Job Discussion Forums

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

In the thread on visa fees, some mention was made of GEOS paying late.

See Let's Japan's item on GEOS late pay -
http://www.letsjapan.org/rumour-geos-late-in-paying-salaries.html

Also, have a look at cost-cutting measures at GEOS
http://www.letsjapan.org/in-search-of-answers.html

Finally, see the article about statistics posted on the same site regarding the decline in eikaiwa revenues -

http://www.letsjapan.org/the-changing-language-market.html

norwalkesl · Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Ditto what Norwalkesl said.

Last time a company (Interac in 2003) didn't pay me the amount specified in correspondence and contract, I walked off the job site, into the office, got my pay and resigned all in the same afternoon.

Tolerating and continuing to work under such conditions makes no sense.

Quit and get out.

norwalkesl · Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China

I sincerely hope that I have saved some GEOS teachers some hardship.

That is my only goal in mind here.

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Hear, hear! I second the motion.

This is not Africa where teachers wait for their pay and possibly never receive it. This is not California where the knuckleheads couldn't pass a budget. This is Japan and such poor management practices are absolutely inexcusable.

However, I do agree with norwalkesl. Nowhere on the planet would I accept such conditions in which I was promised pay under a written contract and then not get it on time. That causes undue stress and tension that prevent me from doing my job to the best of my abilities.

NOVA--November 2007
GEOS--November 2009?

Hopefully, the situation doesn't get messy.

norwalkesl, your tone is neither ruthless nor offensive. It simply reflects reality and reminds us that when the proverbial s--t hits the fan, one should always have that Plan B ready to implement...

...and a Plan C...and a Plan D and a....

Thank you for your post and reminding us to always keep our eye on things.

Regards,
fat_chris

mitsui · Joined: 10 Jun 2007 Posts: 1562 Location: Kawasaki

I got paid late in Russia and Poland sometimes.
In Russia it was up to two weeks. Some people waited months for their pay.
In Poland they were stupid/disorganized/thoughtless.

In Japan there is no excuse.

TokyoLiz · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1548 Location: Tokyo, Japan

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

One other suggestion to anyone planning to jump ship but keen to stick around. Print up some business cards and hand them out to any of your students old enough to read before you leave. I know one guy who did this before Nova went under and he did well out of it. Those students will still want to learn English even if the school goes down. Be quick about it though because another guy I know turned up with his business cards in hand a day too late and found the door locked.

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

This may sound strange coming from me, but hear me out.

Paying late is not a reason to think the company is going down.

My justification? You have already named the company: Interac. They habitually paid half the salaries 10 days late for years and got away with it, despite union interference.

They have since stopped such a practice, I'm told. And, they are the largest ALT dispatch agency in Japan.

Do I think late pay itself is a reason to leave? Yup.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I was told once by the manager of a company I worked for in NZ that the very last thing a company should ever do is mess with its employees' pay- that to do so is fatal to morale and shows that the company is already sinking. That stuck in my mind, so when I heard two years ago that Nova had paid some of its Japanese staff late more than once I started to pay attention to the saga, because I was pretty sure that meant that the company was on its last legs.

Several months later when the teachers' pay was delayed, I assumed all the teachers would immediately jump ship- I certainly would have- and I was amazed at how many for some reason hung on and went down with the Nova-tanic. I used to work at Nova and for me the very thought of working even 5 minutes there for free was horrific.

I really hope that people at Geos are starting to plan what they would do if they don't get their pay on time this month, or next month or whenever, just in case, so there isn't as much carnage this time around as there was with the Nova collapse.

norwalkesl · Joined: 22 Oct 2009 Posts: 366 Location: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-China

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 6:55 pm Post subject:

flyer · Joined: 16 May 2003 Posts: 539 Location: Sapporo Japan

.... scary times!

jump ship the pirates have attacked

ShioriEigoKyoushi · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 364 Location: Japan

Text deleted

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

I'd have to agree with Shiori that this thread has no hard evidence to suggest anything about GEOS going under. Those links at the top, while interesting, are little more than a couple of posts by (anonymous) disgruntled staff and some 'evidence' from Wikipedia, which everyone knows is a bastion of truth. I imagine if there is a problem, it'll come out soon. Regardless, though, if pay is regularly late with no explanation then looking for a new job/walking out is definitely a good option, just in case.