| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
phoenixstorm
Joined: 05 Dec 2007
Posts: 24
|
 Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:43 pm Post subject: Work day confusion |
 |
|
Maybe someone can help answer this. If I'm supposed to be availiable from 8 to 5 weekdays, but only work 29.5 hours a week, then what do I do during those other hours that I'm not being paid for?
If I'm only working 29.5 hours then what exactly am I being availiable for? |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
AgentMulderUK
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Posts: 360
Location: Concrete jungle (Tokyo)
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:24 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Presumably you are holding a contract, and asking us to guess what your contract says is rather a tall order...
However, at a very rough guess this could include:
Lesson planning
Student progress reports
Helping with club or external activities
Sitting there in case a unexpected or cancellation or new students joins
Sitting in the corner staring out the window
Presumably the contract you have is talking about contact hours (teaching) and non-contact or something?
I find it VERY unlikely you are only being paid for the actual 29.5 hours. You are being paid for the whole deal, lock stock and barrel I would think, be it teaching, writing, planning or sitting about going mad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
markle
Joined: 17 Jan 2003
Posts: 1316
Location: Out of Japan
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject: Re: Work day confusion |
|
|
| phoenixstorm wrote: |
If I'm only working 29.5 hours then what exactly am I being availiable for? |
Exactly. Ask your employer. If it is for work related activities then ask them to pay for your time. And while they're at it they can register you as a full-time employee and eligible for national health insurance and other benefits that you are currently missing out on because you are not working 30 hours. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
stillnosheep
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 2068
Location: eslcafe
|
| Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
And if they refuse to register you for the benefits due a full time employee, ask which are the 29 1/2 hrs you are employed for and bugger off home or to the nearest cafe during the hours for which your employer is not employing you.
And join a union.
Last edited by stillnosheep on Sun Dec 28, 2008 5:58 pm; edited 1 time in total |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Khyron
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Posts: 291
Location: Tokyo Metro City
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:51 am Post subject: |
|
|
| stillnosheep wrote: |
| And if they refuse to register you for the benefits due a full time employee, ask which are the 29 1/2 hrs you are employed for and bugger off home or to the nearest cafe during the hours for which your employer is not employing you. |
I used to do that. Some of the local receptionists complained to head office, and they told me not to worry about it since I wasn't getting paid for that time. Good guys, them.
Seriously, don't let people take advantage of you if you aren't covered past 29.5 hours.
30 hours or more means that you are legally considered full-time, and will have better health benefits (boss pays half, if you are really full-time), pension (which you're eligible to get most of back under 3 years, depending on your country), and the like (you'll be enrolled in shakai-hoken). If you are not enrolled in shakai-hoken, it basically means that the company is taking advantage of you by only counting your teaching hours as work hours, and the times in between classes as your free time. They might claim on your contract that you're a full-time employee, but you are not. Don't work in your free time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Khyron
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
Posts: 291
Location: Tokyo Metro City
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| AgentMulderUK wrote: |
Presumably you are holding a contract, and asking us to guess what your contract says is rather a tall order...
However, at a very rough guess this could include:
Lesson planning
Student progress reports
Helping with club or external activities
Sitting there in case a unexpected or cancellation or new students joins
Sitting in the corner staring out the window
Presumably the contract you have is talking about contact hours (teaching) and non-contact or something? |
Definitely check out the details in the contract. Do you get shakai-hoken or not (kokumin kenko-hoken is for part-time/independent workers, only having private insurance such as Global Insurance is not legal and some hospitals WILL try to refuse you).
| Quote: |
| I find it VERY unlikely you are only being paid for the actual 29.5 hours. You are being paid for the whole deal, lock stock and barrel I would think, be it teaching, writing, planning or sitting about going mad. |
It's not that unlikely. You'd be shocked to know how many places pull this trick; trying to get employees to work full-time, while only giving them part-time benefits. Tons of eikaiwas do this, and it's not unheard of with dispatch companies to schools either! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 3:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
Khyron is right. Many places advertise for full-time jobs, then secretly tell the government you are part-time by sheer virtue of working 29.5 hours/week.
AEON or ECC does this, but the union forced them to knuckle under...sorta. Now, they tell employees that if they want the full-time insurance/pension coverage, they have to work (be in the classroom) more than 29.5 hours/week. Pretty sickening, if you ask me, to do that when they know that teachers spend time prepping lessons, interviewing prospective students, filing paperwork, etc. -- things that all add up to more than the extra half an hour needed to push them over the 29.5 mark.
Tread lightly if you bring this up. Employers don't like people who rock the boat, even when the employer is in the wrong. Legally, there is nothing they can do to harm you (although some may threaten to take away your visa, which they can NOT do). Probably the worst that will happen is that they try to make your life worse in the office and not renew your contract.
And, read your contract VERY carefully about the work hours and compensation. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eslteacherlooking
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 32
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:21 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I have been offered a position similar to yours by a dispatch agency as an alt.
I have a few questions for people who are alts on this board (people not on the jet program).
What do you guys do when you have reached your maxium of 29.5 work hours? Do you just leave and go home? I don't understand what they think I'm supposed to do when I'm not getting paid for it. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
| Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| A perfect question for the interview! Let us know what the employer says. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
AgentMulderUK
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Posts: 360
Location: Concrete jungle (Tokyo)
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:19 am Post subject: |
|
|
[quote="Khyron"]
| AgentMulderUK wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I find it VERY unlikely you are only being paid for the actual 29.5 hours. You are being paid for the whole deal, lock stock and barrel I would think, be it teaching, writing, planning or sitting about going mad. |
It's not that unlikely. You'd be shocked to know how many places pull this trick; trying to get employees to work full-time, while only giving them part-time benefits. Tons of eikaiwas do this, and it's not unheard of with dispatch companies to schools either! |
I don't think I quite explained properly. He might be contracted to teach for 29.5 hours but is expected to be in the office 40 hours. Done that myself.
We don't know yet
The 29.5 scam doesn't shock me at all. My experience of Japanese employers is almost entirely that they are devious when employing meer foreigners. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
eslteacherlooking
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 32
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:59 am Post subject: |
|
|
| so, agent, what did you do in the office for those 10.5 hours you were not paid for? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
AgentMulderUK
Joined: 22 Sep 2003
Posts: 360
Location: Concrete jungle (Tokyo)
|
| Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:25 am Post subject: |
|
|
I had to lesson plan basically. Well, technically I didn't HAVE to , but I teaching much easier if you do.
Some of the hours were waiting in reserve to take students that had cancelled their regular schedules and join "make up" lessons. Towards the end the boss trusted me to go offsite if he knew no student called within a certain number of minutes. Since I had a cell phone , sometimes I had to run back if the student showed suddenly.
Marked homework, filled in some basic progression notes.
Twiddled my thumbs. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Firestarter2
Joined: 27 Sep 2007
Posts: 14
Location: Osaka
|
| Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Glenski wrote: |
| AEON or ECC does this, but the union forced them to knuckle under...sorta. Now, they tell employees that if they want the full-time insurance/pension coverage, they have to work (be in the classroom) more than 29.5 hours/week. Pretty sickening, if you ask me, to do that when they know that teachers spend time prepping lessons, interviewing prospective students, filing paperwork, etc. -- things that all add up to more than the extra half an hour needed to push them over the 29.5 mark. |
That's not quite accurate with ECC. The 29.5 hours you work there is total working time, not just classroom time (which is about 25 hours for most people - 24.25 for me  ) You can bugger off the second that time is up and don't have to arrive until that time begins. That said, in reality, most teachers show up a bit early and do extra prep because they want to teach good classes. But few go overboard with this because it all becomes pretty routine after a while...... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
