is nova really that bad?

[july]

I've always wanted to live in japan, and now it seems that that's going to happen.

I plan on starting off my working life there at Nova(hey, we all gotta start somewhere, right?), but everyone says it's a terrible place to work. why is that? no one seems to give any reasons...

Honto...I really want to do this to avoid japan's inscrutable visa system, which i firmly believe is more complecated then evangelion.

 

[Brooker]

I worked for Nova and it's not great, but it's not as bad as everyone says. It's certainly a good way to get started in Japan and make good money to see the country with. But it's not a job you'd want to work forever. Sure, you'll hear a lot of horror stories, but usually people are happy with it. If you plan an staying in Japan for a long time, you might want to eventually move on to another company.

My only major complaint was the busy schedule. It's not difficult work, but there are many lessons in a day (eight) and not much time to prepare. I'd recommend trying to work in a small school. You can find them even in the big cities. The big flagship schools are more stressful because they're busier, there are more bosses there, and they're usually less casual.

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

 

[budd]

i watched the video at novaunion.org and most of them (ONE is DEFINITELY not included in that estimation huuuuuuu) seem unprofessional and goof-offs to begin with, who wouldn't succeed in america either

 

[july]

budd, is that person yourself?

I'm not really suprised that slacker-types end up at nova. It doesn't look terribly hard to get a job there.

Brooker, thanks for the info. I did have a couple other questions. How good are they at honoring your requests? Like, if i say "Hey, i want to work in Tokyo", is there a pretty good chance i'll get that? and what about time? if i say I can't work tuesday and thursday nights, is there a good chance that will happen, too?

Also, their application process seems a little weird, so just let me know if i've got this right. I would have to make a trip to their offices, attend a seminar that day, and go through an interview process after the seminar. is that right?

and finally, how long is it usually before you find out you have a job?

Thanks for your help, i might have a couple more questions tomorrow.

 

[budd]

naw it's that one fine girl that's talking! i was like "hey! you guys in the back need to shut up!!!" i know one of them jokas done tangled her up in a relationship, but she was definitely worth watching

"Like, if i say "Hey, i want to work in Tokyo", is there a pretty good chance i'll get that?"
no, doubt it. that is what one of the guys complains about i think

"and what about time? if i say I can't work tuesday and thursday nights, is there a good chance that will happen, too?"
no, ditto. another one complained about that too
then again, i ain't never did it, so i don't really know.
ttp://www.novaunion.com/
gl

 

[Elgin]

I went to the nova website (I hate flash) and I'm confused about how you qualify to be a teacher. From what I've seen they give you lessons before your departure but this can't be it you must have a degree right?

Also about the annual salary its from a approx range of 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 depending on which city your located. What I want to know is if this money is clear? As in after taxes, fees the whole deal.

 

[senseiman]

You need a minimum of a bachelor's degree (in any field) to get a visa to be an English teacher in Japan. NOVA and the other big four companies have their own company training programs which are pretty piss poor. The big companies also have to give you a minimum of 3,000,000 yen a year in order to sponsor your visa, so that is the starting salary at most schools.

 

[Brooker]

In response to your quesitons, July....

Nova honored all of my requests, but it took some time. I was first assigned to Shimizu Nova (in Shizuoka prefecture) and requested to move to Yokohama. It took a few months, but I eventually got transferred to Yokohama. Of the two, the smaller town was nicer and much friendlier. I would recommend not requesting a large city. As for days off, a lot of that can be worked out by trading with your coworkers. I was able to switch my days off, but, once again, it took time. Keep in mind, days off will always be consecutive and you won't get Sat & Sun because those are the busiest days when students want to come in. I was also able to switch to the early shift (which I preferred). The trick is to put your requests in way ahead of time. I did find that it was easy to get the vacation time I wanted as long as I did it in advance. If you're in good with your coworkers they'll even help you with some shift swaps.

The nearest Nova office to where I'm from (Seattle) is San Francisco (not close). Fortunately, the interviewer scheduled a trip to Seattle to interview me and some other applicants and I was able to do the interview here in town. I think I remember they showed a video and then did a brief interview. It really wasn't that big a deal. It is true that Nova will hire just about any native English speaker who has a B.A. On the other hand, I also interviewed with Geos - the interview took three days and included practice lessons and grammar tests, however I didn't like the teaching methods Geos uses.

Nova does have its share of slackers, but I met all kinds among my coworkers at Nova. Definately no shortage of interesting characters and all very nice. I really enjoyed getting to know and socializing with my coworkers.

I think I did my interview in November, got my answer a month or two later and arrived in Japan in March. Once you get your answer the time goes quickly because there are a lot of preparations to make (paperwork, visas, passport, buying cloths, etc.) before your departure.

The main thing is that if you go into it expecting it to suck, it will. I went into it expecting an adventure and thoroughly enjoyed my time in Japan. Although after teaching at Nova for 15 months, I was definitely ready for a change.

 

[july]

hey, that's cool. I live in seattle, too.

Personally, i don't think it would be a big deal to make the trip to San Fransisco.

Maybe NOVA has lower it's standards since you worked for them. I checked out their site that they only require 1 to 2 years of additional school after highschool.

And to get the Visa, you only need 12 years of school in the language you're going to teach.

Thanks for your help, Brooker.

 

[senseiman]

In order to get the specialist in Humanities/ International relations visa (which is what English conversation teachers get) you need a minimum of a bachelor's degree. NOVA also hires people already living in Japan on other kinds of visas (ie spouse) and they may be willing to hire those people even if they don't have a bachelor's degree. If they are hiring you in the states though, you would definitely need a minimum of a bachelor's degree to qualify.

 

[Porl]

My friend who is working in Kyushu for Nova seems to be enjoying it. From what i can gather you have alot of lessons to teach in one day. I think she said she has to do 8 a day or something. And sometimes the finishing times are quite late at night.

She seems to be having fun doing it though.

Porl''

 

[metqa]

For all the bad stuff that could, and will, happen, Nova is a great stepping stone. Yeah, they kinda are the "American Navy" of the English schools (they take anyone still breathing) but your coworkers will be an interesting blend. Requests don't mean much in the beginning, because so many people just use nova to get where they want and then jet (pun intended) but after a few months and a lot of asking you can usually get what you want. One cool thing is they do your taxes for you, and your salary is direct deposit into your bank account, so what you get is yours. (minus rent)
The bigger schools have bigger salary and more stress. And the best way to get alternate days off is to swap. On my last two months with nova I badgered the head teacher to let me change my work contract to three days off, but I had to take a pay cut and make up the hours on other days so as not to drop below minimum wage. I was a gaijin tightwad so I didnt' care, and I spend my extra day making day trips and climbing Mt Fuji in tennis shoes. (note: Do not climb Mt Fuji in tennis shoes, Your feet and knees will hate you and your friends will make fun of you afterwards. And don't let your coat fall down the mountain. No body will be a hero and retreive it for you.)

A bachelors degree is the minumum to get the humanities Visa. If you have a teaching certificate, you can get an extra $50 a week, But you'd better bring the proof with you because its not worth the expense and effort for some to get it securely mailed after you've arrived.

Just a warning. Don't panic about it but the training constists of one hour of brainstorming about how to use your imagination and the rest of the day toss you into an actual class with actual paying students who don't know it's your first day. One guy I was with freaked out, and left his students without saying a word 3 minutes into the class. But if you let the students know you are new, they will be nice, and it may even be hard to do a lesson because they will want to know all about you.
Gambate!

 

[Buddha Smoker]

Just a warning. Don't panic about it but the training constists of one hour of brainstorming about how to use your imagination and the rest of the day toss you into an actual class with actual paying students who don't know it's your first day. One guy I was with freaked out, and left his students without saying a word 3 minutes into the class. But if you let the students know you are new, they will be nice, and it may even be hard to do a lesson because they will want to know all about you.
Gambate!

I know someone that did that too. I couldn't stop laughing about it when he told me. He said that he totally was un-prepared and the night prior was a big party so he really freaked out and said, "Hi there and now Goodbye".

Believe it or not he still works there...he managed his way around it somehow but it was still worth the laugh.

 

[senseiman]

I had no idea NOVA training was that bad. At AEON they have 4 days of actual training in teaching techniques followed on the fifth day by an actual lesson that you have to teach to non-paying volunteers who know you are trainees. I think if they had thrown me into a class on my first day of 'training' I would have freaked out too. On the basis of that alone, I would recommend AEON, ECC, GEOS or JET over NOVA.

 

[Buddha Smoker]

I had no idea NOVA training was that bad. At AEON they have 4 days of actual training in teaching techniques followed on the fifth day by an actual lesson that you have to teach to non-paying volunteers who know you are trainees. I think if they had thrown me into a class on my first day of 'training' I would have freaked out too. On the basis of that alone, I would recommend AEON, ECC, GEOS or JET over NOVA.

I think alot of people prefer anything but NOVA. Don't get me wrong, I've heard a lot of good stories too but I think the bad ones outweigh the good.

 

[Ewok85]

I've heard bad stories from JET, NOVA, AEON (they sure like the capitals), GEON, high school and junior high school foriegn teachers. I've experienced some too. But I've heard good ones too. Its all how YOU take it and what you make of it. Put in the effort, get results, have a kikass time

 

[Shinpachi]

From what I've heard, it sounds like NOVA is suited for people who don't have any interest in teaching in Japan, and don't mind not using their brain all day. I was thinking about it for when I get my degree, but 8 hours without a real break sounds rough to me.

 

[Buddha Smoker]

From what I've heard, it sounds like NOVA is suited for people who don't have any interest in teaching in Japan, and don't mind not using their brain all day. I was thinking about it for when I get my degree, but 8 hours without a real break sounds rough to me.

Then what kind of job do you plan to get?

 

[Shinpachi]

Eheh... Guess I'm spoiled here with our laws on lunch breaks It seems like an easy way to get my feet in Japan to look for a real job though.

 

[Blue 3]

I was thinking about it for when I get my degree, but 8 hours without a real break sounds rough to me.

I couldn't find where you heard or read that. I am currently working for Nova and we do get a 1 hour break within the 8 hour day. What do you mean by a "real break"?

:?

 

[Buddha Smoker]

I couldn't find where you heard or read that. I am currently working for Nova and we do get a 1 hour break within the 8 hour day. What do you mean by a "real break"?

:?

See, I get to set my own schedule and some weeks consist of two days works and others consist of 4 days but I usually always get extra days off. Now talk about someone being spoiled...I am...I couldn't imagine not working the job I have now.

 

[Brooker]

Nova training is three days long and yes it is a pretty intense three days and doesn't give you much time to get your footing. You're not put in front of students on your first day. On your second day, they have you do a lesson introduction for real students and on your third day you're teaching entire lessons while being observed. I didn't feel ready when I was thrown in front of students (nobody does) but I learned from my mistakes and they're good about telling you that it's not that big a deal if you mess up and to just relax - which is a little hard to do at first, but I eventually figured out that if I totally messed up I could usually just kick back and chat with the students or get them involved in some group activity or something. So the training is very basic and kind of stressful, but it's not exactly rocket science either.

For more information about Nova, go to....
The Unbiased Truth About Nova

 

[jaxfu]

NOVA might be my best bet to go over for longer than a vacation and be able to support myself. But my real field is IT, Networking, System Management, etc. I wonder if there is much IT work for foreigners. I can teach computers and English!

Besides if you are not tied down at home and really interested in going to Japan for an adventure this sounds like a good way to go and work to support yourself. If you are rich I guess you wouldn't need to work. I say go for it and if after a year its not for you then that is OK to. But if it is REALLY not for you just keep that one-way ticket home in a safe place if you have to bug out early.

 

[Ewok85]

Jaxfu, there is demand but you need to be proficient in Japanese as well.

 

[jaxfu]

Jaxfu, there is demand but you need to be proficient in Japanese as well.

Working on it.