There is always turn over but recently I’ve been having students slowly quit. It starts with canceling once a month to canceling often to quitting. Usually turn over starts around February but never in fall. Anyone else having this pattern?
People are making cutbacks. Probably more of an impact on adult classes than kids classes imo
In times like these, English is the first thing that gets cut, especially hobby English for adults. I think it has something to do with the lack of travel abroad opportunities in the past couple of years, too.
Actually the opposite for our school. We lost roughly 200 students at the start of the pandemic, but we’ve slowly been getting new sign ups to replace them.
During trial lessons the main reasons seem to be the Osaka 2025 expo and the recent reopening of the borders (communicating with foreign tourists)
So much resource online now, less demand for in person teaching
Recently? Peak was in the 90’s, it has been a steady decline since. You haven’t noticed the yearly decline in pay offered on the spam ads?
​
Edit; downvotes? The industry showed it was near the bottom back in 2015 when GABA was paying 1,100 an hour and hiring people from Eastern Europe. From there the only way things could go is down. When the average advertised price is 2,000 an hour, how much do you think they can afford to pay the workers?
My Eikaiwa had their best ever year in their history in 2019. Pandemic hit it hard but it was not bigger in the 90s.
our student count is up actually
Yes. Six regular “whale” students quit in the last two months where I work and by whale I mean that they are big spenders. Private lessons all the way. Once or twice a week. The cost of living is affecting everyone. If you have to choose between golf with friends and co-workers or English. The cost of living had sky rocketed. Who has money for English lessons when the price of all food items have increased by a third.
No. We’ve steadily increased the past couple of years.
It doesn’t matter who quits, or why they quit. It’s not gonna affect your menial salary, but…
Somebody has to take the blame.
🎼Chop, chop, on the chopping block♪
Before I changed to working in public schools the sales took a big hit when the pandemic started and slowly things got better as zoom lessons were introduced. Now, I think more students have been willing to come in person, especially for kids lessons. Parents gotta leave them somewhere lol
That said, I’m really glad I left all that. Hybrid lessons are THE WORST
Eikawa has been becoming a glorified baby-sitting service where parents can dump their children.
Those who work at Eikawa for several years lack marketable skills, credentials and ambition, but for a baby-sitting service this is fine
People who need to actually learn the language won’t go to Eikawa where they will work out of an outdated textbook by a world-weary foreigner. They will use apps or other online services. An hour of DuoLingo is as valuable as an hour at Eikawa and these apps can be done on the train.
Those who just want to meet and talk to foreigners no longer need Eikawa either. Apps like MeetUp exist for that
When costs go up for households, English lessons are one of the first things on the chopping block. Though they may work to keep the children’s lessons going, adults are more likely to finish. Also, children and workers can expect shifts as the new school, business year in April approaches.
Steady increase YOY
There are a few reasons.
* People are bracing for the sales tax increase. * CoL increases for everything except rent, particularly in food and fuel. Energy prices are going up next spring. * A lot of people, particularly in the service and real estate industries, have struggled during COVID. Less money is circulating. * Online teaching has undercut the “I just wanna chat” market. Can’t blame ’em. * JPY sliding against USD means that a lot of people are abandoning plans to travel abroad. * “Pay peanuts, get monkeys.” Too many companies have relied on cheap labor, and the whole industry has expected too much for too little from people with (frankly) inferior skills. It has hurt the industry’s standing.
If you’re not a lifer like me, I suggest planning your exit. If nothing is anchoring you now, do what is best for you. The reason why I am not panicking is the money that I am making in USD providing online services.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the country. Japan is getting off easy compared to many countries in terms of inflation. The depreciating yen has positive trade-offs for a lot of industries, such as tourism, domestic agriculture, and high-tech exports, but it is bad for anything that involves large imports. But if you’re somebody who wants to have fun and pay off your student debt, then it sucks right now and won’t get better soon.
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People are making cutbacks. Probably more of an impact on adult classes than kids classes imo
In times like these, English is the first thing that gets cut, especially hobby English for adults. I think it has something to do with the lack of travel abroad opportunities in the past couple of years, too.
Actually the opposite for our school. We lost roughly 200 students at the start of the pandemic, but we’ve slowly been getting new sign ups to replace them.
During trial lessons the main reasons seem to be the Osaka 2025 expo and the recent reopening of the borders (communicating with foreign tourists)
So much resource online now, less demand for in person teaching
Recently? Peak was in the 90’s, it has been a steady decline since. You haven’t noticed the yearly decline in pay offered on the spam ads?
​
Edit; downvotes? The industry showed it was near the bottom back in 2015 when GABA was paying 1,100 an hour and hiring people from Eastern Europe. From there the only way things could go is down. When the average advertised price is 2,000 an hour, how much do you think they can afford to pay the workers?
My Eikaiwa had their best ever year in their history in 2019. Pandemic hit it hard but it was not bigger in the 90s.
our student count is up actually
Yes. Six regular “whale” students quit in the last two months where I work and by whale I mean that they are big spenders. Private lessons all the way. Once or twice a week. The cost of living is affecting everyone. If you have to choose between golf with friends and co-workers or English. The cost of living had sky rocketed. Who has money for English lessons when the price of all food items have increased by a third.
No. We’ve steadily increased the past couple of years.
It doesn’t matter who quits, or why they quit. It’s not gonna affect your menial salary, but…
Somebody has to take the blame.
🎼Chop, chop, on the chopping block♪
Before I changed to working in public schools the sales took a big hit when the pandemic started and slowly things got better as zoom lessons were introduced. Now, I think more students have been willing to come in person, especially for kids lessons. Parents gotta leave them somewhere lol
That said, I’m really glad I left all that. Hybrid lessons are THE WORST
Eikawa has been becoming a glorified baby-sitting service where parents can dump their children.
Those who work at Eikawa for several years lack marketable skills, credentials and ambition, but for a baby-sitting service this is fine
People who need to actually learn the language won’t go to Eikawa where they will work out of an outdated textbook by a world-weary foreigner. They will use apps or other online services. An hour of DuoLingo is as valuable as an hour at Eikawa and these apps can be done on the train.
Those who just want to meet and talk to foreigners no longer need Eikawa either. Apps like MeetUp exist for that
When costs go up for households, English lessons are one of the first things on the chopping block. Though they may work to keep the children’s lessons going, adults are more likely to finish.
Also, children and workers can expect shifts as the new school, business year in April approaches.
Steady increase YOY
There are a few reasons.
* People are bracing for the sales tax increase.
* CoL increases for everything except rent, particularly in food and fuel. Energy prices are going up next spring.
* A lot of people, particularly in the service and real estate industries, have struggled during COVID. Less money is circulating.
* Online teaching has undercut the “I just wanna chat” market. Can’t blame ’em.
* JPY sliding against USD means that a lot of people are abandoning plans to travel abroad.
* “Pay peanuts, get monkeys.” Too many companies have relied on cheap labor, and the whole industry has expected too much for too little from people with (frankly) inferior skills. It has hurt the industry’s standing.
If you’re not a lifer like me, I suggest planning your exit. If nothing is anchoring you now, do what is best for you. The reason why I am not panicking is the money that I am making in USD providing online services.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the country. Japan is getting off easy compared to many countries in terms of inflation. The depreciating yen has positive trade-offs for a lot of industries, such as tourism, domestic agriculture, and high-tech exports, but it is bad for anything that involves large imports. But if you’re somebody who wants to have fun and pay off your student debt, then it sucks right now and won’t get better soon.