gunmajet.net

Take a moment and try to put things in perspective. Our job is sitting at our desks staring at Facebook and studying Japanese. Oh yeah, and sometimes we teach a class...I mean read and repeat out of a book for 5 minutes (which is a whole other conversation over beers). It's not hard work. Realistically, for actual work done, we get paid very well.

The things that you site as problems with private companies, are problems with any company in general. The only reason any company exists is to make money, and while doing so, keeping the company's best interests in mind. It's a shitty truth. I think for the most part it's not a situation of a bunch of old men sitting around the board room table, rubbing their hands together, saying to themselves, "How can we screw these ALTs out of their money." Decisions need to be made in the best interest of the company, and sometimes in the process, the lowest man on the totem pole is going to get the shaft. That's us. It's the way of the world. The problems that you site as specific to the ALT companies we work for in Japan, are the same problems as any company you will work for anywhere. Yeah, sometimes your paycheck will come in a little late. Sho ga nai.

Job security. What security do ALTs give to companies? Most ALTs stay 1-3 years and commit to 1 year at a time. What reason do ALTs give to companies to consider them permanent dedicated empoyees who deserve permanent job security?

As far as being treated with less respect... welcome to Japan dude, get used to it. Creating a labor union isn't gonna solve that problem. And if you think Japanese workers get so much more respect and fairness, go ahead and ask some middle management Japanese salery man who hasn't seen his wife and kid for a week because he's working 16 hours a day, including Saturday, how he feels about all the respect he gets. I would rather be an overlooked ALT who works 8 hours a day and goes home rather than get all the respect of Japanese person working in Japan anyday.

There are plenty of overseas applicants who would love a coosh job teaching English, living in Japan and traveling around Asia on their vacations. I think these companies can survive without us.

Putting things in perspective, look at the alternatives. You could work for JET or you could leave your private ALT company and work for a Japanese owned international school/English school. In both situations you are working for Japanese in a Japanese business system. The BOE has no problems asking (read:telling) JETs to work Saturdays, stay late for no extra pay, or give them extra responsibilities they don't want or ask for. And they can't do anything about it cause they work directly for the BOE (I am not a JET, so I can't verify this claim personally, but it is based on stories I've heard from other JETs. So if you're a JET and you disagree, don't crucify me, it's only from what I've heard)

If you work for a private International School/English School. Most likely it is Japanese run, which means means you will be expected to follow a Japanese business culture. You: "I need to fly home, my Grandmother is dying" Them: "Oh I'm sorry, we need you to teach a class of 3 year olds tomorrow for 2 hours. You can't go." I'm exagerating a litte, I admit, but you get what I'm saying, no too much to zero concern about your needs.

Now, I admit. Yes, I've had a paycheck come a few days late once. Yes, terms of my contract have been broken on occasion. I feel I've been screwed out of a few paid vacation days, and I've been denied a raise that I believed I deserved. But there have been other occasions where my company has sent representatives to my school and sat down with the pricipal and English JTE and explained my contract to them and why in the future, they couldn't do x or y. I feel like they did go to bat for me and stood up for me. Also there is an invisible fear from our schools of "contacting the company". It's something they want to avoid and works in our favor.

Though everything doesn't always go my way, I think they do what they can when they can. And I think that's a much better deal than you're going to get working directly for the BOE or for a Japanese run private school. And on a seperate note, think about all the time off we get. Who else in this entire country gets as much time off from work as we do. The answer is no one.

I totally understand your frusteration. There are instances of getting screwed. I've gotten screwed. But ask yourself, are you really getting THAT screwed? Any more than anyone else working for a company anywhere? Anymore than Japanese people working in Japan? Is it really worth it? And like I said, comparatively, I think working for a private company is a pretty good deal. In this time of economic uncertainty, where people are getting salaries reduced and laid off from their jobs across the board, here and back home, I'm thankful to be getting as fair as a shake as I am getting.

Bottom line (in my opinion), yeah, it's not perfect, nothing is, but it could be a lot worse. We will get screwed by companys (as does everyone) but I think there is a degree of support from private companys (even if it's not the degree that you expect) that is helpful and makes working for a private better than not working for a private.

And starting a labor union. An unfortunate truth is that we're contracted employees, we start a union, guess who's contract doesn't get renewed next year?

Well that's my 2 cents (and then some).

Yeah, it's a low-paid job with low skill requirements. Seriously, the only requirements are "be non-Japanese" and "speak some English." The lucky ones get a computer, the unlucky ones get a desk that may or may not be available when they show up to school.

However, for non-JETs, some things really are screwy. Though the pay is shit, it's understandable and fair; it's just rankling that JETs get it so much better. Sure, some JETs complain that they'd rather not work summer/winter break and take a huge pay cut like many people who work for dispatch companies, but it does hurt the budget a fair bit. I think a lot of dispatch people would relish the chance to go to school and do almost nothing in return for a normal monthly salary. On top of that, JETs generally get their city taxes paid for them... but for dispatch people, you could pretty much throw away December or August pay just to pay for a year's taxes. If they even get PAID in December or August.

But that's all something you can rationalize to some extent. The JET program is an antique that's a leftover product of a bygone era; it represents the luxury level of being an ALT rather than the norm. Some of us, as Brigg pointed out, have really cushy jobs for what we do.

Some of us get pushed to put a lot of time and effort into our jobs rather than just sitting around on our asses at work. "Every situation is different."

More than the pay, though, I'm worried about vacation and sick days. Even Japanese workers, even the ones low on the chain, get vacation and sick days. A lot of dispatch people don't, and sometimes, the days that they fall terribly sick get taken out of their salaries. Sure, you get some immature college brats who go party and then want to use a sick day because "oh god I'm so hungover," but there are a lot of people who get legitimately sick and have to go to school, only to be sent home by the principal or vice principal because the company doesn't give them proper sick days. Let me tell you, if you're commuting by bike, the last thing you want to do is make the long haul to school when you shouldn't even be out of bed.

You know, even a lot of Japanese people, teachers and non-teachers alike, that I've talked to, think that my job, with the stuff I do and the stuff I don't get (steady pay, vacation days, sick days, paid insurance), is complete crap. You can argue that nothing's perfect and it could be worse, but that's not the issue here. You could say the same thing about any working conditions, no matter how bad they are. Sure, it's not the worst job in the world, but it doesn't mean that we don't deserve better.

I just wanted to offer another point of view on the subject, but anonymously, since my company probably wouldn't be happy with me.

JETs are paid better than the average dispatch company worker. But there are different goals. I know that ESID applies just as much to dispatch as it does to JET, but if you'll allow a few generalities for a moment.

In broad terms dispatch companies only provide an ALT to be used in classes. A number of companies indeed only pay for the ALT for the hours they are actively teaching. However, the cost of the ALT to the BOE/School is often comparable to JET because of the money that goes to the company. This money is to ensure that if there are any problems or communications that need to go on, the company will deal with it. The BOE/school is then free from the hassle of having to deal with someone who may or may not speak Japanese. In bad examples this arrangement often further separates the ALT from the school network and can be pushed to the extreme limits of disallowing most contact between teachers and ALT.

JET does not operate in the same way. While teaching is the first aspect of the job that comes to mind, and it is generally the easiest to explain, it is not the only duty of JETs. It is arguably not even the main duty JET ALTs. JET is an exchange program with a goal of exposing Japan to other cultures and exporting interest in Japan when the JET participant returns home. One of the reasons the pay is high is to entice those to take a break from whatever their main career may be and experience Japan. Part of the job is to also be friendly when inconveniences resulting in being foreign in a mostly homogeneous area occur.

Also, let's be careful when making joking comments that we are paid for sitting in front of a computer or to do nothing at schools. This does damage to ALTs in two ways. It spreads the notion in Japan that being an ALTs don't work hard and aren't interested in working hard. It also seems to condone that type of behavior which encourages current and future ALTs the this isn't 'real work.' Let's condemn this negative stereotype, not bask in it. The position of ALT won't be taken seriously unless we treat it seriously.

******************************************
Brent Thomas
ALT Advisor
tel: 027-226-4618
email: thomas-br(at)pref(dot)gunma(dot)jp
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Submitted by Brigg Sabol on Wed, 2009/12/30 - 12:38.
>>>Take a moment and try to put things in perspective. Our job is sitting at our desks staring at Facebook and studying Japanese. Oh yeah, and sometimes we teach a class...I mean read and repeat out of a book for 5 minutes (which is a whole other conversation over beers). It's not hard work. Realistically, for actual work done, we get paid very well.
Brigg, you have some good points and it sounds like you have an easy school you’re working at, not demanding. Unfortunately it is not the same for everyone. Many teachers do not have a pc on their desk and are not allowed to use one unless it is for work related purpose. Over using a school pc can wind up as a negative job evaluation and a loss of a monthly bonus. Not all ALT’s are treated equal. That is a part of the problem. An ALT who sits and staring at facebook will eventually find it hard to get a job or loss of income like it has happened to so many ALT’s who don’t have any job protection. You are happy until it happens to you or someone else and then find out who can help you? Nobody but that can be changed.

>>>The things that you site as problems with private companies, are problems with any company in general.
I don’t have a problem, these were general things in the conversation of us while drinking and thinking, what if it happens to us. Where do we go? And why are these a problem in most companies? Because they can get away with it. Who will stop them?

>>> The only reason any company exists is to make money, and while doing so, keeping the company's best interests in mind. It's a shitty truth.
Right it is only business. DO they care if we lose our job, don’t have a place to live or food? No, it is just business and we are not important to them. We are just money in their pocket. No job protection. Long ways from home to be homeless. We are what puts money in their pockets. Without us, they have no business. They will need more of us in the coming future from what I understand. Our thought is we keep them employed.
>>>I think for the most part it's not a situation of a bunch of old men sitting around the board room table, rubbing their hands together, saying to themselves, 　　　　　　　　
"How can we screw these ALTs out of their money."
It would not surprise me at all. The way the contracts are written and enforced there are loop holes for them to retain as much as they can because it is a business, If a company has several teachers and can hold back a few mon here and there from their teachers, do the math. The guy we were talking to has been in Japan for 20 years, He is an ALT and has heard many stories from JETs and ALT`s. This is his last year. He says he has lost so far this contract almost 15 mon!!! The contract has been broken by the company at least twice. The company makes you follow the contract to the letter but they seem to do what they want and not follow the contract they signed with you. Again, what can you do? I don’t want to lose 15 mon, do you? Is it sho ga nai to you if it happens or would you say, hey, wait a minute, that’s my income, that’s three months rent,,,,,
He told us that in Nov. the company had a training day on a SATURDAY, The Company did not want to pay the teachers to work on a Saturday　training so the following Monday was a national holiday. So they switched the Monday to a Saturday and a Saturday to a Monday so that the ALT`s would be there on a Saturday working getting paid from the Monday national holiday pay. (this took an extra beer and 2 shoots of Jim Beam to figure that out) Seems a little sneaky to do to your teachers. He had commitments on Saturday with his kids and private studentｓ and could not go on Saturday. So he lost the Monday national holiday pay and his monthly bonus which in the contract says nothing about losing a bonus for not working on a Saturday. Lost 32,000 yen that month………….Sho ga nai Brigg?
>> Decisions need to be made in the best interest of the company, and sometimes in the process, the lowest man on the totem pole is going to get the shaft.
　　Who are they? US? That is why we need to unite and not get the shaft.
>>That's us. It's the way of the world.
I guess if you want to live that way.
>> The problems that you site as specific to the ALT companies we work for in Japan, are the same problems as any company you will work for anywhere.
You are right! Time to unite and make a change so it does not happen.
>>Yeah, sometimes your paycheck will come in a little late. Sho ga nai.
I don’t want to lose any money I earn. I don’t think many others would too.
>>Job security. What security do ALTs give to companies?
Sure some come only a year or two. I will only do a couple years. Most people will stay with a good company and work for a good company. Companies never offer more then a year at a time. You never know from year to year if you have a job or not. That isn’t security for us. Sometimes I hear you don’t know until the last minute and good jobs are already gone.
>> Most ALTs stay 1-3 years and commit to 1 year at a time.
That is all they offer is one year at a time.
>> What reason do ALTs give to companies to consider them permanent dedicated employees who deserve permanent job security?
Marrying a Japanese or it is hard to predict your future, you can only say I will stay and work. Many of us stay many years. That guy was here for 20 years.

>As far as being treated with less respect... welcome to Japan dude, get used to it.
Why?
>>Creating a labor union isn't gonna solve that problem.
How do you know unless you try?
>> And if you think Japanese workers get so much more respect and fairness, go ahead and ask some middle management Japanese salery man who hasn't seen his wife and kid for a week because he's working 16 hours a day, including Saturday, how he feels about all the respect he gets.
I see what you mean but we are talking about teachers.
Did you leave your country, your family, your friends, girlfriend, your career possibilities. We left it all so what is the difference of your statement with Japanese salary men? Are they 1,000’s of miles from them. I know, it was our choice to be here. If any Japanese came to our country to teach, would they not be treated as an equal to you?

>>>I would rather be an overlooked ALT who works 8 hours a day and goes home rather than get all the respect of Japanese person working in Japan anyday.
Okay
>>>There are plenty of overseas applicants who would love a coosh job teaching English, living in Japan and traveling around Asia on their vacations. I think these companies can survive without us.
No they can’t. That is the point, without us, there is no company. They need to put one of us in every school in Japan in the next year or two.

>>>>Putting things in perspective, look at the alternatives. You could work for JET or you could leave your private ALT company and work for a Japanese owned international school/English school. In both situations you are working for Japanese in a Japanese business system. The BOE has no problems asking (read:telling) JETs to work Saturdays, stay late for no extra pay, or give them extra responsibilities they don't want or ask for. And they can't do anything about it cause they work directly for the BOE (I am not a JET, so I can't verify this claim personally, but it is based on stories I've heard from other JETs. So if you're a JET and you disagree, don't crucify me, it's only from what I've heard)
You are probably right about JET. But I am talking about ALT`s. It works different. BOE flew them here and back, They are getting about 300,000 yen a month or more and maybe free health insurance, all the holidays etc. No bad. Did you pay your flight here and back home and get paid way less?

>If you work for a private International School/English School. Most likely it is Japanese run, which means means you will be expected to follow a Japanese business culture.
I see your point.
>> You: "I need to fly home, my Grandmother is dying" Them: "Oh I'm sorry, we need you to teach a class of 3 year olds tomorrow for 2 hours. You can't go." I'm exagerating a litte, I admit, but you get what I'm saying, no too much to zero concern about your needs.
　　I see your point. Who ever a contract is a contract or what is the point in making and signing one?

>>>Now, I admit. Yes, I've had a paycheck come a few days late once.
Me too BUT it did come in the full amount. That is not the problem.
>>>>Yes, terms of my contract have been broken on occasion. I feel I've been screwed out of a few paid vacation days, and I've been denied a raise that I believed I deserved.
OKAY!! Good point. Is al that Sho ga nai or do you want to not have a broken contract, not be screwed out of vacation days and denied a raise. If we were united and that happed to you what if we all supported you but everyone not going to work one day. That would send a strong message to the BOE AND the company not to screw with us. You only have to do that once and the companies would think twice before doing that again with us. Now what would happen? Well the company may lose some contracts losing a lot more then what they kept from you. You might lose THAT job but we can ALWAYS get a job in Japan but the companies can not always get contracts. If we turned the tables on the companies, we would not get screwed or lose money or vacation days because they would worry what we would do. Think about the power we would have instead of being sheep and take what ever shit we are given. I am not saying all companies are bad but shit happens and where do we go for help? We need to help each other don’t you think? Companies do what they want because we do nothing about it. He told us another story that last June his mother became ill and needed to go back to his country for a cople weeks. He got back to his place at about 2 am on the day he was to return to work. He checked his email and was told not to go to work for five days because of the swine flu. Three of those days ran into July which meant he was not in class and so lost 2 mon bonus. In the contract it says something like, the ALT has to request time of and if they miss class they lose bonus. The five days was requested by the BOE, not him. He wanted to work. Why should he lose 20,000 yen?　　They didn’t tell him before he left that he would have to say home 5 days. If they did, I think he would have left 5 days sooner.
>>>>But there have been other occasions where my company has sent representatives to my school and sat down with the pricipal and English JTE and explained my contract to them and why in the future, they couldn't do x or y. I feel like they did go to bat for me and stood up for me.
That is part of their job, glad to hear it. Usually I think they would never do it from what I hear.
>>>>Also there is an invisible fear from our schools of "contacting the company". It's something they want to avoid and works in our favor.
I think until it comes to your work evaluation then it could go either way, true or lie, the company always will side with the school. They have too. It is business and it does not matter if it is true or not I have heard.

>>>Though everything doesn't always go my way, I think they do what they can when they can. And I think that's a much better deal than you're going to get working directly for the BOE or for a Japanese run private school.
Maybe so, I don’t know
>>>>And on a seperate note, think about all the time off we get. Who else in this entire country gets as much time off from work as we do. The answer is no one.
Yes, unless they take away your national paid holiday like it happened to that guy and maybe other ALT`s But Japanese get pretty good bonuses and retirement I think. All works out.
>>>>I totally understand your frusteration. There are instances of getting screwed. I've gotten screwed. But ask yourself, are you really getting THAT screwed?
Well no, not me, yet but it seems some people are………

>>Any more than anyone else working for a company anywhere? Anymore than Japanese people working in Japan?
I don’t know about others.
>>>> Is it really worth it?
It might be if you are going to stay for a couple years. Ya it is worth it I think.

>>>>And like I said, comparatively, I think working for a private company is a pretty good deal. In this time of economic uncertainty, where people are getting salaries reduced and laid off from their jobs across the board, here and back home, I'm thankful to be getting as fair as a shake as I am getting.
Right but the economic situation seems to be good here and that is no reason to screw us.

>>>Bottom line (in my opinion), yeah, it's not perfect, nothing is, but it could be a lot worse.
How so? And if it was, would you then want to unite and stop it? If so, why not now?
>We will get screwed by companys (as does everyone) but I think there is a degree of support from private companys (even if it's not the degree that you expect) that is helpful and makes working for a private better than not working for a private.
I haven’t been that long to know.
>>>And starting a labor union. An unfortunate truth is that we're contracted employees, we start a union, guess who's contract doesn't get renewed next year?
It does not have to be called a labor union, maybe ALT brother and sisterhood or something united. And if a majority was a member, how could they not hire us. Who would they hire? We don’t have to say we are a member but if something happened we all would support that person but just saying we will walk off if the company does not correct the problem, or what ever. I don’t know, these are just my thoughts with too much time on my hands.
>>Well that's my 2 cents (and then some).
Thanks for your thoughts, interesting conversation. Anyone else?

There have been ALT unions created in other regions and prefectures that have supposedly gotten changes implemented. Personally, though, I really rely on my job and probably would not join a union simply because of the fear that I would be fired for joining.

I'd like to say that the "bonus" pay system is completely bogus and exists solely to screw ALTs out of money. Any kind of complaint will result in the loss of "bonus" pay, justified or not. Any working hours/days outside of normal working hours/days is justified by saying that the "bonus" pay covers it. Even the name is bogus; it's not a "bonus" for any kind of excellent work, it's just a way for companies to increase the advertised pay while having the ability to withhold it almost at will.

Brent, you have several good points, though I would argue about your conceived difference between JETs and contracted ALTs. In my experience as a contracted ALT, I've been expected to do everything a JET would do, usually simply because the JET is the model all of the Japanese English teachers are used to. Beyond that, though, my own company has said several times that we're also here to teach about our culture. So I think the whole idea of JETs getting free plane tickets, free rides on taxes, much higher pay, sick days, and vacation days to entice people to come teach about "culture" is complete bull. Ditto on being "friendly," honestly. Just being with a dispatch company doesn't give us the license to be rude or boorish when things don't go our way.

The way I see it, I do a lot of the things that many JETs do, but for a lot less. Like I said before, it would be nice to see, at the very least, guaranteed sick and vacation days for all contracted ALTs. Sure, some positions and companies will be nicer than others, but I feel there should be some guaranteed working standard, and it should be higher than where the bar is now.

I agree with you........I have lost most of my monthly bonuses from RCS this year where I never lost any the two years before. Needless to say, it will be my last year with this company. Where is this union? Any info? I would join in a hot minute and help get it going in Gunma. I think joining is good for you and us. If the union is strong, you wont lose your job, just dont tell until trouble happens. The union will help you and get you equal benifits. I think we need a union to protect and help us when we have a problem. The companies we work for would treat us with more respect or lose contracts with BOE. Now they dont need too. I say, UNION!!!! If not, it will only get worse....