Management The managers I dealt with were some of the rudest people I’ve ever worked with. They constantly spoke in a condescending tone. Me and some other of my colleagues, were pressured into taking holidays during Christmas with comments like ‘it will cost you alot to send you to a branch further away and it will be a long commute’ basically, wanting us to take the holidays. As a result of this, we had to work 6 days a week for the whole of January to make up for the lessons we owed. (Unpaid). When I got sick, they messaged me non-stop about getting a doctor’s note (fair enough, but the tone was overbearing). Even when I acknowledged the message, I later got hit with, ‘Your lack of response and doctor’s note has been noted.’ They also asked to work on my days off but I declined. Someone booked an online lesson like 5 minutes before the lesson started and my colleague didn't realise in time because he checked his schedule shortly before and it was empty. So the staff came in, saying that there was an online lesson. Anyway, he was late to the lesson by a couple minutes. The following day the manager was shouting at him saying ‘You're so unprofessional, when I first met you I thought you were professional but you're not’. Salary and Cost of Living The salary was about 190,000 yen/month with a 20,000 yen attendance bonus if you don’t miss a day — which still isn’t enough to live comfortably in Tokyo. One coworker told me he couldn’t afford new shoes for work. Teaching The job is basically just reading from a textbook. You have to follow Nova’s strict method, which leaves zero room for creativity or adapting to students’ needs. The textbooks themselves are awful — outdated and just bad. Scheduling Issues Each month you have to sign off on your schedule. In January, recieved my schedule which was scheduled for 6 days/week in February. When I brought it up, they brushed it off as a ‘mistake.’ Then in March for my April schedule they did the exact same thing. Doesn’t feel like a mistake anymore. Just feels like they were trying to mess me about. Here's my experience of working with Nova in only 6 months. Nova would be alright, if you didn't care and just used it as a semi paid holiday in Japan but for a career, no chance. Some people who I met at this company used Nova as a side thing to make a bit of extra money while they're at uni or doing whatever else. They didn't mind it at all. But just be careful, If you're going to apply here. Make sure you do your research
NOVA is a major English-conversation school brand operated within NOVA Holdings, offering face-to-face and online private and small-group lessons to learners of different ages across Japan. Teaching assignments, schedules, compensation, benefits, contract terms, commuting expectations, and visa support can vary by location and role, so applicants should confirm all details directly with the hiring school. This profile is provided for school research and teacher reviews. It is not managed or endorsed by NOVA unless officially claimed and verified.
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