Job Discussion Forums

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

I just quit Seiha, a kids eikaiwa, where you also teach at public pre schools on occasion. The FTs teach with a JT, and they teach a class 2 weeks out of 4 in a month.
I'll miss my JTs and about half my kids. What I won't miss is:
No Holidays off, ever. We got 4 days off in Aug, but only because we had to teach a massive amount of "summer school" classes, and help kids practice for a speech fest. So we def earned those days off.

8 days off a month. So if there's 5 Sundays in a month, you'll have a 6 day work week to make up for that.

Getting your monthly schedule the day before the new month starts. Got my November schedule at 1:43pm on Oct 31st.

Poorly made textbooks that were made my Japanese people, who were also in a huge rush. Hence them being full of spelling and other errors. Not too mention that one lessons does not transition into the next month's topic. So the kids never can compound what they learned and carry it on to the next month.

We also have 3 levels, lvl 1 and 2 are pretty good. Level 3 is about 5-6 years old, and it is the red headed stepson, and nothing for that level is any good.

Being sent to campaign 2 hours away.

When I was PT at the start they sent me 3 hours away for 2 hours of lessons. So that's 8 hours out of my house for 2 hours of pay. Simple exploitation.

The JTs make nothing, something like 800~ an hour. They could make more money at any other job.

They also messed up when I first started. I had an ALT visa, they didn't notice, until I told them that I had to pay the Nat insurance myself. Then they were like "my bad".

I know the ESL field is full of crooks and scams, but Seiha has been the worst of any that I even know of.
So if they offer you a job, you may want to take any other offer on the table, as that company will prolly at worst just not care about you. While Seiha hates you.

I can take some bad, all jobs have heir downsides. But Seiha plays their employees. "Oh you're quitting? Think of your students, and how you're letting them down", as though the working conditions that Seiha has, had nothing to do with me quitting.

Anyhow, hope you guys are doing well. I know I feel a world better now=)

southofreality · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo

Pointing out shyte schools is all well and good... Quitting and letting people know about it is awesome.

The reason these piece o' crap schools keep running is that there's always some dumb@$$, clueless foreigner who's willing to whore him/herself out for a long enough time that it works in favor of the school.

The worst part about it is that most Japanese companies believe exploiting their workers is just good business...

That being said, there are some really good companies to work for here if you want to teach. Why you would want to do so for an extended period is another story, though.

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

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

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

You said you just quit, so how can you have any "vacation days"?

As for the insurance card, they don't deserve it. That's between you and the ward office that issued it.

www.generalunion.org is one place you can contact.
Your local Labor Standards Office is another; don't know where you live, but look it up here:
http://letsjapan.org/wiki/List_of_Labor_Standards_Offices_(LSO)_in_Japan
http://nambufwc.org/info/utu/UTU.Info%5B2ndEd.2%5D.pdf

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

genesis315 · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 116 Location: Japan

do their "working rules" reflect the actual law? I am sure they would like you to hand in your visa as well.

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

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

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

fluffyhamster · Posted: Wed Dec 01, 2010 1:11 am Post subject:

From what I understand, the LSO prefers you to still be employed when you approach them (they can then do "more" apparently). Which of course is quite difficult to do if you get zero days. But the main reason for my posting is that from what I've read here on Dave's over the years, the LSO don't do much other than file your complaints in with all the others and wait for the total to reach one million (or whatever the magic number is) for a shady company within the jurisdiction to be properly investigated, and from the sounds of it, it isn't like you are needing to pursue unpaid pay or anything too serious (for which the small claims court would be the way to go probably).

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

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

fluffyhamster · Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2010 2:33 am Post subject:

Heh, well, I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek with the million figure. Smile

One thing I can definitely say though is that I have never read of (at least not here on Dave's) or can't recall a SINGLE instance where "a simple call from the LSO to the employer straightened them out". (And this is assuming that a particular LSO will be inclined to lift the handset).

I do appreciate however that a "million and one" calls might well make a dodgy employer so sick of justifying their scummy practises that they'd start changing their ways (but then again, maybe not...it's the business they're in, their "livelihood", after all! Confused

), and like you said at the start of this thread Glenski, if the LSO people don't hear much (i.e. enough) about an employer then they will have little or no reason to flex their muscles no matter how big and rippling those muscles may in fact be (under the grey suits and spectacles etc).

rxk22 · Joined: 19 May 2010 Posts: 1629

Just an update. Went to the Labor Board, and they said that with the contract being for "varied hourly employee" that if I got one day off a week, it was legal.

First time I went it was in Japanese, and I thought the guy wasn't understanding me. Had a lady there the second time who can speak English, said the same thing.

So basically you get 8 days off a month, even with national holidays. So if you get a day off in Golden Week, you have to make up for it later that month with a day week.

I guess the Labor Board allows a lot of latitude in what companies can do?