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What are the standard health checks for ALTs?

 
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 3:55 pm    Post subject: What are the standard health checks for ALTs? Reply with quote
I understand that medical checks are a legal job requirement for ALTs, but does anyone know whether all Boards of Education require the same set of tests?

I'd like to know because I'm not yet sure which Board of Education I'll be working for. I've received an offer from one B of E, but I have other applications in the pipeline. The offer I've received is contingent on a long list of medical checks. If the list is typical, I'll get the checks done ASAP, but if it isn't then I should hold off until I have a better idea of which B of E I'll work for and what checks they require.

Here is the list, in full:

    Height
    Weight
    Eyesight
    Hearing
    Eye disease, if you have any
    Ear disease, if you have any
    X-ray of your chest
    Blood Pressure
    Record of Illness
    Your present condition


Thanks in advance for your advice.
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Bread



Joined: 24 May 2009
Posts: 318
PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
What is "record of illness" and "your present condition"? That sounds like needless prying into your personal history that they have no business doing. For two different boards of education I've needed a chest X-ray, urine test (it's supposed to be testing proteins or something), blood pressure, weight, height, and I think that was it.
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seklarwia



Joined: 20 Jan 2009
Posts: 1546
Location: Monkey onsen, Nagano
PostPosted: Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bread wrote:
What is "record of illness" and "your present condition"? That sounds like needless prying into your personal history that they have no business doing. For two different boards of education I've needed a chest X-ray, urine test (it's supposed to be testing proteins or something), blood pressure, weight, height, and I think that was it.

I think that might be the parts where the doctor asks, "Have you been sick recently?" and, " How are you feeling today?"

I always get asked these questions at health checks and always get asked whether I have had surgery or a C section as soon as the doctor gets to the part of examination where they start feeling my stomach for and abnormal lumps/solid masses... apparently no Chinese or Japanese doctors have ever seen marking like mine before Laughing
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GambateBingBangBOOM



Joined: 04 Nov 2003
Posts: 2021
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:58 am    Post subject: Re: What are the standard health checks for ALTs? Reply with quote
Pitarou wrote:
I understand that medical checks are a legal job requirement for ALTs,


Not just ALTs. They're a requirement by most employers in Japan for most people.
Quote:
but does anyone know whether all Boards of Education require the same set of tests?


They're all roughly the same. Some ask for more. Some ask for less.
Quote:

I'd like to know because I'm not yet sure which Board of Education I'll be working for. I've received an offer from one B of E, but I have other applications in the pipeline. The offer I've received is contingent on a long list of medical checks. If the list is typical, I'll get the checks done ASAP, but if it isn't then I should hold off until I have a better idea of which B of E I'll work for and what checks they require.


So you have an offer from one BoE, but you're not sure you're going to take it. You have other applications out (but not offers) and you want to know if the list you've been given is standard. Is that right?

First, unless you are really pretty sure you're going to get another offer, you shouldn't turn down the first one. You could end up with nothing at all, and the hiring season is starting to draw to a close, eh!

Next:

Quote:


Here is the list, in full:

    Height
    Weight
    Eyesight
    Hearing
    Eye disease, if you have any
    Ear disease, if you have any
    X-ray of your chest
    Blood Pressure
    Record of Illness
    Your present condition


This is less than any private highschool I've ever worked for has asked for.
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Apsara



Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:27 am    Post subject: Re: What are the standard health checks for ALTs? Reply with quote
GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:
Pitarou wrote:
I understand that medical checks are a legal job requirement for ALTs,


Not just ALTs. They're a requirement by most employers in Japan for most people.



I have managed to work here for 13 years with multiple employers and never been requested to have a health check. At places I have worked it is usually the seishain who go for the health checks whereas I and other contract/part-time employees didn't. Same with my husband's jobs over the last 10 years- when he was a contract employee he didn't have to have health checks, but now as a seishain he is expected to yearly.

Nova certainly didn't require health checks for any teachers- do any of the other eikaiwas these days?
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
PostPosted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:21 am    Post subject: Re: What are the standard health checks for ALTs? Reply with quote
GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:
Pitarou wrote:
I understand that medical checks are a legal job requirement for ALTs,

Not just ALTs. They're a requirement by most employers in Japan for most people.

Yes, I know it's a common requirement for permanent, full-time jobs. My understanding is that certain health checks are also legal requirements, as in, "We can't let you set foot in the classroom without medical clearance, on pain of prosecution."

GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:
Pitarou wrote:
but does anyone know whether all Boards of Education require the same set of tests

They're all roughly the same. Some ask for more. Some ask for less.

Pitarou wrote:
I'd like to know because I'm not yet sure which Board of Education I'll be working for. I've received an offer from one B of E, but I have other applications in the pipeline. The offer I've received is contingent on a long list of medical checks. If the list is typical, I'll get the checks done ASAP, but if it isn't then I should hold off until I have a better idea of which B of E I'll work for and what checks they require.

So you have an offer from one BoE, but you're not sure you're going to take it. You have other applications out (but not offers) and you want to know if the list you've been given is standard. Is that right?

Exactly.

GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:
First, unless you are really pretty sure you're going to get another offer, you shouldn't turn down the first one.

Don't worry, I've no intention of doing that. There's a deadline for submitting the medical documents, and if I haven't received a better offer before the deadline then of course I'll submit.

GambateBingBangBOOM wrote:
Pitarou wrote:

Here is the list, in full:
    Height
    Weight
    Eyesight
    Hearing
    Eye disease, if you have any
    Ear disease, if you have any
    X-ray of your chest
    Blood Pressure
    Record of Illness
    Your present condition

This is less than any private highschool I've ever worked for has asked for.

Thanks. That's useful to know.
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mstoffer



Joined: 17 Feb 2011
Posts: 27
PostPosted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 3:41 am    Post subject: Re: What are the standard health checks for ALTs? Reply with quote
Pitarou wrote:
I understand that medical checks are a legal job requirement for ALTs, but does anyone know whether all Boards of Education require the same set of tests?

I'd like to know because I'm not yet sure which Board of Education I'll be working for. I've received an offer from one B of E, but I have other applications in the pipeline. The offer I've received is contingent on a long list of medical checks. If the list is typical, I'll get the checks done ASAP, but if it isn't then I should hold off until I have a better idea of which B of E I'll work for and what checks they require.

Here is the list, in full:

    Height
    Weight
    Eyesight
    Hearing
    Eye disease, if you have any
    Ear disease, if you have any
    X-ray of your chest
    Blood Pressure
    Record of Illness
    Your present condition


Thanks in advance for your advice.


This is what I had to do plus the urine protein test. I think your list is pretty standard. I believe you aren't supposed to get the check done till like 2 months in advance at most and some places have a standard form for you to use and for the doctor to sign so keep that in mind.
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
PostPosted: Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:42 pm    Post subject: Re: What are the standard health checks for ALTs? Reply with quote
mstoffer wrote:
This is what I had to do plus the urine protein test. I think your list is pretty standard. I believe you aren't supposed to get the check done till like 2 months in advance at most and some places have a standard form for you to use and for the doctor to sign so keep that in mind.


Thanks. In my case, I've been told that results up to one year old are acceptable. That means I can use some of the results from my standard health check last summer.

Well, it looks like the list I received is entirely normal. Most people have to do more!

Thanks for your answers, everyone!
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generalunionone



Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 29
PostPosted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Here's an article discussing how health checks can be required under 2 different laws.

http://www.generalunion.org/alt/news/731[/list]
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Pitarou



Joined: 16 Nov 2009
Posts: 1116
Location: Narita, Japan
PostPosted: Wed Mar 09, 2011 1:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
generalunionone wrote:
Here's an article discussing how health checks can be required under 2 different laws.

http://www.generalunion.org/alt/news/731


Thanks, that's really helpful.

It turns out that the only health check I really needed for the job was the TB X-ray. The others weren't mandatory at all, because the Board of Education will do it's own round of health checks in June.

So why did they tell me the extra checks were mandatory when they weren't? If I understand correctly, the health checks in June are a new thing, but the B of E was still sending out an out-of-date health checks letter.
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