Job Discussion Forums

[whatthefunk]

Hi all,

My job has gone from bad to worse. Among the various laws that they are currently breaking:

1. I teach 40 hours a week (yeah, frickin sucks) but they dont pay my health insurance. My understanding is that if work more than 30 hours a week they are supposed to pay half of it.
2. Some days I teach 9 hours a day. Labor laws state that anything over 8 hours a day requires overtime pay.
3. My contract does not specify work hours.
4. My contract threatens to blacklist me if I cause waves.
5. Im expected to stay in the school during my breaks.
6. No paid holidays or sick days.

Is there anything I can do?
(Please spare me the 'why the hell did you sign that contract?' type comments...I was between a rock and a hard place and the job market is not exactly good right now.)

Thanks

[flyer]

Q U I T

[Glenski]

I will not belabor the point that you should never have signed such a contract in the first place. Let that stand merely as a warning to others.

In your case, have you first tried to discuss the issues with your boss? If you got no satisfaction, then your next best recourse is to go to the nearest Labor Standards Office.
http://letsjapan.org/wiki/List_of_Labor_Standards_Offices_(LSO)_in_Japan
http://nambufwc.org/info/utu/UTU.Info%5B2ndEd.2%5D.pdf

You might also consider joining the General Union (www.generalunion.org) or asking their advice.

By the way, nobody gets official sick days in Japan. You have to take paid vacation days for that.
Being told to remain in the school is unfriendly, but it doesn't break any laws that I know of. Pack a lunch.
No paid holidays? None???????? They are not obligated to pay for national holidays, if that's what you mean.

[sabina]

Are you teaching for the full 40 hours? Do you have office hours, too?
I don't know if I am 100% correct on this but I think if your school has 5 employees or less they don't have to pay half your health insurance.

[Glenski]

[G Cthulhu]

Time to visit the local Labour Standards office with contract in hand, and a series of pointed questions referencing labour law.

Find another job, lawyer up, and sue them out of existence. Seriously, I would view it as a moral duty.

[Denizen]

How long have you been at this position, meaning how much of the contract have you fulfilled? (If your work visa is still in effect for some time, you may be more attractive at being hired elsewhere.)

I concur with Glenski that you should first try to (humbly) communicate your frustrations with your supervisor. If you find you get nowhere, then start lining up some other work, even temporarily at an Eikaiwa and put in your one month notice to the school in writing, also expressing in the letter the effort you made to remedy the situation with your super. Keep a copy of this letter (along with your contract) in case you need to show it to a union representative or government official, should you be 'blacklisted' (which I think is simply a scare tactic to keep you in line).

[whatthefunk]

Man, I would love to quit, but there are zero jobs at the moment in my area.

Yes, Sabina, I teach the full 40 hours. I dont have office hours and do no prep, which makes the teaching all that more difficult. To me its a pretty stupid way to operate a school. My lessons would be a hell of a lot better with reduced teaching time and a few office hours a week. I guess that would cost them money though...

Glenski - Actually, being told to remain in the school during long break periods is against the law. And no, not a single paid holiday. I would love to pack a lunch, but the job, with the commute time and the annoying 2 hour break between shifts, takes up 11 to 14 hours a day. I dont have time to make lunch...or any other meal.

Guess Ill just have to keep my eyes open for a new position.....

Thanks all.

[sabina]

Are you female? (possible job recommendation....but they only want ladies)

[sabina]

uuuh teaching job. sorry. that last post sounded kind of creepy.

[Glenski]

[Ikki]

Man, that sucks big time. They'd have to pay me a crapload to have that workload. Goes to show just how bad the job market has become.

Definitely agree with the idea of going to the labour board but don't hold your breath. You might just have to find a better gig but yeah, it's grim out there.

Funk, aren't you an old Korea hand? Hate to say it but you might be better off returning there if you keep getting the shaft from your school.

[rxk22]

QUIT! There is no reason to stay with a company that treats you like dirt. Find something, and find it now. I too worked for a bad eikaiwa, and the contract and the reality were not even close, so when I found a new job, I rolled out.

[yamanote senbei]

[-chris]