ALT here. I always seem to find myself getting stuck in very long teacher’s meetings. No one really tells me when it will happen, what time it starts, or what time it ends. It just starts, and now I am stuck in the office while they discuss things I do not understand. Because of that, I overstay, but not get paid for it, so that sucks.
So, theoretically speaking, if I just leave according to my schedule, what’s gonna happen?
Edit: Thank you all for the reply. They were very helpful.
17 comments
Nothing. For one, I doubt you are contributing to the meeting so not like your absence from the meeting is affecting any of the teachers.
If you are dispatch then you can leave as soon as your contracted time arrives. No questions asked really. The school is not your employer.
Now, some teachers may be bitter and scoff at you. “Che, typical gaijin.” kind of stuff but who cares what that kind of person thinks. They are just bitter.
Talk to a JTE/HRT/Senka and ask when the regular meetings are. You can generally leave early on days there are meetings, if you work at a chill school and don’t talk about it.
At the start of the week, ask your JTEs if there will be any meetings.
A big sign of a meeting starting soon is all the teachers come to the staffroom and are prepping tea/coffee to drink. It’s rare to have ALL the teachers come into the staffroom.
Usually I just listen around and ask any teacher if a meeting is starting soon.
Worst case you miss all the signs and are stuck, if you’re near the edge/close to the door, you can very quietly pack up your things and bow and walk as you whisper shitsureishimasu to the teachers along the path to the door. If you’re in the middle it might be a little harder but I’d rather get stared at than have to stay 1 hour+ longer for no reason, esp unpaid.
Everyone knows you’re the ALT and have no business in the meeting so no one would probably think much of it anyway.
I and other part time non alt teachers who aren’t scheduled to stay, used to leave before the meeting starts in our school
Step 1. Ask a teacher when the meetings are scheduled.
Step 2. Don’t be in the office when they happen.
Step 3. ????
Step 4. Profit
Just prepare your stuff ahead of time to make a quiet exit before or if you have to during the meeting and slink out. You can ask but half the time I asked they forgot there was a meeting anyways. Also sometimes slinking out early means you are standing awkwardly in a hallway until your time comes unless you have a club to harass or library to invade.
Generally, there’s a big chalkboard/whiteboard with all the scheduled stuff on it. Read it and figure out when the meetings are (or use Google Translate’s camera function and hope the handwriting isn’t too horrible).
If that doesn’t work, talk to the teacher you get along best and ask what happens then. You should just be let early, but if worse comes to worse, at your scheduled end time, softly say osakinishitsureishimasu and vanish.
Why is this even a discussion? You seem to have fixed working hours so leave when you are scheduled to leave.
The Japanese teachers are living high on the hog with a higher salary and proper benefits. Don’t be a ‘brown-tongue’ sensei and hang around when you don’t get paid.
You can leave at your contracted finish time, just slip out quietly.
or when you figure out when the meetings are, you can usually find another room to hang out in until you’re finished.
I just walk out and leave, if I ain’t getting paid for it I’m off.
If your school hands out weekly schedules, just look for “会議,” especially “職員会議,” if you want to avoid them.
Actually, school schedules are one of the most rewarding things to learn to read. Usually they don’t contain much grammar, and are quite repetitive, but knowing what is happening and when without being told is a massive thing.
Just leave. Quietly pack up your stuff, give a little bow to the vice principal and principal and quietly scurry out.
You can leave. Just try to do it the polite way which is crouch walking out and nod bowing to the heads of the office. Should be no problem.
When I was an alt they did these weekly meetings and they ran past my finish time but I just got up and left during it.
Just quietly leave during the meeting. Nothing will happen. No one expects you to be there.
I would always walk up to the kyoto-sensei as soon as it was time for me to leave to get my hanko and then just walk out.
All other part time workers are sent home for meetings because know of it pertains to them and they’d do that for you too, but you don’t technically work for the school so you’re stuck.
Just leave. No one is going to care.
Lucky you can leave. I’m T1 and have to attend all of these meetings ugh