Preliminary ALT Survey Results from the GU
We asked and you responded! First up big thanks to anyone who gave their time to answer. We wanted to share with you some of the early findings. We are calling these early findings as we are still collecting responses for a bigger sample size, answer the questionnaire and share it with your friends and colleagues. Let’s do something to change this broken system.
More than half of direct hire ALTs work beyond their contracted hours. Almost ⅓ of JETs do not get the daily breaks that all workers in Japan are granted by law. ¾ of JETs view contract limits, which run don’t make sense according to labor law, as unfair. 60% of JETs have problems with co-teaching despite over 40 years of the program (this may be related to the 50% dissatisfaction with training!). Despite increases in working hours, Dispatch ALT wages have not risen. In fact, the largest dispatch company is now starting teachers at 21.5万 a month!
The system is broken and isn’t working for Direct hire, JET, or dispatch ALTs. We’ve been working hard connecting with sympathetic people from local politicians to MEXT bureaucrats and they need to know what’s going on on the ground. That’s where you come in. We are still looking for responses. Give us yours and learn more about the campaign.
http://alt.generalunion.org/ https://alt.generalunion.org/survey
The union is still doing good work across different industries. We are helping save peoples jobs, including ALTs, from unfair practices. We are making sure that companies are providing their employees with Shakai Hoken as mandated by the law. We are helping workers across a variety of industries organize and fight for better working conditions. Read more about what we’ve been doing!
https://generalunion.org/
Thanks again, The General Union
14 comments
Solidarity!
Intresting stuff!
I’ve been working with this campaign for a while and we’re getting some bites from some important fish. Help us show Tokyo what the situation is, fill out the survey!
May I ask what the preliminary sample size was?
>The system is broken for … JET …
Not sure about the others, but JET is far from “broken” lol
One of the best jobs / opportunities I ever decided to take
I’m a direct-hire ALT, but worked for two dispatch companies in the past. There’s absolutely no difference in my job duties, and I get better support directly from the BoE. Dispatch companies are thieves, they just take your money for nothing. If BoEs are afraid they can’t handle recruitment on their own, let experienced ALTs help with the process, it’s that simple. I wish all dispatch companies would cease to exist.
As for better job conditions, I’d be super satisfied if we could get bonuses, a permanent contract and slight raises every year.
This is the first time I’ve heard that I have a legally mandated break where I can do whatever I want.
Does that mean my lunch break? Or no?
One of the big problems is that JET has intentionally created a walled-garden for itself. I was never a JET but I go on their subreddit now and then to have a look around, they very much keep to themselves. It’s a load of 22 year olds with their first ever job talking to each other and trying to make sense of their situations. With the occasional “former JET” dropping in for some variety.
Like the idea that they’re doing ALT work in a similar fashion to most other people in Japan is intentionally obscured from them. Instead they see “being a JET” as the job, and seem to rarely even venture out into the other Japan related work subs. It’s very weird but clearly be design.
Bridging that gap is going to be a task if you want to do more cohesive unionising efforts.
Pretty sure no one would mind if they scrapped JET. Paying Brad, a 36 year old from Ohio a living wage to come over for anime and Japanese ladies doesn’t seem the greatest use of funds.
Will this only be for ALTs or other teaching positions?
I’m hoping this will grow and encapsulate every teacher, not just ALTs or English teaching.
You have my support either way.
Filled it out. I wish I could put a number lower than 1 for job satisfaction. Where’s the option for “I burnt out ages ago, there’s nothing left of me but a residue of spent carbon loosely maintaining the shape of a human that will collapse into nothingness if disturbed at all”?
Dispatch companies are black as f*ck.
I’m more than happy to name and shame. KBS scammed me out of 10万 because I had to break contract a week early. They also didn’t pay my pension when they said they did and also did T cover my insurance when they said they would (contracts reflected this too) in the end they had more money than me for litigation.
That was 10 years ago and they’ve been getting away with it since.
Good work everyone, and interesting results so far.
Some dispatch companies are more unscrupulous than others…. but sadly they force the whole industry down. It truely is a race to the bottom.