I cross posted this in r/teachinginjapan as well.
Seeking Some Advice
Hey guys,
A little while ago I accepted a direct hire job at a private school in Northern Japan. The owner and I had been in touch pre-covid and got on well but because of covid things got put on hold and they were hiring again now that things are opening back up.
Because of the Royal Mail cyberattack a few weeks ago and all the issues with Royal Mail, my visa documents still haven’t actually left the UK and I’ve filed an official complaint and I’ve kept my new boss up to date with it.
My new boss is lovely, but she’s been emailing me almost every other day demanding updates and telling me she’s been losing sleep over how long it’s taking, and that it’s stressing her that she can’t tell the kids when new teacher is arriving despite the fact that when it gets to Japan it’ll still have to be approved with the Japanese immigration (I’m technically a non-native speaker with a UK degree and have been schooled in English speaking countries) and probably will take time as well because there’s no doubt a backlog of visa applications.
The school has foreign staff, so I guess I am a little surprised about how stressed she is because immigration paperwork takes time.
My new boss keeps telling me she prefers things to be done yesterday and the fact that she emails me literally every other day (no exaggeration) and also forgets things that I’ve already told her like “No, I haven’t been to Japan before.” is setting off vague warning bells in my head and I Just want to ask this sub if I’m overreacting.
Also, does immigration really need your original university transcript as some companies only require a copy?
Thank you in advance.
1 comment
>she’s been emailing me almost every other day demanding updates and telling me she’s been losing sleep over how long it’s taking, and that it’s stressing her that she can’t tell the kids when new teacher is arriving despite the fact that when it gets to Japan it’ll still have to be approved with the Japanese immigration
Honestly this is a ***huge*** red flag, and the cynical part of me thinks that she might be laying the groundwork for “regretfully going with another candidate”. Even if she isn’t thinking that way, it may be time for *you* to start thinking about other options.
Your documents haven’t even arrived in Japan yet. Once they do, she still needs to submit the paperwork to immigration, and then you will need to wait *months* (1-3 months, possibly longer) before your CoE gets issued. Then she has to mail it to you, you have to go to the embassy, then you have to buy plane tickets… Yeah.
The fact that she’s so worked up this early in the process doesn’t bode well for a harmonious working relationship.