The Oct. 27 editorial, "Part-time all the time," suggested that today's drastic shift in Japan's hiring system -- from permanent to part-time employment -- causes employees to worry that they'll never escape the cycle of low wages. I agree, but the disadvantages of part-time workers should be emphasized more.
Since a part-time job is easy to start, easy to learn and easy to leave, I would say that we should expect nothing other than the money from it. If, during this time, we concentrate on pouring our energies into ourselves, the benefits will be many times greater than the money.
For example, I work at a cram school as a part-time teacher -- mainly for the money -- and I plan to be a teacher after graduating from university. Although I was really happy and felt proud when my students passed their entrance exams, I can have the same experience as a full-timer after graduation -- along with the bonuses, paid holidays and insurance.
Yet it seems that some companies seek to take advantage of our sense of achievement on the job because they are benefiting from the newfound flexibility with part-timers. We shouldn't be lured by their bait.
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