- This unfortunate teacher fell victim of two bizarre Japanese workplace policies.
Teachers are often considered to have an influential role that goes beyond their job in the classroom. As such, it’s not uncommon for teachers’ personal lives to get scrutinized by the public to ensure they’re setting a good example for their students.
Sometimes, people discover dark secrets about teachers’ conduct outside the classroom that end up costing them their jobs. Take, for instance, this Japanese teacher who had the audacity to have a second job!
Wait, what?
Indeed, a middle school teacher in Japan was recently reprimanded and fired for inappropriate behavior. He didn’t abuse his students, drink in excess, or anything shady like that, though.
He simply had the gall to work part-time outside his main job.
Bizarre as it sounds, many Japanese employers require their full-time employees to relinquish all other jobs and side gigs. This is due to a prevalent view that having a side job will diminish your dedication to your full-time work.
But what if your full-time job doesn’t pay enough? Well, we suppose you’re just s*** out of luck.
Double Life
The incident of the part-timing teacher happened in early July in Japan’s western Okayama Prefecture. By day, the man in question was a mild-mannered middle school teacher in Okayama City.
But in his free time, he was something completely different. After leaving school, he transformed into…
A mild-mannered convenience store cashier in Kurashiki, the next town over.
Sadly, on July 4, his double life was discovered. Someone snitched to the Okayama City Board of Education that a 60-something man who was a teacher at one of the city’s schools was working in a Kurashiki convenience store.
Well, such a serious allegation couldn’t be left without investigation. The very next day, the principal of the school the teacher worked at got on the train and traveled to Kurashiki to check out the situation.
Sure enough, the teacher was standing behind the counter, wearing a cashier’s uniform. With that, his teaching career was doomed.
One Job Policy
Now, from an American perspective, this whole case seems absolutely bizarre. After all, many people here are forced to work two jobs just to make ends meet. Even if you’re well off, today’s hustle culture celebrates having an infinite number of side gigs.
In Japan, however, the situation is different. Although attitudes are slowly changing (we can’t emphasize slowly enough), many employment contracts have a clause that prohibits employees from working side jobs.
This isn’t a non-compete clause or NDA or anything. It’s simply common for Japanese employers to completely prohibit their employees from earning money from other sources (perhaps lottery winnings withstanding).
But why?
It’s a matter of how dedication to one’s job is perceived. In Japan’s high-pressure work culture, you’re often supposed to be completely dedicated to your job.
Having a side gig is seen as a time sink that will diminish the effort you put into your primary. It doesn’t matter if you do your part-time job on your days off when you’re free to do anything — it’s about the principle of the thing.
And as such, the teacher had committed the unforgivable sin of not sitting at home thinking about his classes while off work.
‘Great Distress’
But why did the teacher take such drastic measures as getting a second job? Well, it’s simple.
He had bills to pay.
A couple of years ago, the teacher had been “re-hired” by his school. This Japanese practice involves essentially firing employees when they hit retirement age and then immediately hiring them back to do the same job — at a significantly lower salary, since they’re now a new employee.
The “re-hiring” had made the teacher’s wallet noticeably slimmer, so he got the convenience store job to help pay the rent. That’s a decision he now says he regrets.
“Regardless of my personal situation, my conduct was damaging to the trust of public educators and professional ethics and I deeply regret my actions,” the teacher said in a statement of apology, according to Sora News.
The school the teacher used to work at also put out a statement apologizing for the ex-teacher’s unspeakable behavior.
“We deeply apologize for the great distress and worry that has been caused to the children, their guardians, and all the residents of the city,” the Okayama City Board of Education stated.
Yes, we’re sure all Okayama residents were trembling in terror at the teacher’s horrific actions. Oh well, at least he can now go work full time at the convenience store, right?
Nope. He got fired from there, too, because the store didn’t want the bad publicity.
You’ve got to feel sorry for this guy.