Thoughts on Interac’s controversial “don’t be sick” video?

37 comments

1. [deleted]

2. a condescending emotional manipulation with a splash of guilt shaming peppered with spelling errors

3. There is a pandemic. Interac should be encouraging teachers to stay home if they are sick and get tested, not trying to guilt ALTs into coming in to work no matter what by using cute children. The Japanese teachers they interview are also apparently *former* ES and JHS teachers – how much do you want to bet they are currently employed by Linc/Interac?

4. A condescending and callous response from a company that only cares about the bottom line. I’m glad this video is getting shared around. I hope everyone sees it and I hope it wakes people up. We are people, not machines.

5. [deleted]

6. Interac is horseshit. Schools that use dispatch companies like Interac are horseshit. The sooner more of you can do as I have done and take legal action and quit and move to other schools or professions, the faster this stuff will get at least a bit better. Consider joining a union too!

7. I work for Interac and this reminds me of a conversation I had in November with a manager.

   My father had a stroke and I was terrified that I might lose him so I wanted to visit him over Christmas. The manager tried to guilt trip me into staying and made out that the lack of substitutes was my problem and that I needed to consider the inconvenience I would cause despite giving them notice a month in advance.

   I’m so appalled by the inhumane and callous attitudes of even the lowest level of management.

8. To whoever posted the link to this video under all the Interac ads on Facebook. You are my hero!

9. As long as there is an endless supply of people willing to accept any salary, no matter how low, and any working conditions, no matter how shitty and abusive, just so that they can live in JAPAN, these companies will never stop fucking people over.

   As long as people keep recommending to others that actually companies like this are okay to “get your foot in the door in Japan”, people will keep accepting the jobs and getting stuck in these jobs because they can’t find anything better.

10. Especially in this pandemic, employees who have symptoms should be encouraged to stay home. Got a fever, sore throat? Your employer should be urging you to stay home.

    You have a right by law to take your paid leave when you have to. Sure, employers are allowed to schedule up to 5 days as set leave at their convenience, but the remaining paid leave days are yours.

    Also note that, as part of work style reform 働き方改革 by law employees must take at least 5 of their allotted paid leave days.

    Interac’s video is reprehensible for attempting to shame employees. Especially shameful for the gaming dude as an example. Lots of ALTs have family, we’re living in a pandemic. Need I say more?

11. Wow, what a crock of shite.
    If you treat your employees like children, then they will behave as such.

12. I just quit interac. I advise all to do the same.

13. Is it controversial? I thought it was universally hated.

14. That video is offending my braincells

15. If it’s such a hardship on everyone at every level, and so difficult to put the classes in the rest of the week (which like, I won’t even get into how that shouldn’t be what is happening), it’s almost like they’re admitting that the ALTs work full time (not 29.5 hours), and that they’re not just an assistant to some teachers…hmmm, maybe pay them as such?

16. Wow. Wtf do they expect? People just not get to be sick??? Have the teachers be ready with lesson plans that don’t require the ALT or something. Interac just expects health perfection..??

17. Ah yes, let’s normalize coming into work sick again. SMH.

18. I cannot believe how much teaching has devolved from a good way to make enough money to live more than comfortably while studying in order to get a real job. 30 years ago you could pull in 350,000yen a month by working 15 hours a week (nights/weekends) while attending full time language courses/university during the day. 350,000 yen per month was a decent chunk of change back in the 90’s. I can’t believe that 250,000yen per month is considered above average pay these days; it’s borderline slavery.

19. It’s states the bleeding obvious. Yes a teacher being absent is a pain in the arse. Perhaps have a plan B and C if this happens would be wise. Don’t rely on n teachers having perfect health their entire lives. Interac…. Muppets.

20. JHS English teacher legit just admits “if we have no lesson plan or worksheet from the ALT the lesson won’t take place”

    If you can’t do your job without an assistant, you’re incompetent. I’m willing to bet she was a “former” teacher because she was bad enough that even Japan would sack her.

    When I was an ALT and called in sick, it was fine, at an absolute push the teachers would just do the “fun time” pages that are in most textbooks. Most were more than capable of clicking through an elementary digital textbook or reading out a passage in junior high.

    This is just Interac being pissy that they have to pay you even though the school is going to take your absence out of their paycheck

21. Wow, what a mess.

    So that one ALT could be interviewed and asked about how she’s never absent (which she never gave a single tip about), but you didn’t bother to ask her to proofread the fucking video? The amount of spelling and grammar errors was downright atrocious.

22. This is some bullshit right here.

    Again, it just boils down to the problem “created” by the foreigner. LOOK WHAT YIU DID TO ME, THE TEACHERS AND THE KIDS.

    Like, fuck you.
    When a teacher complain it’s basically “it’s your job” so it must go the other way around as well.
    If I’m sick, it’s your job to fix a substitute or whatever. Especially during Covid.

    Personally I have never had a sick day in Japan but this just pisses me off.

23. Seems like a ripe opportunity for the ALTs to make one of their own:

    “Don’t be a black company”.

24. 6:31 – “It’s hard to re-schedule an ALT to teach lessons they missed because we pack their schedule too tight to allow any flexibility!”

25. God. This is frustrating to watch.

    NEVER feel bad about staying home if you think you can’t work that day. You’re mental and physical health are always number one priority.

26. The content of the video is condescending enough as is, but the audio quality… ffs. I KNOW they have people who work for them who know how to do professional sound.

27. Do western management understand the BS? Like I’m sure the narrator was just reading off a script but have they fully bought into the game and the Japanese style of management?

28. My favorite is the “interview” with someone who has “never been sick or late”

    ​

    It’s like umm, who cares? What incentive is there to have perfect attendance. MAYBE if Interac gave a 500,000 yen bonus to those with perfect attendance at the end of the year it would matter but having perfect attendance at Interac is nothing to be proud of and gets you diddly squat.

29. Interac has always been a scrooge. Once in their teacher newsletter they acknowledged that food costs in Japan are high, so here are 5 recipes for pasta to stretch your budget.

30. The Kansai branch is notoriously shitty iirc – both in terms of management and employees. But yeah this culture is pervasive throughout other areas. I’ve only taken two offs this year and both were medical emergencies. If its not something medical, they “politely suggest” you take another day off instead.

    I also love how in the video they suggest that its such a burden if you miss your class because they have to change and adapt lesson plans. I’m like, “*they’re fucking teachers as well you know!*” Its not like you’re handing the reigns of the class over to the school janitor. Christ how many times have I had to do last minute shit or randomly switch things over because one of my JTE’s kids got sick or something.

    I will admit though that ES and JHS is a different beast. ES ALTs go out to a lot more schools and therefore might only see their kids at that school once or twice a month – meaning that the lesson is a little more important because they get very little time to interact. Having said that though, they employ subs at the company, which is what they are there for.

    This is all guilt-tripping bullshit.

31. Telling people not to get sick in a Pandemic…righto.

32. I love how someone brought this idea. Went to management. Got approved. Then made a whole video about guilt tripping teachers to not call in sick

33. God damn I really want to see this video. But they fucking copyright claimed it

34. anyone have a reupload?

35. The video is taken down. Did anyone make a copy of it? Or has a copy?

    Whoever has it: Upload it on bilibili because I sure as hell can’t see China caring about a J-company!

36. Mirror link?

37. At the end of the last school year I got an email from Interac informing me that I will be receiving a gift as appreciation of my perfect attendance for the year. After a week of barely containable anticipation I received in the post a 4 colour disposable click pen with my name on it. That fucking thing went straight in the bin.

    This winter vacation I had to work at my school during the week of standby days despite never missing a day or lesson all year.

    What’s the point of making an effort?