Nova (eikaiwa)
The Nova Group is the largest of the Big Four eikaiwas (or private English teaching companies) in Japan, with approximately 50% of total market share. In 2004, Nova totaled about 70.6 billion yen in sales, and as of March, 2004, there were 618 Nova branches. In addition to providing English language education, Nova provides French, Spanish, Italian, and German language education, telecommunications, and travel agency services. Nova typically places its branches near train stations, and uses the term ekimae ryūgaku ("foreign studies near the train station": 駅前留学) to describe its program. Nova was founded in August 1981 and first publicly traded on November 1996. Nova corporate headquarters is in Osaka, and the company is led by Nozomu Sahashi. It has a student base of about 450,000 with several thousand foreign instructors (who comprise 70% of the total company employment). There are 35,000 former instructors spread out across the world at present. In addition to its prominent blue and white logo, which includes a flower, Nova has a pink rabbit for a company mascot that appears not just on television and other advertisements, but also on candies and other products offered for sale. New students with no knowledge of English enter the program at the lowest level, 7C, and then progress through 7B, 7A, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 (Level 1 is considered to be native-speaker, and is therefore almost impossible to achieve). Nova also has special programs for children, business English, and test preparation (TOEFL, TOEIC). Nova branches also have a room called the "Voice Room," in which an instructor leads a guided discussion among Nova students. The purpose of the Voice room is for instructors to participate as little as possible, and to permit the students to practice their language skills in an unstructured environment.
Controversy Nova, like the other eikaiwas, is a for-profit business, and not a purely educational institution. As such, its focus is on profit. Instructors are not usually not trained in education prior to joining Nova, but receive limited training upon arrival, with possibility of follow-up training on the job. This has led to the accusation that Nova is not effective. However, some students are able to make noticable improvements in their communication skills. While some teachers have been working for the company for many years, many leave after less than a year. Many teachers have lodged complaints, feeling exploited and unfairly treated by the company. However, it must also be added that some teachers exploit Nova, using Nova just to get a work visa, and then leaving for a better contract with another company or school shortly after arrival in Japan - this now leaves Nova in a bind, with a teacher down. Other teachers use Nova to find students for private tutoring, a practice that company seeks to limit with its anti-fraternization policy. As the largest of the the "Big Four," Nova has been a primary target of of language teacher unionization initiatives. However, the progress has been slow, due to the short-term contracts of its foreign employees. Among its labor complaints are Nova's over-charging on (optional) employee housing, unfair dismissal due to unionizing activity, and the anti-fraternization policy. In 2005 the Japanese Government began investigating Nova and other eikaiwa for failing to observe the law surrounding pension and insurance payments for employees.
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