Your contractYour contractRulesRules

Administrative IssuesAdministrative Issues

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT 　between YOU and your Contracting

Organization (CO)

• For ALTs who have entered into a contract with Gifu Prefecture, the official CO is the Gifu Prefecture Board Of Education;

• Your school is your host institution.

• Contact point Tammalings and Endo Sensei

• For all other JETs working for a municipality, your CO and host institution are usually the same;

• i.e. the BOE in the town or village that you work at.

• Contact point - Shane and Watanabe San

Your host institution is responsible for your basic needs and your salary!

Employment ConditionsEmployment Conditions Statement of Agreement – please read thoroughly and understand this

document Know your obligations and entitlements

– Duties; working hours; paid leave; sick leave; bereavement leave etc– If you do not understand something, please talk to your host

institution for clarification Keep a copy of your contract at work & at home

You may recontract if your host institution agrees (in some cases, up to 4-5 years)

Recontracting intention is usually required by November the year BEFORE (keep your eye out for this paperwork), and your final decision by the first week of February the SAME year

PLEASE FULFIL YOUR CONTRACT WHERE POSSIBLE - Last year 2 JETs decided not to fulfill their contract. One BOE has

therefore decided not to take JETs antmore.

Your payslipYour payslipEXAMPLE ONLY - 1st year J ET i n 2014

Gross salary (annually) 3,360,000Gross salary (monthly) 280,000

Health　Insurance Kenkou　hoken 健康保険 14000

Pension Kousei　nenkin 厚生年金 23000

Employment　Insurance Koyou　hoken 雇用保険 2000

Income　Tax Shotoku　zei 所得税 7000

Residency　TaxJ uumin　zei　/Tokuchou　zei

　/住民税特徴税 6000

Net　Salary 228,000

Other　terminology　used　in　payslips:

Base　pay Hou　shuu　gaku 報酬額

Deductions Kou　jo　gaku 控除額

Check　your　first　pay　to　see　if　this　is　beingdeduced　before　you　are　paid

Montly　estimates　for　1st　year　J ETS　only.These　taxes　must　be　paid　from　the　remainder.Check　with　your　CO　what　portion　of　these　you

need　to　keep　aside

NOTE:　Residency　tax　is　paid　in　a　lump- sum　inJ une　each　year,　based　on　your　salary　from　theprevious　calendar　year.　Hence,　2nd　year　J ETSand　above　will　pay　a　lot　more　than　1st　years.

EXAMPLE ONLY - 2nd year J ET i n 2014Gross salary (annually) 3,600,000Gross salary (monthly) 300,000

Health　Insurance Kenkou　hoken 健康保険 14000Pension Kousei　nenkin 厚生年金 23000Employment　Insurance Koyou　hoken 雇用保険 2000

Income　Tax Shotoku　zei 所得税 7000

Residency　TaxJ uumin　zei　/Tokuchou　zei

　/住民税特徴税 16000

Net　Salary 238,000

Check　your　first　pay　to　see　if　this　is　beingdeduced　before　you　are　paid

Montly　estimate　for　2nd　year　J ETS　only,　based　ona　full　year　of　salary　in　2012

NOTE:　Residency　tax　is　paid　in　a　lump- sum　inJ une　each　year,　based　on　your　salary　from　the

previous　calendar　year.　Hence,　2nd　year　J ETS　andabove　will　pay　a　lot　more　than　1st　years.

Example salary increase if Example salary increase if reappointedreappointed

33rdrd year gross annual salary will increase to 3.9 million yen, and if a year gross annual salary will increase to 3.9 million yen, and if a 44thth and 5 and 5thth year contract is entered into, 3.96 million yen. year contract is entered into, 3.96 million yen.

• Go Remit – 2000 yen https://www.goremit.jp/index/en(Plus intermediate bank fees)• Western Union http://www.westernunion.co.jp/en/index.phpFees are based on the amount you send1-10,000yen (990yen) 10,001-50,000 (1500)50,000 – 97,000 (3,000)• Your Personal BankVaries based on your bank (My bank about 3500)Plus intermediary fees• Japan Post Bank2500yen (plus intermediary fees)

Tax in Japan for JETSTax in Japan for JETS

Residency　(inhabitant)　tax

Income　tax

• Not always automatically deducated from your salary – check with your CO. If you seem to be receiving more ‘take home pay’ than your JET colleagues, it could be because the CO is not deducting your inhabitant taxes. If so, you might need to save this money each month for when the bill comes in June

• Calculated in June each year by the municipality in which you live, based on your previous year’s salary (calendar year)

• If you change prefectures / jobs on JET on your own volition (ie. You have a partner in Tokyo / ask for transfer), you may be required to pay all of your residency tax yourself

• Not always automatically deducated from your salary – check with your CO• US and Irish tax exemptions are only for 2 years only and still require you

to submit a tax return to your home country• All JETs should be in the practice of checking whether they are free from

home country income tax payments while abroad

Your JET number

2014*******

Write it down somewhere where you will NOT lose it.This number is required for important occasions such as:

1)Making claims under your accident insurance2)Applying and submitting tests for the JET Japanese course3)Recording your attendance at conferences4)Voting in AJET elections

HEALTH INSURANCE• Compulsory participation - you pay half the premium, CO pays

half 　（ appearing on your paycheck is the half that you pay)

• When you go to the doctor/hospital, you only have to pay 30% of the cost for most treatments

• Does not cover preventative medicine, unnecessary checkups• For overseas treatment, pay upfront and bring all paperwork

and receipts back to claim• This covers your dependants too– Carry health insurance card with you at all times

Jet Programme Accident Insurance Policy

• Covers illness or injury in Japan caused by accident, not pre-existing conditions. The remaining 30% of your medical bill can be claimed back (remember 70% is paid by the national health insurance)

• Your host institution pays the premium• Can also be used as travel insurance for up to 30 days whilst

travelling back to your home country• But electing to travel overseas for treatment, you may not be

covered (read notes)• You need to know your JET number to make a claim• A deductable of 5000 yen applies• Does not include things like damaged / lost luggage, dental,

treatment received more than 180 days after accident, family member’s treatment

Employment Insurance

• You are also enrolled in this by your CO (required by law)• Entitles you to unemployment benefits if you are deemed

eligible after completion of the JET Programme and remain in Japan on a valid visa status (requires registration at Hello Work) See the Gifu Jets blog for more on this

(Search “unemployment”)

Pension • Your CO pays into a pension as you work. There is also an

insurance component to this pension, which can be accessed if you sustain serious injury or death whilst paying into the scheme.

• Also required by law

Overtime – no official monetary compensation.

It is possible to get *daikyu in some circumstances;*If you are asked to work outside normal hours, please discuss the issue of compensatory time off beforehand! Keep written record of extra work & get it signed by supervisor.

Salary – please keep in mind that our salary conditions as JETs are considerably better than that of the average Japanese citizen – be gracious if approached by colleagues about this delicate issue. Do not disclose your salary to 3rd parties.

Sick leave – depending on your host institution/CO, you may need a medical certificate (shindansho);

• Please use your holidays before the end of your contract – leaving early can significantly inconvenience your employer.

• Try to save some of your holidays for an emergency – in case you have to fly home for some unexpected reason

Japanese people (regardless of vocation) collectively take time off at three times each year.

End of year / New Year (up to about 1 week)

Golden Week (late April, early May, grouping of Children’s Day, Greenery Day, other public holidays)

Obon (commemoration of deceased ancestors) Aug 13 – 17 (M-F)

At work

Senior High SchoolSenior High School ALTs are placed at one high school, and teach 5 days a week there. As a Senior High School ALT you are employed by Gifu Prefecture Board of Education which is your Contracting Organization (CO). Your base school is your Host Institution. Your supervisor is likely a JTE (Japanese Teacher of English), with whom you will have a lot of direct contact.

City, Town, or Village (Municipal) Board of EducationThis means you will be hired by the Board of Education (BOE) in your city, town, or village, so your paycheck will come directly from them and they are your Contracting Organization. You will spend most of your time based in a junior high school and may make visits to other schools in the area. You may spend a day or two at an elementary school, or sometimes go on a weekly basis. You may also teach adult night classes, and this will be written into your contract. Your supervisor will likely be a local Board of Education Office Worker, overseeing more than one ALT.

Co-ordinator of International RelationsYou will be under contract with the Gifu Prefectural International Affairs Division working in either the International Affairs Division itself or in the International Centre, both in Gifu City. There are 8 CIRs in Gifu and you could be interpreting at the French Embassy to talking to a Chinese Primary School about art. You are likely to have two supervisors, one responsible for your work and another in charge of JET responsibilites.

Which　are　you?Which　are　you?

Example School Annual Schedule of EventsJHS

APRIL MAY J UNE J ULY AUG SEP

Ball Sports Day Summer Study Tests

Track and Field Day

1st Term Exams

1st Term Ends

Regional Speech

School Trip 2nd Term Starts Contest

OCT NOV DEC J AN FEB MAR

Culture Festival Graduation Ceremony

High School

3rd Term Starts Entrance Exams

School Trip

2nd Term Exams Entrance Exam

Results Posted

Prefectural Debate Competition 3rd Term Ends

Speech Contest Term 2 Ends Year End Ceremony

Note: School Trips generally held late J une OR mid- October

　　　　　　　　　 Sports Days and School Festivals may vary by school

　　　　　　　　　　Culture Festivals held from late September to Early November

　　　　　　　　 University entrance exam dates vary by institution

EntranceCeremony 1stTerm Starts

Example School Annual Schedule of EventsSHS

• As JETs you are considered to be public servants expected to set an example;

• You will stand out in your community• NO DRUGS • NO DRINK DRIVING – don’t get in a car if you

know the driver has been drinking• NO LEGAL TROUBLE

one way ticket home and other serious repercussions – jail, interrogation, prosecution

Reflects badly on the JET Programme and your home country

The JET: A Public Figurehead

Protect Yourself from Legal Issues

– No posting, sending or otherwise making available photos, video, images, names, addresses, academic performance, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. of students, teachers and staff, without explicit permission from the parent/guardians, teachers, and other authorities

– Failure to follow the above conditions violates the JET contract and the law→ potentially resulting in termination!

• Exercise caution when using facebook, blogs, etc.– Avoid insults, slander, offensive remarks→Exercise etiquette!

• Discipline of students:– Japanese teacher’s responsibility– No corporal punishment

• No exchanging personal email addresses or phone numbers, or other personal contact info with students

• No giving a ride to a student

Gifu Prefecture Ordinance for the Sound Upbringing of Juveniles

(Under 18 Years)

• No sexual harassment, sexually related dialogue or acts, showing students sexual (naked, etc.) images, etc.

• No providing a location for or serving as a mediator of any of the following:– Inappropriate sexual acts or harassment– Tattooing– Imbibing of alcohol, smoking

No accompaniment of a juvenile outside of their home between 10PM – 4AM by any person, without good cause

Imprisonment and / or heavy fines may apply in these cases(http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/kurashi/kosodate/seishonen-ikusei/suishin/jyourei.html)

Health Check(Kenkou Shindan)

• You are asked to participate in this basic health check twice a year

• It is the responsibility of your employer to keep you informed of your health

• If you have problems with certain testing – do not be afraid to mention it.

• Results are based on the average Japanese body shape / build. Naturally larger framed foreigners are commonly reported to be ‘overweight’.

BMI Differences

Japan 　

Category

BMI range – kg/m2

Normalfrom 18.5 to 22.9

Overweight

from 23.0 to 24.9

Obese25.0 and above

WHO 　

CategoryBMI range – kg/m2

Normalfrom 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight

from 25 to 30

Obese Class I

from 30.1 to 34.9

Communication barriers

Rules and guidelines should be stated; problems should be dealt with directly

Spoken

language

Sample Western View:

Spoken

language

Rules and guidelines often unspoken; problems often dealt with indirectly

Sample Japanese View:

Bachnik, J. “At Home in Japan.” http://athome.nealrc.org/what.html

Read the signs !(without getting paranoid)

1. Noncommittal “answers” to your ideas and questions (things are rarely decided on the spot, but collectively. Carefully follow the chain of command)

2. Repeated “mentioning” of something (yes, this probably means someone has something to say, but won’t say it directly)

3. Physical attendance (Sometimes just ‘being there’ counts more than anything)

4. Being available (Flexibility is very highly regarded, especially for JETS)

• 歓迎会 (Kangeikai) ー Welcome • Wait for the Kanpai! (I never do this )• Don’t pour your own beer• Speeches • Nijikai – Post enkai • Sanjikai – Post-post enkai • Seiza for formal situations (Nobody really cares)

Enkai Etiquette(Work function / party)

Japan & alcoholThere is an idea held by some people that drinking helps break down barriers allow co-workers to

relax and open-up. These events are commonly rather heavy-drinking in nature, usually concluding with one of your Japanese coworkers very red-faced and loud.

Accessibility: Alcohol is sold in machines on the street, in the corner store and at the supermarket!

What, you don’t drink more?? Do not feel as if you HAVE to drink. As non-Japanese, we are often stereotyped as ‘heavy drinkers’… You are well within your rights to refuse, however try to do it politely. If you do drink, be careful of the different types of alcohol and the possibility that your body absorbs it differently.

Living by yourself in a foreign country, amongst colleagues that celebrate their week with ‘a few drinks’, can often lead to a change in your drinking habits. ‘Binging’, getting home safely but driving first thing in the morning when alcohol is still in your blood, and becoming reliant on alcohol at home during the long cold winter, are all activities to try to avoid where possible.

By all means, have a drink and enjoy yourself ! But know the laws and be careful NOT TO DRIVE.

Alcoholics Anonymous: ０３－３９７１－１４７１　 (English)