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muimui
Joined: 22 May 2005
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:18 am Post subject: attire at NOVA? |
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Hi!
I am scheduled to leave to Japan with NOVA this year and am wondering how strict are they with their attire? Are we required to wear suits? or is business casual alright too? Just a skirt and a top is alright ?? or must it look really professional?
Just trying to see what kind of clothes I have to pack with me.
Also, what are my chances to be placed in the cities that I requested?
Thanks for the help! |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 7:42 am Post subject: Re: attire at NOVA? |
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| muimui wrote: |
Hi!
I am scheduled to leave to Japan with NOVA this year and am wondering how strict are they with their attire? Are we required to wear suits? or is business casual alright too? Just a skirt and a top is alright ?? or must it look really professional?
Just trying to see what kind of clothes I have to pack with me.
Also, what are my chances to be placed in the cities that I requested?
Thanks for the help! |
Im not a woman, but in a NOVA lesson you dont have to dress in high-fashion like Amani or Chanel. Generally you work in an office environment, and women dont usually wear trouser suits over here, so I would guess a skirt and blouse and a jacket on top. It gets pretty hot in summer and you need to pack according to when you arrive here and get the rest of your clothes shipped over.
No-no's are jeans, open toes sandals, no stockings, sleeveless tank-tops or blouses etc. Painted toenails. I would also advise not wearing anything too revealing or that shows off too much cleavage. Dont want to give your middle-aged student a heart attack.
Last edited by Doglover on Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:06 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Doglover
Joined: 14 Dec 2004
Posts: 305
Location: Kansai
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 8:02 am Post subject: Re: attire at NOVA? |
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| muimui wrote: |
Also, what are my chances to be placed in the cities that I requested?
Thanks for the help! |
It depends on where you ask for and the demand for teachers in that area. Generally speaking you have better luck if you dont ask for a spot in a big urban center like Tokyo, Osaka or Nagoya. There are lots of people who are wanting to work in a big city but not enough positions to go around. Some people are now waiting 6 or 7 months for a placement so it depends on how long you are prepared to wait for where you want to go.
NOVA makes no guarantees about placement and it all depends on supply and demand. |
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SEndrigo
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437
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| Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2005 12:57 pm Post subject: Re: attire at NOVA? |
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| Doglover wrote: |
| Some people are now waiting 6 or 7 months for a placement so it depends on how long you are prepared to wait for where you want to go. |
ha ha ha, that has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard....or the saddest - people waiting 6 or 7 months to work for NOVA....that's just incredible!
Is life in their home countries so bad?
I think Japan's great, but I'd rather be back home than work for NOVA.
Suppose you wait 7 months and request a big city and they put you in a small town in the middle of nowhere...ha ha ha folks, is it really worth it? |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 1:46 am Post subject: Re: attire at NOVA? |
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| SEndrigo wrote: |
| Doglover wrote: |
| Some people are now waiting 6 or 7 months for a placement so it depends on how long you are prepared to wait for where you want to go. |
ha ha ha, that has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard....or the saddest - people waiting 6 or 7 months to work for NOVA....that's just incredible!
Is life in their home countries so bad?
I think Japan's great, but I'd rather be back home than work for NOVA.
Suppose you wait 7 months and request a big city and they put you in a small town in the middle of nowhere...ha ha ha folks, is it really worth it? |
LIfe is not so bad, but you have young people who are graduating from university they are twenty thousand dollars in debt with student loans, they know no Japanese and have no teaching experience, they want to travel, get a job and pay down the loan and all they can get from where they are is a job through the big 4 language schools. Newbies want to work in Tokyo or Osaka or a big city where there are no openings. Its not surprising that people are willing to wait, when the alternative is to buy a plane ticket and take their chances by coming here and looking for a job cold turkey.
Its probably very easy with hindsight to look at NOVA and scoff about what a farce it is, but not so easy when you are trying to get your foot in the door here, indebted up to the eyeballs with loans and interest and you are still in California or Indiana. |
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SEndrigo
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 2:32 am Post subject: Re: attire at NOVA? |
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| PAULH wrote: |
Its probably very easy with hindsight to look at NOVA and scoff about what a farce it is, but not so easy when you are trying to get your foot in the door here, indebted up to the eyeballs with loans and interest and you are still in California or Indiana. |
Hi Paul,
Those are all good points, but many NOVA teachers are not looking to get their foot in the door here or become professional teachers. Most of them could care less, in fact. This is not an attack on NOVA teachers, this is a fact.
And most people are not like you, you are a professional and have good qualifications and had a good reason for coming over here with NOVA - but I have yet to meet a current or former teacher of NOVA who is serious about becoming a good teacher or staying long-term in Japan. This is not an insult, this is based on speaking with the many Nova teachers I have met whilst in Japan.
Regarding money, it makes even less sense to become a NOVA teacher if you have massive loans to pay off, as with a 250,000 yen a month salary (actually now, a 220,000 yen a month), it will take quite a long time to pay off those loans.
There are many other eikaiwas, all of which offer better conditions, holidays and training than NOVA...so if someone did want to come here and pay off loans and travel, almost any other school would be better.
And finally, I'm willing to bet that a university graduate in California or London would have way better job prospects and earning potential than being a NOVA teacher at 220,000 yen a month.
That's less than earning 14,000 pounds a year in the UK or 23,000 US$...can anyone say this is a good salary? Even in London you could easily earn 18,000 pounds doing a regular office job. In California you could easily earn more than that with a university degree.
However, I could be wrong...and NOVA could be the greatest gig on Earth....people are more than welcome to wait 7 months if they like.  |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 3:37 am Post subject: Re: attire at NOVA? |
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| SEndrigo wrote: |
Hi Paul,
Those are all good points, but many NOVA teachers are not looking to get their foot in the door here or become professional teachers. Most of them could care less, in fact. This is not an attack on NOVA teachers, this is a fact.
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Yes they couldnt care less, but its not so much a burning desire to become an English teacher like me, but to have break from study and university, to travel to a completely different country and experience a different culture. Working at a language school allows them to pay their way without any formal qualifications and experience except a degree for the visa.
| Quote: |
Regarding money, it makes even less sense to become a NOVA teacher if you have massive loans to pay off, as with a 250,000 yen a month salary (actually now, a 220,000 yen a month), it will take quite a long time to pay off those loans.) |
Compared to 10 or 15 years ago since pay has gone down, but this still does no stop people wanting to come here. Having loans was just an example. As well as airfares, accomodation food, set up costs it will be six months to a year before you break even in your costs. Most new people dont realise this. Add in a university student loan and you are going to be working a long time to cover your costs.
I do agree that waiting 7 months so you can get an entry level job which pays you a minimum level salary is a bit extreme, but consider that most people dont know how they can get jobs here otther than through the big chain schools that recruit overseas. They feel there is no other way of getting a job here, in many cases and the companies like NOVA hold all the Aces.
I understand now that the average turnover at NOVA now is about 8 months so you have a person who has barely got out of debt, got accomodation sorted out and then they are looking for a job. Im not necessarily supporting NOVA either, simply saying that if you are in Londo, about your only choice in NOVA, AEON, GEOS and ECC and they all pay about the same. NOVA to my knowledge is the only one paying 220,000 yen a month. You are basically limited for choices, and most people can not apply for high school jobs or university jobs while they are still overseas. You need in-Japan experience and qualifications
| SEndrigo wrote: |
There are many other eikaiwas, all of which offer better conditions, holidays and training than NOVA...so if someone did want to come here and pay off loans and travel, almost any other school would be better.
) |
Can you name any entry-level eikaiwa that will pay more than 250,000 a month? I know ECC has up to 6 weeks but my guess is most of it is unpaid and consists of holiday periods and national holidays. the legal paid holidays is 10 days a year. There are better schools than NOVA but if all the others turn you down, what do you have left at the end of the day?
To get those better jobs you have to be here first, get some experience, network and find out about where the good jobs are and now a majority are finding, they quit an eikaiwa and the job they go to is no better than the one they just left in terms of salary. I have heard of a few exceptions though.
| SEndrigo wrote: |
That's less than earning 14,000 pounds a year in the UK or 23,000 US$...can anyone say this is a good salary? Even in London you could easily earn 18,000 pounds doing a regular office job. In California you could easily earn more than that with a university degree.
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People obviously dont come here to make a lot of money, but they come for the experience. You cant get the experience if you dive straight into a career back home. I have friends back home who have worked since they were 16 or 17, done trades and a few have been working since university, They want to travel but once you get into the rat race its pretty hard to get out sometimes. You could probably earn good money at home, but judging by posts I read on here, many people dont enjoy their jobs, or they are facing redundancy or following a Japanese spouse over. Its not always a matter of wanting to or being able to work in your own country instead of NOVA. The desire to travel and see the world is still there, but NOVA puts a time-lock on your plans.
There is also the question of what one does with a Liberal Arts degree when you have no special skills or training just out of university, and the JET program or NOVA fits the bill when looking for a job. Perhaps they have an IT job but no Japanese skills. and can not get an IT jobs here.
Once they come here, they start thinking about what they will do when they go back, or how they will use their Japan experience back home, as well. |
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SEndrigo
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 437
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| Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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Hey PAULH,
Too right, there aren't many eikaiwas paying more than 250,000 yen per month, but most of them offer better conditions than NOVA. That was my original point. They offer better holidays, better deals on apartments, better health insurance, better training, etc.
Yes, true, if NOVA is the only way to come over then I suppose that some people will salivate at the opportunity....but then again, if the average turnover is 8 months, it means that people aren't very happy at NOVA.
And as you spend 1/2 of your waking time at work, if you're not happy at work, chances are, you'll be unhappy in your life.
People have to ask themselves if it's worth it?
Is a 220,000 yen salary and the possiblity of having Tues/Wed off, with no public holidays, really worth it?
'Cos with that kind of schedule and salary, travelling around Asia or anywhere else won't be really possible.
They'd be better off working in their home countries, even in an American company (which are notorious for not giving much time off) they could take their 2 week holidays and travel wherever they wanted to, at any time they wanted to.
And they wouldn't have to work on Saturday/Sunday. BTW working on a Sunday is just pure evil ! |
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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Back to the subject...
I work at Nova and at my first school, everyone was ultra casual. Guys wore sweater vests, women wore button ups. I never saw anyone other than the AT wear a suit...and it usually smelled b/c he was always drunk. But that was in the country side.
I'm somewhat closer to Tokyo now. Still not to serious. Guys wear suits, but most wear button up shirts and ties. Women can wear almost anything--today I wore starched khakis and a button up (with flats) I always wear flats and I have never worn a suit, except to my interview. I do have a blazer I keep in our coat closet in case I get cold.
As long as your clothes are ironed and clean, you should be fine.
Heck-- if you wear something revealing and you have blond hair and blue eyes, you may get MORE sales than anticipated. I've heard of staff picking the "big bosomed" instructors for sales with those creepy old businessmen. Good luck! Treat Nova as a means to make easy money and experience Japan. Nothing more serious than that!  |
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lainey79
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2005 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| don't worry about attire too much. i've been getting away with a nice looking black v-neck shirt and dress pants. it's too hot now to wear a button-up shirt. just don't change shoes in the branch. even if you're 3ft away from the door to the outside, you can't walk out of the branch in your sneakers. |
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bornslippy1981
Joined: 02 Aug 2004
Posts: 271
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| Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:44 pm Post subject: |
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I actually waited 8 months after being hired by Nova to come here. They did call me a few weeks after I got my letter of hire and ask if I could come earlier, but I had already figured out how I could work many hours at home, pay just about all my credit cards off, and come here not worrying about sending money home. I did defer my student loans, but I'm not too bothered by them, as the interest rate is quite low.
As Paul said earlier, many people are like me. I came here not trying to become some great teacher, but rather travel some, see a different culture, try to get by without knowing the language, and take a break from school. I could've taken a job at home making twice as much money as I do now, but older friends told me the same thing "do it while you're young, as you'll never get the chance again." I had always wanted to study abroad in college, but couldn't afford to do so. Now I have no stress from my job, I don't have to take it home with me, I can relax a bit, while also traveling, and my money stays steady, as oppossed to trying to save up for a 6 month education in another country.
In regards to the original message about attire, the following I have seen from the girls I work with:
-Slacks. Any color is okay.
-Blouse
-Comfortable shoes, but not sandals or sneakers.
-Not too much make-up or excessive jewelry.
If anything, wear a dress or skirt the first day, and see how the other women at your branch are dressed. If your AT wears a suit everyday, he might say something if you're not dressed real formal.
I often roll up my sleeves, I leave the top button on my shirt undone since there is no "cool business" policy, wear khaki pants, and worn down dress shoes.
Also, don't go overboard on what clothes you bring. I brought a bunch of shirts thinking I would need them, but have already sent most of them home. |
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nawlinsgurl
Joined: 01 May 2004
Posts: 363
Location: Kanagawa and feeling Ok....
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| Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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I always change my shoes in the branch. I dunno why that isnt ok....No one has ever said anything about that. In fact others have shoes in the closet for changing when they get to work.  |
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