Was Invited to Go on School Trip by the Principal, but Company declined, Although I still Want to Go

Long story short, there’s a school trip that was announced during my first few weeks working at an elementary school, the principal wanted me to go because there’s a foreign exchange student that speaks only English and he wants me to talk to her during the trip. I thought it was a great opportunity, but the dispatch company heard about it, and said there might be too much risk involved. They gave me the option whether or not I want to go. So being cautious and wanting to keep my job, I decided to go along with it.

But now, I see them getting ready for the trip, and I’m starting to feel distance from them because of it.

At that point I realized, the dispatch only cares about themselves and probably told me this so they wouldn’t have to worry about liability.

I honestly don’t care what they think anymore and I want to go regardless now, but the company is giving excuses not to undo my decision. Does anyone have any advice how I could work my way around this?

If anyone has any experience in this matter, I would like to hear your story as well. I feel like this is a common occurrence. Advice is also great too!!

あろがとうございます。

11 comments
  1. You made the decision, now the company gets it both ways. They get to say that you made the decision and they don’t need to worry about insurance, etc.

    It’s a pity, because this would have been a good way to strengthen bonds between you and the teachers, which would have made networking more plausible in the area, assuming you like it there. There’s really no good way out of this. Just take your lumps.

  2. Perhaps when you’re talking with Japanese coworkers, you could work into the conversation that you regret declining. Word might get back to the principal and he might contact the dispatch on your behalf.

  3. Sounds like a great opportunity missed. Unlucky.

    You should probably just leave it tho

  4. Talk to the vice principal. Tell them you can go, what ever was preventing you is now resolved etc. Don’t consult the dispatch company.

  5. I am sure the dispatch company previously had a case where a rogue ALT ‘accidentally on purpose’ let his foot long flop out while on his way from the showers. Hence, the dispatch company is in damage limitation mode.

  6. This is kinda silly. If the principal really wanted you to go, they’d kick up a stink to the dispatch company via the BOE. The company would bend over backwards to cater to the school.

    It’s a cutthroat market between dispatch companies, and they will do anything to steal a BOE from each other.

  7. Hate to be a downer but you were probably not included on the trip because neither the school nor the dispatch company wanted to pay for you to go. And the ALT is not really high up in the pecking order of spending money on school trips. Perhaps the principal invited you thinking that the company would pay then they said no.

  8. Dispatch only cares about bla bla bla, but they gave you the option to go? So why are you complaining? Do you think that if they said you have the option to go, and you went, that you would lose your job?

  9. Why on earth would they want to drag a foreigner along to keep the exchange student company?

    That’s counterproductive and ridiculous.

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