Update: I got fired
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Because of the feedback note I gave to the family, and the family quitting, I was contacted by the boss and fired. Hooray!! I couldn’t be more relieved or happy. I was expecting a huge fine and having to pay compensation, but my punishment is being fired.
If I wanted to keep the job, I’d definitely be upset that something so small as telling a parent her son isn’t paying attention caused me to be FIRED. But given the context, I couldn’t be happier.
Anyone else trapped and wanting to escape this nightmare of a company, seems like simply being an (apparently) ‘bad’ employee is the way to go.
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Update 2: Reason I was fired
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So eventually the boss explained to me what the issue was. I wrote on the feedback paper that I was struggling to do the lesson due to the student not paying attention, and that I don’t know what to do as I don’t have much experience with such young students. He told me 1. I should have told the company that I was having trouble. 2. They tell their clients that the teachers are professional so I can’t let them know I’m inexperienced.
For the record, I told the company multiple times that I was struggling with this particular student. They ignored me. I told them he doesn’t listen, he isn’t interested, I can’t teach him, the lessons are awful, he needs a more experienced teacher and a different course (he was in a conversation based course, designed for students with English conversation ability, despite not being able to speak at all), but they still insisted I have to stay with him for 6 months, and gave me no help. I figured the only way to get my message across would be to tell the family, and well, it worked.
Also if the company wants to lie to their students and pretend the teachers have more experience and training than they actually do, that’s really not my problem. The students are paying a lot of money for these classes, and forcing a poor inexperienced teacher to stick with them and struggle, providing low quality lessons, for 6 months, isn’t fair to anyone.
Also, despite being fired, they’re still making me work until they can replace me lmao
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I’m not sure if this type of post is allowed here so please remove if not.
I’m in desperate need of advice regarding my current part time job, working as an English teacher for Cosmopolitan Village. I’ve been working for them for only a month and a half at this point, and I have found myself in serious trouble. I am afraid of being faced with a large fine, of which I cannot afford.
I’ve had a few issues with this company, of which I will list below:
1. They lied about the details of the work.
I was told, upon signing the contract, that the job would be ‘English life’, completing daily tasks such as shopping, cooking, playing, etc. with children, using English, as a way of immersing them in an English speaking environment. The job was set up to be relaxed and fun, and of course this sounded great.
In reality, the job turned out to be proper lessons, where I am expected to provide my own lesson plans (planned myself on unpaid time) and materials (bought out of pocket). I am dumped in a room, alone with a student, without any help. The company not only do not provide lesson plans, materials, or advice, they also give no information about the students beforehand. Not even their age or English level, so preparing a lesson is virtually impossible. I struggle with anxiety, as well as being AuDHD, and this was extremely stressful for me. I don’t have much experience as a teacher, especially not for 1:1 lessons, and I don’t have the funds to provide books and games for the students. I was feeling so much pressure and stress from the job, that I was having regular panic attacks. Sometimes these prevented me from attending my lessons, and I had to cancel last minute. I quickly realised this job is not for me, and wanted to terminate my contract. Which leads to the next issue.
2. I am tied in a 6 month contract.
I was told that if I want to leave, I am only allowed to after 6 months have passed. If I fail to stay for the full 6 months, I will be faced with a compensatory fine of ¥216,000. Of course I am unable to pay this, so I had no choice but to keep working. As far as I’m aware, despite being stated on the contract, this is illegal, and companies cannot demand such a long notice period, or such a high compensation, for leaving work. I gave them over a month notice before I planned to leave, but this was not enough. I feel especially tricked, since the details of the job were completely false, and I signed the contract under a completely different impression of what the work would be. So I ended up continuing to work, which is where the final issue came.
3. They are blaming me for losing a customer.
I recently had an issue with a student, whereby now the family have quit their lessons and are demanding a refund. The issue was with what I wrote on the feedback paper, to be given to the parents at the end of the lesson. I was having a lot of trouble with this student, he would completely ignore me, and refuse to even acknowledge my presence in the room. He didn’t want to partake in anything I tried to introduce to him, and his English level is so low that even simple words he couldn’t understand. He often would play by himself and pretend I wasn’t there. I did inform cosmopolitan village of this issue in the beginning, stating that I believe I am not qualified to teach him, and he would benefit from a more experienced teacher. They just gave me a bit of advice about how to engage him more, and I did try, but continued to struggle. My most recently lesson was the same as always, and I wrote on the feedback paper something along the lines of:
“I’m struggling to keep his attention, and I believe he is not interested in studying English. I will try to bring some games and activities next time in the hope of helping him have more fun.”
Now the parents have become angry about what I wrote, and have quit the lessons. They are demanding a refund, and due to this, the company are angry with me. I’m waiting for them to contact with more information, but I’m expecting to receive a fine, covering the refund fee, as well as the future lessons that have been lost. It is written in the contract that the company have the right to take compensation for lost students. This will total over ¥100,000, which is considerably more than I am able to pay. I am now so worried and so stressed, I have no idea what to do.
From what I have researched, things such as the 6 months unable to leave and high compensation fees, are illegal. But I’m not sure what I can do. I certainly don’t have money to get a lawyer or take this higher.
Does anyone have any advice or information that might be helpful to me?
Or anyone have any experience with cosmopolitan village?
Thanks you so much.
18 comments
Oof.
My experiences are far different.
I do make my own lessons but it only takes 5 minutes of my life to do so.
They always tell me the age, sex, level of the student before a lesson.
They helped with communication problems to the students and it does help.
I had boys throw toy cars at me in the past, and it’s why I avoid lessons with young boys now. They often aren’t interested in English and the mother’s are forcing it on them.
Hello OP, although I’m not familiar with this company or experienced anything similar myself I’d just like to let you know that you are not alone and I feel your pain through your words.
So my general input for this situation revolves around the idea that “it not about what was done but it’s about what can be proven/substantiated”. So I’m gonna be leaning on what you have documented and recorded as evidence to your claims which can support your argument.
1: The contract that you signed was misleading but since recruitment have you been complaining/objecting through emails/letters etc? Showing a timeline for your dissatisfaction and objections to be the expected/implied workload. Any other staff to give a voice in support if the authorities was called in?
2: This evaluation of the child, was vetted by any supervisor? If not is it common/required/or were you given explicit orders to write and disseminate? I’m leaning towards you being a new teacher should not have been given this authority without proper checks and balances by the company. I.e. it’s their fault for having you undertake this job function which hopefully wasn’t stated in your contracted agreement.
3: Any liability for lost students….seems a bit of stretch to me. I don’t know the terms of your job but I’m assuming that the company indeed has a set-in-stone refund policy….I would also assume it has to be with justification. Maybe some egregious action by the teacher or agency would trigger the refund….but not because a parent was dissatisfied with an evaluation. That sounds like there was no fault with the service you were providing “babysitting” this seemingly obnoxious kid. So if they asked for a refund, the agency can apologies for their dissatisfaction, switch teachers etc or maybe a partial refund but that full refund seems unlikely and even more unreasonable is if you are though to be liable to reimburse the company.
4: not a labour lawyer or specialist but I know that no contract can supercede the labour code. My anecdotal experience is that the length of notice is at most equal to your salary timeframe. If you’re paid monthly then 1 months notice is the minimum for advance notice for quitting or firing. If they fire you in less time than your salary timeframe then they have to compensate you somehow. If you leave in less time then you compensate them by either forfeiting that months salary at the least ….. Or maybe some other punitive monetary amount within reason. So I can see them telling you that you have to complete the 6months… because it’s easier for them….but I doubt that they have any legal standing.
As I said I’m not an expert but don’t believe them at face value. They’re looking to extract the most from you at the cheapest and most convenient to them.
I’m just hoping that you keep positive, keep exploring advice online or any free resources for assistance that may be at your city hall or consulate/embassy. Don’t let them push you around. You do have rights and get everything from them in writing.
They are bullying and threatening you because they think you don’t know the law and don’t have the resources to fight them. And they might be right.
I’m assuming this is a gymo-itaku contract because that’s what Cosmopolitan Village generally uses. That means labor law does not apply here, so the labor office cannot help you. In other words, you will have to get your own lawyer.
HOWEVER.
– You probably do have a good case. Those contract types are themselves often dodgy or illegal, and a good lawyer will be able to demonstrate that.
– You can get free and/or cheap legal counsel: [https://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/](https://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/)
I think you posted the same issue a couple of weeks ago (unless that was someone with a very similar problem) so I’m giving the same advice again: don’t try to handle this on your own and don’t rely on internet advice from non-lawyers – call the legal support center.
Do it NOW.
6 month contracts are fine.
penalties are illegal unless you are director level or make 10x what you currently do
you can give 2 weeks notice unless you are director or above, if above check your contract.
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Get out. This nonsense is super common in small businesses that use migrant labor. If you speak Portuguese or Vietnamese there are NPOs that can help you get out and help you get home.
I had a glance at Cosmopolitan Village’s website. It states they do a needs analysis and provide the teacher with curric. Are you experiencing something different?
It also states that they use the “natural method”, but is this Krashen and Terrell’s Natural Approach? Assuming it is, it’s not rocket science but requires a grounding in TESOL practices.
If the company brought you on without that teaching foundation, that’s on them.
Are you an employee or a sub-contractor? If the latter, your situation is not covered by labor law. You got good advice from u/CompleteGuest854 who suggests you consult Hoterasu.
I just interviewed with Cosmopolitan Village Osaka… i thought it went well but damn… now I’m having second thoughts. I hope your situation improves, OP!
If you aren’t confident enough in your Japanese to visit the labor standards office about this case, can I recommend contacting generalunion.org for a consultation? They can at least tell you how to handle the conversations moving forward with your employer with a free consult, and if you join and it comes to it they’ll be able to support you legally. I’m 99.999% sure that demanding a fine for quitting is illegal and their demands for compensation in case of a lost customer similarly unjust.
I’m so sorry you are going through this! What an absolute nightmare! Sadly, a lot of companies in Japan don’t care about people. You would think with most people being outwardly polite that it wouldn’t be like this. But a lot of narcissists and sociopaths start/run companies in order to be a*holes around the world, and sadly Japan doesn’t do much about the problem afaik.
As for teaching supplies, I’m shocked they aren’t even helping with books. Could you contact the main office? I’m sure the founder of the company would like to know how this branch is being mismanaged — they might not care about their teachers, but they will care about how their company looks. It is NOT a good look for a company to not even provide books to its teachers. And it could hopefully get you out of the contract without issue or force the branch to do better. Maybe transfer you to a better branch etc.
In the meantime, I’d recommend choosing one or two books that you can buy to help make teaching easier. Then when you visit students, ask them to buy the book you are using. But only if this helps make your daily life a little easier. You can buy plenty of used books on places like Mercari or Amazon Marketplace. You could even buy the books for your students and have them pay you.
I hope your situation improves soon! *hugs*
There is some great advice in the comments of this thread. I will add that you can go your local prefectural labor bureau and ask for assistance. In large cities, they will offer their services in multiple languages. When going to the labor bureau, gather any documents that you have (the more documents the better).
Charging a fine or financial penalty for breakng a contract is predetermined indemnity and is illegal in Japan. Additionally, if the working conditions differ from what’s written in your working contract, then you can leave immediately without notice. Don’t participate in the exploration of foreigners.
If your company refuses to pay you, you’ll need to file a formal complaint at the labor standards office that your company is within the jurisdiction of.
Here is some English support. I highly recommend this service. For these kind of disputes, you can always find an interpreter.
https://www.check-roudou.mhlw.go.jp/sp/soudan/foreigner_eng.html
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Really sorry to hear you are experiencing this. I’ve also had a similar experience at this same job where a student (preschool age) refused to acknowledge me as well, would not let me touch anything and would not let the mother speak to me. I was supposed to be sitting in a corner of the room like an obedient dog & each time I tried to communicate with the mother the student would throw a fit! I had asked the office what I could do in that situation in the future (esp if the student doesn’t want me in the house) but they did not acknowledge the situation nor did they try to help. It is then I realised that they won’t protect you should you encounter an unpleasant experience while you’re out there on your own.
I had also spent the most money getting games, stickers, other resources for this student but quickly realised that it didn’t matter as every lesson depended on their mood. That being said, in my experience you’re allowed to borrow flashcards from the office and textbooks that your student is using. If not at least ask them to send you scanned pages you may need.
Not sure what the details of your contract are but I’m sure that you could ask some details beforehand. Although sometimes I find that the office staff are either not great at communicating details or they can be rude about it.
The other students I had were really lovely but having to come up with my own resources started costing quite a bit plus sometimes having to commute to back-to-back lessons with no consideration for lunch break took a toll on me so I eventually got out of it.
Hope that you could at least borrow some or their flashcards/simple games going forward. But please seek free legal counsel as others have mentioned as soon as you can!
OP, I worked for this company last year.
I can tell you that almost every these people tell you is a lie. You owe them no money and legally only have to give them 2 week notice. Do not let them take any money from you or work more than is neccessary.
The owner of the company is an egotistical narcissist. He knows that the teachers he employees are not informed of their rights and uses that knowledge to take advantage of them.
Your best move is to tell them to fuck off. I can already tell you what will happen next:
They will send increasingly threating emails. They will claim that you quitting/not paying fees is a very serious problem and something they have “never had to deal with to this extent before”.
Eventually the asshole boss will call you directly and threaten you either indirectly or maybe even directly. I highly recommend you do not take this call. Or if you do, record it for evidence later.
They will basically try super hard to power harrass you, and it will suck but I can assure you, if you stick it out and dont give in to their demands you will be able to walk away and be totally free of them. And just to reiterate, do not believe their lies. They have no actual legal grounds to do anything to you.
I know this for a fact because they tried the exact same shit with me and I ignored it all and the bossman had a childish hissy fit, but in the end I won. And you can to.
If you want any more advice im available to talk via DM as well.
You aren’t a slave. You can leave a job at anytime. If they want 2 weeks notice or six months notice, give it to them and then just call in sick everyday. Tell them you have mental exhaustion. Don’t answer their calls. Don’t answer their emails. You may not get any money owed to you, but they are not going take you to court because what they are doing is illegal.
I’m so glad someone is bringing this up.
The company in general is really unstable and understaffed, especially in the Tokyo area.
The owner seems OK at first but ultimately he doesn’t seem to care about the business and is just using native English speakers.
I have tips to make the job a bit more bearable until you can get out, if you want them. (I also have difficulties with some parts of what AuADHD people go through, but I’m undiagnosed).
I hate that this happened to you, but I am happy for the update. It’s unbelievable just how much does employers lie out here. On paper, cosmopolitan village sounds like a pretty cool place to work. Shame it turned out so sour but I’m glad you’re out of there.
Hey OP, how about an update? 🙂 Curious minds want to know …
“Also, despite being fired, they’re still making me work until they can replace me lmao”
What? Noooo do not do this.
Do you have it in writing that you are fired?
They cannot make you do anything. He is lying and tricking you.
If it were me, I would tell him to fuck off and just not do anymore lessons for them. They will lie and say you have to, but I can assure you they have no leg to stand on legally speaking.
Unless you desperately, desperately need the money (which isnt guaranteed eitherway honestly) I would send a short email saying basically “After discussing this matter with the Labor beauro, I have been advised to cease providing any work immediately” and if he tries calling you after that just email him again saying all further discussion needs to be in writing.