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basilbrush
Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Posts: 61
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 Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 9:29 am Post subject: How bad is Shane? |
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They`re advertising on Gaijinpot, and to be honest I`m really not enjoying my current job so it`s looking kind of tempting.
How many hours a week are you at work? Do they lie like hell in their contracts? Why does it seem to have a worse rep than the other big eikaiwas?
Thanks |
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Hoser
Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 694
Location: Toronto, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 10:02 pm Post subject: |
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| Perhaps you would enjoy your job more if you had more of a positive attitude. Like "How good is Shane?" or "are they honest with their contracts?" |
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Sour Grape
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 241
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| Posted: Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:47 pm Post subject: |
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| They are OK. See my older posts for more details. |
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Hot-Carl
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 63
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:38 am Post subject: Re: How bad is Shane? |
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| basilbrush wrote: |
They`re advertising on Gaijinpot, and to be honest I`m really not enjoying my current job so it`s looking kind of tempting.
How many hours a week are you at work? |
They usually keep the teachers at work from 12-9 or 1-10. Occasionally it might be from 10-6; usually on Saturdays.
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| Do they lie like hell in their contracts? |
Not usually. They generally keep to the contract. Does the contract keep to the labour law? Not usually.  They, like pretty much every eikaiwa and dispatch company in Japan like to stretch the law as far as they can.
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| Why does it seem to have a worse rep than the other big eikaiwas? |
See my reponse to the previous question. Add to that that they use their own teachers to cover classes when teachers are on holiday, meaning there are some weeks you'd work a 6th day in a week for no extra pay. On the other hand, the holidays you get at Shane are better than most other eikaiwa.
You're welcome. |
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basilbrush
Joined: 23 Feb 2009
Posts: 61
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:59 am Post subject: |
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Thanks very much
Didn't mean to sound so negative, just had a really bad day yesterday.
I think I'm just too fussy, the whole 29.5 hours a week when you're actually working 40 plus just f***** me off so much!
Had a look at some of the older Shane posts, thanks for the info.
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Hot-Carl
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 63
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:37 am Post subject: |
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| basilbrush wrote: |
| I think I'm just too fussy, the whole 29.5 hours a week when you're actually working 40 plus just f***** me off so much! |
That pisses me off, too. If that kind of (IMO immoral and should be illegal) action pisses you off, then don't work for Shane. That's one of the things I had in mind when I said, "They... like to stretch the law as far as they can."
My current main job pays me for under 30 hours, and I'm actually at work for under 30 hours. No problems there. It was worth leaving Shane for. I don't feel like I'm being taken advantage of like so many large eikaiwa and dispatch companies do. That means a lot to me. Shane was fun... but the "being a full-time worker for part-time conditions" scam really annoyed and insulted me. |
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jerkytheturkey
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| basilbrush wrote: |
| My current main job pays me for under 30 hours, and I'm actually at work for under 30 hours. |
What's your current job? |
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Conor_Ire
Joined: 22 Nov 2008
Posts: 34
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:11 am Post subject: |
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| Hoser wrote: |
| Perhaps you would enjoy your job more if you had more of a positive attitude. Like "How good is Shane?" or "are they honest with their contracts?" |
Very nice!!
Life is what you make it!
But some companies do try to mess about , ne! |
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Hot-Carl
Joined: 07 Apr 2009
Posts: 63
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| Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 2:01 pm Post subject: |
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| jerkytheturkey wrote: |
| basilbrush wrote: |
| My current main job pays me for under 30 hours, and I'm actually at work for under 30 hours. |
What's your current job? |
I'm slinging burgers at McDonald's in Shibuya. It's a part-time job under 30 hours a week. |
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calgrl471
Joined: 13 May 2009
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:37 pm Post subject: |
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| I have heard mixed reviews on shane.... I was wondering more about it too. What were you offered? |
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jerkytheturkey
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:08 am Post subject: |
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| I have a friend who works at Shane, he seems to like it. The only quarrel he has is working 12-9 but thats pretty standard though right? You get a decent amount of holidays with Shane which is good enough reason for most people. |
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voltaire
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 179
Location: 'The secret of being boring is to say everything.'
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| Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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I worked for Shane back in the day. Anyone know if Roger Davis is still in the number two spot? Id like to contact him. He's the one whose such a heavy smoker he actually smokes during meals. I kid you not. |
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Janiny
Joined: 31 May 2008
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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I found this at Yahoo Answers:
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Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
Shane English School japan is not actually a company, it is a brand name that "Shane Corporation Japan" and it's various subsidiaries operate their schools under. So, although your (English) contract may say that your employer is "Shane Corporation", this is not actually true, this is merely a tactic that the "Saxoncourt Group" uses to make it difficult for you (as an employee) to report your REAL employer to the authorities for breaking the law (because you need to know who your real employer is in order to report them).
A number of Shane English School & Saxoncourt around the globe have recently gone into receivership or been liquidated... But Mr Lipscombe owns his global empire via a company called "Saxoncourt Holdings Ltd" registered in the British Virgin Islands (where companies are not required to disclose the state of their finances on the public record), so it's hard to say but the principal of Shane English School Japan recently threatened that the company was in danger of going bankrupt.
I recently left Shane after working for them in Japan for abour 15 months. I have to agree that they should be avoided at all costs. The vast majority of Shane teachers are deeply unhappy in their jobs, and at the time that I made my departure, teachers were leaving in their droves to work for other language schools. Morale is kept deliberately low by removing holidays at the last minute, unfair distribution of cover days teachers are required to work, and frequent impositions on teachers� free time by requiring them to teach additional hours for very little, and sometimes no additional reward.
Accommodation is very, very small and poorly furnished and they charge roughly twice the market value for it, thereby making a profit from their teachers accommodation needs. Most other schools subsidise teacher accommodation.
Attitudes to their teachers vary. DOSs are never seen all you will get is a fax or told to read a guide book , but central management at Shane HQ seem to regard teachers as property rather than people. Shane provide virtually no professional support. As far as I am aware (and I did make enquiries) none of the monkey pea brain DOSs has more than a CELTA, which means that if you wanted to undertake a DELTA you would be in trouble, as there is most likely no one within the company who will be able to act as your mentor (a requirement for anyone wishing to undertake a DELTA by distance study).
And if you find yourself in any kind of trouble, you can expect absolutely no assistance from the company. Their only concern is that you turn up for work, regardless of what calamity may have befallen you. I certainly wouldn�t recommend Shane as a first teaching job. It really offers no potential for professional development and in the majority of cases seems to put people off the teaching profession. You work on your own and could be teaching German for all the school knows,Just about everyone leaves with a fairly bitter taste in their mouth, and I would suggest that any postings to the contrary are certainly written and posted by Shane management, or DOSs, under instructions from head office.
A bad company to work for. Very disappointing. They do not care about teaching English just have fun play games and keep students happy even if they are not learning ****, teach to the book not the student is what one dos told me, their books are 20 years old , poor and are full of errors but make the school money so who cares! |
[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090306034744AAVOeGI] |
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Sour Grape
Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 241
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| Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 1:11 am Post subject: |
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| Janiny wrote: |
I found this at Yahoo Answers:
| Quote: |
Best Answer - Chosen by Voters
Shane English School japan is not actually a company, it is a brand name that "Shane Corporation Japan" and it's various subsidiaries operate their schools under. So, although your (English) contract may say that your employer is "Shane Corporation", this is not actually true, this is merely a tactic that the "Saxoncourt Group" uses to make it difficult for you (as an employee) to report your REAL employer to the authorities for breaking the law (because you need to know who your real employer is in order to report them).
A number of Shane English School & Saxoncourt around the globe have recently gone into receivership or been liquidated... But Mr Lipscombe owns his global empire via a company called "Saxoncourt Holdings Ltd" registered in the British Virgin Islands (where companies are not required to disclose the state of their finances on the public record), so it's hard to say but the principal of Shane English School Japan recently threatened that the company was in danger of going bankrupt.
I recently left Shane after working for them in Japan for abour 15 months. I have to agree that they should be avoided at all costs. The vast majority of Shane teachers are deeply unhappy in their jobs, and at the time that I made my departure, teachers were leaving in their droves to work for other language schools. Morale is kept deliberately low by removing holidays at the last minute, unfair distribution of cover days teachers are required to work, and frequent impositions on teachers� free time by requiring them to teach additional hours for very little, and sometimes no additional reward.
Accommodation is very, very small and poorly furnished and they charge roughly twice the market value for it, thereby making a profit from their teachers accommodation needs. Most other schools subsidise teacher accommodation.
Attitudes to their teachers vary. DOSs are never seen all you will get is a fax or told to read a guide book , but central management at Shane HQ seem to regard teachers as property rather than people. Shane provide virtually no professional support. As far as I am aware (and I did make enquiries) none of the monkey pea brain DOSs has more than a CELTA, which means that if you wanted to undertake a DELTA you would be in trouble, as there is most likely no one within the company who will be able to act as your mentor (a requirement for anyone wishing to undertake a DELTA by distance study).
And if you find yourself in any kind of trouble, you can expect absolutely no assistance from the company. Their only concern is that you turn up for work, regardless of what calamity may have befallen you. I certainly wouldn�t recommend Shane as a first teaching job. It really offers no potential for professional development and in the majority of cases seems to put people off the teaching profession. You work on your own and could be teaching German for all the school knows,Just about everyone leaves with a fairly bitter taste in their mouth, and I would suggest that any postings to the contrary are certainly written and posted by Shane management, or DOSs, under instructions from head office.
A bad company to work for. Very disappointing. They do not care about teaching English just have fun play games and keep students happy even if they are not learning ****, teach to the book not the student is what one dos told me, their books are 20 years old , poor and are full of errors but make the school money so who cares! |
[http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090306034744AAVOeGI] |
This is by no means an endorsement of Shane, but there is plenty of rubbish in that rant. When I was there 8 years ago, they were in the process of replacing as many books as possible with Shane texts, which were works in progress at the time. So the texts are, for the most part, certainly not 20 years old.
Unfair distribution of cover days is also bizarre. I worked 233 days, exactly as my contract said I would. Some of those were, inevitable, cover days. Once or twice my day off was ruined by being on stand-by, when if you are not needed, it doesn't count as a day of work, but that happened to everyone.
I saw my DoS regularly.
The accomodation is slightly overpriced for the most part, but you never have to pay the key money and contract renewal fees that I have had to pay since finding my own accomodation.
Shane are far from perfect, but that sounds like the typical work-shy loser bum's rant. |
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Miyazaki
Joined: 12 Jul 2005
Posts: 635
Location: My Father's Yacht
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| Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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It's bad.
If you come to Tokyo, there's a little Canadian *beep* working in H.R. that is a backstabbing mo fo.
they aren't prepared with the materials come lesson time - missing CD's, broken CD players, books that are missing and no Teacher's books for student textbooks.....secretaries that are dumb and hostile and unhelpful.
I would caution anyone getting involved with SHANE.
plus, for the North American teachers, it's a completely british english syllabus and curriculum. You're teaching - "Lift", "Lorry" and "Brilliant" and how Mr. Dawkins owns a "shop" on the "high street" and "fancy's" a game of golf "at the weekend".
Enough to drive you mental. |
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