Fired for medical reasons?

[rhicks14]

Hello everyone,

I am a first year JET and enjoying my time here. I have just been recontracted.

I have been having some pretty odd medical problems in the past few months, and some of the symptoms are similar to a certain type of cancer.
Now, I have been visiting the doctor and they agreed the symptoms were strange, but after an ultrasound I was told nothing could be found and that we can just keep an eye on things.

My fear here is that in the event of a severe disease diagnosis that my BoE would try to lay me off and tell me to go 'home.'
This troubles me because I have no medical insurance in the US and they would basically be giving me a death sentence. I don't have a stable home to go home to and my parents barely scrape by themselves. Unless I am on the verge of death, I would like to continue working while having my disease treated here in Japan (afterall, what is the insurance they give us for?)

My caretaker knows about my medical situation and claims that with all of my nenkyu, sick leave, and special leave, I could potentially not work for 3 months before they could fire me. Still, I feel like with the budget crisis in my prefecture they will just try to kick me to the curb.

[teabot]

this seems like something you should probably be contacting your PA about. i'm not sure whether anyone else on the boards has had a similar experience or not, so the advice you receive may be limited in scope. i hope things start shaping up for you, though.

[EhimeDave]

Yes, as a contracted employee, you will certainly be dismissed from employment if you come down with an illness that renders you unable to perform your duties.

Whether or not this will result in loss of medical benefits or deportation is something I have no idea about and I think the right people to contact for that question will be at the Immigration Bureau of Japan.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/

[rhicks14]

First of all, getting cancer does not mean one is automatically unable to work. My dad worked and took chemotherapy every two weeks for about three months.
Dismissing someone just because of a diagnosis without giving them a chance to work and use their contractually apportioned medical/special leave mechanisms would be completely asinine, contracted employee or not.

Second of all, I have contacted my PA about this anonymously. He says the BoE is quite flexible about these things as other teachers sometimes get serious diseases at times. However he was more on the side that I should be getting this checked out regardless of if they fire me or not (I did get it checked). What he is not understanding is that getting fired = no insurance = no medicine.

Basically the point of this thread was to see if anyone here had ever heard of someone getting auto-canned for a severe diagnosis. I am sure that in over two decades of JET there has to be a case where someone got sick and was either allowed to continue working or was fired.

[EhimeDave]

It would be illegal for your BOE to fire you for medical reasons if you are able to continue working...however, you should really think about what happens around contract renewal time. I recommend looking into what options you have for continued medical care if you still need it when your contract term expires.

One last thing, you shouldn't compare your situation to those of other teachers. You are not a regular employee and will not be entitled to the same benefits they receive.

[Jen_KyotoPA]

I would definitely recommend contacting a legal counseling service if you want to know in more detail about your rights. You can try the Japan Legal Support Center, they have an English line: http://www.houterasu.or.jp/en/index.html　There's also a lot of local organizations -- I know we have one in Kyoto, if you contact your local international center, they should be able to let you know.

I've never heard of a JET being fired for getting ill, but I don't know of many cases of serious illness.

[AVN]

I know of a girl who is currently working in Tokyo, not as a JET but as a private teacher in an international school.
She has cancer, and her school has been nothing but supportive. She's been continuing to work when able.

[king]

I've heard a story of a guy who was in a pretty nasty accident within a few months of arriving in Japan and couldn't actually start working until well after christmas. They kept him on nonetheless despite him yet to have even proven himself and just being fresh off the plane.

As said speak to the PA but IMO things should work out- just think how awful the PR fallout would be if your worst fears are true and they sent you home with no insurance. It'd destroy the programme. I don't think your prefecture could get away with it even if they had it in them to try.

[Siyris]

Second of all, I have contacted my PA about this anonymously. He says the BoE is quite flexible about these things as other teachers sometimes get serious diseases at times. However he was more on the side that I should be getting this checked out regardless of if they fire me or not (I did get it checked). What he is not understanding is that getting fired = no insurance = no medicine.

Basically the point of this thread was to see if anyone here had ever heard of someone getting auto-canned for a severe diagnosis. I am sure that in over two decades of JET there has to be a case where someone got sick and was either allowed to continue working or was fired.

He may not have seemed understanding about the getting fired = no insurance.... but he is right about one thing: If the options are between living with an undiagnosed unmedicated illness and being diagnosed and knowing what medicine you need but not having the insurance... the safer bet is to go with being informed. Japan's health insurance is not paid for by your employer... it's paid for by you and by the government. Even people on 90 day tourist passes (not even visas) are able to receive low cost health-care in Japan. It wouldn't be a long term solution... but your health MUST come before worries about 'what if'. If you really are concerned about getting fired, and that resulting in no insurance, then try talking to your PA again, or to someone on the JET line. However, if you do have a serious illness and do not go to the doctor to find out, how is the result any different than going to the doctor and then being unable to pay for the medicine? Either way you are without the medicine.

[bittersweet]

we pay for unemployment insurance, if fired can't he/she take advantage of that system?

[pnksweater]

Yes. Unemployement is open to ex-JETs as well. Not that it would matter in a life or death situation like this, but by using unemployment you lose the ablilty to reclaim your pension payments once leaving Japan.

[Musashi]

Yes, as a contracted employee, you will certainly be dismissed from employment if you come down with an illness that renders you unable to perform your duties.

Whether or not this will result in loss of medical benefits or deportation is something I have no idea about and I think the right people to contact for that question will be at the Immigration Bureau of Japan.
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/

I agree. They would never fire an ALT over getting sick. But I doubt they'd re-contract. ALT's are still temp workers. I'd definitely have a plan B if you think you will need long term medical treatment.

[ness]

A couple of years ago I noticed a lump and I wanted to get it checked out. The only day the clinic had an English speaking doctor was a school day so I asked for the day off and told them why. It turned out to be nothing, but that same night one of the teachers emailed me and told me he was sorry to hear I was going home (to Australia) because I was sick. Talk about over reaction. That said I think if you got sick and wanted to stay then they would probably support your choice. Of course if you were unable to work for a long period of time then the position would have to be reconsidered at least at re-contracting time. Don't forget you have JET insurance which will help you out, but ultimately you have to cover the cost of your medical treatment that isn't covered. The most important thing at the moment is to not stress yourself out about a problem you might not have. If you are under the care of a doctor and had negative test results then lets hope there is nothing serious wrong. It is not common in Japan to seek a second medical opinion, but if you feel the need, just do it.

[number one]

+1 to both of the posts above

Be careful about letting anyone know something's wrong with you until you really believe/find out you need help. I've been feeling bad lately with what I now know is something entirely different (it's a temporary condition) than what people thought, but because of my unfamiliarity with the symptoms and the way it affected my body everyone suddenly thinks I'm stressed out. I swear teachers that haven't even looked in my direction before are asking about my condition, and teachers who openly dislike me are suddenly buddy-buddy. Despite my insistence that everything is fine and unchanged genki performance in class, I've openly been told, "we don't believe you". I'm sure it's just in being consistent with the idea that many Japanese things/ways are hard for foreigners, but it's still unpleasant. Once they get the idea that something is wrong with you, you can be in trouble, and yeah, if you cannot perform your duties (or if your BoE/PAs think you can't) then you may not be recontacted.

[Siyris]

+1 to both of the posts above

Be careful about letting anyone know something's wrong with you until you really believe/find out you need help. I've been feeling bad lately with what I now know is something entirely different (it's a temporary condition) than what people thought, but because of my unfamiliarity with the symptoms and the way it affected my body everyone suddenly thinks I'm stressed out. I swear teachers that haven't even looked in my direction before are asking about my condition, and teachers who openly dislike me are suddenly buddy-buddy. Despite my insistence that everything is fine and unchanged genki performance in class, I've openly been told, "we don't believe you". I'm sure it's just in being consistent with the idea that many Japanese things/ways are hard for foreigners, but it's still unpleasant. Once they get the idea that something is wrong with you, you can be in trouble, and yeah, if you cannot perform your duties (or if your BoE/PAs think you can't) then you may not be recontacted.

This sounds like a really.... negative... way to view things. I obviously don't know the situation, but when I was feeling like crap, my teachers noticed and asked if I was okay. When I am okay, they express sympathy for me not feeling great and offer me the chance to sleep in the nurses room or the library (which they offer to each other as well) or say that I can go home. While yes, they continue to ask if I'm okay even if I say I am... it's more out of actual concern than out of some view that the ALT is failing and therefore causing trouble.

The thing that's most important here is taking care of your own health though. Recontracting worries aside-- that is not the important priority.... what good does continuing to work do if you are sick and getting sicker without treatment just to keep a job? Taking care of yourself should come first.