Nova Article: Please Help

[Brooker]

It seems a lot of people here are interested in information about Nova. As a former Nova employee, I have information to share, and would like to organize some of that information into an article that may be posted on this site. I plan on writing a very honest and unbiased article about the good and bad points of the company.

I'd like to know what kind of information would interest you, such as your questions, concerns, rumors you've heard, etc. Even if you have no interest in working for Nova, what might you want to know if you did?

Thank-you for your assistance.

 

[limiko04]

Okay, I'll start the list. First, do you have time for a life? I play ball, or like to. I'd love to get on a team of some sort if the opportunity came up. Second, If I can't get on a team, I'd like to learn Japanese or Chinese. Japanese was my language in College, but if you don't use it, you lose it. I know this because I also went to high school in Yokosuka and forgot most of what I knew then too. Third, finances, Nova would like us to believe that it is possible to save $1,000 mo while we work there. I have considerable gov't loans for school to pay back. Also, I believe that I may have better financial opportunities in the short term here, but if I can gain a much better control of Japanese, my long term opportunities could be much better. Fourth, I absolutely loved Japan when I lived there before. I have this impression that working for Nova will be like working as a language "pump" and think I might prefer to teach English in a local school somewhere. Any comment?

 

[senseiman]

I think it is definitely possible to save 1,000 dollars US a month on a NOVA salary. I haven't worked there, but I have worked for AEON, which pays about the same and I was able to save 100,000 yen a month without living like a hermit. The only difference (from what I've heard) is that NOVA charges a lot more for their accomodations than AEON does, so that is something to consider.

NOVA has a very bad reputation in terms of giving time off to employees. They are the only big English school in Japan that does NOT give their employees days off on national holidays. Its kind of difficult to get involved in certain club and team activities when working at an Eikaiwa because of the hours. All schools stay open until at least 9PM because that is when most people take lessons.

Learning Japanese is also problematic when working for a big English school like NOVA because you have to speak English during your entire working day. Some schools (don't know if NOVA is one) specifically ban their teachers from speaking Japanese during work hours. NOVA also bans all its foreign employees from any interaction with students outside of the classroom, which cuts you off from what for many teachers would be their best chance to practice Japanese. NOVA is the only major English school to ban teacher/student socialization. This is actually an extremely racist policy as it applies only to foreigners working for NOVA and not the Japanese staff.

Hope that helps.

 

[Brooker]

limiko04 wrote....

First, do you have time for a life?

Nova's work week is pretty much the same as any other job - about 40 hours a week. In my free time I took several Japanese language classes and did language exchanges, traveled around Japan on my days off, socialized often with my coworkers, and took a trip to Thailand over Christmas. Other teachers I knew joined gyms, an orchestra, soccer teams, etc.

As for saving money, I made no attempt to do so while I was in Japan, but I know other teachers who were able to. I kind of didn't envy the people who were trying to save money because they were (of course) much more careful about the activities (or lack there of) they chose to do. I wanted to experience Japan, so saving money was not a priority for me. It is possible to save money while working at Nova, but there are probably much better ways to save money if it's a big priority for you.

I have this impression that working for Nova will be like working as a language "pump" and think I might prefer to teach English in a local school somewhere. Any comment?

This is true. Working at Nova does sometimes feel like "fast food English". I enjoyed my interaction with the students, but if a rewarding teaching experience is a high priority for you, a small school/company might be more your thing.

I accepted Nova for what it was - for me, a way to make money while I was experiencing Japan, not a job I was planning on making a career out of. If you do want to go further in the teaching biz, Nova is a good way to get started, get your visa, then move on to something else. For anyone applying to schools from outside Japan, getting a job at a small school can be quite difficult and getting into Nova isn't.

if I can gain a much better control of Japanese, my long term opportunities could be much better.

I went to Japan thinking that teaching English might possibly lead me to other things (more teaching, foreign diplomacy, international business, etc.). But I found that, although there are many opportunities to teach English in Japan, there didn't seem to be very many other opportunities for foreigners even if you do speak good Japanese.

senseiman wrote....

NOVA has a very bad reputation in terms of giving time off to employees. They are the only big English school in Japan that does NOT give their employees days off on national holidays.

It's true that you don't get national holidays off, but I never had any problem taking time off at other times. But I did hear about other small private schools that gave unbelieveable amounts of vacation time.

Some schools (don't know if NOVA is one) specifically ban their teachers from speaking Japanese during work hours. NOVA also bans all its foreign employees from any interaction with students outside of the classroom, which cuts you off from what for many teachers would be their best chance to practice Japanese. NOVA is the only major English school to ban teacher/student socialization. This is actually an extremely racist policy as it applies only to foreigners working for NOVA and not the Japanese staff.

Yes, Nova teachers aren't allowed to speak Japanese in class. And yes, Nova teachers aren't allowed to socialize with students (although many do). I don't really think this is a "racist" policy. Sure there were times I wished I could socialize with students, but I kind of understood the wisdom in the policy. I knew of teachers at other schools who treated the classes like their own personal dating service and it led to all kinds of problems. By doing language exchanges, hanging out with the Japanese Nova staff, etc. I did get a chance to socialize with Japanese people.

In regards to the article I plan to write.....
What main points do you think it should focus on?

 

[senseiman]

senseiman wrote....


It's true that you don't get national holidays off, but I never had any problem taking time off at other times. But I did hear about other small private schools that gave unbelieveable amounts of vacation time.

Yeah, I've worked a few schools and NOVA is the only one I've heard of that doesn't give the national holidays. How many paid days off do they give? I know at GEOS and AEON you get 10 days off plus national holidays, which are about another 15 days including two one-week breaks at new year and golden week. ECC is said to be the most generous in holiday time.

Yes, Nova teachers aren't allowed to speak Japanese in class. And yes, Nova teachers aren't allowed to socialize with students (although many do). I don't really think this is a "racist" policy. Sure there were times I wished I could socialize with students, but I kind of understood the wisdom in the policy. I knew of teachers at other schools who treated the classes like their own personal dating service and it led to all kinds of problems. By doing language exchanges, hanging out with the Japanese Nova staff, etc. I did get a chance to socialize with Japanese people.

I've never understood NOVA's no-socialization policy. No other school has it and the number of 'problem' teachers who date students is generally low enough that it isn't a major issue. Besides, its not like the policy is going to stop these creeps from sleeping with students anyway. Its also bad business practice, at AEON they advertise the fact that students can socialize with teachers as one of their big selling points which NOVA doesn't offer. Other schools organize parties and other social events for students and teachers to attend, and it really is to the benefit of everyone involved. Students can practice their English more and teachers can make new friends and learn more about Japanese culture.

I say it is racist (extremely racist) because it only applies to foreign employees. Japanese employees aren't subject to it. The implicit assumption is that only foreigners are capable of, shall we say 'problematic' behaviour. I find this extremely insulting, not to mention completely wrong. In the 2 years I worked at AEON, I had 5 foreign male co-workers and there was never a problem with any of us dating or sleeping with students. But there was a male Japanese assistant manager who was just leacherous in the way he chased after the younger members of the female student body. He still works there and only last month I met one of my ex students - an 18 year old who only graduated from high school last month - who was propositioned by him. If we were NOVA employees, me and my five great co-workers would have been banned from interaction with students, but this perverted creep would have still had free-reign to chase all the young girlshe wanted. From my experience, this sort of no-foreigner socialization policy is just plain stupid and wrong.

In regards to the article I plan to write.....
What main points do you think it should focus on?

I think you should probably focus on what teaching the student's is like, as that is the biggest part of the job. Also, I imagine people thinking of working for NOVA would be interested in what the regular, daily life of a teacher is like. Also maybe a bit about the eikaiwa industry in general.

Sounds like a nice idea for an article!

 

[Buddha Smoker]

I accepted Nova for what it was - for me, a way to make money while I was experiencing Japan, not a job I was planning on making a career out of. If you do want to go further in the teaching biz, Nova is a good way to get started, get your visa, then move on to something else. For anyone applying to schools from outside Japan, getting a job at a small school can be quite difficult and getting into Nova isn't.

Also, one point that I would like to add....is that it can be much easier to even get a job at the bigger English companies from outside of Japan for the simple fact that they like fresh meat for the grinder. They actually prefer people to not have any familiarity with Japanese language & culture (so a good tip is to play dumb about knowing about Japan, etc..but extremely interested). If you find your way to Japan by other means and try to apply for an English job then sometimes you find difficulty, but you might get a job at a smaller place but they may not offer visas/ or less pay.

I went to Japan thinking that teaching English might possibly lead me to other things (more teaching, foreign diplomacy, international business, etc.). But I found that, although there are many opportunities to teach English in Japan, there didn't seem to be very many other opportunities for foreigners even if you do speak good Japanese.

This is so true by so many means.....please don't fall victim to this very common ploy. 10 to 15 years ago it was very easy to establish connections and lead to other careers but now...it is complete opposite mainly because of the amount of English teachers in Japan.

This kind of reminds me of a small story. When I went to take the Japanese language proficiency test a while back, there were tons of people there from all over the world and when there were breaks/lunch, etc... I chatted with alot of people. Everybody was asking..."So, what kind of job are you working?" or even better "Where are you teaching English at?" Alot of them answered here, there, etc.. and everybody would just talk about their various experiences or give advice for those switching companies. So, when I told everybody that I sell beef, etc (my detail of my job is in my journal but the point is that I wasn't teaching English).. then it seemed everybody in earshot distance shot over to me and started asking...."How did you get that job?" or "Can I get a job like that too?" or "Can you help me get into it?"... I mean literally hundreds of people were asking me and my name spread like wild-fire. On my way home or the others that happen to be going my way, I got questioned and questioned....it really opened my eyes about the English Teaching career in Japan.