed out from eikaiwas and various recruiting firms, I wouldn't so much say that teachers are becoming expendable. It's more like employers are finding creative ways to tighten their belts financially.

In my opinion, penny wise, pound foolish.

[lajzar]

Personally, I wouldn't even consider those paying under 250k. Even if it meant leaving the Land of the Rising Sun and returning to the Green Unpleasant Land.

Things have to be pretty bad economically for the UK to offer better savings potential, but between the reduced monthly payments and not paying school holidays, the UK is just about getting the edge on those jobs.

[klute]

As I understand it, most of these dispatch ALT contracts are for one year. Under the Labour Standards Law, your employer must pay you, on a day specified in your contract, a certain amount of money (also specified in your contract). By not paying a dispatch employee during the summer holiday, for example, the dispatch company is breaking the law. I would be interested to know exactly how the dispatch agencies get away with this. Certain companies seem to have an 'hourly' rate as well as a monthly salary for their teachers. Legally, they can do this if they want to but, as long as you are available for work, the amount stipulated in your contract must be paid to you on the date written in your contract, regardless of any hourly rate.

My view is that if you choose to let your company not pay you in the summer holiday then you probably deserve to be working for a dispatch company.

[Iwantmyrightsnow]

Check out the General Union's site for more information on dispatch. There are a few articles.

www.generalunion.org

[canuck]

Mtnkiwi,

Since you put down Osaka under your name, I'm guessing it's either Interac or ECC you're talking about. Both are evil. I had discussions with them, and then politely declined.

At Interac, they are getting away from their business classes and concentrating on putting teachers in elementary schools, junior and senior high schools. Pay for work only. Pay for the days you teach. If I remember correctly, it's around 13,000 for the full day. However, they won't pay you when there isn't a class or when classes are cancelled. No paid holidays. However, since they don't pay for your summer holidays, I remember them saying, "You are more then welcome to find work for the month of August."

ECC is evil too, same deal. They basically take the 20,000 to 24,000 the schools are paying them per day and find a teacher to fill the schedule. That is why ECC is aggressively advertising in the Kansai Flea Market and trying to find teachers. Again, if I remember correctly, many teachers last year accepted the position but didn't bother to show as a sign of protesting.

The days of trying to find jobs directly with the school are much slimmer. I really hope things change in the future, but in the Osaka area, things are going down hill really quickly.

Another horrible company is Zenken. They pay around 2,000,000 million yen for the whole school year. I had a friend that wanted to teach so badly in a high school, he took the job and felt guilty about finishing the year out, even though he was having a hard time making a living. He like the students and the staff he worked with, but had to teach a lot extra just to make ends meat. His commute was 1.5 hours from his house to the school. Dedication, but kind of stupid I feel.

Hopefully teachers can just pass on Interac, ECC and Zenken until they start to raise the salary or get so royally screwed that the schools have to start hiring directly again.

[Mtnkiwi]

Thanks for all your replies. It is very interesting and gets more confusing the more I think about it

I think perhaps that taking a job such as the one I've been offered, then turning it flat when something better comes along may be the best thing to do. I'm not a nasty guy, but I'm not going to show loyalty to a company bent on depriving workers of their basic rights. Unfortunately, I have rent to pay, and no other FINAL offers on the table.

Timing.

[klute]

Canuck

That was all interesting information. Interac again. What a surprise. Daily payment rates too?

My next question is quite simple. How do these ALT teachers get a work visa because it certainly isn't possible to get a one year visa on the basis of a daily salary?

[Mtnkiwi]

Another from the same cloth.

Is it possible to get a work visa sponsored by these chaps?

Seems to be, the company I've been talking to offered to, in fact they wanted to (in spite of the fact that I have another 6months on mine, a letter of release from previous employer, and a spouse visa on the way). It could just be a way of grabbing another hold over you, though we know that the visa belongs to the employee, not the employer.

I think I asked when I started this forum. Has the minimum wage gone down? Or is it just irrelevant with these types of contracts?

The general union website, posted earlier, is worth a look.

[canuck]

I don't know if they can sponsor you for a visa. I'm not sure.