In a fix!

[ttokyo]

My Indian Boss knew everything from the beginning. Even he tried to ask the management to raise my salary a bit, but that didn't work. On the contrary, they lowered my salary from 60k to 55k for absurd reasons. Even if I write to them, it won;t work because my sending an application to the college already has pissed them off a lot.

That advice is to LEAVE A PAPER TRAIL and cover your rear end. It would both help you to get some 'face' and future people coming over from India. If you tell everybody (also colleagues) that you cannot survive on that laughable income, that proves your point, rather than being regarded/remembered as the 'ungrateful troublemaker from India'.

As for translation, I thought of this on the very first day of my arrival. But unfortunately, all the documentation is done is hardcore Kanjis ( I can only understand 150-180 odd Kanjis so far ). Even translating from Hiragana/Katakana to English is not a big problem for me(As long as I know the word). Besides learning German now, leaves me little time to work on learning Kanjis.

So what ? As an engineer you should know how to tackle problems. Start writing kanji cards and learn them. I would honestly not leave at 17:30 every day but stay on and learn kanji. This will even give them an excuse to complain about you. There's no point of learning German if you want to work in Japan.

my Indian friends who have come here and working in different companies are also earning roughly 3 times as me, excluding Bonus. As for English teaching, there are 2 schools in front of my apartment, I am planning to approach them for teaching soon as I get well. Well Tokyo will have myriad opportunities in teaching , Osaka won't have very less either.

Good point. Check with your friends if they can find you work.

[abhijeetm29]

Jus curious OP-ji, but what would you have earned if you were doing the same job in Banglore or in one of the other high tech hubs in India?

As an example, I was earning ( 500,000 INR p.a. + 1500 p.m as Transportation allowance) i.e. 518,000 INR p.a in the same company in New Delhi (where I worked for 1.5 months before coming here) ,which is decent for a entry level Mechanical engineering Graduate in India.
Bangalore is purely an IT Hub. Very few companies are there related to Core engineering like Civil, Electrical, Mechanical etc in Bangalore.

Any update on the passport situation? Have you talked to anybody at the Labor Standards Office yet?

You might be able to get your passport back by telling your company you need it to open up an account at citibank.

Then never give it back to them.

I was unwell last week, so could not do anything as such. I did not ask for passport, or went to Labor Office. However, early in the January, I have to write an examination for which I will require my passport. Very soon I am going to ask for it. Things would be very much clear then.

[abhijeetm29]

That advice is to LEAVE A PAPER TRAIL and cover your rear end. It would both help you to get some 'face' and future people coming over from India. If you tell everybody (also colleagues) that you cannot survive on that laughable income, that proves your point, rather than being regarded/remembered as the 'ungrateful troublemaker from India'.

Good point. In fact I'd like to tell that yesterday one fellow employee asked about my salary. On hearing my reply, he literally broke into fits of laughter. Maybe ,he might have told to the rest of the department.
I may resign and run away. Either look for some work in Japan itself or go back India. But in either ways, I wonder whether it will help me professionally in my future jobs?.
How will I explain my gap during interviews for other companies, for I am sure that this company won't be giving me experience certificate etc on leaving before serving three years service bond.
Following my illness and the drama 2 weeks back, things have improved . But it's difficult to say as to how long things remain okay. As such now my inspiration has completely evaporated.
I am still waiting for their Overseas guy who will come back next Monday.

So what ? As an engineer you should know how to tackle problems. Start writing kanji cards and learn them. I would honestly not leave at 17:30 every day but stay on and learn kanji. This will even give them an excuse to complain about you. There's no point of learning German if you want to work in Japan.

I am already doing that everyday (learning 2-3 Kanjis and 5-7 new Japanese words ). In fact, earlier I used to study Japanese during lunch time and then after 17 30 but they asked me to stop that, and instead study at my room.
I am studying German solely for the purpose of studying in Germany/Netherlands next year. At present my German language skills are better than Japanese. But I have reached an equilibrium where I can comfortably study both the languages without confusing either.
Besides even if can't acquire the minimum skills required for admission in German taught courses, they also have few English taught courses in my preferred area(s) of interest.

[ttokyo]

I am already doing that every day (learning 2-3 Kanjis and 5-7 new Japanese words ). In fact, earlier I used to study Japanese during lunch time and then after 17 30 but they asked me to stop that, and instead study at my room.

??? As an engineer I'd expect you to be more flexible. As said before, I'd make sure it's work-related, e.g. by translating a technical manual and e.g. looking up the Kanji one by one rather than sitting at the desk and reading a language book.

[abhijeetm29]

??? As an engineer I'd expect you to be more flexible. As said before, I'd make sure it's work-related, e.g. by translating a technical manual and e.g. looking up the Kanji one by one rather than sitting at the desk and reading a language book.

As I have already mentioned ,seeing kanji and guessing it's meaning is not of much help , unless I know It's equivalent Kun'yomi. Again everytime ,asking an employee for an equivalent Hiragana will be more or less the same situation.

However, I pondered on your suggestion and tried to make my Japanese learning work related. For e.g. insisted them that I submit my report in Japanese instead in English, to which they agreed.Now while writing my Daily Report, I consume as much as 35-45 minutes (mostly after office hours) and preparing a list of Kanjis. This has greatly improved my motivation and everyday learn Kanji related to my work. No one complains about it, since I am actually doing a job-related work.
Many thanks for your advice on this issue.
Kind regards,
Abhijeet.

[abhijeetm29]

A very happy New year to all the fellow posters!.


So finally today I discussed this income issue. Back after a long trip, I was quite refreshed and did not felt much agony as earlier (though I got a bit emotional while narrating the events). The setting I chose was outside the office, and along with the overseas guy, whom I trust the most.

I narrated him the consequences in which I took this job, the offers, difficulties I faced here , apart from many other things. But as expected, I knew that there won't be any constructive support. For he too is a company employee and bound by it's rules. Although, he accepted that this was not a great amount, he told that 'this' company gives less money and not everyone is satisfied (including himself).
But then he had more to say- the usual stuff like I am young and should not consider money at this stage. I should be fortunate that I am getting a foreign training in start of my career itself, and after 2-3 years, back In India, I will be a technical head soon and will have good work and salary alike. I am here in Japan, and not working as a Japanese employee, rather as an Indian trainee so should not compare with them.
But however, he was speechless when I showed him the exact figures from Labor Standards Office. He told me that I am in a 'special' setting and a 'different treatment'. Having said this, he too knew that I won't buy his logic.
He tried to convince me by telling that 55000 Yen is a decent amount for a living. But when I started getting into specifics about rent of apartment, a simple hair cut, groceries, he again did not had anything to say. Though I did not stretch the matter further, because he is quite senior to me, and I did not wish to embarrass him.
Similar logic went for the unnecessary 3000 yen deduction from my salary ,when I mentioned that India had Double Taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with Japan and that money shouldn't be deducted. He knew this fact(having himself worked in India for 3 years) and tried to talk to management before my arrival, but of no use.

The passport issue, too , he had no words. If tomorrow, I wish to take GRE or so, which requires Passport , I need to take it from office, which may shock them, as they are already quite informed about my intentions of leaving (previous issue of applying to the college).

There were similar talks which went for nearly 2.5 hours. By now my main aim was to let him know about what I feel, and what caused my motivation to drop suddenly. He simply urged me to keep my moral high, yet added that it's upto me whether I choose to keep it up or low in the company.

[ruserious]

Did the Labor Standards Office help you? Did you tell them about your passport?

Get your passport back, and never return it.

[abhijeetm29]

Did the Labor Standards Office help you? Did you tell them about your passport?

Get your passport back, and never return it.

As I later reflected on the situation, Labor Office can do a little in my case, especially when I had already signed the job offer and these conditions were mentioned there itself (Of course bringing the takeaway salary down from 60k to 55k Yen , and keeping passport away weren't mentioned there).
They will probably round up the whole affair saying that it was , after all, my fault to blindly sign the contract without properly doing my homework about Salary offered and Cost of Living in Osaka.

I have started application process for colleges, and once I get into one of my choice. I will quit ,but not before rendering the best possible that I can give, under those circumstances.

As for passport, I am going to ask for it very soon, for an exam to be given in February. If they give it easily, well and good. Else ..... let's wait and watch.
I made it clear today itself that I am going to ask for passport anytime, and may or may not be giving any reason for the same.

[abhijeetm29]

Hi to all fellow Gaijins

So, there was finally some peace in these 3 months, from January till the end of March. Meanwhile, I too worked on a lesson or two on Professional etiquette and things were fine.

But then they recently deducted some money from my salary, as I had taken leave ,which they said, was in my probation period (No where in my contract it was mentioned that I would be undergoing a 6 month probation period). I had already completed 6 months in the company when I took the leave. To which they said that 6 month duration was the time when I was in Japan.
Not having fixed pattern of rules, I was subjected to the whims and fancies of the Management.
This really pissed me off and I can't take anymore. I am hoping to quit soon.

However, while surfing on internet, I found this --

http://tokyogeneralunion.org/foreign-workers-handbook/

One of the point reads as


IV　Resignation and Dismissal

1 Resignation

The Labor Standards Law stipulates that an employer shall not force workers to work against their will (Article 5). Therefore an employee may give up his/her job whenever he/she wants to, but it should be done under the social rules.
Rules (and steps) in resigning differ according to whether or not the employment contract states a specified/fixed period of
time.

(1) Contracts for a specified period;
In cases where the employee is contracted to work for a specified period of time, he/she should resign when the period of contract expires and the contract of employment will be terminated.
Resignation during the specified contract period is not allowed in principle without any proper, unavoidable reason (Article 628, Civil Law). In cases where the contract prescribes regulations concerning resignation, the employee should follow
these. It is possible that compensation for damages due to non-performance of obligation may be claimed by the company. An example would be in a case where an employee suddenly quits, regardless of regulations concerning advance notice in the contract, and the company is damaged by his/her early resignation.
Some companies or employers include in their labor contracts an obligation for the employee to pay penalty fees if a contract is broken, such as a resignation in the middle of a labor contract. Such a rule is invalid, however, because the rule is
against Article 16 of the Labor Standards Law which stipulates a “Predetermined Indemnity”.


This kind of worries me, because as stipulated in my contract, that the company is 'Not charging the cost of training from me'. I don't pay the company 'compensation for damages' if I leave the company before the completion of bond (which is 3 years ).

So here's the situation ; Can the company take legal action against me if I indeed decide to quit? If they do decide to do it, what legal support I can have at my disposal?
I would be giving them the 1 month notice prior to leaving, as stipulated in the contract. This would be done possibly after Golden week.

Waiting for your suggestions,
Regards.

[thefg]

Totally illegal, a passport is government property. Essentially they are holding you hostage. What happens if something happens and you have to fly home and its a weekend? Do you have a re-entry visa?

Only the yakuza hold passports to stop people leaving. Seen any guys with punch perms at your work? Not only that your Indian bosses are aiding and abetting this behaving. Uncle Tom's by the sounds of it.

not true, this practice is extremely common in many parts of asia and in Japan for workers from India/SE Asia

[abhijeetm29]

not true, this practice is extremely common in many parts of asia and in Japan for workers from India/SE Asia

Very common in middle eastern countries, but they(employer) keep passports of mostly unskilled workers.

[Meiguoren9]

I found this story enjoyable to read as I am planning to move to Japan myself and try my luck. Looking at late 2012 it looks like you went thru quite a lot in terms of managing the potential risks and consequences in order to improve your circumstances. In the end, I think you should definitely take away that always owning your situation will ultimately lead to success and (in my opinion) getting bogged down with bitter feelings and blaming whats your control is what stifles learning from experiences. It was interesting to read your expectations coming from India and working in a developed country, but my $0.02 is that theres always risk when agreeing to partner with any institution and as soon as you start seeing "red flags" at your next opportunity, you'll know to take steps to plan for both a good outcome and a smooth transition out of there.

I don't have any answers about managing Japanese corporate politics or getting your passport back, but your due dilligence is commendable.

[TJrandom]

...your due dilligence is commendable.

I believe that you meant perseverance, not “due diligence”. Due diligence is a prior research, or some such activity that informs a person so that they can prevent themselves from getting into a problematic situation. Clearly, OP did not perform sufficient due diligence before joining this company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Due_diligence

[abhijeetm29]

but your due dilligence is commendable.

I believe that you meant perseverance, not “due diligence”.

Either way, that would be a sarcasm.

[abhijeetm29]

I found this story enjoyable to read

This is a traumatic experience for me.

as soon as you start seeing "red flags" at your next opportunity, you'll know to take steps to plan for both a good outcome and a smooth transition out of there.

Guess what, I am waiting for the suitable opportunity. Although, that would probably be a good outcome, I am still figuring out as to how to ensure a smooth transition out of here. I guess, my first plan would be to work on the suggestion given by the members earlier ,like going to Osaka International house, Osaka Bar .

In all, this whole episode teaches me a very good lesson- never mess up with your Grades.

[abhijeetm29]

Hi to fellow gaijins and the natives

So today, I decided to talk to my Indian boss. Though there were many ways to discuss this issue, I started off with telling about the recent money deductions which they have made from my salary, and which I found unreasonably high.
(*** For a record: They deducted 6630 Yen for not coming one day to the office, which according to them is the day before my probation period ends in Japan****)
Mathematically, if they decide this amount on per day basis, then 6630*31=205,530 Yen, which is far more than what I earn now. And if we talk about hourly work, then
in the Month of March we had 22 working days, and with 9.5 hours per day (from 0800 to 1730), we have 209 work hours.
Because they generally take 135 000 Yen as my official salary (Yet deduct 3000 Yen unofficially as so called 'Indian-tax') ,hence this comes out 135000/209 = 645.93 Yen/hr. Which for 9.5 hours (corresponding to 1 missing day) equates to 6136.36 Yen , still less than the money deducted.

My Indian boss said that the J-People can never be unreasonable(He actually have lot of faith in J-People) ,I must have gone wrong somewhere. Anyways, he asked me to submit the calculations ,which the management had made regarding the deduction. I'll be doing that tomorrow.

However my main concern, which came up today is my DEGREE. My Degree is missing.

Prior to my arrival, I was informed by my Indian Boss, that Ministry of Justice Japan requires to see my Original copy of Graduate Degree. I was dubious, but yet had to give in. My boss told me that it is usual, and Japanese authorities are very strict. We sent my degree to Japan, it was shown to the authorities, and I was issued the work-permit the next day. I also remember that they had sent my degree back to Indian office, the following day.
Now, here's the catch, I remember that the degree came back, But no matter how much I stress my memory, I don't think that I have had it in my hand after I send it to Japan for verification.
I am also searching my room, and also have informed my parents to do it in my room in India. Most probably this should be with me or back in India, but if it isn't , then I am in a jeopardy!

In all possibility, my quitting depends on the possible legal support which I can acquire during this Golden week, and also on the outcome of the applications to the colleges which I have made. If both of them are through, I might be handing over my '辞任' pretty soon.

Thanks and regards.