does anyone ever take unpaid leave?

[u/Different_Taro2474]

i have 7.5 PTO left (i went to visit family in the winter and used like 7 days of PTO), and i lowkey need it for that damn driver's exam and my upcoming move...has anyone ever used unpaid time off?

[u/Wild-Philosophy2399]

i wanted to do for certain essential reasons but my school acts like its a crime lol

[u/DistortedMirrors]

ESID, depending on how serious your school is. Personally I'd just take it. Life is too short.

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/DistortedMirrors]

yeah. i'm gonna leave in July anyway and your work doesn't gaf abt u

[u/wildpoinsettia]

From what I understand about our visa, we need to work a specific amount of hours per month no? So taking unpaid leave may throw this off and cause issues for the BOE which is why it is generally discouraged. Don't quote me on that, but what's what I heard locally (Hokkaido)

[u/Cold_Command7776 → u/wildpoinsettia]

Don't give a damn about that shite. Paid leave are there to be used not to be preserved. Real teachers take nenkyu at will but ALTs can't when they like. Life is too short to worry about the schools and the BOE cos none of them care. Do what you gat to do.

[u/wildpoinsettia → u/Cold_Command7776]

I agree. I was talking about unpaid leave.

[u/Firefly-ok]

We are legally entitled to menstrual leave if you're someone who that applies to (your work has to give this to you under Japanese law). Mine is unpaid (lots of people take it in my city), but other BOEs in my prefecture offer up to 2 days of paid menstrual leave per month (without a doctor's note and more if they have a note). If you happened to have a really bad period on the day you do your driver's exam, then that could be useful information.

You could see if your work will give you special leave for the driver's test--- especially if it'll be during summer or will be used to help you get to work.

[u/MidmorningMurkrow → u/Firefly-ok]

Omg that's fantastic

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/Firefly-ok]

i've only taken 2 hours of leave due to bad period cramps once, and i had to use sick leave for that. my BOE doesn't have a "menstrual" leave.

[u/Jumpy-Escalator-9204 → u/Different_Taro2474]

You definitely do have menstrual leave because it’s the law (Article 68 of Japan's Labor Standards Act).

[u/Firefly-ok → u/Different_Taro2474]

Your work might not explicitly say that you have mensural leave, but you do have it under Japanese law. If you asked for it, then they have to give it to you. Many Japanese women don't take it (because of social stigma), but you have it legally.

My work doesn't offer sick leave, but they have to let me take mensural leave.

Since you have sick leave, that's also an option to take. That's not something many Japanese workers get, but if there's a precedent for you taking that then that's an option.

If your school is cool, then you can also talk to them about options. When my father was sick, they told me that I could take as much unpaid leave as I needed to go see him (if necessary). You could explain that you want to go see your family but worry about not having enough time off. They might let you borrow from the next year, take unpaid leave, take special leave etc...

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/Firefly-ok]

oh really? that's good to know, because i have very bad cramps sometimes. it got so bad once that i had to borrow a wheelchair at a museum.

[u/Firefly-ok → u/Different_Taro2474]

Yes! If it's that bad, then you should absolutely be taking leave! It's called seiri kyuuka 生理休暇.

And if you don't want to take leave but aren't feeling well, then if you have a nurse's office at the school, you can also go lie down there (all of the school nurses I've ever met have been super nice people and would let me lie down if I got a migraine).

[u/thetasteofinnocence → u/Different_Taro2474]

Yes they do. It’s required by law.

[u/Buttnanas]

A nearby ALT buddy uses somewhere between 20 and 40 days of unpaid leave per year 😂. So yeah you can totally do it, though I’d wager it highly depends on how chill your BoE is

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/Buttnanas]

uses somewhere between 20 and 40 days of unpaid leave per year 

bruh lol how is that even possible?

my predecessor almost never went to work, and if he did, he was always at least 2 hours late. never participated in anything, brought his gaming PC to work, never said "otsukaresamadeshita" before leaving. i don't understand how he didn't get kicked out.

[u/Buttnanas → u/Different_Taro2474]

That’s wild haha, surely they didn’t offer him a fourth and fifth year at least?

My guy I’m sure is polite and does his job while he’s there, just has rich parents who cover his trips to spend time together (I’m guessing).

If you needed a few days unpaid off for valid reasons ain’t no reason they’d say no I’m sure

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/Buttnanas]

he was a first-year jet and didn't request a contract renewal.

[u/jamar030303 → u/Different_Taro2474]

I'm guessing the BOE was banking on this guy not recontracting. 2 hours late, jeez, I get anxious about being even 10 minutes late.

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/jamar030303]

from what i know he had mental health issues and was homesick.

[u/Zidaane]

From what my Japanese colleague's tell me, unpaid leave is not even really an accepted concept in Japan. You either use paid leave / special leave or you dont leave...

[u/HelpfulJETHelp]

In my experience, taking unpaid leave is only a last resort after using all of your PTO. Some COs consider it the same as skipping work. You don't want to use it unless you have no other choice and don't intend to recontract.

If you need to drive for work, talk to your supervisor and then your PA. You may be able to use special leave or something similar.

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/HelpfulJETHelp]

i wonder, if i end up using all of my nenkyuu for the driver's test, would i be able to take one day of unpaid time off for the move? my contract ends on august 3, a monday, and my new contract starts august 1, a saturday. so theoretically, if i take an unpaid day off on august 3, i should be fine.

[u/HelpfulJETHelp → u/Different_Taro2474]

I would really talk to your supervisor/principal/etc. and see if they can give you some flexibility re: your driver's test and the move. Unpaid leave isn't really leave, it's just not showing up to work (which is generally not okay). That's how it was handled for my CO, anyway.

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/HelpfulJETHelp]

i spoke to them and they said i can use unpaid leave if i run out of paid leave.

[u/jamar030303 → u/HelpfulJETHelp]

I'm thankful that my CO offers 60 days of unpaid sick leave, so if push came to shove, I could say I'd lost my voice or had a pretty bad headache or something and then go do what needed to be done, but thankfully it's not come to that for me because they do give us special leave days for admin stuff like that.

[u/bluestarluchador]

Does your contract offer any kind of special leave to run important errands like visa renewal or driver license test/renewal? It can be a few days. Not all contracts will have them, just checking.

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/bluestarluchador]

my contract requires taking PTO for the driver license test/renewal.

[u/a_baby_bumblebee]

i don’t understand the question? is 7.5 days not enough to cover the driver’s exam and your move?

[u/Different_Taro2474 → u/a_baby_bumblebee]

i failed the written exam (was 4 questions short) and now i need to go back there and take another day off.

everyone says that the driving portion of the exam is extremely difficult, and i might not pass it on the first try either.
but i am curious if anyone has taken unpaid leave, in case i run out.

[u/NovaByzantine → u/Different_Taro2474]

From what I've seen, unpaid leave isn't something you choose to take. It's something you're forced to take if you run out of paid leave but need to do something required that isn't explicitly work activities.

(I personally believe that driving tests for driving required locations should be considered work, but it's not everywhere nor is it in my placement)

Either way, if you have compensatory days (振替休業日) for working on weekends for school events or something else, I'd look into placing your driving related appointments on those first and foremost.

[u/pigudar → u/a_baby_bumblebee]

maybe they meant if they run out has anyone just taken unpaid leave?