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It seems like there are a lot of ex and current Peppy teachers out there both with positive and negative things to say about this company.
I would have to say LISTEN carefully to what everyone has said, because I would have to agree with everything said so far. Except the one that said that you would travel 3 hours a day on average. That is usually not the case, but there are some teachers with really awful commutes. My commutes, for example are at the most an hour a day. However, I find it much easier to actually bike to class because I am then not stranded out in the middle of nowhere when the buses stop running at 9pm and you're still in the classroom.
The pros:
It's been pointed out that the working hours are nice. That's pretty true unless you have a really busy and successful school (in which case you end up working a lot more).
You will often find teachers that will tell you that they have a one hour work day. (not including commuting). Technically it's 1.5 hours because you need to show up 30 minutes before class. Still, pretty darn nice to have those days.
The training and support are really good. They don't expect you to have an ESL diploma or even a degree in teaching. I have known co-workers fresh out of high school teaching. Basically, as long as you're 'genki' and able to work in Japan, you can be accepted.
I've heard that some people call training HELL. Not really. They're long days, and if you can't learn to cope, then you'll be in for a much worse surprise later on. A lot of the training consists of learning how to live in Japan along with learning their particular curriculum. You'll be expected to know it and although it's simple, there is just a lot to memorize. They'll cram as much as they can in that two week period and give you Sundays off (which a lot of people ended up working on their lesssons anyway). I would have to say that I actually enjoyed the training because I had a great trainer and a really great group of people that I trained with.
When I talk about the support, I really mean the ongoing training. Although people complain about staff meetings, we actually learn quite a lot in our area. I can see how a poor Performance Supervisor (PS) will end up giving crap meetings. Our PS is very proactive and focuses on how to make our lessons better, how to maintain discipline and anything else we may ask for.
Sounds good? It is for the most part a good way to enjoy Japan. If you are an early riser, you can get a lot of stuff done during the day before your classes start. If you like to stay up late, you can sleep in until noon easily on most days.
The Cons:
Like most people have already pointed out, you are usually posted in the rural areas of Japan. Out there you are on your on. Depending on your PS, you can have either poor, good or great support. If you're not willing to get out and mingle with Japanese people you'll have a very difficult time. Ladies, please note it might be especially difficult for you since eating alone in a restaurant can be an ordeal. If you're in the city, it's quite different, but out in the rural areas people whisper a lot behind your back. To your face they are extremely polite and then go and say nasty things about to you while they smile at you.
What they say about the company being cheap is very true. They will expect you to have great lessons and your managers and everyone encourage you to give great lessons, etc. But, if you need any extra materials, you pretty much have to get it yourself, unless you can find it in your classrooms.
You are NOT allowed to teach on the side (although I expect many companies would have that same stipulation). That said, I have heard of a lot of people that admit that they have.
Oh, did I mention that you're basically on your own? This can be a good and bad thing. You open up your classroom, close the classroom and are basically the only adult there except for the parents who drop of their children.
There is a ton of paperwork all the time, all of which you are to do on your own time...so those one hour class days are really a good day to do some of that. Unless of course you get an 'office day'. On those days you are expected to show up at the office in a suit (or at least a shirt and tie) and spend 5.5 hours trying to look busy doing something. It's a good opportunity to work on lessons, games, paperwork etc...but if you've been doing this for awhile, you'll have already done most of it beforehand. Just hope that they don't ask you to 'produce' something tangible for other teachers and you can pretty much do whatever you want for that time.
What they say about being late is true. You can be fired for being late just once (depending on the circumstances, etc) but you are generally given a few chances.
I was late early in on my teaching and lost a few 'points'. Each point is worth a certain amount of money. I think 10,000 yen now. It was a stupid error but it was my own fault. I misread the schedule and ended up coming at the wrong time. I had to bow and scrape for about a month to all my supervisors, the Japanese teacher who normally taught at the school and then to the parents. I ended up losing a lot of cash (but it was part of the bonus anyway) and had the threat of dismissal looming over my head.
Also, if you don't get along with anyone at all, you're in for a rough ride. Do yourself a favour and become Japanese...that is if you don't like someone, keep it to yourself and be as nice as you possibly can to them. If a Japanese teacher doesn't like you, they can make your life hell.
I know that from personal experience (I'm going through some hell right now). I've had a lot of problems, but then my PS and other managers have watched my lesson and had nothing but good things to say about my teaching. Not good enough.
There are so many ways that the Japanese teacher can cast doubt on you and then everyone is looking at you to make a mistake and then the boom lowers (as it did with me).
I was asked to go on a business trip and although I arrived at the city on time, the map that they provided me to go to the school was wrong (I didn't know it at the time and thought I was going the right way).
That's about all the details I'll give here....I don't know the outcome yet, but from what I've been told it's still considered my fault. I'm not sure how since I couldn't have gone ANY earlier and sometimes maps can be wrong. Apparently you need to be part clairvoyant in order to avoid being late. I think that if I was not being already scrutinized because my Japanese teacher had it in for me I wouldn't be in trouble, but there you go. Office politics at it's best. The ironic part is that all my supervisors were beginning to really hate the Japanese teacher because she is always whining about something. I was just unlucky enough that people eventually started to listen to her.
Oh yeah, the thing about the kids is true as well. They do have a 'safeguard' against that. If something actually does occur in the classroom, you can write a report which will be sent to the head office. At that point they will listen to your side of things, but basically, if the child says something and the parents want something done, there is pretty much little you can do about it.
It kind of makes you upset sometimes, but I think that most kids are really awesome.
So, there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly. I actually enjoy my job, love teaching children and enjoy my co-workers (when I see them ... about once a month). What I don't like is the lack of respect from the company and the disdain that they have for all the employees. There is absolutely no love from them at all. The claim that they will support you but it's all BS when it comes down to it. The support you get from your PS all depends on what they are like. If you get a newbie or someone who is jaded and hates their job, well you might be in for a rough ride.
If you think that I'm a disgruntled worker, you're wrong. Like I said, I enjoy the work. When I first started working for them I really enjoyed a lot of the people around me. When I started to get to know them I started hearing a lot of negative things (most of which I covered) from them. Most of the problems that they had could have been solved with better mangerial support. The PS people are basically English speakers as well who wanted a better position then a NATIVE English speaker. So, they are basically YOUR supervisor. That said, they have little or no power in the company other than the control they have over you. They can write a bad report which affects your bonus and the decision to hire you on again. If you're late, they have the power to be lenient and not say anything or bring the hammer down on you.
What they dont' have however, is the power to help you in anyway should you need a good word with the company. If you're late, for instance, they can't step in and say, "yes, but they are a good teacher. I say we should keep them on". Nope, it's out of their hands.
What you get is a lecture from the Area Manager, and if you're unlucky someone from "Head office" gives you a call and gives you the bad news.
Recommendations?
If you want to learn about Japan, and are here for a year and then want to go back home, it's a great place to work for. You'll be able to pay off your loans and even save money unless they saddle you with a really expensive apartment.
If you're planning to stay longer, I totally suggest you look into getting your own place that isn't dependent on your job. If they fire you, you basically have to go back home. If you don't want to go, you don't have much of a choice since you're summarily booted out of your apartment. In the time I have worked in this area I have known 3 teachers who have been fired (less than a year time) for being late. Actually, I should say 'asked to resign'. They were asked to work out the remaining month and then leave the apartment. The last person told me that he had to work right up until he had to leave. He was given less than a months notice in which time he had to continue to work. He basically had 2 days to leave the apartment and they didn't make it easy for him despite the fact that he bent over backwards to accommodate them.
Also, while you're here, MAKE SURE YOU ARE NEVER LATE. I can't stress that strongly enough. You will hear it a lot, and for good reason. The ONLY excuse that seems to be valid is: the train was delayed (you need to show proof). Oh, and also you might get away with being late if you were in an accident, but again, you would have to show some tangible proof.
It seems that they give the Japanese teachers a tiny bit more lattitude, but they too are scrutinized for being late. If they are caught in a bad traffic jam, they MIGHT be excused. We, however, cannot use that excuse since we are not allowed required to take public transit to the classrooms. Technically we are not supposed to drive or take a bike, but there are many who do anyway.
Another thing to do is to really try hard to make some Japanese friends. They will be invaluable. During the first month of arriving Peppy Kids is fairly helpful and don't if you call up the support line if you're in a jam. After that, you have to been in an emergency otherwise you will hear about it later. Also, you MIGHT be able to call up your PS, but then they might not be of much use either. Most of the problems that I have had in Japan had to do with not being fluent in Japanese. Most of the PSs are not fluent either.
Another reason to really try hard to make Japanese friends is because you will probably rarely see your co-workers except during staff meetings.
You might be close to one other person...but probably not more than that unless you live in the city.
Mostly, keep your head down and try and do what they want you to do and you should be fine. If you find yourself late even once, you might be labelled as chronically late. I kid you not. People here (I'm not talking about Japanese, but rather people who work in the company) are quick to judge you and often the labels will stick regardless of the truth.
Just beware of that. If you plan on staying longer, do yourself a big favour and find your own apartment. It's a really difficult thing to do, but if you can do it then you will be just one less bit completely dependent on the company.
Good luck!
PKC gaijin
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