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My school won't let me take nenkyuu (paid leave) during term time/ won't let me miss the opening/closing ceremony. Can you make them give me the time off?
Unfortunately no, we can't. Your contract states that you can take your nenkyuu as long as it doesn't interfere with the running of the school. This includes missing classes during term time, and also missing either or both of the opening/closing ceremonies. You may also find that they've scheduled some kind of summer English camp that they want you to attend.
Schools here are very autonomous and we cannot tell them what to do. We can act as a mediation service however, and talk to your school, putting your case forward for you. Often you can help yourself before we get involved by just pointing out the reasons why you need to leave at the time you do. Do the flights get super expensive 2 days later? Print out the information and show them. If it's a case of missing opening/closing ceremonies being the issue, check with your friends. Are they being allowed to leave a little early? Talk to your school and tell them that often other ALTs are allowed to miss these ceremonies. Ask them why they feel you need to be there.
At the end of the day, if your school is adamant that you do not take the time off, you're just going to have to go with it. They are the ones who employ you, and you have to remember that you're working in the Japanese system now, and if you want to be taken seriously as a teacher here you need to follow the way they work to some degree. You can't push for special treatment in some areas and then want to be "normal" in others if Japanese teachers aren't allowed to do the same. It's worth remembering that your relationship with your school may suffer if you're very pushy when it comes to matters like this, so sometimes it's better just to step back and avoid making things worse for yourself in the long run.