You are here
The HMS NOVA Sinks Some More
Nova is quickly becoming the debacle that keeps on festering. The Asahi Shimbun is reporting a leak from a Nova meeting in which Sahashi was told that they didn't have enough instructors. Sahashi's reply: "If sales are low, we can't increase the number of instructors no matter how many students there are."
From this statement you could infer that Nova was selling lessons that it knew it couldn't provide. This is pretty bad.
An email from a reader adds a few more comments on an article in the Yomiuri that doesn't seem to be online:
As I expected Nova would have a tough time making it through the six-month sanction, I thought of that when I read about the sale of property in Osaka -- they're trying to get out in front of the looming cash crunch. But it's much worse than that. According to the Yomiuri, heaps of students are canceling their contracts, and Nova needs to sell the property to pay for the refunds!! The piece also cast doubt on the possibility of a merger, noting that companies will be hesitant to throw their lot in with Sahashi, as Nova's "one man operation" (ワンマン体制) is connected with the company's problems.
It's only been a few days since this story broke and it's looking more and more that Nova isn't going to survive the next six months.
- Shawn's blog
- Log in or to post comments
Comments
I'm not happy to say this,
I'm not happy to say this, but I think I may be one of the first beneficiaries of the downfall of Nova ... I'm a freelance teacher with my own little school that I run in my spare room, and today four "kengaku" students (who had been deliberating about whether to take private lessons with me, or cheaper group ones with the local branch of Nova) contacted me and asked, "when can we start?"
What would really be the best thing for Nova teachers to do right now? Hold tight and wait for it to pass, or jump ship?
I really do feel sorry for them.
I am currently preparing to head over to Osaka on July 17th to work at the multimedia centre and this appears to be very worrying indeed. I have just rang my local Nova recruitment office and their take on this is slightly different. I have been assured that I should not worry for my job, and that the situation is not as bad as I read it. As for the worst case scenario (bankrupcy), it has not been thought of and no plans are in place for the teachers. This is slightly reassuring that Nova are not yet looking at bankrupcy and so I had might as well carry on and fly out on July 17th. I will, however, be watching this very closley.
Don't Trust Nova
Danjamin, regarding your post "A New Nova Teacher", you should not really put any faith in what the recruiting office tells you. Nova has been found guilty of lying to the students and teachers on numerous occasions. Why would your situation be any different?
Nova schools are now a wreck. Broken air conditioners, windows, lack of running water in parts of their branches. Some teachers have had to resort to bringing their own paper and pens to write with from home, because Nova refused to supply it saying that they were cutting costs. Does that sound like a professional outfit?
Recently, Nova has apparently stopped all of their advertising in trains and train stations in the Tokyo area. It seems they don't have enough money to even advertise. Teachers finally got paid only after frantic phone calls and complaints that we had not been paid on time. Some teachers were considering walking off the job right then and there. General morale is at an all-time low.
The fact is, Nova of course will not admit to facing bankruptcy, until the very last minute they are driven under. Over 100 hundred schools have already closed according to the Asahi Shimbun and more are closing every day. The Daily Yomiuri, another major newspaper here in Japan, has analyzed Nova's financial situation and said that it is not survivable. The company is so far in debt that it looks unlikely to be bought by another company because Nova has so few assets left worth buying. The president of the company is already rich so he has nothing to lose and refuses to step down out of stubbornness. It is the teachers on the bottom of the totem pole, like yourself, that will face all the hardship if the company goes under.
I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but coming to Japan costs a lot of money. There is a very good chance that you could come over here, and after trying to survive for the first six weeks until your first paycheck, come to find out that Nova can no longer pay its teachers, leaving you deep in debt and far from home. Is that a risk you are willing to take?
At the very least, bring several thousand dollars more than you were planning to bring, in case the company goes under. Good luck to you. Just like most of my coworkers, I am quitting Nova, before the whole company goes under. As Shawn suggested, the ship is indeed, sinking fast.
Lucia, Don't be too unhappy.
Lucia,
Don't be too unhappy. You stand to gain from this not only financially, but you also in the satisfaction of delivering a better product (I hope) and helping someone learn a second language.
I also wouldn't mourn the fate of Nova, either. Don't forget that they have systematically bilked the government and consumers of their money. Nova has been exposed for the Ponzi scheme it is.
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. -Albert Einstein
Shawn
Hmm
Thanks for your reply. Your information has certainly made me think even harder about the decision I am forced to make. The way I see it is this: I can either stay here at home (in the UK, not USA) and try to find a teaching job for either another Japanese company or another Country alltogether. Or to go to Japan and work for a company that is getting a hell of alot of bad press at the minute and hope everything turns out ok, which they seem to think will happen. I think I will ring the British consulate for some advice. Any more advice from people in Japan would certainly help as well though. After all you guys are getting front seat views of what is happening.....
It is hard a decision you are facing indeed. One thing that strikes me is that people do love to express their opinions with such conviction to say the least. First, I have to quickly say that if you've seen the vidcast from an ex-nova instructor on you tube, I actually disagree with a lot of what she has to say. My experiences have been completely different, e.g. we are now very much encouraged to be creative in lessons. I think it's just very important to realise that people do have very different experiences with Nova depending on when they worked for Nova, what kind of person they are, what their expectations were, and where they happened to be placed and with who. I personally think that we can do nothing but speculate about the fate of Nova at this stage. There's no denying that it would probably be better to come with a different company now, but if you are all set to come, then just make sure you come with an open mind and be prepared to change companies when you're here if that's what it comes to. As for me and the people I work with, it really is business as usual and I am yet to know someone who has quit Nova in light of the recent developments. Good luck!
Danjamin, as a person who is actually working here, now for about 6 months, you have less to worry about, then you think. NOVA is bringing over 800 new teachers before September. I've researched business plenty. And a business of this calibur doesn't go down over night. Ethically in NOVA you won't be messed with. (I.E. laid off, no pay, screwed over...) Especially in this situation because the government won't allow it. Large companies are always leeched from by the govenment and vice-versa, but they aren't eliminated because too much cash flow goes through the business. Were there complaints? Yes, because NOVA has very little business common sense. Hence, METI was tired of hearing them, so they punched NOVA in the arm (instead of the usual slap in the wrist). Will they drive bomb to nothingness in a year? Most likely not, they've been losing money for years now and still have kept steady.
To be warned though, the conditions do suck depending on the branch, but you'll be paid for the easiest work, as well as be set up with the usual sparce fixins. So, don't worry too much...I'd say worry 10%, that they'll close and leave you for broke. If that's too much for you then don't come. If it isn't, then I'm sure you'll have the same Japanese time as everybody else.
Coming to Japan
I am a 33 year old Irish guy with a japanese wife and two very young children. I am eligable for a spouse visa. I want to come to japan and teach. I have a diploma in TEFL teaching with i-to-i and a diploma in graphic design.But no degree at all. I have about a ten thousand euro to bring over with me. Is it good time to come over? I have a phone interview with Joytalk..are they a good school? I have experience in factories and graphics/print companies. I have very little japanese though. Am i mad to come?
I would say you seem to have things in order: a visa and job lined up, TEFL diploma, and cash in hand. I think with the spouse visa, your lack of a university degree will be less of an issue. Your biggest problem may be finding a decent school to work for. There are countless smaller schools aside from the major ones and finding out whether they are good or not seems to depend on word of mouth. Don't worry about your Japanese. You can work on that when you arrive in Japan.
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. -Albert Einstein
Shawn
800 new teachers? That seems a very stupid thing to do given the bad press coverage they have had and the mass walkout by students... They are not going to get the students back in numbers anytime soon
And to say that you wont get screwed over in nova???? Nova has a nice rep for doing just that!
A couple of things about the NOVA postings. TIJ = This is Japan and TICJ = This is Corporate Japan. Understanding this will make the rest easier to understand.
Did I say four students? Make that eight. Eight new students have signed up with me in the last couple of weeks, which is unprecedented - normally I'm lucky to get eight in six months. *All* of them mentioned Nova, and not in a good way. Several of them had been having lessons with a moonlighting Nova teacher (they weren't actually signed up with Nova, just with a Nova teacher who was giving private lessons on the side) and decided to dump him in favour of me, simply because they didn't like the 'Nova' association. It's almost as if the very name were a taint, or something. Oh boy. If I were a teacher for that particular company, I'd be very worried right now.
Can you believe that I even tried to talk them out of it, on the grounds that the poor guy probably needed all the help he could get right now? They wouldn't be swayed, though. Something tells me that I'm going to be meeting a few more Nova escapees in the near future.
I, personally, am amazed at how many people are remaining positive in the face of everything. To the person who says its business as usually, I really don't buy it. I agree, lessons are full at Nova much of the time, but have you noticed a lot of faces that haven't been in classes for a long time? Students are scrambling to get their points used so they don't lose their investment. The school I worked at has demo lessons too, but students signing up for 20 points is NOT business as usual. Maybe your school is blessed with good kharma, but I doubt it. I hope I'm wrong, but....
Someone posted that companies this big don't go under overnight. True, but this has been spiralling down for 2 years. This is not just a problem from the 6 month ban on lesson sales. It is because of disaterous management, arrogance on the part of the president and misplaced faith in the power of the company. Not to mention nickel and diming students to the point they need to get a lawyer.
To say things aren't that bad is just avoiding the truth. They haven't paid their ATs yet! It's been pushed back to Tuesday, ELEVEN DAYS past the usual payday. That means these people have worked nearly seven weeks with no pay. And keep this in mind: If they don't get paid soon, do you really think regular instructors will get theirs come OCT 15?
Think of the dominoes that are set up. Trainers and Head Teachers don't get paid. They walk out and no one is left to run the basic day to day scheduling and reports. Schedules break down classes aren't covered. They also leave huge gaps in the schedule so students can't get lessons. Regular teachers see the management start to bail out. Think they're going to hang around? No teachers for students, even more disintegration of trust and more students decide to cancel because they can't book any lessons so might as well get the cash back. Nova can't afford the refunds etc etc etc
There is NO bright side to the situation. Nova is bringing in new teachers because the Ministry needs to see the company is trying to meet student needs, but they don't have money for the payroll. Nova is closing down schools, but about a year too late to make a real difference. Students are NOT re-signing. New students are NOT buying significant contracts. The president is doing NOTHING to repair his company. See all the NO's in there?
I didn't start writing this with the intention of sounding so defeatist, and I apologize. But denial won't make anything go away. You can shit on employees for a long time, but people get touchy when you threaten their money. And Nova ISN'T paying! If nothing else alarms you, that really should.
Maybe there will be a last minute save, a Prince Charming investor or something. I really hope so. I know many people who rely on Nova, Japanese and foreign. I don't want them to be put in a terrible position. But be realistic.
I say to anyone thinking of coming on a Nova visa: DON'T! Not now. Stay at home and look for something else. There is just too much uncertainty and unless you have a bomb set of qualifications, getting a good job here if Nova busts will be next to impossible. Can you imagine the job market here if all Nova instructors were suddenly dumped into the unemployment pool?
My two cents. PS: this is not written to insult, attack or offend, its just my opinion.
PSS: Sorry about all the caps
Sorry, just one more point. I know of 14 teachers who have quit because of the situation over the last four months.
And yes, I see I wrote "business as usually". Please forgive my typing errors.
Come across to Japan and get your visa.Work here until Nova folds and then look for other work with the other monkeys.There will be thousands of monkeys shitting their way around Japan looking for some job.If there is anything available i might offer you a job as long as you have a teaching degree of some kind and 5 years experience.