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drifter13

Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 124 Location: Fujisawa
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Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2007 5:01 am Post subject: |
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| partialtone wrote: |
| Mahik wrote: |
I was recently rejected by NOVA, and accepted by ECC (to my understanding, ECC is much more difficult to get into while NOVA hires almost anyone).
Could this fiscal trouble be the reason why? I really thought I nailed the interview, I knew everything to expect, was confident, energetic, and informed. It was definitely a "huh?" moment when I was rejected. |
I've heard that they've picked up recruiting since the trouble started. This doesn't exactly explain your situation, but I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you. |
Yeah I'd consider yourself lucky and concentrate on getting ready for going to Japan.
My only theory on the surge in recruiting is that they figured that maybe a bunch of new faces would help give students the idea that they were trying to clean house and fix things. I imagine that the trouble of having to get people ready to go to Japan and such only added to the current problems now.
As it is, if they had said something to me a few weeks earlier I would have probably at least delayed my departure, but i've got everything packed and a paid ticket, so I guess that means it's time to play the hand that's been dealt and see this through. From what the office told me, there are going to be a lot of people still going, because they've given up thier apartments and such, meaning sadly they have no home here anyway.
For those in the same boat as me (The S.S. Oh $#!+) I wish you the best of luck, and hope everyone either has a life preserver or gets working on one fast. |
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stillnosheep

Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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When Nova finally goes belly up J-immigration will have no reason to issue visas to anyone arriving on CoE's for Nova sponsored visas. After all neither the job nor the sponsor would then exist. The CoE is only a CoE for a visa, (more accurately for permission to work), not a visa itself; only immigration can issue that once you have landed in Japan. Until Nova goes belly up immigration will probably let you through.
Either way you are extremely unlikely to get paid. Ever.
So if you really want to come, come today, as tomorrow may be - and a month's time almost certainly will be - too late. And only come if you neither need, nor expect, any wages from Nova.
I.e Jump ship immediately you are through immigration, or, at latest, as soon as you find a roof to put over your head, and start looking for another job before you leave for Japan.
Good luck
Last edited by stillnosheep on Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:22 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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drifter13

Joined: 27 Mar 2007 Posts: 124 Location: Fujisawa
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 3:06 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, i'm pretty much of the mind that I need to go and get this Visa process completed, since if Nova goes up, I doubt anyone is gonna stamp it when I arrive. I'm going and getting ready to jump off at the first safe alternative I get, I don't care where. |
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yamanote senbei

Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:04 am Post subject: think again |
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| drifter13 wrote: |
| My only theory on the surge in recruiting is that they figured that maybe a bunch of new faces would help give students the idea that they were trying to clean house and fix things. I imagine that the trouble of having to get people ready to go to Japan and such only added to the current problems now. |
That couldn't be farther from the truth. Nova normally has a high turnover, similar to the fast food industry, but it's picked up even higher during the last few months. Working at Nova, or even in Japan for that matter, has become increasingly unattractive recently.Just the drop in the
yen's value vs. other currencies would be enough to explain things.
If Nova really cared about the customers, they would keep and retrain experienced instructors. Hiring a bunch of new unexperienced teachers wouldn't improve the quality of lessons or the level of service.
They ran an ad campaign last year which tried to explain why lesson rates
had increased. Nova's explanation was that they needed to charge more to properly compensate their teachers. Guess what, teachers didn't get a raise.
As I've argued many times before, Nova hasn't been in the business of teaching English for a very long time. Their business had long evolved into the more profitable business of selling students the promise of lessons, and then never delivering them. There have been a few lawsuits, but most of the students simply walk away. I doubt that Nova can move their business model back to what originally made them a success. The public just isn't interested any more.
Those who think that all of the soon to be out of work teachers and soon to be out of an English teacher students will be absorbed by the rest of
the industry, think again. The students bought the lesson tickets in bulk at a way under market value rate. How could Nova do that? Easy, Nova knew that the students would never be able to use them. Their sales system pushed the imaginary low cost per lesson, something that no other major company could match.
Those who think that Nova will be bought out by another company and be able to continue much in the way it had been before, think again. Nova has no assets, only liabilities. The only thing of value Nova now has is the leases on station-front properties, leases which they can no longer pay the rents on.
Enron. A smaller, less significant Enron. |
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J.
Joined: 03 May 2003 Posts: 327
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Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:56 am Post subject: Sorry to resurrect this thread, but |
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| It's not quite true that only Immigration in Japan can issue the work visa. If you can get your prospective employer to send you the Certificate of Eligibility, then you can get the visa stamp in your passport in your home country at the nearest Japanese Embassy. If you aren't close enough, then you can do it by mail or courier. It only takes a few days, so I would recommend that if anyone is unsure or nervous, then they should only come with the visa stamp. In that case, with the stamp, you can look for work somewhere else, if necessary. Of course, if Nova is no longer viable, then they won't be able to get you a certificate of Eligibility in the first place. |
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stillnosheep

Joined: 01 Mar 2004 Posts: 2068 Location: eslcafe
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:35 am Post subject: |
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| The stamp issued by the Japanese embassy in your home country is only a recommendation to J-immigration that you be allowd into the country. The final decision as to whether or not to admit you rests with J-immigration at the port of entry, and the chances of admittance once Nova goes belly up are slim to zero, seeing as you wouild have neither a job to go to nor a sponsor. |
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cafebleu
Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Posts: 404
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Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:10 am Post subject: Drifter - why aren't you heeding the unmistakeable signs? |
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I'm not a Christian but when I was a kid I went to Christian schools and I loved reading the Old Testament which has some amazing stories and wisdom.
I'll never forge the part (can't remember the relevant book of the Old Testament) where a king is feasting and suddenly a finger starts writing a prophecy of doom on the wall. That's where the phrase 'the writing is on the wall' comes from. Can't you see the writing on the wall?
Nova is engaging in a desperate public relations exercise in a typically Japanese 'acknowledge no evil' way. They are still trying to save face (tatamae) by luring the lemmings out and pretending they will look after them. STOP! You still have choices. Fire off your cv and applications to the other chain schools who recruit outside.
If you get through Immigration (and there is no guarantee you will and you might be in for a shock as another poster has pointed out) then you will probably find yourself dumped by Nova with no housing etc. It's an ugly scenario. Don't accept their offer, do your homework and wait. It's better than trying to scrape up the cash to go back home again. |
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yamanote senbei

Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:12 pm Post subject: |
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| YouHadMeAtASL wrote: |
| Yamanote - you are a joke. Nova isn't going anywhere. |
Hmm. |
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seanmcginty
Joined: 27 Sep 2005 Posts: 203
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Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 5:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh man, just reading the title of this thread makes me cringe. I hope the OP didn't get screwed too badly, good luck to all you (ex) NOVA teachers! |
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sallycat
Joined: 11 Mar 2006 Posts: 303 Location: behind you. BOO!
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:37 am Post subject: |
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this one's a personal favourite:
| deadpoet wrote: |
| Congratulations to all of you making the decision to go to Japan! And for those of you worried about the biz, you can count on them being bought out which would probably be even a better thing. |
i hope everyone's learned a lesson about the relative validity of "rumours from anonymous strangers on the internet" and information from company recruiting agents. |
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factr
Joined: 19 Jun 2007 Posts: 19
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Where's the party?!?! I have about 10,000 yen left, soon to be evicted from my apt, and fighting over private lessons with every other unemployed teacher in Aichi! Who's bringing dip? |
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yamanote senbei

Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| yamanote senbei wrote: |
| johncanada24 wrote: |
| PS: Grammar book is in my suitcase |
You won't need it John.
Nova doesn't care. Nova doesn't really care because they really aren't in the education industry. The way they work, pre-selling bulk lessons in advance to students who cannot possibly schedule all of their lessons before they expire, it's probably more accurate to say that Nova is in the loan business. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan
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Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:58 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, Yamanote Sembei, you were right, you win! What will you post about now? (Don't be offended, I'm just pulling your leg, but don't go overboard on the "I told you so's")  |
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yamanote senbei

Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 435
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| Apsara wrote: |
| Yep, Yamanote Sembei, you were right, you win! What will you post about now? |
I'll probably continue correcting misinformation, although there will be a lot less to correct since the number of posts have dropped considerably on ESL Cafe as many of the posters have fled to safer forum pastures. There was a thread a while back on overtime that I should search for.
My participation in this Nova thread was only to correct misinformation. |
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southofreality
Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 579 Location: Tokyo
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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:12 am Post subject: |
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| yamanote senbei wrote: |
| yamanote senbei wrote: |
| johncanada24 wrote: |
| PS: Grammar book is in my suitcase |
You won't need it John.
Nova doesn't care. Nova doesn't really care because they really aren't in the education industry. The way they work, pre-selling bulk lessons in advance to students who cannot possibly schedule all of their lessons before they expire, it's probably more accurate to say that Nova is in the loan business. |
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Why would you quote yourself giving bad advice?
Whether or not NOVA was concerned with giving quality lessons doesn't change the fact that 'John's' students would have been better off if John had brushed up on his grammar. Or do you really feel that just because a company doesn't give a shyte about the success of its students, it's OK for its teachers not to give a shyte either? |
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