I don't even know anymore.
Straight outta Narita
Only posting when the 月 and 星 are in the right alignment.
Posts: 20 
CIR Experience: 2nd year
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Post by I don't even know anymore. on Jan 24, 2017 10:24:50 GMT 9
So ever since I decided to not recontract, my CO (kencho) has decided to start using it to beat me over the head extremely passive-aggressively ("Do this or we won't write you a good recommendation. You want to stay in Japan, don't you?").
So I signed up for the Tokyo career fair because why not, and my soup asked if I was going today. I said yes, and then she said, "Oh, so you're going to take nenkyu for it?" and I said no, since it's a JET thing we pay for it, but we don't take nenkyu. She then called teh BOE because she didn't believe me, and he affirmed it was tokubetsu kyuka. She then decided to say, "Oh well we don't know here because no CIR has ever gone to it before [which I highly doubt]" and then "It says you need to ask permission ahead of time. You didn't." That I admit was my bad, but I assumed it was exactly like the CIR and PA conferences where since she had all the info and it was a JET thing, I automatically was able to go and she knew regardless (considering we are ken-level). I apologized and owned up to my mistake, but she was like, "No, even the PA and CIR things we get permission for [this had never once been explained to me]. If you change jobs in Japan, you'll need to understand this and deal with it [acting like she has my best interest at heart, but really using this as a power-harassment thing--or so it seems to me]. Well, I don't know anymore. Work might come in that day [literally nothing has come in for those days]. We will need to discuss letting you go and get back to you later."
I need some help/clarification: can they actually say no to a JET going to the After JET Conference? Looking at the email again, since it says I need permission, it seems they can, but according to everyone in my prefecture, they can't.
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G-Rex
Dead Stargod 
killed SAKAMOTO LYOMA with crappa sushi
hi
Posts: 7,198 
CIR Experience: Former CIR
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Post by G-Rex on Jan 24, 2017 10:48:33 GMT 9
honestly it's well within their ability to say no
1) they can say you can't go because of other commitments (bit mean/unlikely, but whatever)
2) 特別休暇 is at the discretion of any CO anyway
3) as far as i know it's always been a 自己負担 thing too
it's there for JETs, but unlike the CIR/PA conferences etc, it's not mandatory and you're not being 依頼'd to go
and she's technically right about getting permission for CIR/PA conferences too btw.
idk, not to pile shit on but i think i would agree with her on this part. can't say anything about how passive-aggressive she's being or not though
sorry
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Post by momo black on Jan 24, 2017 11:23:09 GMT 9
I ended up cancelling my attendance because I don't want to spend the money, but if I had gone, I would have had to use nenkyuu. It's up to your CO to decide what sort of time off you use for it, and so if they decide on nenkyuu then unfortunately you have to use nenkyuu. I think that asking for permission ahead of time is so that they are able to figure these things out before JETs make their plans, so that JETs can decide to attend or not accordingly.
That said, it would be rather petty and rude for them not to let you attend. Maybe if you apologize about not asking for permission and sort of "take responsibility" in that way, and express your willingness to use nenkyuu, then it will be ok?
As an aside, a recommendation letter is being held over your head as a threat doesn't seem appropriate, and may be worth getting some external help to clear the air...?
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Post by Shimanchu 2024 on Jan 24, 2017 13:02:30 GMT 9
I ended up cancelling my attendance because I don't want to spend the money, but if I had gone, I would have had to use nenkyuu. It's up to your CO to decide what sort of time off you use for it, and so if they decide on nenkyuu then unfortunately you have to use nenkyuu. I think that asking for permission ahead of time is so that they are able to figure these things out before JETs make their plans, so that JETs can decide to attend or not accordingly. That said, it would be rather petty and rude for them not to let you attend. Maybe if you apologize about not asking for permission and sort of "take responsibility" in that way, and express your willingness to use nenkyuu, then it will be ok? As an aside, a recommendation letter is being held over your head as a threat doesn't seem appropriate, and may be worth getting some external help to clear the air...?
Holy ｃらｐ, yeah this wtf. It was always my understanding though that generally JET COs aren't expected to write Letters of Recommendation. I certainly don't care about getting one from mine anyway, hue.
But yeah, I'm going to AJC and using nenkyuu for it, paying for travel, arranging my own accomodations etc.
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I don't even know anymore.
Straight outta Narita
Only posting when the 月 and 星 are in the right alignment.
Posts: 20
CIR Experience: 2nd year
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Post by I don't even know anymore. on Jan 24, 2017 13:07:46 GMT 9
I did apologize and said it was my misunderstanding, but she just kind of swept it away. According to her, the CIR/PA things are not mandatory in our office, and I need to get permission to go to them from our directors. Right now she's just trying to find every excuse not to let me go. Called our BOE when I said I was told by all our PA's that they heard directly from the BOE that they use 特別休暇, and he affirmed it and she was like "oh." Called again in about 10 minutes and was like "But 特別休暇 at the 学校 are different for the 県, right? So she can't use it! ....oh."  Since I turned in my resignation, they're paranoid that I'm going to leave them in April instead of staying for the length of my contract, so naturally the way they're going about making me want to stay is by threatening me. Even pulled the "Now that Trump's president, and you're afraid for your country, you don't want to go back, right? You can't go back. If you want to stay in Japan, suck up to us for the next half year" (paraphrasing slightly) card (and misunderstanding of my feelings). Making self-fulfilling prophecies and leaving in April look pretty attractive if it comes down to it. (Also, the reason letters of recommendations came up is because one job I wanted to apply for requested them. That was another SMACKDOWN altogether.) |
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Post by むちゃRABU❤ on Jan 24, 2017 13:16:14 GMT 9
Oh my that is a very very difficult situation ):
I'm really sorry your CO has put you in such a position.
I am quitting in April actually, cutting my contract, and even then my CO has been nothing but extremely kind, telling me I can choose the date I want to leave etc.
Is there any way you can assure them that you will stay until August, if that will make them not panic so much? Perhaps a written letter stating that you will stay or a group meeting where you express how much you regret your decision to leave but you will at least see your contract through?
I think it has become a matter of trust here, so one of you need to back down because if both are equally hostile, it might not bode very well for your successor (not that I'm saying you are hostile or they are since I honestly do not know the specifics of your situation, but that is how I interpreted it based on the limited info I'm afraid).
Good luck though! It's unlikely you won't get another job at least so (:
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Post by momo black on Jan 24, 2017 13:23:23 GMT 9
I did apologize and said it was my misunderstanding, but she just kind of swept it away. According to her, the CIR/PA things are not mandatory in our office, and I need to get permission to go to them from our directors. Right now she's just trying to find every excuse not to let me go. Called our BOE when I said I was told by all our PA's that they heard directly from the BOE that they use 特別休暇, and he affirmed it and she was like "oh." Called again in about 10 minutes and was like "But 特別休暇 at the 学校 are different for the 県, right? So she can't use it! ....oh." B-| Since I turned in my resignation, they're paranoid that I'm going to leave them in April instead of staying for the length of my contract, so naturally the way they're going about making me want to stay is by threatening me. Even pulled the "Now that Trump's president, and you're afraid for your country, you don't want to go back, right? You can't go back. If you want to stay in Japan, suck up to us for the next half year" (paraphrasing slightly) card (and misunderstanding of my feelings). Making self-fulfilling prophecies and leaving in April look pretty attractive if it comes down to it. (Also, the reason letters of recommendations came up is because one job I wanted to apply for requested them. That was another SMACKDOWN altogether.) I wrote a long and thought at reply to this but the website somehow ate it :( But what I said boils down to - Being treated the way you are, I can see why you want to leave! It doesn't feel fair.
- A sit-down meeting with your soup and a third party who is either above your soup in rank or good at handling JET/CO troubles (a PA or a CLAIR person or something) might help
- if there is anyone in your office other than your soup who could write you a recommendation letter, perhaps approach them in private
- If you don't plan on leaving in April, express very clearly what your plans are, timeline wise, maybe, or even bring up ideas for projects to do before you leave, but after April, to make it clear you are sticking around.
Good luck; sorry things are so tense for you. |
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I don't even know anymore.
Straight outta Narita
Only posting when the 月 and 星 are in the right alignment.
Posts: 20
CIR Experience: 2nd year
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Post by I don't even know anymore. on Jan 24, 2017 14:22:11 GMT 9
When I asked them to write a letter for the job I was applying to before, I told my supervisor that I would make it clear in the interviews/my application that I would need to start in August or later, and told her she was more than welcome to say so in the letter. She shrugged that off. I even said in my interviews with kacho and sokatsu that I'm looking to stay till April, so I have made myself as clear as I possibly can. However, considering this attitude their taking, I'm not going to go out of my way to promise any more that I'll stay if I'm considering leaving if necessary based on all this.
Also, apparently letters of rec in Japan can't come from individuals--they need to be hanko'ed by higher authorities and in a way come from the organization, not a person. (Confirmed with my Japanese hulemdo working in the shiyakusho, although not sure if this is only government or extends into the private sphere as well.)
I had to get letters from one other employer and had a fellow PA JET write me one as well, and I expect I will go this route in the future if I need to, since my soup told me in a LINE when I was trying to persuade her to write me one that it would be 期待しているほどでもないと思う (which kind of was the beginning of the line of anger and frustration, since I've done nothing but above and beyond what was expected of me in this position).
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