Thoughts on (overtime at) NOva

[Examination_Hell]

Now, I'd like to talk about
Overtime at NOva. It seems every week there are
Various faxes on the walls of every NOva branch
Asking if drones are available for some overtime

Suckers, is all I can say. I can think of nothing worse;
Up and drag yourself out of bed, u have to work on your day off
Catch the train to this branch "that really needs you"
Kip on the train and you might arrived a little more "refreshed"
Step into the branch, and think, "Why am I here?"

Bell rings and the first class begins
Ignore the tirade of bad English from the other side of the table,
Going home is all you can think about

Testing times, schedule change, you get all the asshole students
Ignoring protests, you get them because 砥r being paid more."
Mind numbing, repetitive, thank goodness for "auto pilot"
Escape, and swear "never again"


Cheers,

EH

[Melodious_Thunk]

That's good. You'd better hope no one with a giant avatar posts and wrecks it.

[nigerian_nampa]

Nice piece, Examination_Hell. I haven't worked a day of overtime in my 20 months in Japan. Never never never never. I do some prep on my own time, but I can do that whenever I want. My days off are mine-all-mine.

That's interesting...I always wondered exactly why the staff fucked me on the schedule whenever I did help shifts (as opposed to overtime) at other branches. You think they justify it by our overtime pay rate? I was always getting paid base rate, but got all the shit classes while the other teachers got free periods.

[senseiman]

Nice one.

Working overtime at AEON was a big scam too, they never paid the overtime rates. We would get those same faxes asking for help at such and such a school which was usually a couple hours commute away. They only offered an extra regular days pay, I can't imagine what kind of idiot would actually take them up on that offer.

[Udderlymoo]

They just feed on the endless stream of new meat that keeps showing up no matter how many warnings you post on the internet.

I did over-time once for NOVA. Took the mandatory 1 hour train ride and then a bonus 33 minute walk from the station. Showed up in a shirt, tie and sneakers (dress shoes in my work bag). 5 seconds after my arrival the A.T. sunk her teeth into my ass over proper attire for 5 minutes. "Whatever" I thought. At the end of the day she thanked me for my help, and told me what a great job I did and then asked me to come back next week...
I sunk my teeth into her ass.
Never worked Nova-time again.

[allblacks]

I have a question for the Nova teachers...

Someone told me that you can get 18000 yen for a days overtime at Nova. Is that true?

AB's

[Jet_Mech]

I have a question for the Nova teachers...

Someone told me that you can get 18000 yen for a days overtime at Nova. Is that true?

AB's

18,400 yen to be exact, but that was in days of old. It's calculated differently now. A person with a large base pay may make slightly more, and a newbie with a base pay of 210,000 yen/month would make less.

It's worth noting that OT at Nova has essentially dried up. The only time they will grant it (tight bastards!) is in a dire emergency, at least in my area that is.

[nigerian_nampa]

Unpaid days off are granted at the discretion of the Assistant Area Manager. I asked for 5 unpaid days so that I could travel home to Canada, and my AAM denied them. He said that I have to do shift swaps instead, so I did five 6-day work weeks in a row...all because FAT-ASS RANDY (how's America treating you?) didn't want to get off his ass and try to cover my days off.

[Smurfette]

Unpaid days off are granted at the discretion of the Assistant Area Manager. I asked for 5 unpaid days so that I could travel home to Canada, and my AAM denied them. He said that I have to do shift swaps instead, so I did five 6-day work weeks in a row...all because FAT-ASS RANDY (how's America treating you?) didn't want to get off his ass and try to cover my days off.

Why didn't you ask for your paid vacation days? Had you already used them? I could not imagine working five 6-day workweeks in a row at any eikaiwa.

[Examination_Hell]

That's interesting...I always wondered exactly why the staff fucked me on the schedule whenever I did help shifts (as opposed to overtime) at other branches. You think they justify it by our overtime pay rate? I was always getting paid base rate, but got all the shit classes while the other teachers got free periods.

The first time I did overtime (only ever did it three times in my time there), I got a really shitty schedule. I commented about it when I got back to my home branch the following week and was told that I got the crap schedule because "you're being paid more"

Thoughts were, "hang on, I'm being paid more because I'm working on my day off." But it would've been no use.

I was told this by the titled teacher who later on became AAM of the area. They justify because teachers who do OT are getting more.

EH

[Examination_Hell]

18,400 yen to be exact, but that was in days of old. It's calculated differently now. A person with a large base pay may make slightly more, and a newbie with a base pay of 210,000 yen/month would make less.

It's worth noting that OT at Nova has essentially dried up. The only time they will grant it (tight bastards!) is in a dire emergency, at least in my area that is.

As JM says, it used to be 2,300 yen per lesson. So an 8 lesson day pays 18,400 yen.

Now they calculate it all on your "base pay".

Work the first day of your two days off and you're paid 125% of what you normally make per lesson, work your second day off (and therefore have no days off this week) they pay you 130% of what you'd normally make per lesson.

Someone who has just started would make less that the old 2300 yen per lesson. Someone who has been there a while would make a bit more.
But ask your self, how many teachers have been there "a while" compared to those who have been there under a year?

Also type B and type C teachers would not be eligible for the 125% and 130% OT rates because they only work 4 or 5 lessons a day not 8.

These figures are in the current instructors contract. Perhaps someone who is employed at NOva still can give us the exact figures on OT and what type B and C teachers get when it comes to OT?

EH

[plaid_knight]

Dogdays is right. I wish I had
taken one unpaid a month for a long
weekend, which I could have used
to travel more. I also should have hung
out more with the students after class.

:

[Thanatos'_enbalmed_botfly]

Also type B and type C teachers would not be eligible for the 125% and 130% OT rates

Something vaguely unsettling about discriminating against teachers based on their blood type.

[Ziggy]

FAT-ASS RANDY (how's America treating you?) didn't want to get off his ass and try to cover my days off.

What is it with all AAM's being fat ass slobs?

[Ziggy]

That discretion is the one thing I ignored after a first big mistake. I just called in sick and said that I would be sick for X amount of days.

If you plan to do this never ask for the days off in advance. If you do Nova will use that in a witch hunt against you.

[nigerian_nampa]

Well, without wanking off too much let me say that for the first 8 months of my Nova stint I was the ideal employee. I did everything they expected and more, never caused any problems, and took the job seriously. The turning point was when I asked for my holidays in the summer.

I had already used some of my paid vacation days, so I asked for five unpaid days to augment my stay in Canada. Well, not only did the AAM reject my request for the unpaid days, he also sent my paid holiday request (including shift swap details) back to me and made up some bullshit clerical excuse that he couldn't process it so I would have to send it again. I sent it again the next morning and SURPRISE, the cunt was on vacation for a month, so my paid holiday request just sat in a pile of papers for a month while I wondered if I would be allowed to go home or not. The guy just couldn't be fucked to process my request on his last day before his vacation.

When he came back he rejected my request because it was now too late, he said. All because he was off eating cheeseburgers for month. One of my AT's (who was a really cool guy) intervened and saved my vacation. But I told myself that even if it wasn't approved, I was going home...I would just lie through my teeth about the circumstances.

But after that, I declared war in much the way that dogdays suggested. Sick days became my only weapon to defend my dignity. I called in sick whenever I felt like it after that, which wasn't that often but usually twice a month. I always used the exact same excuse: "I'm so exhausted that I'm throwing up". During my last couple weeks, I called in sick two days in a row and took an extended weekend in Tokyo. If I had stayed another full year I would have just called in sick several days in a row rather than ask for unpaid days.

[zugzwang]

can't believe people still work there at all

[Ziggy]

he also sent my paid holiday request (including shift swap details) back to me and made up some bullshit clerical excuse that he couldn't process it so I would have to send it again. I sent it again the next morning and SURPRISE, the cunt was on vacation for a month, so my paid holiday request just sat in a pile of papers for a month while I wondered if I would be allowed to go home or not. The guy just couldn't be fucked to process my request on his last day before his vacation.

When he came back he rejected my request because it was now too late, he said.

Just so you know by law a company has to give you your paid holidays after six months work if you request them. It's the law. This fat blob AAM Randy took advantage of the fact you didn't know this. I know it's hindsight but keep it in mind if something like this ever happens to you again or somebody you know.

Go to the general union webpage for more info... http://www.generalunion.org

[Ziggy]

Hey, a paycheck is a paycheck. I don't work at NOVA, but if the bills were piling up and things were not going as planned it's more money than sitting at home thinking about what to do. I'd rather work at the post office here, but I can't do that yet.

True enough. We all need to pay bills.

[Melodious_Thunk]

I called in sick whenever I felt like it after that, which wasn't that often but usually twice a month. I always used the exact same excuse: "I'm so exhausted that I'm throwing up". During my last couple weeks, I called in sick two days in a row and took an extended weekend in Tokyo. If I had stayed another full year I would have just called in sick several days in a row rather than ask for unpaid days.

There you have it. I used to do the same thing. Feel like a day off? Don't ask for one; call in sick. That's the great thing about working a job in which you are an interchangeable cog. I called in sick several times just to watch NBA playoffs when Jordan and Co. were making their second three-peat. I called in sick when the weather was nice and went to an amusement park with a girlfriend. You lose about 14,000 yen per day, but you can make that back up by teaching no more than a couple private lessons.

Getting back to the original topic, working overtime at Nova is for suckers. Pretty much any other work will pay more, so why not find some of that? I always refused to work overtime. Plus I reduced my hours and called in sick a bunch.

Screw overtime; work undertime.

[Examination_Hell]

Well, without wanking off too much let me say that for the first 8 months of my Nova stint I was the ideal employee. I did everything they expected and more, never caused any problems, and took the job seriously
.
.
.
or not. The guy just couldn't be fucked to process my request on his last day before his vacation.
.
.
.
But after that, I declared war in much the way that dogdays suggested. Sick days became my only weapon to defend my dignity. I called in sick whenever I felt like it after that, which wasn't that often but usually twice a month. I always used the exact same excuse: "I'm so exhausted that I'm throwing up".

And there you have it folks, an employee who tires his best, follows the rules and gets shafted over a simple request!
No wonder instructors are jumping ship so often.

Hey NOva, treat people fairly and with respect and you'll find your instructor retention rate start to increase. Or is that too difficult?

To foreign personnel reading this, it seems that your bully boy AAMs are the causes of instructor friction, time to retrain them I think.

EH

[Examination_Hell]

You lose about 14,000 yen per day, but you can make that back up by teaching no more than a couple private lessons.

BAck when OT was a flat 2,300 yen, Want a day off and you know your nazi aam isn't gonna give you one, take a sick day. Loose 14,000 yen and make it up (and more) later in the month with 8 lessons of overtime spread over a few days.

EH

[Jet_Mech]

I don't know. I really didn't mind doing OT at Nova, as long as it wasn't at my home school of course. To me it was damn easy money. You go there, switch to autopilot, do your favorite lessons (the ones you can perform in your sleep) and then get the hell outta there 18,400 yen richer. I thought of it as nothing more than a mutual use, my time and their money.

[Jet_Mech]

NOVA AAM's are the absolute pits usually. It's really sad. Being a manager is tough job and a minority of people are suited for such positions. The process at NOVA, which weeds out decent regular folks, leaves a candidate pool of rather strange people. No wonder the head office thinks so poorly of non-Japanese folks!!! With the asswipes and thieves at the top of the non-Japanese side of things what the hell must the Japanese people who work there think of the people on the ground? Well, I know the answer to that. I worked at NOVA.

I guy at my school came up with an acronym for those folks. It is LBH, "Losers Back Home."

[KaraokeFiend]

Nice. There's enough material here to make a pretty F'd-up movie. What would it be called, though? Losers' Paradise? ...doesn't quite have that ring to it...

-KaraokeFiend

[Jet_Mech]

You're absolutely right DD, but at least over hear they can wear suits and look, feel and act important which might just help to feed their low self-esteemes. Back home the majority of 'em couldn't land a job at a dog food factory.

[Jet_Mech]

While we're on the subject of AAMs, here's a little something I copied word-for-word from NTU. An AAM actually DID write this ....

"This is to inform instructors not to come to branches on the branch cleaning day, 27 December, 2001. The last working day for instructors is Wednesday, 26 December.

In the past some instructors have attended the staff ceremony. Due to a change in venue it will no longer be possible for instructors to attend. As a result the staff ceremony on Thursday, 27 December is for Japanese branch staff only.

If you have any questions at all about the last working day and the opening day please direct them to your Assistant Area Manager."

Well now ... it sounds to me as if he wanted all the J-staff pussy for himself. Pretty effective way of eliminating the competition, isn't it?

[ex_osaka]

In my 2 years at NOVA I never once worked ovetime or did any shift swap crap. If I needed time off I called in sick, before the specified time period of course. I used to take great delight in inventing health problems to tell those nosy f**kers in Foreign Personnel, 'profuse rectal bleeding' was one of my better ones...

The other drones thought I was weird for always following my schedule but my thinking on the matter was that I was never going to spend more than 5 consecutive days in NOVA and that every day off I had came in batches of two (sometimes three). There are plenty of jobs back home where you can work long hours and get paid equally as much so why haul ass to Japan to spend all your time working?? Japan is a great country but not when seen from the inside of a NOVA booth.

[Jet_Mech]

We had a guy that called in sick so that he wouldn't miss the reggae "Sun Splash" concert one year; the AAM wouldn't let him take the day unpaid. Well, needless to say, he came to work the next day burnt to a crisp, pussy and crusty blisters and all. They asked him how he could've gotten sunburned if he was supposedly laid up sick in bed. He said that he had felt poorly at home, so he went to the park to lie there. Nova bought it. Nothing more was said.

[duma]

I'd rather work at the post office here, but I can't do that yet.

The post office looks like a cushy number. Whenever I'm there and there's about 100 other people in the queue ahead of me the staff seem in no hurry at all. Their pace of work seems very relaxed compared to me entertaining snotty-nosed little kids. Then when my turn is getting close, two of the staff invariably close their counters, to go off for a tea break, no doubt. Nice job if you can get it.