A high risk business

in which employees have few rights and nearly no guarantees. The eikaiwa chains are bad, but frankly the corporate-focused companies aren't a heck of a lot better. It all depends on the integrity, trustworthiness, and the loyalty of management. That can all go out the window when the economy and profits head south. Non-Japanese, in particular those who do not understand the few rights that employees have, are especially vulnerable. We have seen that even public/private schools and universities are little better. In my opinion and experience, there are less that half a dozen English language "teaching"/ "corporate training" related companies in the Tokyo area that are trustworthy at all. The rest are half-crooked or filled with the most incompetent management that one can imagine. I cannot think of a single eikaiwa chain that anyone with a choice should consider employment with. Not one, including the big B---unless they have recently changed.

Foreign and Japanese employees hired by Nova Corp.'s successor complained of unreasonable dismissals and pay cuts Saturday as they marked the half-year anniversary of the giant language school's collapse. Japan Times.

The lesson? DO NOT come to Japan to "teach" English as a foreign language unless you consider it a one year out-of-college lark. If you do, and want to remain in Japan, look for a decent job---preferably out of the field entirely or at least with one of the half-dozen or fewer decent companies and generally they require some sort of professional qualifications/experience. That is unless you are satisfied with lifelong under-achievement, glass ceilings, and career suicide.