My Company SUCKS, big time.

[mangakk]

First, they want us to work 4 extra days after the summer vacation has begun.
Next, they are conducting seminars during vacation on two seperate dates. Why can't they have it one after the other? This means, I can't go anywhere during my vacation. Even if I do, It'll be a waste of money coz I got only 1 week between the seminars.

[Otaku]

Yeah, dispatch companies don't give the slightest care about their employees, despite what they say.

Question: Have you expressed your frustration to the company?

[jessen100]

my company is doing that too. i call it bullshit, and on top of that, i think ive made "full pay" for maybe half the months ive worked, they always, pull off some scheme for why we dont get paid all of our money each month, even though the only one mention at hiring and specifically in our contract, is august. (and maybe april)

id say take paid leave, unless of course you are in the first 6 months of contract in which they dont have to let you. another thing that they failed to mention in that section of the contract. they even included this in the 6 month contract despite that you cant actually do it!

its not that big a deal in the end, but i dont like that i always feel like im getting swindled because they always forget to mention this type of thing until right beforehand.

they said at first (march), ok you get all of august off, but i learned 3 days ago that there 2 days in the middle of it, on which if you dont work, you cant get paid all your money for july. wtffffff.

this company is called borderlink btw.

[regardo]

this is borderline if not straight out illegal...

[Otaku]

Borderlink sucks big hairy ones! I went for an interview there awhile back when I was desperate for a job. I think those are the type of people that company looks for. It was about 5 minutes into the interview when I told the guy I wasn't going to take the position and walked out.

Beyond all the shady and rip-off things I saw in the interview, I don't want to work for any company whose recruiter comes out of his office wearing a gray suit that is a size too small, high-water slacks to the point you could see his white socks.

I had to restrain myself from laughing my a$$ off and was surprised I made it 5 minutes before I got up and walked out.

[mangakk]

Smart move Otaku...

[bum1]

You should work as hard as you can in your off time to get your board of education to hire you directly. (Or work for a nearby city that hires directly) My board of education for no reason gave all NETs 2.5 extra anytime use paid holidays yesterday in addition to the entire freakin month of August off.

[Paul]

You should work as hard as you can in your off time to get your board of education to hire you directly. (Or work for a nearby city that hires directly) My board of education for no reason gave all NETs 2.5 extra anytime use paid holidays yesterday in addition to the entire freakin month of August off.

While I agree, here is something to keep in mind. Why should a city directly hire an ALT and pay for it out of their own city budget when they can get a JET through MEXT and have the national government pick up the tab for just about all costs except some on taxes and something else that really wasnt that big but I dont seem to recall what it was.

[bum1]

I'm not sure... That's a good question. JET teachers are treated better than dispatch teachers though and as an alternative to dispatch hiring your own teachers increases the education quality 3 fold in my opinion. Happy teachers that stay in the same school teach better.

[Paul]

I'm not sure... That's a good question. JET teachers are treated better than dispatch teachers though and as an alternative to dispatch hiring your own teachers increases the education quality 3 fold in my opinion. Happy teachers that stay in the same school teach better.

Which is one of the major problems with all of the different ALT's. Dispatch, private hires through the local BOE, and JET's.

Many times I get the impression that some not all mind you, and it is based upon the individual as well, that some JET's feel or give off the impression that they are at the top of the ALT totem pole.

That may not be a popular opinion and the JET's that I have personally worked with have ALL been wonderful people, I have met a few that make we want to .

[Otaku]

The plain fact of the matter, JET ALTs ARE at the top of the totem pole. They are spoiled little brats who usually are straight out of college coming over to Japan and brag about free housing and a bigger paycheck to ALTs who are older, more experienced and paid less.

To me, JET means Just Extended Time to keep from getting a job in the real world where experience does equate to money.

BTW, I used to be JET...

[bum1]

JET is the only way to get native speakers into more rural areas though. I'll tell you right now that I'd just as soon quit drinking beer as I would go to Fukuoka in the back assed woods of nowhere and teach English while living the country life. JETs are there because no foreigners live in those places. I hardly consider that the top of the totem pole. They are required to do so many extra things and have gaijin bosses (always a pain unless they are bad ass) and it's just not as cool as independence.

[mangakk]

JET is the only way to get native speakers into more rural areas though. I'll tell you right now that I'd just as soon quit drinking beer as I would go to Fukuoka in the back assed woods of nowhere and teach English while living the country life. JETs are there because no foreigners live in those places. I hardly consider that the top of the totem pole. They are required to do so many extra things and have gaijin bosses (always a pain unless they are bad ass) and it's just not as cool as independence.

I guess Otaku's got a point. Even though they are in the inka, they consider themselves an elite.

[hokkaido1]

I question that. I see your point but ....

I, for one, am a foreigner in a very rural area. And I am not JET !!!

The guy in my neighboring town is finishing up his 5 years with JET and he is looking very hard for a teaching job in this area.

[mangakk]

I question that. I see your point but ....

I, for one, am a foreigner in a very rural area. And I am not JET !!!

The guy in my neighboring town is finishing up his 5 years with JET and he is looking very hard for a teaching job in this area.

I am refering to "As long as they are employed by JET."

[kabocha]

You think your company sucks!! Don't get me started. Ok then!
This is a subject constantly on my mind and everyone else who works for JALSS.
We are not paid for August.
We aren't paid travel and most of us travel long distances.
We have to provide receipts for anything to the value of 40,000 yen each month. They don't even have to be our receipts.If not we don't get paid that amount.
They are known not to pay on time, to not pay in full, to dock pay for missing a day of school by 100,000 yen!
Also they don't give copies of contracts, payslips etc. I could go on but you get the picture.

Yes I was desparate and yes, I am still desparate!!

Are there any decent dispatch companies out there?

How do we get direct hired by the local BoE?

To come back on something Paul said, I guess there aren't enough JETS to go round. The BoE has to pay directly from its own pocket if it hires directly or hires through dispatch.
Does anyone know how it works. Does the BoE give a set amount of money to the company which the company does everything it can to hang onto by not paying its employees? This is how it looks anyways.

[Otaku]

Kabocha, a private position would be the ultimate but these are usually done via word-of-mouth. The next best option would be the crappy dispatch company. And yes, ALL dispatch companies are crap.

This is my take on private vs. dispatch companies. The going salary for a private position is about 300,000 yen a month. Dispatch companies usually pay about 250,000 yen a month. In my mind, that's 50,000 a month going to these dispatch companies. That's how I see it...

That being said, the 'lessest' of all these DC evils that I have seen is ALTIA. Google it, they have a website. They only have about 50 employees and operate around the Tokyo, Nagoya, and Shizuoka area. If I remember correctly, they pay base wages (250,000yen) but give starting wage increases if you have ALT experience, studied Asian history/language at uni, passed any of the J-proficency tests, and will hook you up with car if you are only using it to go straight to/from work. The other thing I like about this company was they allow for the option of a Skype interview.

The most ironic thing about this DC, in connection to Englipedia, was I applied for the company awhile back and got rejected (I think because they asked me about my thoughts on discipline in the classroom...and I was honest in my answer), and now a handful of that company's employee regularly surf Englipedia for ideas. Sucks, huh? Not good enough to work for the company, but good enough to leech from when it comes to teaching ideas.

The other lesser of the evils, IMO, is Global Partners. They too only have about 50 employees and operate in the Tokyo and Yamanashi areas. They too pay base (250,000 yen) and while they don't offer increases for experience, skill sets, no 'official' nenkyu, etc., whenever school isn't in session and unless the school doesn't request you to be there during the off-time for some special event, you don't have to be at school either, which if you know about school holidays, that's a lot of time off work. AND, you get paid 100% salary all year round, even during the holiday times. Also, depending on which BOE you work for, transportation costs are covered. They too have a website; Google it.

[hokkaido1]

The plain fact of the matter, JET ALTs ARE at the top of the totem pole. They are spoiled little brats who usually are straight out of college coming over to Japan and brag about free housing and a bigger paycheck to ALTs who are older, more experienced and paid less...

??? I can only speak from my experience but ....
The JETs I know do not get free housing! And most that I have met were not straight from college, but they are younger than the average private ALT.

Also, I have also heard a few bad stories of JETs who had a pretty hard time (for different reasons), but I do agree, they certainly seem to get an easy ride (over all)

As for me, I am a private ALT, my wages are about the same as JET, but I do more hours (just) per week and a few more lessons in the normal holiday times such as winter and summer.
But, on the other hand, I don't have to leave after 5 years (like JET) I can stay as long as I (and my BOE) like. And another thing, I am too old for JET.
So being a non JET ALT is a big plus for me. I am actually very happy not being JET.

[Paul]

How do we get direct hired by the local BoE?

Get your Japanese resume up to speed, and then leg it to the local city, town, and village offices in your area. They usually start hiring between January and March, for the beginning of the school year in April.

Talk to the BOE people, let them see you are available and ready to work. Try to talk to them to learn about their system, things like that, show your interest.

In response to the crap your company is pulling on you, contact the General Union and ask them for assistance. Your company is breaking the law from what you wrote here and they can be held liable. Or go out of business.

[bum1]

Amen Paul. That's how it's done.

[mangakk]

Wish every BOE would think the same.

[Otaku]

Wish every BOE would think the same.

...never going to happen. BoEs don't speak English. Dispatch companies capialize on this. Interac even brags about it, but the whole 'smooth communication' in practice is even worse.

Somebody emailed me on the site awhile back about Englipedia possibly providing a job area where BoEs could post about direct hire. It was a good idea. He said that would give ALTs another avenue rather than relying on money hungry dispatch companies that care more about the bling than their employees. He said this would be one step in the right direction of making dispatch companies clean up their ripoff ways. However, at the end of the day, the same problem remains, the communication gap between the employer and employee.

[rant] I hate it when dispatch companies tell you the people they are hiring, "I know 250,000 yen is not the same you were getting paid before, but that's the going rate." To all those dispatch companies: "Yeah, we know it's the going rate; you fvcktards set the rate." Something in this country has got to change in regards to this whole dispatch company way of doing business. Unfortunately, I think we won't be around to see that day...

[mangakk]

That would be cool, but like you just mentioned, the communication gap would be badly affected as most of us and uncapable of expressing ourselves in the BOE language.

Man, I was tired of hearing my HR load me with bull,cock,hen shit about the pay scale. He told me that they won the contract through auction and is giving as much as possible. He think's everybody is some fresh dork in Japan.

[kabocha]

How do the contracts get awarded anyway? An auction sounds plausible but an izakaya sounds more likely.

[Otaku]

I'm not quite sure how contact is made but a BOE lets known an ALT is needed. Then, dispatch companies come in, meet with the BOE and bid for the contract. It's that simple.

[Paul]

[rant] I hate it when dispatch companies tell you the people they are hiring, "I know 250,000 yen is not the same you were getting paid before, but that's the going rate." To all those dispatch companies: "Yeah, we know it's the going rate; you fvcktards set the rate." Something in this country has got to change in regards to this whole dispatch company way of doing business. Unfortunately, I think we won't be around to see that day...

I think the larger problem is that there are too many people around willing to take the job for that amount so it isn't that hard to see why dispatch companies make out like they do and control certain markets.

When people start telling them "no" things will change, but I doubt that it will ever happen.

[Otaku]

Right on the button, Paul.

BTW, I've said no to a couple of companies. Now, we just need another 10,000 or so people to do the same...

[hokkaido1]

I'm not quite sure how contact is made but a BOE lets known an ALT is needed. Then, dispatch companies come in, meet with the BOE and bid for the contract. It's that simple.

I have seen Interac envelopes arrive at my BOE and I have over heard phone calls when someone asks for the ALT supervisor
and I heard the discussion

It seems dispatch companies attack in various ways?

[TENGU]

The contracts are awarded through,

1: invitation or continuation
2: presentation
3: blind bid


The reason salaries are getting so low are that the contracts themselves are getting so cheap, due to the likes of W5 undercutting everyone, contracts prices have fallen quite significantly.

If you want to be directly hired by the BOE you work at you should go to the city hall (or equivalent) and get yourself a copy of the current contract between the BOE and dispatch company, then you know how much you can undercut them by.


For whoever it was complaining that they are getting their salary skimmed every month have a look here

http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/WEBTEXT/27776/64846/E95JPN01.htm

you'll find they aren't allowed to do that.

[mangakk]

For whoever it was complaining that they are getting their salary skimmed every month have a look here

http://www.ilo.org/dyn/natlex/docs/WEBTEXT/27776/64846/E95JPN01.htm

you'll find they aren't allowed to do that.

Nice one tengu, but for starters let's say, there are about 2 Dispatch companies who have taken contract from the same BOE so I am sure that the ALT's pay should be roughly similar, but there is a huge difference of close to 5万円。 Is pay regulated by the BOE or by the dispatch companies?

Japan is not what it seems like it is. Companies are skimming money as much as they can with out getting caught. I guess that's the art of Modern Business.