GABA

From Eikaiwa Wiki

GABA Corporation is a chain of eikaiwa (English conversation schools) in Japan^[1] The company was founded in 1995^[2] and is headquartered in Meguro-ku in Tokyo with schools in the Tokyo, Jonan, and Josei areas. The President & CEO is Chutatsu Aono.^[3]

[edit] History

Little information exists about the origins of GABA. It started out as a kind of matching service where they facilitated lessons between private teachers and private students (and drawing a profit in the arrangement). GABA promoted themselves "private lesson specialists". The original business scheme was to charge students a yearly membership fee of ¥29,000 (about $250). Some of that money may have been promised to teachers as an often unrealized bonus called "Successful First Meeting" money. Instructors used to (and apparently still do) bare much of the cost of ancillaries such as transportation fees and phone calls and meeting expenses for GABA without reimbursement. Today, GABA has its own materials and teaching aids but in the beginning the teacher was obliged to have materials on hand for teaching themselves.

Initially, GABA didn't have full fledged schools, instead utilized small apartments they rented or owned and the teachers was supposed to pay for teaching space which was not reimbursed by the company (similar to a barber renting a chair). The teacher collected tickets in which money was taken off for "rent". There was also a deposit against damages to the spaces.

For some time now GABA has run adds that stated a teacher will make at least ¥250,000 or a lot more. In the full time contract, they claim teachers will make this amount plus a "generous bonus" (as listed in the contract) and an additional ¥1,500 for each student that signs (the "Successful First Meeting" money). According to one internet page, receiving this bonus is (or was) nearly impossible:

"Upper management refused to speak to me. The message I get from their junior manager is, they 'paid all the money they owe me'. That is the only explanation I get even though I have proof they owe me a lot of money - bonus plus salary owed to me, and still do to this day. They'll take people's money in a heartbeat, but it is like getting blood out of a stone to get money from them."^[4]

[edit] Services

The company provides language lesson on a "one-to-one"^[3] (one student and one teacher) basis and using textbook lessons and online (computerized) instructor aids, language and vocabulary drills, and guided conversation topics.^[5]

On July 13, 2005, Gaba opened up a 'next generation' learning studio designed for women in Ginza. The new location provides VIP "executive booths" that affords complete privacy for the teacher and the student. ^[6]

[edit] Employment at Gaba

Teachers at Gaba don't get paid unless they teach, and are not reimbursed for transportation expenses.

Gaba is assumed to be the lowest paying job in Tokyo (1500 yen/40 minutes lesson or ¥2,250/hour) for eikaiwa with the highest charging fees for students (7000 yen/lesson + extras). Abusive and law-skirting rules designed for one purpose: to cut your pay. Be prepared for rules such as “no facial hair, must wear black suit, must give 2 months notice, etc.”

Lesson gaps are many and unpaid. Working hours are irregular from 7AM START to 10.40PM finish. * Instructors are free to schedule any number of lessons at any time of the day to fit their schedules.

• No guaranteed minimum pay - often well below survival rate for Japan (200,000 yen). Teachers are left to fight it out amongst themselves to get enough hours. * Instructors can schedule as many lessons as they want, it is the clients' choice whether they book a certain instructor. If clients find that an instructor provides a good service for their lesson fee they will book his/her lesson(s).
• No advancement opportunities but plenty of lies about potential benefits. * There is a list of available positions for which the company promotes from within however because of the recent cost cutting measures there was a hiring freeze for the better part of 2009.
• No commission is offered ON sales of courses to students and just a flat fee of 1 lesson´s payment bonus.
• No transport fee is supplied.
• No tax processing offered. (You want to fill out your own end-of-year tax forms in kanji??)
• No bonuses. * Bonuses are paid out based on number of lessons thought. There is very little bonus for monthly lessons under 200. For 250 lessons or more the bonus is around ¥10,000 - ¥15,000 depending on how many instructors have thought that number of lessons.
• No pension contribution.
• No insurance
• No pay for class preparation or administration.
• No pay for cancelled lessons. * If lessons are cancelled by 6pm the day before the lesson date. If cancelled after 6pm or the same day lessons are fully paid.
• No consultation from the management - it´s “up to you to check your status” which can change on an hour by hour basis. * Gaba has no control over when clients cancel hence it is up to the instructor to check his/her daily schedule.
• Withholding tax is charged but not reimbursed (you're classified as a “partner” - not an employee).
• Expect to wait 2 months for your first paycheck from starting to work.

GABA has been compared to "catch-sales" type eikaiwa and despite its investment in materials, GABA teachers are still just on "service provider" contracts (basically sub-contractors), allowing GABA to avoid mandated benefits of labor laws such as paid sick days, holidays, and unemployment insurance. The per hour wage rate is approximately ¥1,500/40minutes, or ¥2,250/hour.

Interviewing at Gaba If you are outside of Tokyo - you'll be interviewed at the largest school, so Osaka, or Nagoya. In Tokyo it could be at the Tokyo LS. These days they do them at the Head Office in Ebisu too. It's more than likely going to be a group interview so they give a presentation to everyone, go over the contract, and then ask everyone for a one on one interview after that. Unless they've started recently, there won't be any kind of tests - just a short one on one where they ask your availability and send you on your way - the correct answer is 'I'm available all the time.' or ' I want to work as much as possible', after that they'll call you to offer you the job.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• A critical look at an eikaiwa website
• Eikaiwa
• GEOS
• AEON
• ECC
• NOVA

[edit] External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• personal site about Gaba