Job Discussion Forums

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

After all I've read on these boards about NOVA not enrolling employees in the health care system, I have to ask: If they're supposedly breaking the law, why hasn't anyone sued them over it? If they're not breaking the law, what the hell's the problem?

Luna Chica · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 177 Location: Trujillo, Peru

Like cornish muppet said, since I am healthy and was only staying in japan temporarily I didn't care about the health fund. I only had to use the JMA a couple of times and got nearly all my money back from the consultations and costs incurred. I can see that if you are there long term you would be unhappy but then how many people stay at NOVA long term anyway?

The girl who had problems with kids and ATs, I am sorry to hear that you did not get support from the Japanese staff with the kids. That is a problem you should probably have taken up with your At or AAM, they would have been able to give you advice and the AAmM would certainly have been able to speak tot he Japanese staff.

The At sounds like kind of a beyyartch, but you find plenty of them in every organisation.

Glad to hear you are happy where you are now.

My point guys is that NOVA is a great starting point when you get to Japan. If you start to get serious about your teaching you would be better off moving to a smaller school, but you should use NOVA for all the training you can get out of them before that because smaller school won't have those facilities. Once you are settled you should also look at moving into different accomodation.

Can we please make a pact not to bitch about them for the sake of sounding superior, because you merely sound like you have jumped on the "I'm a Japan expert and I am so much better than everyone and insecure and just rabbiting what I have heard other Japan veterans saying, so I am saying it too because I am too scared not to say it and sound like I am not a Japan expert expat" bandwagon.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I've been here 8 years and have never been enrolled in the national health insurance. I onle recently heard- probably on this site actually, that's it's mandatory. If it's illegal not to be enrolled, they don't seem to be too worried about it at my kuyakusho, where presumably it's not too hard for them to find out that I'm not enrolled.

The tax office, where I went to do my tax return the other day, also didn't seem too concerned when I told them I didn't have national health insurance- they calculated my rebate based on my receipts for the private health insurance (not JMA) that I have.

Who is it that's going to bust me for not being enrolled in the national health insurance? I hope it doesn't catch up with me one day...

Luna Chica · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 177 Location: Trujillo, Peru

haha maybe like unpaid city tax? does anyone actually pay that? I know people who have lived in japan for 10 years and never paid a cent of their city tax

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Yeah, I pay my city tax promptly because I plan to be here long term (my husband's Japanese,) and I hate seeing the penalty fees start to add up in the bills they send if you don't pay- I left Japan in 2001 planning not to return, but was back in 7 months Rolling Eyes

and once I had changed my gaijin card at the city office the bills for the time I had been away started arriving.

The health insurance is different to me because no authority in Japan has ever told me that I have to have it, and I do have insurance, just not that one. I hate the public health system here and always go to private clinics with English speaking doctors and dentists who often don't accept Japanese national health insurance anyway.

cornishmuppet · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 642 Location: Nagano, Japan

Re the city tax, apparently I`m supposed to be paying it now I`ve been here over a year, but I`ve heard nothing from the tax people about it. But then no one`s delivered me any new gomi tickets yet! No gomi tickets, no tax! Cool

And to the person who had trouble with kids, seems to be a money-school thing. I had a nine year old girl in my old school in a group of four, who at best did nothing other than read her comic book, at worst she went out of her way to disrupt the rest of the class. And of course that ruined it, because none of the students were going to take the teachers side. And of course, the school didn`t want to know. By the time I left I`d not even seen her text book in six months because she refused to ever take it out of her bag. At least she never hit me, though one girl stabbed me in the hand with a pen. 16 years old. And the school`s response? Rolling Eyes

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Darkmagus wrote:
"As long as no one gets hurt, it works quite well."

Is it true that NOVA is gobbling up ALT contracts and McDonifying the schools while taking the food out of my children's mouths?

DarkMagus · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Manchester, NH

ndorfn · Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 126

yep, nova do suck, but at least their expecations are low, unlike most other jobs I've had since. you're not expected to speak japanese, plan lessons, come in early, stay late.

the problem arises when people (myself included) let their own expectations rise too high.

like the students there, the teachers are inexperienced, and are happy with the convenience of a one stop shop company.

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

wangtesol · Joined: 24 May 2005 Posts: 280

Are you pulling my leg?

DarkMagus · Joined: 21 Mar 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Manchester, NH

No, we really want the evidence. A random person posting things on the internet isn't really a viable source of information.