ECC
From Eikaiwa Wiki
ECC (Education through Communication for the Community) is the name of an English language business or eikaiwa in Japan. It is one of the larger private language schools. It is based mainly in the Kansai region of Japan but has many branches in the Chūbu and Kantō areas.
ECC Foreign Language Institute has 148 schools nationwide though it has been closing down unprofitable locations. ECC has not entered into the rural market to the same extent as major competitors NOVA and GEOS. There are 5 schools in Kyushu, 56 in Kansai, 44 in Chubu, 40 in Kantō and Northern Japan, and 1 school in both Hiroshima and Okayama. ECC offers a range of courses from 1.5 year olds Kids classes to adults lessons.
The majority of 600 foreign instructors employed at ECC are recruited abroad. A large number of these recruits are from Canada, where regular recruiting sessions are held. Less regular recruiting sessions are held in Australia, the US, the UK and more recently in New Zealand.
Newly hired teachers receive 2 full weeks of training before being placed in classes, though more training is required for those chosen to teach more challenging types of classes.
ECC also operates ECC Junior that has thousands of small franchises nationwide, the majority operated by housewives teaching English to kids from pre-school to jr. high. They also send teachers to kindergartens and pre-schools.
The company also operates ECC Best Career as a separate division.
[edit] Salary & Raises
The average teacher's weekly schedule is made up of about half kids English lessons, with the remainder of the schedule made up of different types of adult lessons. Some teachers are also chosen to teach lessons at businesses and universities. Teachers work a 29.5-hour p/wk (both teaching/non-teaching hours incl.) schedule and have about 7 weeks paid vacation per year. All teachers start at 252,000 yen per month salary. ECC does have limited voluntary overtime, mainly during the peak holiday periods where the list is long.
At ECC the raises have dropped considerably over the years. The company has traditionally had a good reputation compared with the big four for reasons like vacation time, but in terms of salary raises the terms have dropped considerably over the last few years. The process for reviewing has become a lot more transparent, but the amount available for raises is much less than it used to be. Supposedly a maximum salary cap is in effect as well. One excuse that was given for the decrease in raises was due to 6 teachers who were 'busted' in Saitama in February 2007 with management was claiming its business has been in a lot of trouble since then.
In the past ECC has issued 20 hour or 25 hour contracts. 20 hour instructors are given a 200,000 yen home country allowance every two years upon providing ECC with a receipt of the trip. ECC does have limited overtime, mainly during the peak holiday periods where the list is endless.
ECC also operates ECC Junior that has thousands of small franchises nationwide, the majority operated by housewives teaching English to kids from pre-school to jr. high. They also send teachers to kindergartens and pre-schools. This is good extra cash for teachers at ECC Foreign Language Institute who want extra work.
