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anyone know about the new Nova/Jibun Mirai?
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DtlaCuriousity

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Posts: 7

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:52 am Post subject:

sideways_gun wrote:

Rio* wrote:

I am South African, and have been offered a very similar position to yours. How did you find the process? Was it all simple and no hassels?

Hello, Rio*. I have an interview with JMK on Monday through Skype (I live in Tokyo but I guess only staff at the Osaka HQ do the hiring).

Would you be able to share your interview experience in here? I cannot find anything on the new NOVA's recruitment style online. Was it a standard interview with the usual questions of why you want to work there, what experience you have, why you think you would be a good teacher, etc? Did you have to answer any problem-solvng questions?

So how did your interview go on Monday?

DtlaCuriousity

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Posts: 7

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:54 am Post subject:

Inflames wrote:

Normally I don't advocate doing this but these people are, from what I can tell (I previously worked at Nova and this place when they came back and have friends who still work there), the only thing to do with this place is to use their visa to come to Japan, work there while you find another job, and then quit. The horror stories I've heard about this place are amazing.

Can you elaborate on the horror stories? Also, is that a pragmatic plan? I would imagine you would have to pay for your own apartment costs and no subsidized rent. Are rental contracts common? In other words, although you would get your visa and then quit, would you be tied down due to your living situation?

OneJoelFifty

Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 463

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 3:33 am Post subject:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

Inflames wrote:

Can you elaborate on the horror stories?

Please! I like a good horror story.

sideways_gun

Joined: 28 Apr 2010
Posts: 49
Location: Tokyo

Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2012 4:08 am Post subject:

OneJoelFifty wrote:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

Inflames wrote:

Can you elaborate on the horror stories?

Please! I like a good horror story.

Me too! Although the horror for me is just that it'll take up to 2 weeks to hear back from them!

DtlaCuriousity

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Posts: 7

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:04 am Post subject:

sideways_gun wrote:

OneJoelFifty wrote:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

Inflames wrote:

Can you elaborate on the horror stories?

Please! I like a good horror story.

Me too! Although the horror for me is just that it'll take up to 2 weeks to hear back from them!

I have an interview coming up with them soon. Can you share your experience?

sideways_gun

Joined: 28 Apr 2010
Posts: 49
Location: Tokyo

Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:21 am Post subject:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

I have an interview coming up with them soon. Can you share your experience?

Sure! Are you having a Skype interview? I guess they are doing all recruiting from the HQ in Osaka because I am in Tokyo but the interviewer was calling from Osaka! You'll be on camera so, of course, wear a suit and groom yourself well! Try to look into the camera when you're replying and look at the interviewer when they are talking at length. The interviewer seemed to be constantly looking at their screen, though!

So, it lasts an hour. They ask you to clarify some things on your resume, basically talking about yourself. A lot of Q&A (they ask, you answer). They want to know what you've been getting up to recently and what you're doing now. Also why you came to Japan. If you are not in Japan I suppose they'll ask why you want to come here. They may also ask you about your availability, if you are up for relocating to other parts of Japan, and if you need housing assistance. That's pretty standard stuff. More standard interview filler was the 'Tell me about a situation where you______' question. I was also asked to describe a situation from my previous non-teaching-related work experience before I came to Japan.

They also ask you situational questions. My interviewer explained how their classes usually go and described a chapter in the textbook. He then asked me how I would teach it, from beginning to end. So be prepared to describe clearly and concisely how you would do a group/individual lesson. I was asked about groups. The interviewer may also give you a sample explanation of a grammar/vocabulary point and ask you how you would rephrase/convey it differently if the student couldn't understand. The interviewer also gave me a couple of sentences and asked me to simplify them. So, yeah, gotta think on your feet! If possible, draw from your previous teaching experience.

The interviewer will give you the opportunity to ask questions of your own at the end. And then it's over!! The interviewer said I should hear back from them within 2 weeks. I was also told that they don't have any openings in the Tokyo area right now (he either said Tokyo or Kanto but I don't remember which, sorry!! I'm going to remain optimistic and hope he said Tokyo!!. So, even though their website has a huge banner saying URGENTLY HIRING at the top, I guess it's for other areas in Japan.... you might want to ask about that.

Let me know if you have any other questions or if anything I've written is unclear. Good luck with your interview!

Inflames

Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 486

Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:32 pm Post subject:

OneJoelFifty wrote:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

Can you elaborate on the horror stories?

Please! I like a good horror story.

Basically the company will lie, lie, and lie some more.

For example, you might work at 1 school right by your apartment. You're also asked whether or not you're willing to transfer for extra money each month. You're required to buy a train pass for transport so you do that. The company then tells you that you must go to a school 1 hour (each way) from your house starting next week. You already bought a train pass, but that's not the company's problem (so you've lost a few thousand yen there).

Then, there's the student issue. You could, for example, get sent to a school with no students (such as a new school). Your salary is mostly based off of "incentives" based on the number of students. If that happens, your salary could drop by several thousand yen per day (and you've got 20 working days per month, so that could easily be 40,000 or 60,000 yen per month). The staff could also simply just change the teacher for lessons, leaving you with few students. I know multiple people who have had both of these things happen.

Cool Teacher

Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 12:30 am Post subject:

Inflames wrote:

OneJoelFifty wrote:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

Can you elaborate on the horror stories?

Please! I like a good horror story.

Eh?? You mean the acompany forces you to buy a train pass? Confused

This sounds unusual usually you just claim expenses later what if you refuse to buy a train pass? Confused

DtlaCuriousity

Joined: 15 Mar 2012
Posts: 7

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 1:40 am Post subject:

sideways_gun wrote:

DtlaCuriousity wrote:

I have an interview coming up with them soon. Can you share your experience?

Thanks! Yeah, I will just pm you.

Inflames

Joined: 02 Apr 2006
Posts: 486

Posted: Tue May 01, 2012 6:44 am Post subject:

Cool Teacher wrote:

Eh?? You mean the acompany forces you to buy a train pass? Confused

This sounds unusual usually you just claim expenses later what if you refuse to buy a train pass? Confused

Not buying a train pass is unusual as every place I've worked at will only reimburse you for the train pass. My work now has a sign by the time cards saying that if it's cheaper for you to buy a train pass you should as that's all you're getting paid for.

jmatt

Joined: 29 Apr 2012
Posts: 122

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 6:52 am Post subject: Nova

Inflames wrote:

Yes, Nova did suck---especially as a company on the big-picture scale and the way they did business.

That said, I worked for them for two 3 year periods---1997-2000 and 2001-2004 and while many of the horror stories about the place are true, and you had to deal with the bullshit inherent in any corporate business the same size, they treated me well for the most part. They always gave me a lot of latitude to teach the way I wanted, had no problem serving as a guarantor for my apartment when I moved into Tokyo from Kanagawa, gave me time off whenever I wanted it, and usually never gave me any shit about my (at times) somewhat unkempt appearance. The big difference though was that I enjoyed the job and took it seriously---which leads to my biggest gripe with my experiences there. By far, the worst aspect of the job was the preponderance of douchebags working for them and having to accept the fact that the idiots were being paid the same to, in Nova parlance, "GC" it for every lesson.

However, I was lucky, especially in the second go-round, to be at a school that had really cool, mostly experienced teachers, a great "trainer" and area manager, located in a great part of Tokyo---and I lived only a few minutes away on foot. In a lot of ways, I think the Nova experience really hinged on the atmosphere at the particular school. Each time while I was gearing up to leave I worked shitloads of overtime (the second time I worked nearly a year and a half 7 days a week), at schools all around the greater Tokyo area, and the disparity in atmosphere at many of the schools was amazing----at some it was absolutely toxic.

I have a few friends who still work part-time for the new Nova, and while much has changed, especially since there are far fewer CV padders and people just doing it for the money, it still isn't a ideal place---but can be a good way to get a visa then look for a different job.

Rio*

Joined: 12 Apr 2012
Posts: 7

Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 4:34 pm Post subject:

sideways_gun wrote:

Rio* wrote:

Hello!

My interview was quite long (about an hour), which I wasn't used to, as I was told that Skype interviews take between 20 - 40 mins. But I think they take the same general format as other organisations. They start off by asking a little bit about where you currently are to make you at ease I think. As you already live in Japan, perhaps they will skip the cultural adjustment questions (such as have you ever lived away from home etc). And pretty much, they asked the usual questions that you pointed out, also strengths, weaknesses etc. I was given a scenario whereby I was then asked what I would do in that situation. But there are some questions that I don't think you can prepare for, and the purpose of which I think is to get a better idea of your personality. Someone told me to review the different teaching methodologies and styles and have a basic idea of how you would present yourself to class, but I wasn't asked that.

I hope it helps, and good luck with the interview - hope you get a position!

Wow, thank you so much for that detailed account! It'll stand to help many people in the future as well!! Congratulations on getting an offer Very Happy

I'll try my best.... though I'm not so confident about how I look on camera (;^_^)>

Hey! How did your interview go? Have you been offered a job?

sideways_gun

Joined: 28 Apr 2010
Posts: 49
Location: Tokyo

Posted: Wed May 16, 2012 12:21 pm Post subject:

Rio* wrote:

Hey! How did your interview go? Have you been offered a job?

Hi~ it went well! I was offered a job about a week after the interview but I have to get my visa status changed. Still waiting on them to send me the materials to do that....... waiting and waiting!!

How about you? Have they gotten back to you yet?

Rio*

Joined: 12 Apr 2012
Posts: 7

Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 4:58 pm Post subject:

sideways_gun wrote:

Rio* wrote:

Hey! How did your interview go? Have you been offered a job?

Awesome! So glad for you! I also heard back about a week after I had the interview. They've just received all my documents because I was having trouble communicating to them about my degree certificate. But now that that is all sorted, I am just waiting on getting my CoE and then get my work visa. So slowly, but surely it's coming together Smile

Hope that you get your stuff soon! Do you know which prefecture you will be in?

(0.o)

Joined: 11 Dec 2011
Posts: 6

Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 11:33 am Post subject:

Hey, I totally forgot about this thread, but I did end up taking the job and quitting a few months later. Jibun Mirai is terrible. It's probably the lowest paid job in Japan and they will try to cheat you on your check constantly. Those new contracts where they pay you per student are a joke. I made a base salary of 165,000 and with an average number of students, I got 210,000. The # bonuses are paid one month after they happen and the company WILL cheat you on stuff like sales lessons. So track all of your numbers, hours and sales lessons if you work there. They also cheat you on hours worked and transportation: if you read the contract carefully, there's a little clause that says you're only paid for teaching time, so prep work and those 10 minutes between lessons aren't on the clock. Which means you spend 8 hours at work (more like 9 your first few months as you're trying to make sense of their awful teaching material) and get paid for 5! Since your transportation reimbursement is based on your "paid hours", if you spend more than 600 yen round trip to get to work, you're out of luck! The ONLY reason to work for Jibun Mirai is to get the visa and RUN. They do not value or care about their teachers at all. Plus, if you stay in company housing they hit you will move-out and cleaning fees of close to 150,000. I told them that they promised me 250,000 - 270,000/month in the interview and that I needed a raise to keep working there. Their response was "please tell us if you're going to quit." They also probably won't give you two days off in a row unless you fight for it. Do not work for Jibun Mirai. On the plus side, the secretaries were pretty nice and the foreigners at my school were friendly enough. Pretty much everyone who works there hates it though.

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