Ian
- 2013-07-14
I have never had anyone working here with the name Alex. I can however honestly only think of one person that you could be.
You said I would be pissing myself when I read this (I assume by this you mean angry) and yes at first I have to admit I was very angry at what you were saying. I then started to think about it and sat down with all of my staff and discussed the post in detail.
I came to realize that I must have really hurt you. This was never my intention and I apologize for having done so. I did shout at you and was very blunt, I regret doing so now. I realize there were probably many better ways to handle the situation. I love my company and the people working in it and always strive to do the best for them all. So when you attacked the head teacher making her cry I felt the best way to handle it was very directly and obviously it turns out not to have been.
I also didn't realize that the rest of your short stay with us was so bad. I’m sorry for not noticing that too.
We are all aware that Matsusaka is a small country city with limited entertainment.
That is why we tried our best to help you enjoy your time here. We provided very spacious and fully furnished accommodation at a very reasonable rent. The company does own the accommodation therefore we could eliminate the need for key money, cleaning fees and security deposits etc., You didn't have to go to the bank to pay your utilities bills as we did that all for you giving you a detailed bill each month.
These are all things I thought would be a great help for you. I never though the fact that the company owns the accommodation and we organized payments of bills etc. would make it so very uncomfortable for you to live here. I thought it was a good thing. The same goes for the cars we provided (free) for you, despite the quite considerable cost to the company, I though not having a car in a small rural city would severely limit your life here.
Yes we did have parties at our restaurant from time to time. I used our restaurant as we could give much better quality and quantity of food and drink for less as well as not having to worry about closing time etc. This has never been a money making idea. In fact we probably lose money doing them! I have heard from many staff members that they enjoyed these events. I’m sorry I didn’t notice that you felt we were using you to make money and didn’t enjoy them at all. I thought it looked like you were having fun.
I do believe in customer service and as teachers we have to project brightness into the classroom to be most effective.
I do love teachers who can think for themselves and any teacher who can bring new methods and teaching ideas is always more than welcome here. The team of professional teachers we have at the moment have a huge say in the development of our curriculum and teachings methods.
I’m very sorry to have made you feel that you couldn't bring your own ideas to the table that was never my intention.
You have certainly given me a lot to think about and consider which I will do.
To be honest I also started to worry about you. Since this all happened quite a long time ago but it still seems to be hurting you so much. I hope your studies are going OK and that your parent’s health has improved. I’m sorry that your experience here was so bad and that I didn't notice it was. If you would like to talk more about this I will certainly listen to what you have to say, just email me you have my address.
Hello,
I would like to inform everyone that is considering eikaiwa's to really understand that you need to do your research. Sometimes it can be difficult to find proper information about how a company works. I don't want others to go through what I've gone through. Don't apply to this eikaiwa. Ian H[edited], the man that owns the private company, is a very complicated person that isn't the best to work with. That's putting it lightly. He can be explosive and yells at his teachers as well as the staff working in the company's "cafe" that is downstairs. I watched a documentary once about narcissistic personality disorder that can be found on youtube and it was shocking because it perfectly described him. He has a lot of power in this company. He doesn't want teachers that think. He wants teachers to conform. There isn't much to do in Matsusaka and it isn't meeting people. It makes it more difficult that he monitors your every move while living at the company housing. He gets angry if you forget to do things. He calls peoples names and belittles them behind closed doors. The company is all about service. If you are okay with working a customer service position then I think this would be perfect for you. Stand and smile and do what you are told and your time will be much better off. If you feel you can deal with not having much of a social life and having to go to work worried about someone screaming at you or freaking out over mistakes then by my guest and apply. I think a lot of the truth isn't written online in regards to Merry England because he scares people. He is intimidating and I think he doesn't want people to know the truth. The students he has pretty much have been going there for years on end and seem to not have noticed a thing. It pays well but it's pretty awful that the rent you are paying is taken directly from your pay check and goes back to him (because he's the landlord). Company dinners are sometimes in Merry England's restaurant which you go to and that money goes back to his company too. This job requires a lot of mental strength and patience. You have to be willing to conform. There are many different ideas of education and ESL related topics (second language acquisition, linguistics, psychology, and education theory) that get ignored. If you are a true educator and someone passionate about teaching then look elsewhere. If you need a job and can put up with the unnecessary and unhealthy stress living in "Merry" England then go ahead.
Ian is probably reading this right now and pissing himself. That's unfortunate because it truly just shows his insecurity as a person. People don't need you as much as you think they do. Stay where you are in your self made paradise where you rule. You are a King and this has all been created in your mind. What you are is weak. Your students deserve better.
To get a proper job in Japan you definitely want to aim for an MA in TESOL, attend national TESOL conferences, and get experience teaching in universities. The more qualifications and experiences you have the better of you will be. Please, future educators and teachers, continue to work on your art and don't let anyone discourage you.