I’m miserable at my job. I feel myself slowly sinking into depression and I dread waking up everyday knowing I am going there. I need to leave. For those who left mid-contract at an eikaiwa, what reasons did you give for leaving so as to not burn bridges?
23 comments
It doesn’t really matter what reason you give. If you decide to leave, count on burning that bridge. Don’t even try to use them as a reference, etc.
But if you’re miserable every day, it’s worth burning the bridge. Just get another job lined up before you pull the trigger. If they ask you why you’re breaking contract, just answer as professionally as possible; avoid trashing your employer and make it about you. Talk about how you didn’t fit in there.
If you’re leaving mid contract, you can consider your bridge back to that place burned most of the time. If you’re worried about keeping in contact with your co-workers/friends then the truth is probably the best
Just leave. No bridges are burned. Its a McDonald’s level job anyways. Just put your 2 weeks in and move on. You dont need to tell them your life story, letting them know its a personal matter is more than enough.
Just tell them you got a job somewhere else.
[deleted]
Dear Eikaiwa Manager,
I would like to inform you of my resignation due to personal reasons effective ****, 2023.
As required under Japanese labour laws, I expect to receive my final salary and any associated paperwork within seven calendar days of my resignation.
Thank you for the opportunity to work at ABC Eikaiwa.
Best regards,
Eikaiwa Employee
Writing as someone once responsible for hiring at an *eikaiwa*, you can probably consider the bridge burnt the moment you leave, regardless of the explanation you give. Were I hiring and perusing a CV/job history, leaving mid-contract (easy to tell with dates of leaving in Japan) would be something I’d at least check in to, if not by calling the outfit at least by asking you about it.
If you think you might be needing a reference from the company in the future, be honest with them and overtly discuss what kind of reference they might give should you ask for one.
No reason is required.
If the place is making you depressed, burning bridges ought to be the least of your concerns, it’s just a job.
Look after your health and get well soon.
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The job makes you miserable and you care about burning bridges? Just go, the police are not going to come for you and any true friends you have there will understand.
no matter what you say, that bridge is burn
>what reasons did you give for leaving
Left twice mid-contract. I wrote my reason for both as “due to personal reasons” and refused to explain further.
If you have a common first and last name (eg: Steven Smith), just google “obituary survived by steven smith” and find some random person who died and was survived by Steven Smith. Send it in and talk about how much your family needs you back in your home country, etc…
That’s the really cynical way to do it if you want a chance at using them as a reference.
Another option is just to write a fake obituary and publish it on some random site (I doubt they check how reliable the sites are).
Obituary + notice and you might be able to use them as a reference.
They don’t give a shit about your reasons for quitting. The best way not to burn bridges is to give them a lot of notice so they can find a replacement. Also, the more you help them find and/or train your replacement, the happier they will be.
That said, if it’s making you depressed, it’s probably not worth it to do those things.
I once lied and told a shitty employer I was quitting because my spouse was getting transferred to another city. I think Japanese often say this kind of thing when it’s not true. (That or “I’m moving to another city to get married” for single people. My friend had a workplace where five women quit in a row with that excuse.) They took it well and didn’t try to harass me in my final days, although it was a bit awkward when it turned out that my coworker in the new job was friends with someone in my old job. But I don’t ever want to work there again, so I don’t mind that the bridge was eventually burned. Just as long as I jumped off it first!
I left my eikaiwa job because I got a better opportunity in another field. My manager told me several times if it didn’t work out you’ll be welcomed back. So don’t assume your bridge will be burnt (depending on your manager I guess)
People are allowed to leave jobs.
> For those who left mid-contract at an eikaiwa, what reasons did you give for leaving so as to not burn bridges?
To me the question is… what bridges? Not recommending you do it but if you book a plane ticket back to your home country tonight and then leave this weekend without any notice, who’s gonna care other than a few staff at some random eikaiwa?
Check your contract and provide the minimum required notice citing reasoning along the lines of ‘I have a sick family member’… nobody’s gonna fact-check you on it or hold any grudges. You’ll probably never see them again.
Might sound harsh but if this line of work has brought you to this state (it brings everybody to this state eventually BTW so you’re not weak/alone) then I think it’s positive to start planning your next step in life. Eikaiwa/ALT gigs are a ‘gap year’ and seriously… I don’t think being well connected in the industry (as opposed to actively burning your bridges) will make a difference unless you wanna go back to an employer that you’re actively trying to leave (which I put it to you that you probably don’t).
Put in your two weeks and split. No job is worth being miserable for. Especially if you don’t need it to “live”.
Dude, it’s Eikawa. It’s fine. Eikawa has the same societal value as Burger King lmao
Whatever you do don’t let them guilt you for any reason. They can and will find a replacement quickly, you aren’t letting them down in any way.
If you’re depressed and dread going there… I dare say you should intentionally burn that bridge so you can’t fall back on it.
You don’t need something that makes your life miserable to be your backup plan, you’re better than that.
As for what to say… I told my company my mum had cancer (she did) as my reason to go and visit her suddenly, and they sent a letter to immigration effectively cancelling my visa extension (withdrawing their sponsorship) because I would be taking a month off work… Some owners are just nasty pieces of work, and no matter what you say, you’re just that inconvenient foreigner leaving at a time that hurts the company.
I quit an eikaiwa once by just not showing up. This job was horrible. The apartment provided was full of junk from previous teachers plus supplies from the school. I wasn’t allowed to move or throw anything away including expired food from the kitchen. I was living out of my suitcase because I had nowhere to store my things. They were also charging me 20000 yen more than the actual cost of the apartment and refused to let me move to a different apartment.
At some point the wall in one of the tatami rooms had caught fire and they just left the burnt, exposed wall and said not to plug anything in in that room.
The job required that I drive to different locations to teach lessons. One day a week I drove to 6 different places. I had to leave at 7 am and didn’t make it home until 10 pm with no break as they had me driving to a new location on my lu break. They even made me pay 30000 yen a month to use the company car because I would sometimes stop a the grocery store on my way home.
The owner of the school tried to claim that he needed to keep my passport in the safe at the school because it was Japanese law. I, of course, told him no thanks.
The final straw was when his crazy wife decided to grab my arm and pull me so hard that I fell over and then proceeded to berate me for being 10 seconds late for class.
I found another job, waited for payday, and peaced out. I was afraid to give notice based on how they had treated me. Sometimes it’s okay to burn bridges for your mental health.
Better to burn down a bridge than the burn yourself down.
Give the notice required in your contract (2 weeks, 1 month, or whatever it is) and just go.