Job Discussion Forums

[Nicedog777]

I also work for AEON, and I can personally attest to the fact that the 29.5 hour work week is strictly on paper. It is strictly to avoid putting it's employees on Shakai Hoken, but you do get health insurance of a kind, in which you pay money up front for your ills, and then get fully reinbursed later on, by direct deposit. Dental's not covered, however.

As far as how busy you get, I would say we go through periods of idleness and workaholic frenzy. I work at a small school, however.

The actual work week I would say comes a lot closer to 40 hours or so. Don't ever expect to leave at quitting time on the dot.

Still, not a bad gig for starters. Feel free to PM for more info.]

[Chris_Travel_the_world]

I finished training at Aeon a few days ago, and have beein working at my school for a few days. Yes you will work much more than the 29.5 hours a week. However I teach at most 6 classes a day and that is only once a week, often I teach 4 or 5. Many of your classes will repeat so you won`t need to prepare them all just the different ones.

Since I have landed in Japan Aeon has been very helpful. They picked us up at the airport. Put us up in a hotel, gave us some food. The trainers were great, well as long as you are serious about being a teacher and teaching. They rent you a place to stay at a very reasonable rate, I mean I live in Osaka and I pay 42000 a month for rent, try living in New York and payint 420 dollars a month for rent. My commute time is 30 minutes, which is less than it was at home. My manager is taking me to get my gaijin card on friday. She is also paying for me to have a cab with all my luggage from my hotel to my apartment. Also they are helping me get a cell phone. They have suggested places where I can learn Japanese, gave me a list of english speaking doctors, dentists, etc in the area.

I highly recommend Aeon, but only if you are willing to work, if you are coming to Japan and teaching English as a way to make money while travelling you won`t be happy.

Chris

[milesdenman]

Thanks y'all.
I've actually just accepted a position with ECC, to hopefully start in January.
As far as working more than the 29.5 hours stipulated with AEON, is this the same for most of the Eikawas? And do they pay you for this overtime?

[Tottori-Dood]

Hi

Working at AEON right now. 29.5 hours sounds about right. It really depends on your branch. Some of the guys I know have WAY more classes then me. You are NOT expectected to stick around during your breaks and you can do whatever you want. I have about 23 hours of class a week and about 2-4 hours of prep time a week. Sometimes I stick around the office for my breaks but nobody expects me too.

Personally, I'd commit suicide if I had to live with the other foriegn teacher where I'm at.

AEON health insurance is good enough. You pay and they fully reimburse you later.

After seeing the amount of foriegn dweebs that there are in Japan that become cool in the eyes of Japanese people who lack the English knowledge to understand how lame these people are I'd have big second thoughts about taking a job where I had to share a room. Don't get me wrong a lot of normal foriegniers out here too it's just that you could seriously get unlucky.

AEON west Japan is probably the best bet if you are deciding on language schools. They have a really good reputation for how they treat their staff and foriegn teachers. I hear nightmarish stories on this board, and through the grapevine, about AEON east.

42000 a month rent is good. Depending on where you live expect another 20,000 a month for cell phone and utilities. My total utilities bill has never been more then 11000 yen. I usually leave my air conditioner on 24 hours a day in the summer because walking into my cold apartment after sweating my balls off walking home is worth it to me. I pay about 10,000 yen a month for my cell. The base cost is 4500 but I tend to use mine a lot.

NOVA charges 70,000 per month from the foriegn teachers. Moreover, they charge each person 70,000. Then they bunk 2 or 3 people togeather. It's a well known scam that Nova is pulling. 210,000 yen is enough to rent a decent apartment right beside Shibuya station in Tokyo by yourself. IE: Nova makes a profit on their workers. It's their way of reducing their expenses.

[Glenski]

[tokyobound]

[Dipso]

There is Aeon Central Japan too, based in Nagoya.

When you interview for Aeon you are asked where in the country you would like to work, although there are no guarantees as it depends on schools' needs. I asked for Tokyo/Kanto but was placed in the Central Japan area. I am happy here though so I have no major complaints.

[womblingfree]

[Dipso]

When I had my initial training with Aeon I queried the rather minimal health insurance, asking what would happen if one were involved in a serious accident. My question was responded to with a brisk and breezy, "it's a big company, something would be sorted out".

I can't say I felt especially reassured, particularly as when I worked for another eikaiwa a brand new teacher was knocked over by a motorcycle and sustained a serious fracture to her leg. Lo and behold, the eikaiwa attempted to ship her back home. She fought against the decision and did stay in Japan, although the company had her back at work after a week (!!) of unpaid leave.

Generous, ne?

[The_Hanged_Man]

[Tottori-Dood]

As far as I know, ever since the government instituted the national health plan AEON has not been telling their teachers what to do on their breaks. Any worker that works more then 29.5 hours in Japan has to be enrolled, by law, under the national health plan. Because AEON contracts are for 29.5 hours (which I agree is their way of not enrolling their teachers) they have to be careful.

It does depend on your manager I suppose but it also depends on you. If you are a pushover then you'll stay. If you know your rights then tell your manager you want to be enroled in the health plan if she gives you a hard time and watch her face turn red.

Personally speaking I have no problems and neither does anyone I know in W. Japan. When you get a job at AEON you get to know various other foriegn teachers unless you are one of the great many nerds that nobody wants to hang around with.

[canuck]

[womblingfree]

You should be allowed to enrol in Shakai Hoken even if you have a 29.5 hour contract.

ECC have agreed to enroll all teachers on such contracts:

http://www.generalunion.org/news/news.php?id=46

29.5 hour contracts were just a way for schools to dodge their responsibilities knowing full well that even if the contract says 29.5 hours, teachers will more than likely be on the premises for 40+.

Whatever the contract all workers should be enrolled.

[seastarr]

I worked for Nova for a year...I also interviewed and was hired to work for Aeon. Based on interview alone, I would have chosen Aeon. However, after looking into some of the pros and cons, Nova won out. The biggest selling point for me was actually Nova's holidays and the shift swap option. This made it really easy to work out long holidays whenever you wanted, which is a bonus in Japan because travelling during national holidays within Japan or to other parts of the world is very pricey. Aeon's holidays fall during national holidays if I'm not mistaken. I tended to take my holidays through the week, which made touristy areas much less crowded and made finding a cheap place to stay easy. Aeon's apartment deal was good, but I went with my boyfriend and they couldn't promise that we would be able to live within the same city. With Nova, we were put in the same apartment, but at different schools, which worked out very well.

[gaijin4life]

Id just like to know how and why people can work over 40hrs a week - 29.5 hr contract or otherwise and not get paid overtime !! - Aint it the law top o/time for over 40hrs work .. ?