Job Discussion Forums

Omeo · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 245

I have a question about all this. I'm looking at teaching with Nova this fall. How worried should I be that they're going belly up? Will we get any advanced warning and maybe have time to find another school? Any guesses as to when they might go down?

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

Heh.. Ironic that the company name, in Spanish: "No va" means: "doesn't go."

Who knows if some day NOVA will indeed "not go" anymore.

cafebleu · Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Posts: 404

I lived in Japan for quite some time (but certainly nothing like the decade or over that many old hands have lived in Japan), and I have to say I never worked for NOVA but I do know that this whole "Nova is going down" has been around since the mid 90s at least.

I moved to Japan in the late 90s and even then my first employer who run the eikaiwa at which I was teaching theorised that Nova was in trouble and there were rumours it wouldn't be around for much longer.

However, no doubt it's not making the money it did before but that's true of the eikaiwa industry generally. There is also probably some truth to the rumour that Nova is being run by a loan company (and they aren't known for being particularly honest businesses) and maybe they write off its losses for tax purposes? Who knows.

If you're thinking of working for Nova, try and get sent to a Honshu branch in a big city -Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, etc. If the branch you're working at collapses you'll have so many more options for other work.

I lived in Kyushu and I would say while the lifestyle's good, working for a chain school that then axes your branch and leaves you with no job is going to be much tougher to cope with. Population-wise, the smaller population will leave you with less work opportunities. I would put Honshu cities on my preference list if in your position.

Omeo · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 245

I hate to ask about something that's already been discussed, but I don't know how I'd search for the answer to this one: Which schools will hire you when you're in mid-contract with Nova and which schools won't. I know I saw a thread on this, or at least a few messages but, again, I don't know how I'd look for it.

I'd actually rather NOT bail out on Nova in less than a year if they're nice enough to hire me, but I need to keep my options open and that means knowing where to run in the event of imminent doom.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

NOVA is the largest chain school in Japan. Ok, so big companies have gone down, but NOVA's language school is a side business to an insurance corporation, which probably won't let it sink. Feel safe.

ripslyme · Joined: 29 Jan 2005 Posts: 481 Location: Japan

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

I hear Nova cleans up on the housing part of the deal.

furiousmilksheikali · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 1:20 am Post subject:

NOVA is sure to change their method of employing teachers before going under. I wouldn't be surprised if they switched to a GABA-style of "employing" teachers. That is making them all sub-contracted and paying them by the hour.

The only problem with this approach, though, is that they won't be able to employ from abroad as their employment package wouldn't attract anyone.

Of course, there is a possibility that they don't care about the losses but are undercutting the opposition such as AEON, GEOS and ECC until one or more of them fold first. I think it's a war of attrition and all the companies are taking hits.

Brooks · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara

Nova just expanded too much. When they were just by express train stops, that was fine but then they were located by local stations or even farther away from stations. They just have too many schools and not enough customers.
Downsizing seems inevitable.

Their advertising used to work well, but now, I don`t think so.

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

This kind of discussion about Nova is nothing new. In 1999 when I was working for them I heard all the same things, and here they are, 8 years later, still holding on. I wouldn't worry too much.

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

As noted above, rumors of Nova's collapse have been floating around for years. But as also mentioned, Nova would likely restructure and close less profitable branches before going under entirely. That in itself would take some time. I don't think anyone coming from overseas needs to be overly concerned.

Venti · Joined: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 171 Location: Kanto, Japan

Hoser · Joined: 19 Mar 2005 Posts: 694 Location: Toronto, Canada

Yes NOVA has closed down quite a few of their smaller branches and shipped the students to larger branches. Or they have converted the smaller schools to 'kids only' schools.