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mattbedford
Joined: 18 Nov 2010 Posts: 8 Location: Australia
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:57 pm Post subject: GABA? |
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Hi all,
Has anyone heard of/dealt with GABA in Japan. Am looking at their website right now and wondering if their are any info/opinions on them???
Super Kindest Regards,
Matt |
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the4th2001
Joined: 04 Oct 2010 Posts: 130 Location: Tokyo
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: GABA? |
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mattbedford wrote: |
Hi all,
Has anyone heard of/dealt with GABA in Japan. Am looking at their website right now and wondering if their are any info/opinions on them???
Super Kindest Regards,
Matt |
Just type 'GABA' into the search field and have fun.
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=84881&highlight=gaba
Here's one of the more recent threads on GABA. |
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mattbedford
Joined: 18 Nov 2010 Posts: 8 Location: Australia
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for that!
I did do a search and all I got were website links to the GABA website.
Cheers  |
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Cool Teacher

Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:20 pm Post subject: |
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mattbedford wrote: |
Thanks for that!
I did do a search and all I got were website links to the GABA website.
Cheers  |
????????
If you go to this "Search" page:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/search.php
And type in GABA and select "Japan" forums you can find much info.
How did your serach goto GABA websites????  |
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mattbedford
Joined: 18 Nov 2010 Posts: 8 Location: Australia
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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Oops!
I just did a search through the search bar at the top right-hand side of the page, which came up with generic search results
I'm waiting to see If I've been accepted for an interview through JET at the moment. So I will wait until there is a result from that before I search through other companies/schools.
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Glenski

Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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Posted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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Avoid GABA unless it is a last resort. |
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budgie
Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 40
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:09 am Post subject: |
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Just saw GABA advertising for as little as 1500yen a lesson IN TOKYO.
You'd have to be on the verge of starvation to work there and if you did work there, they'd keep you on the verge of starvation.
I won't work for less than 2500 an hour in Sapporo and that's scraping the bottom as far as I'm concerned. |
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Asher
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 47
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:12 am Post subject: |
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GABA is almost, but not quite entirely unlike JET |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:21 am Post subject: |
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budgie wrote: |
Just saw GABA advertising for as little as 1500yen a lesson IN TOKYO.
You'd have to be on the verge of starvation to work there and if you did work there, they'd keep you on the verge of starvation.
I won't work for less than 2500 an hour in Sapporo and that's scraping the bottom as far as I'm concerned. |
I've written a lot about this before so I won't go into too much detail, but that is 1,500 for a virtually effort-free 40 minute lesson, not 1,500 an hour. A full time Gaba schedule pays a similar amount monthly to an ALT job, if not more.
Unlike any of the people who have commented so far, I have actually worked there, full time and later part time, and at no time was I on the "verge of starvation", nor does Gaba "keep you on the verge of starvation- in fact the more lessons you teach, the better they like it- that's why they pay bonuses to people who do full time schedules. I know people who have worked their way up to the higher pay rates who easily do 400,000 yen a month.
The pay is not guaranteed, and they do not provide benefits like transport and paid holidays, to be sure, so it's not for everyone, but the trade-off is the complete freedom to choose your own schedule and a very hands-off management approach so you are left to get on with your own thing. If I were going back to English teaching I would choose Gaba a thousand times over before I ever considered an ALT job, and no, I have not been paid by them to promote the company, I'm just constantly amused by people who have never set foot there or spoken to anyone who works there giving their opinions on how bad Gaba is. |
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seklarwia
Joined: 20 Jan 2009 Posts: 1546 Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:06 am Post subject: |
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Asher wrote: |
GABA is almost, but not quite entirely unlike JET |
Ummm... Gaba is almost unlike JET, but not entirely unlike JET?
Is it just me of does that make no sense at all?
And they are like chalk and cheese. They are not alike at all. They are not even the same kind of job. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 11:00 am Post subject: |
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seklarwia wrote: |
Asher wrote: |
GABA is almost, but not quite entirely unlike JET |
Ummm... Gaba is almost unlike JET, but not entirely unlike JET?
Is it just me of does that make no sense at all?
And they are like chalk and cheese. They are not alike at all. They are not even the same kind of job. |
This is very true. |
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Asher
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 47
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:28 pm Post subject: |
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seklarwia wrote: |
Asher wrote: |
GABA is almost, but not quite entirely unlike JET |
Ummm... Gaba is almost unlike JET, but not entirely unlike JET?
Is it just me of does that make no sense at all?
And they are like chalk and cheese. They are not alike at all. They are not even the same kind of job. |
I'd say you'd have to take up the grammatical argument with Douglas Adams, but sadly he's passed on.
See also: Arthur Dent and tea. |
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Rakuten
Joined: 14 Jun 2010 Posts: 67 Location: Japan
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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Asher wrote: |
GABA is almost, but not quite entirely unlike JET |
You could almost say, Gaba is mostly harmless. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008 Posts: 1029 Location: BFE Inaka
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 12:03 am Post subject: |
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To the OP:
Are you only looking at JET and GABA? Broaden your horizons!
Check the other chain schools that recruit from overseas: ECC, AEON, Neo-NOVA, Peppy Kids Club, etc. |
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Cool Teacher

Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:50 am Post subject: |
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steki47 wrote: |
To the OP:
Are you only looking at JET and GABA? Broaden your horizons!
Check the other chain schools that recruit from overseas: ECC, AEON, Neo-NOVA, Peppy Kids Club, etc. |
The OP says he's waiting for the JET infterview answer before looking at other things. I think that is okay.  |
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