About a week or so ago in the branch, a new set of rules and regulations for instructors were printed... They were just left sitting on the tables in the teachers room, casually strewn about as though they had always been there... I saw the staff printing and copying them, so I knew that they hadn't always just been there...Across the top there is big writing in Japanese 社外秘 which means that it is forbidden to take them out of the branch... and that they are a secret to anyone outside the company... I think that means I am risking my job for writing about them here... I didn't make a copy, but I did have a look and make a note or two...
In general terms, the regulations are a step tougher than any regulations ever had in writing, which was the old "Introduction to NOVA"... The thing I found most interesting is that I saw them in May, yet they were effective February 1...
I will not post any specifics as I need my salary at the moment... Has anyone else read the new regulations? What do you all think about them?
6 comments:
We were each handed a copy by staff and no-one said anything about not taking them out of branch so we assumed that as we had each been given a copy they were ours hence it came home. I also noted the date and was suprised to find the it was backdated. Few thing seem to have changed on the surface but I did find some of the wording interesting. I guess that leaves things open to interpretation on the part of both parties. If an issue did arise I somehow doubt the validity of the contract regulations given the time lag.
Bye the way yep I knew your comment was tongue in cheek it had to be! Earlier in this piece I suggested that interpretation lies with the reader, with this in mind reread some of the feedback comments regarding the "Refresher Training." A wee comment on it. Initially it was entertaining the participants got a nice warm-up, the principals were gone through with examples but then it deteriorated became rambling, confusing and lacked concept checking on the part of the deliverer. Some work was done on feedback etc but it formed such a minor part of the delivery it was like a ghost hovering in the air waiting to gain substance.
The "feedback" part of the training was useless. "Let's practice correction techniques on native speakers". They could have simply taken the material from FUT - there used to be a correction technique matching task. There was also a one-period in-branch Feedback Workshop that had scripts of typical student utterances. The baby got thrown out with the bathwater.
Hi just zeroing in on one word. Salary! The current advertisement, linked to from LetsJapan, indicates they are offering 330000yen per month. Hmm that is interesting. If that is the case will those currently employed get an instant pay rise? New teachers possibly earning more than experienced? Tis mutiny I sense. Strings?, there must be but as to what they may be is anyone's guess.
Maybe a sign of desperation, schools opening, single teachers in situ, students can't book, numerous complaints on jwebsite, they need to sweeten the pot to overcome a natural reluctance to join Eikawa given the somewhat checkered history of the industry.
I was surprised to find out that the salary of the new staff member (who doesn't really do much - it takes an entire shift to post 8 bags of tissues) isn't much different from the Branch Manager who works like a horse.
As always, the inequities astound us... Thanks for your comments lads...
Anon, the postdating was genius, in time to coincide with those agreements we all had to sign, I guess... As you and Paul say, it was generally a waste of time, and could have been done in a 2 lesson session...
Another anon, I will write about the job ad soon, interesting, though, that they are offer a 4,000,000 yen salary... After taxes, take home will be more like 300 or so, I guess, but still more than we all started on...
Paul, yes, the old NOVA staff were underpaid for too long... and they continue to work under the old conditions, while new staff get the higher pay... Makes no sense to me...
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