How to Get Real Paid in Japan

[akujunkan]

I should have mentioned this in the previous post, as it does much to add to one's understanding of my situation:

Salaries are paid on a monthly, not weekly, schedule in Japan. So when I express a bit of...exasperation...at the fact that someone's forgotten to pay me, it's merely because this oversight has set me short by a few thousand dollars, which I had counted on receiving this past Monday.

Another interesting Japan Tidbit is that no one receives a paycheck, ever. In fact, Japan doesn't use checks, period. One's salary is deposited directly into one's bank account by one's employers. Now, as Japanese society generally runs like clockwork, I'm usually right on the (ahem) money when I assume that my pay has been deposited on schedule. So you can imagine my surprise when I kept updating my account ledger at the ATM, only to find that no deposits had been made by the city since last month.

C'est la vie.

That will be all.

Comments

[cienna.livejournal.com]

My salary is paid in an envelope of cash. Needless to say, I don't hang onto it very long. The first place I go after getting paid is the ATM so I can deposit it. It would be just like me to somehow misplace it and then have no money for an entire month. At least they can't really get out of paying us, though.

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Well, my BOE sure seems to be trying to do just that. Monday, and no deposit as of yet. ::grumble, grumble::

I'd take your mafia envelope of cash method over this any day of the week.

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

Have they paid you yet????

I used to get paid monthly, too. Not having my salary on time would be a nightmare, especially if the rent were due right away.

Hope you're back in the black now...

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

No, and I just got an email from a friend who checked her account today - it doesn't seem as if we're going to get paid today either. I'm not hurting for cash at the moment, but it would be nice to have a little more of a buffer before I start making arrangements to move.

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

I can't believe that!! It's just outrageous. Is it just the JETs in town who were affected? Do the higher-ups in JET administration know? It seems like someone ought to be called to account.

*fuming on your behalf*

[akujunkan.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the fumes;) The problem is that JET doesn't employ ALTs or CIRs, they just recruit and place them. We're actually employees of our specific schools, cities, or prefectural Boards of Education, so JET is powerless to intervene on our behalfs once we're in Japan.

This is the first time in two years (or anyone's memory) that our salaries haven't been paid on time, so I don't think it's malicious. It just really messes with one's life plans;)

[ishuka.livejournal.com]

O_____O;; whoa..