Hey guys, incoming JET here, I was just wondering what the chances would be of being allowed to take nenkyu in November? It’s my graduation and I’d love to go back home so I can go to it, but I realise that’s pretty soon considering I’d have just started the job. Is there a chance I’d be able to go or should I just forget it?
14 comments
ESID but we are granted that time in our contract…
Some board of education’s/contracts will only let you take so much vacation in the first half of your contract.
Once you have nenkyu, you can take nenkyu. Put the request in a few weeks in advance
I was a CIR so it wasn’t an issue for me. From what I heard from ALTs it depends on the school but usually for most people it wasn’t a major problem.
If you’re high school or JHS and are helping with speech contests be aware that that is around the time of speech contests so you might be expected to help prep the students and attend the contests.
My situation is probably unique, but I can take nenkyuu whenever. Just give as much notice as possible. If your supervisor say oh that’s difficult, have your supervisor ask anyways. They just don’t want to usually
You’re an assistant. Take the time off. If some dumbass tells you “no” ignore them and go to your graduation.
Depends on school and placement. Theoretically, yes, but I wouldn’t be 100% sure. Especially since Japan just recently opened its borders.
It would be different if you were asking to take nenkyu while classes are in session just to go on a holiday, but this is an important “life” event. The schools can’t expect funerals, weddings, graduations, illnesses of immediate family members, etc. to coincide with the school schedule. You should take nenkyu.
When I was a senior high school JET, the husband of one of the JTEs I worked with was the president of the Aomori Teachers’ Union. I had mentioned to her something about “asking” the vice principal for nenkyu. Her almost exact words to me were, “Nenkyu is not ‘granted’, it is ‘taken’.” She said the only thing I needed to do was to hanko the appropriate box in the teachers’ attendance book. The nenkyu was mine to use when I needed to use it.
Ask your pred once you figure out who they are about your school’s culture. My first year I wanted to go to Tokyo for a concert in October, but I’d heard a lot if schools weren’t ok with you taking off during the school year. So I asked my pred if it would be off the wall to do and she said it’d probably be fine as long as I told everyone well in advance that I was taking off. I bought the tickets, gave plenty of notice and it was fine. Your pred will be the one to best answer your questions
Ask for the days off well in advance, ideally before the class schedule is made for that month.
What you want to do before bringing up the topic with anyone at work is to understand how the system works a little more so that you have confidence and correct information.
According to Japanese labor law, paid leave is designed to be used throughout the year. The employee tells their employer which days that they are taking off, and unless it would severely disrupt business operations then you take those days off. Note that ALTs are assistants who cannot teach alone and therefore are almost never indispensable. You can read the details in the Tokyo Foreign Workers Handbook, a free online PDF.
To make it easy for everyone, do not ask permission. Fill out the form and submit it.
Should be no issue if you put in the request a good month or so in advance. You got it, just use it. If they have a problem, they’ll just not approve it or something. If they approve it & it’s out on your attendance sheet in their inkan book, then you’re good.
Caught that you’re coming to Kumamoto city – Kumamoto city ALT here.
Kumamoto City BOE sends out Nenkyu Surveys 3x a year. You essentially choose your nekyu well in advanced no questions asked — tell them when you will be unavailable and your schools plan on when they will take you around your availability as they plan ahead. ( Most placements here have 2 – 5 schools and they schools decide how they want to divide up your time ) taking a week of nenkyu potentially keeps you from one of those schools for a month if it’s not planned around.
Should you decide to want to take nenkyu a bit less planned out / sporadically – two weeks notice to the BOE and permission from the school you’re scheduled at ( because odds are you’ll have atleast two ) is requested.
I’ve been told the day before I’d have no classes bc of testing and had the choice to sit at my desk or stay home with a nenkyu day and have done that too. As long as your school isn’t going to gripe to the BOE about your absence – the BOE doesn’t care.