The Asahi Shimbun is reporting that eikaiwa school Lado International has filed for bankruptcy [link is to Japanese article]. The story offers no details, but compare the timing of the story today with the announcement from The General Union a few days ago that it has scored a "historic victory" in its fight with Lado. It can't be a complete coincidence, can it?
The top court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal by prominent English language school NOVA and ordered the group to return about 300,000 yen in prepaid tuition fees to a student who cancelled a contract.
The Japan Times had a couple of articles today on the March in March, a union drive for equal rights in the workplace for foreign workers. It's a must-read since it exposes eikaiwa for what it is: a dead-end McJob. The first article is here.
This sums up the essence of the problems in eikaiwa:
It seems that Nova is in serious trouble. The front page of the Asahi shimbun this morning carried an article about Nova being raided on February 14 by the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on suspicion of violating the Specified Commercial Transactions Law.
An LJ reader has sent us a letter from the Kanagawa BOE stating that all foreign teachers will have to re-apply for their jobs. The reader offers the following comments. -Shawn
All Kanagawa PFT's are losing their jobs as of March 31st. Ostensibly the reason is that the Kanagawa BOE is having trouble finding enough teachers to fill the positions it has. Also, this "on the job training" stuff is tough. Too difficult for the poor folks at the Kanagawa BOE.
Update February 23, 2006. Interac has been awarded the ALT contract for Kanagawa.
The opportunity for me to teach English in Japan seemed like a great experience. I have always wanted to go to Japan. I initially came into contact with Nova through my University and I held onto the information for years always thinking I should send them my resume. After spending a few months working 60 plus hours for an internet startup I applied for a job with Nova. After jumping through some hoops of interviewing and paperwork I was hired and had a confirmation date to go to Japan.
The Japan Times ran an article on finding a job after you're done with eikaiwa. If you're new to Japan, start planning your life after eikaiwa lest you end up like ex-NOVA drone Tom Griffin using up your savings and borrowing from your parents just looking for a job.
It turns out that the major eikaiwa schools have been breaking the law for well over a decade. The eikaiwa gray train is about to come to an end. For over a decade, NOVA, GEOS, and AEON have not been enrolling their instructors into shakai hoken, Japan's health insurance and pension plans, plans which they are obligated to enroll you in by law.
This is a rebuttal to an article posted on ELT News by Kevin Burns which singled out Let's Japan and its forums as being overly negative. The story can be found at ELT News.
Since Mr. Burn's recent article "The Forums about Teaching English in Japan Need to Take a Reality Check" names Let's Japan, Chris and myself (the two GEOS teachers who didn't like their jobs), it's only fitting that Chris and I respond.
Why is Nova a sub-standard place to work? Why should you make the decision not to work there?
The Primary Cause of all Evils: The Basic Rules of Supply and Demand
When a commodity is in ample supply, it comes cheaply.
Virgin employees are drawn from an overseas supply that in many ways the company views as being inexhaustible. Fresh blood (predominantly in the form of young and naive University graduates) is what keeps the wheels of Nova turning. The absurd work conditions that teachers have to endure can all be linked backed to this one crucial fact.
