Gaba Corporation - Instructor Employment System

Instructor Employment System

• Itaku Instructor
  • Six month contract
  • Paid per lesson (1500-2200 yen per 40-minute lesson)
  • Flexible schedule
  • Monthly bonus based on number of lessons taught

Gaba instructors are not currently employees, but rather are 'itaku', effectively independent contractors. Instructors have flexibility in choosing their schedule, although in practice the morning, evening, and weekend lessons are the ones which tend to book, as working Japanese people are more likely to be able to take lessons during those times. As a result, many instructors tend to focus their schedules on those times. Instructors submit the lessons they are available for via Gaba's intranet. Gaba only pays instructors for lessons that are booked and not canceled.

Gaba clients can cancel their lessons until 6pm the previous day. If they cancel it after that the instructor is still paid for the lesson, however, Gaba reopens the lesson as an "R-slot" ("R" stands for "related activities), and it can be rebooked. If this occurs the instructor is only paid once; however, Gaba receives two lesson payments. However, if trial lessons ('FMs') cancel, Gaba does not receive any payment for R slots, but instructors are still paid. This is also true if lessons are moved to other instructors in the case of sickness. For example, if instructor A calls in sick, his/her lessons may be moved to instructor B. However, if the client chooses to cancel the lesson because he/she does not want to study with instructor B, then instructor B gets a paid R slot, but Gaba does not get paid for the slot. If students simply do not come for a lesson they book, it is referred to as a "no-show", and instructors are still paid.

If an R lesson does not rebook, instructors are expected to do one of a various number of "R" activities, such as sending postcards, updating lesson records, checking homework, and so on. After this, instructors are expected to sign the "R Activity Log", or RAL, as stated in article 6 of the Gaba contract for instructors. If they do not, Gaba will not pay them for the lesson slot. If a client books a lesson for the time of the R-slot without specifying which instructor they would like (known as a red lesson, for the color it appears on the schedule), then the booking system will automatically allocate it to the instructor with an R slot. This is regardless of whether there are any other instructors with open slots to be booked. As a consequence this policy means Gaba can keep its costs lower, but instructors lose lessons they would otherwise receive.

Gaba instructors can also receive bonuses for teaching a certain amount of lessons each month. There are three bonus levels: level A is for teaching 100-150 lessons per month, level B is for teaching 151-200 lessons per month, and level B is for teaching 201 or more lessons per month. Instructors may also receive bonuses for referring clients to Gaba. Instructors who conduct "First Meetings", lessons with prospective clients, can also receive a bonus if the client joins Gaba. When the bonus is paid depends on when the client joins, not when the FM was conducted. So, for example, if an FM is held late in the month but the client does not join until the following month, the bonus will be part of the paycheck for the following month. Also, instructors do not receive a bonus if the FM is done for a "Guaranteed" FM client. Guaranteed clients are generally supported by their company. FM instructors are also eligible for bonuses based on cash collection.

As Gaba instructors work under an entrusted contract, many benefits that are provided to salaried workers in Japan are not available to them. For example, they do not receive a travel allowance, sick leave, or holiday pay, and Gaba does not pay for part of their pension, health insurance, or unemployment insurance, as Japanese companies do for full-time workers. Gaba requires that any instructors who wish to be sponsored for a work visa by Gaba comply with Japanese law and be enrolled in National Health Insurance which must be 100% paid for by the instructor. Furthermore, Gaba requires that these instructors have paid their taxes and not broken Japanese law during their stay in Japan.

While instructors may receive the monthly bonuses (generally not available to full-time employees) as described above, they do not receive the June and December bonuses that salaried employees at many Japanese companies are eligible for.

As itaku workers, Gaba instructors must bill Gaba for services rendered every month. There is an online invoice that instructors must approve every month. The instructors electronically sign in by clicking a box and sending it to Gaba. They are also responsible for filing their own taxes, in contrast to salaried workers, whose taxes are filed by their companies.

The instructors in the Jaba program of Japanese lessons for instructors are employed under itaku contracts in the same way as the regular Gaba instructors, and are paid 1,500 yen per hour. They lack all the same benefits that regular Gaba instructors do, and they also lack any kind of belting system to raise their pay.