Job Discussion Forums

[Apsara]

Does there actually have to be a guarantee of hours in order to sponsor a visa? I don't remember there being something that specific on the visa application, but maybe there was.

I think they just give an approximate level of earnings to immigration based on what you would earn if you submitted a full time schedule and had 80-100% of those fill.

They also have a policy where they give all/most lessons where the student has not specified a teacher (plenty don't) to new teachers to help them build up a student base.

I actually renewed my visa with Gaba as the sponsor back in 2003, and I was on the flexible schedule, and there were no problems. I haven't started the visa process from scratch with them though so don't really know how it works.

There was a stage under the previous management (changed in about 2005- most of the dodgy stories you hear about Gaba come from before 2005 and in many cases were well-deserved) where Immigration were apparently not allowing Gaba to sponsor visas, but that seems to have been sorted out with the new owners and they have been sponsoring visas again for several years.

[Canadagirl]

Sounds good, thank-you!

P.S. I think I gathered from reading a few threads here that visa sponsors needed to guarantee hours - but I could be wrong

[rxk22]

I think something to be cautious about is your first paycheck. As in Japan it takes 2 months to get your first paycheck. Add in with a good possibility of a poor first month or 2 of pay, and may have to support yourself with little pay for up to 4 months.

[Apsara]

This is quite true, unless you luck out and end up in a really busy branch which was desperate for new teachers.

Gaba is not a job to take if you're only going to be able to bring enough start-up money to survive the first month with you.

Something to note also is that the training is unpaid, so that's 3 days basically of work that you don't get paid for.

[rxk22]

[Apsara]

Oh, is that the norm for eikaiwa/ALTs these days? Things are definitely getting worse. I went through the Nova training twice (glutton for punishment ) back in 1996 and 1999, and got paid both times, but that was a long time ago so probably things have changed. I also get paid for the training for temp jobs I do now, so it's not an across the board thing for foreigners in Japan, maybe just particular industries.

[rxk22]

[tcatsninfan]