Job Discussion Forums

hip-hop boy78 · Joined: 02 Dec 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Hip-hop land

Can anyone recommend a good, reputable dispatch company that they have personally gone through in the past? Which are the companies to generally avoid? Also, is there any list of good/bad dispatch companies in Japan anywhere on the web?
I've come across all the negative comments about certain companies such as INTERAC, USCOM etc...that's why I was wondering if anyone could recommend a decent company that pays on time and respects contracts.

I'm thinking of returning to Japan early next year if I can find a Public school teaching job. I'm currently teaching in South Korea at a Hagwon and while things are going great, I really miss Japan and would jump at the chance to return.

Also, does one need a teaching certificate in order to land such a position? I've got a BA and almost 4-years of teaching experience in Japan, Italy and Korea. Would that suffice?

Thanks for any suggestions!

yamanote senbei · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435

There aren't any good, reputable teacher dispatching companies in Japan. Almost all if not all are operating illegally because they don't have a dispatch licence and because they don't enroll their teachers in Shakai Hoken.

Does any one know of a teacher dispatching company that is properly licenced?

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

yamanote senbei · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435

Well, everyone on this board calls them dispatch companies. You could call them illegal dispatch companies. The Japanese word for this system of employment is "giso haken".

Nobody has really challenged them on this yet, at least for foreign workers. There's been a number of incidents with Japanese teachers but I've never heard of an ALT dispatch company getting busted. Most ALTs are just happy to get out of eikaiwa so they won't complain even if they knew that the whole system is illegal.

rai · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 119 Location: Osaka

So many dispatch companies are unlicenced that the government couldn't possible bust them all. There is even a law that if you teach for one school for a certain length of time (I forget how long, someone help me out. Two years?) the school has to hire you directly. Doesn't happen. Everyone just turns a blind eye. I taught for a small private dispatch company in southern Osaka for three tears, and it was pretty good. The smaller companies that just supply teachers for one or two school districts seem a little more trustworthy than the big companies like Interac. You can find them on gaijinpot.com or jobsinjapan.com.

Now I work directly for a school board, and although my pay is ￥90,000 MORE a month, I get virtually no vacation time. There are big trade-offs.

rai · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 119 Location: Osaka

BTW, Mr. OP, is Korea as bad as the discussion board makes it sound? I'm never complaining about Japan again! But I still wanna teach in some other asian countries...

yamanote senbei · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435

It is possible to go after all of them. Look at a recent example, the investigation of 750 eikaiwa companies for Shakai Hoken non-enrollment. Most if not all of these illegal dispatchers are doing the same thing.

It would be easier to go after all the BOEs though, starting at the prefectural level. They're just as much to blame as the illegal dispatchers.

hip-hop boy78 · Joined: 02 Dec 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Hip-hop land

Rai,

teaching in Korea is not all that bad, I've mangaed to land myself a decent job and I get to save more money then when I lived in Japan. I got lucky and found a good school but not everyone else does. It's worth a crack but do some research before you come over and you'd be better off finding a job in-country rather than going through a recruiter. Hope that helps!

By the way, is it possible to land a Public school job in Japan even if you don't live in Japan and without having to go through INTERAC? I'm not eligible for JET.

rai · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 119 Location: Osaka

I get ten days off a year, with no vacation during summer "break" or "spring break." My winter vacation is from December 29th to January 4th Crying or Very sad

Oy, I got a LOT more time off at my other gigs. I worked for a school board in Nagano and had 20days off and spring, summer and a SIGNIFICANT winter vacation. Yeah, I know, Boo Hoo, I still get paid a lot, but...I'm lazy.

Mr.OP, I would recommend coming to Japan to get an ALT gig, most companies won't hire ya if you're not in the country. Too many things could go wrong, from their perspective.

BTW, going after eikaiwa for Shakai Hoken non-enrollment is a far cry from going after unliscenced dispatch companies. If they did, it would affect many schools' abiltity to get an ALT. I don't see that happening. I think there have been some random cases of companies gettin' nailed, but do ya know of any BIG cases?

yamanote senbei · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435

BOEs can hire directly, some already did that before, or use a licenced dispatch company. Those are the only two legal options. If proper dispatching is done, it's almost impossible for someone to be left out of Shakai Hoken.

hip-hop boy78 · Joined: 02 Dec 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Hip-hop land

Yeah I guessed that my best bet would be to come to Japan and look for a Public school job by myself. The down-side being that I've got to find a place to stay while I do my search and accommodation options in Japan are not cheap.
I applied to a dispatch company, based in Nagoya i think, earlier this year and they wanted to interivew me but I was asked to go to Japan and I just didn't have the money for such a trip.
If I come to Japan, which area would be my best bet for finding such a job? Tokyo/Yokohama/Osaka/Kobe/Fukuoka? I'm not too fussy about where I will be placed.

rai · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 119 Location: Osaka

All the places you mentioned are good, and all have a lotta teaching jobs. I'm partial to Osaka and Kansai, but I have friends in Tokyo who never want to leave. One company I can recommend, I.E.S. (International Education Services). They supply teachers for all sorts of situations, including junior high schools. I needed a two month gig to tide me over before my current job, and they were great. They have offices in Osaka and Tokyo, and the people in the Osaka branch were professional, friendly and honest.

One problem: they have to bid against other companies for most school board contracts, so they sometimes don't know if they will have a job for you until fairly close to the start of the school year. Anyway, their number in Osaka is: 06-6202-7355, and the fax is: 06-6202-7356. Oh yeah, Osaka has some "Gaijin Houses" like Orange House and Banana House that are fairly reasonable for short term stays.

Good luck, man.

canuck · Joined: 11 May 2003 Posts: 1921 Location: Japan

Here's one to avoid: http://www.gaijinpot.com/job_view.php?jid=8603

Unfortunately, these are the types of things that are going around. Zenken/ZIAC/ECC/Interac...all the same crap. Even NOVA seems much, much better.

hip-hop boy78 · Joined: 02 Dec 2004 Posts: 90 Location: Hip-hop land

Rai,

thanks man, I appreciate the tip.

On a seperate note, can anyone tell me anything either positive or negative about ALTIA CENTRAL? I heard that they have a pretty decent reputation. Does anyone or has anyone ever worked for them?

Thanks again! Very Happy

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

how is NOVA better? Sure, the job you posted has some disadvantages (namely, no pay in August) but at least you've got loads of time off, you work day hours, have national holidays off, and have your weekends as well.

Compare that to NOVA...work inconvenient hours (1 to 9), the possibility of no weekend (i.e. having Tuesday/Wednesday off), and a lot less time off. With NOVA you'll be working a lot more than 150 days a year.

So I fail to see how NOVA is better?

I'm not sticking up for dispatch companies, but overall, from a teacher's standpoint, they seem way better than the likes of NOVA.

Of course, that's just my opinion....