I started work at a new school in April this year. It’s an ALT position and has a one year contract that can be renewed up to five years. The position is full-time and pays into Shigaku Kyosai insurance. The contract for said position is a simple one made for an ALT and mentions nothing about maternity leave or childcare leave. I am 13 weeks pregnant and due to give birth in April next year.
I’m nervous about my school deciding not to re-contract me when I tell them that I’m pregnant (I plan to do this at 16 weeks when I enter 安定期). I know “it’s illegal to do such a thing,” but we all know companies will do whatever is in their best interest and are not always humanitarian with their ALTs.
I wanted to have evidence that my school intends to re-hire me so that I’m protected legally (in the event they suddenly don’t offer me a second contract, I can show that they had intended to do so).
This is what I’ve done so far:
* I emailed my vice principal asking for confirmation of them re-contracting me next year. She came to find me and verbally told me that they wanted me back (and she did not reply to my email).
* The following day I emailed again, thanking her for the offer to stay on another year and asked when I would sign the contract for the new school year. She came to find me (again) in the copy room and told me in February/March.
If I didn’t already have PR (my school knows that I do) I would ask for some document that breaks down my monthly earnings (going into next year) or have them sign the paper that shows they are my gaurantor.
Any ideas what I could ask for that would leave a paper trail of intention to re-contract? Please advice.
5 comments
The reason why she came to find you both times you emailed her is probably because Japanese managers generally tend to avoid putting such commitments in writing, so it’s unlikely you’ll get a written commitment. I’ve had people print out email messages I’ve sent to them and then bring them to management meetings and read them to everyone in the meeting because they didn’t like something I said in the message.
I prefer to have written records of my communications with others in my company so if I have a conversation with someone who doesn’t want written documentation of it I send them a polite follow-up email subtly confirming my understanding of the discussion.
It’s also possible she thinks email is too impersonal, so she came to you directly. If you know her well enough to trust her to keep her word then you might consider just leaving it at that. If you give her the impression that you don’t trust her to keep her word it could make her reconsider whether or not she wants you back. Keep in mind that this is a culture of subtlety, finesse, and proper manners in formal situations. Frankness, candor, and confrontation will usually get the opposite of the desired result here.
I know exactly what you’re going through, I feel like I could have written this myself about 2 years ago. I’m wishing you luck and can’t say for certain but I’ll share my situation.
I also started that school year and informed of my pregnancy at the 16 week mark (make sure you have the letter from your doctor, like 妊娠証明書). I went in super nervous but surprisingly they took it well. They also said that knowing I was married, they kept it in mind that I might be having kids at some point. That could be the same for you.
That being said, I’m not an ALT and also not on a five years max contract so idk if it’s going to be different.
When I got the recontract, I also asked for a contract for the year I came back. So I had a year contract for the year I was on leave and for one I got back. I think this is important to get. Also, you being pregnant, you should check with your school about your pregnancy vists. Mine were classified separately from 有休 and yours might be as well.
If your vice principal knows what she’s doing, she won’t leave paper trail and would probably already have figured out what you’re up to.
Why not record your conversation with her? You’ll be burning the bridge by having a child anyway.
TIL even the schools operate like black companies, yay
It’s a one year contract.
Chances are they won’t be hiring you back if you’re off on maternity leave or they think you’re planning on having another kid.
One year contracts don’t have any kind of job security and it’s one of the reason all alt jobs are 1 yr contracts, so they have the flexibility to get rid of people easily if necessary.