UPDATE: I sent a professional but sternly worded email, that I will not be able to work these “clinic” days as I will be on holiday.
She did not argue with me and just replied promptly via text saying she had cancelled the students for future clinics.
Thanks for the support guys.
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I work at an independent Eikaiwa. My boss gives me holidays but always slap bang in the middle of them I have to do “clinic” days.
This is where the school is closed but opens so students can do catch up. So I’m on holiday technically but I need to work?! She gave my a calendar when I started showing the holiday and then only a month or two before verbally tells me this is a clinic day so you need to come in. Nothing in my contract says I need to do that.
My contract mentions nothing about it. My boss started doing it after a few weeks of me starting – thinking it’s a good chance for students to catch up.
We argued today because a long time ago I told her I can’t do one in June and she’s already booked students in – but I’ve already booked an entire non refundable holiday…
I want to email her and say I’m not doing these clinic days anymore. I’m a bit scared but I know whatever happens it’ll be ok.
Does anyone else working at Eikaiwa have a similar thing?
16 comments
Join a union and have them negotiate with your boss. Eikaiwas take advantage of English teachers because they don’t know their rights.
She needs you more than you need her. Send the email, professionally.
Are you getting paid for those days? If it’s not in your contract, tell your manager that you need to be paid for those days. It could be mandatory overtime.
You should be getting paid. You’re working.
Just refuse.
Tell your boss to fuck off
To your boss it isnt ‘a good way to catch up’, its a good way to stop student leaving, who dont like paying for a full month when they miss 1-2 lessons because of other engagements. Happens all the time. It is not your responsibility to work more because your students dont come to class.
I would be asking where it says that in the contract. If it’s not there, then it’s not happening. Say you are open to future session by session overtime negotiation, but you already have arrangements for that one.
Never heard of this, though I’ve not worked in a lot of Eikaiwa.
Are you getting paid for these days? If not, I would tell your boss to go kick rocks. If you booked your holiday before this shit, tell your boss to kick rocks.
Actually, just tell your boss to go kick rocks in general as “clinic days” sound fucked.
If it’s not in the contract, you don’t have to do it. She can ask; but you can say no. And I’d you say yes, she has to pay you overtime rate since it’s outside contracted hours. Tell her that.
> Does anyone else working at Eikaiwa have a similar thing?
Back in the day I was with a small, private eikaiwa and had a similar situation where they’d schedule useless meetings / cleaning days smack bang in the middle of my single block of holidays each year.
Personally I see nothing wrong with saying ‘my holidays are already booked’. It is for sure that you’ll create tension by doing so. However, you shoulda been consulted on the feasibility of such things (and your desire to have a solid block of holidays shoulda been respected).
Personally I think you need these moments in order to realise that eikaiwa isn’t for life. It’s a job rather than a career. These moments remind you that there’s a lot of jobs with better conditions out there.
I’ve never heard of such a thing and I’d tell them to go fuck themselves sideways if they tried.
I worked at a large eikaiwa that did this, but they weren’t (at that time, not sure about how) required work days for foreign teachers; if we were asked to work and agreed, we were paid overtime of given time off in lieu. I usually worked them when asked for extra yen, but never was I assumed to be working and scheduled lessons before agreeing.
Pull your pants down and tell her to suck the big one. You are NOT a slave.
Man…. Fuck that. The absolute gaul of it.
And 英会話 contracts are f’ing bogus, BTW.
If your boss wants to brown-nose customers, it isn’t necessary that it’s done at your expense by cutting into your time off.
Email’s best for the push back, and be sure to get the reply to it via the same email and screenshot it.
So glad to be out of these situations.
I work for one of the big eikaiwas and they have started scheduling Zoom meetings during these periods. They are a massive waste of time and money and really unpopular wth employees, but work seem to think we are being unreasonable not to prioritise them.
I know one employee who is a Saturday-only teacher and they told him that he needs to schedule time off from his other job every other month so he can attend these meetings as they are mandatory. They were surprised that he just quit.
We do get paid, but only minimum wage as it’s admin time.
That is dodgy.
She’s taking the Michael Mouse and is sneaky. She knows exactly what she is doing.
What you need to do is not be stern, but just fob it off. Just say sorry I won’t be in Japan as I’ll be visiting family. Don’t engage her on it. Force her to push the issue but just keep saying you won’t be here, sorry. What she is doing is illegal.
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Hang on… Are you taking nenkyu? Offical paid days off that you get paid for? Or are these just days that the school is closed? There is a big difference.