Participant Report

Teaching English In Japan

By Matthew Hernon

Web editor's note: Nova appears to have stopped paying its employees as of October, 2007.

We leave this article up as a sample experience at this former school and as an example of possible risks when studying and working abroad.

Working for Nova is not the best teaching job you can get in Japan. There are definitely better options out there, with fewer hours, longer holidays, and a more relaxed environment. That said, working for Nova still has a number of advantages for anyone coming to work and live in Japan for the first time.

First, they offer employment throughout the year. I was initially interested in the JET program before I found it to be the kind of company you need to prepare for well in advance; it would be over 12 months before I could potentially start. Nova, on the other hand, gave me an interview not long after I applied. Once I had my visa, I was on my way.

A section on Nova’s application asks what you would consider your ideal destination in Japan. For me, I was open to any location. Shizuoka was the first city Nova sent me for work. I knew little about it prior to my arrival. Entering into a new environment is always a bit nerve-wracking, especially when you cannot speak the language.

Working for Nova, however, gave me the chance to meet many other colleagues who had been in the same position. My new colleagues were great in helping me figure out the best places to go and things to avoid. At High Schools or private companies in Japan, teachers often must discover where things are for themselves. While some might say that is the beauty of moving to a foreign country, at the same time, it can't hurt to get a little bit of advice.

The students, of course, can also provide valuable information; letting you know about cultural issues, food, and all things popular in Japan. It is useful to know which TV program everybody is watching or who is the local sporting hero; such knowledge helps you integrate into society and makes you feel more at home. Nova's classroom size helps in this respect. There is a maximum of four pupils per class and often there is just one or two.

With so few students in each class, you can learn a lot more about the people you are teaching. It is interesting to discover the daily schedules of Japanese housewives, businessmen, and university graduates, etc.

That is not to say all of the classes are stimulating. Often the experience can be challenging, particularly when you are teaching a very shy pupil willing only to give minimal responses and never asking questions. During the first few months, some 40/45 minute classes can seem to go quite slowly, but you get used to it. With experience, you develop more ideas about how to deal with different types of students.

For many teachers “Voice” classes can be the most demanding. The class consists in a conversation lounge where students can drop in at any time. It can be difficult when you are teaching someone who is very strong in the command of English along with a person who is at a lower level. Nor is it easy to find the time to plan for these or any other lessons at Nova. The schedule is usually full, with the emphasis appearing to be on quantity over quality.

Nova is a huge corporation and therefore the desire to earn money is probably considered to be of as at least as much importance as the well-being of customers and employees. However, that does not mean it is a bad place to work. As mentioned earlier, in my experience there are more desirable schools than Nova, but I have found that the people with the best teaching jobs — in Shizuoka anyway — have started out at major companies such as Nova, ECC, or AEON. Then, through word of mouth, teachers have moved on to find something more appropriate for them. If you are thinking of coming to Japan to teach English for a while, this might be the best way to go about it.

Matthew Hernon worked for Westgate last year and prior to that worked for Nova.