I am sure all of us look forward to our weekends off after a hard week at school. However, more and more private schools in Japan are reintroducing classes on Saturdays, meaning that for many teachers they do not get the whole weekend to themselves.
The period of ゆとり教育, yutori kyoiku, or “relaxed education” was popular during the 1980s and 1990s. It meant a more relaxed curriculum and shorter class hours for most students in Japan. Most of this generation are now becoming members of the workforce and have even been blamed for the recent rise in フリーター “freeters” who cannot hold down a job, and move from company to company at regular intervals. In terms of education, most of this generation enjoyed free weekends and a maximum of 6 hours of class a day.
In recent years, Saturday classes have become more common in private schools and although most of these lessons are held in the mornings, club activities are often also held in the afternoon. Some teachers, usually Japanese teachers and seishain foreign teachers, are required to be at school for the whole Saturday, whereas others are able to leave sometime after lunch when their work has finished.
Many of our teachers are teaching on Saturdays, but we request the school to still abide to a 5 day a week working schedule which means that our teachers have a weekday off in lieu of the Saturday they work.
Not having 2 days off in a row can be exhausting, but there can be benefits. For example being able to go shopping without the weekend crowds, being able to use the bank, post office and ward office (weekend business hours are often short), cheap weekday karaoke…
On a more serious note however, this kind of schedule can be difficult for those with a family, or those who have busy weekend schedules. At EduCareer, during our interviews we always ask your preferences regarding work schedules, and try our best to negotiate with the school should you be successful in commencing to the next interview with them.
Everyone feels differently about weekend work, but it’s worth remembering that recently it has become more common for all teachers in Japanese schools. We always try to find a school that fits your preferences, so don’t be shy in telling us what kind of teaching position you’re really after in our interviews - it would save both our times in the application process should you move forward with a meeting with our client school.
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