Job Discussion Forums

[donfan]

I am wanting to come to Japan and am trying to decide between NOVA and Interac. Both have their pros and cons and I am having difficulties deciding between the two. Is there anybody who wants to try and convince me that one of them is the better choice?

[april]

I used to work for Nova and enjoyed my time there. I also looked into working for Interac and decided against it because of their bad track record of paying wages on time.

Could you list your pros and cons? Might give us a better starting point for discussion. Also tell us what is important to you, for example, location, money, type of students, social life, etc.

[donfan]

Thanks for your reply April. From what I gather these are the pros and cons of both.

NOVA
Pros - smaller classes, less preparation, variety of classes(e.g adults, kids, business, TOEFL)
Cons - "assembly line" teaching, less holidays

Interac
Pros - more holidays,
Cons - not always paid on time, lack of variety

In regards to accommodation is there any possiblity of having your own flat with NOVA. I am 35 years old and my days of care-free shared-living arrangements are over.

As far as what is important to me location is important. I would really like to teach in Fukouka. I think Interac and NOVA both have branches there. I don't mind who I teach but a variety would be better(i.e a mixture of kids and adults). Other than that I am pretty easy about anything else.

[april]

No, you will have to share with Nova accomodation, sorry! But what you can do is accept their apartment first, and give your month's notice as soon as you arrive and find your own place. Try http://www.leopalace21.com/asia/english/index.html.

I don't know about Interac, but Nova have been pretty good at giving people their location preference (except in high demand places like Sapporo and Okinawa). But then again, I lived in Tokyo which has many vacancies, so I only met people who wanted to live in Tokyo.

The assembly line of teaching didn't bother me, and I like keeping busy at work, so teaching many lessons all day with little 'free' time suited me. But that's personal choice of course. And yes, with Nova you could be teaching a 4 year old in one lesson (if you choose to teach kids), and then a business man the next, so you will get a variety! Also, the majority of your students at Nova are keen to learn English, and I'm guessing that junior high schoolers wouldn't be as enthusiastic. I found it very rewarding to watch student's level of English progress quickly over the months; and it was also rewarding to give personal attention to those students who were struggling. I haven't worked at high schools so I don't know if that same job satisfaction can be found there.

You're right about the holidays. That is what I didn't like about Nova. We had to work all public holidays and didn't get paid any extra for it. Another point with Nova is that if you want to make a bit extra money, there are opportunities to work overtime.

[icetea]

Interesting info'. Can I ask what a "normal" weekly shift pattern (if there is such a thing) would look like in a Nova school?

[BenJ]

most of the factual info about nova can be found on their website