G.com/G.edu: We're Sorry, Please Come Back

Huh?

Is this proper business practice for the Union to essentially be recruiting the teachers for G.Comm??

I honestly do not know how this is on the up and up.

In that case- shouldn't the General Union be offering to help recruit for all the other English Conversation schools? Where was the union when the teachers first lost their jobs?

When a company (or crooked CEO) in Japan makes an apology, it really one means one thing:

Absolutely nothing.

And really, there's no excuse for apologizing anyway. Companies that make these kind of huge errors deserve to go bankrupt to make room for better companies.

That, of course, doesn't explain the Twilight Zone that has become of Nova.

I didn't see point "G"...

Point "G" is where G.com/G.Edu offers to fly back to Japan those instructors forced to return to their home countries as a result of G.com/G.Edu's two-faced termination scheme.

They said they were sorry, so this kind of follow-through would be in order, would it not?

they tried to call my boyfriend last night. he got a missed call; it was from a landline number with an area prefix we didn't recognise. called it back, it was nova. promptly hung up after hearing the word 'nova'. no thankyou.

This is a joke, do they think people are still just dinking around in their apt waiting for a call back? G-Com wake up! Your magic list means nothing.

Do g.com sponsor visas?

G.com wants teachers and people have visas that are about to expire? Join g.com for the visa and bail.

No deal they make with the union or anyone else is worth the paper it is printed on unless they have a lot of full-price paying students (and a steady stream of new ones to make up for attrition) to support the company, teachers etc.

Does anyone have the numbers on this???? From what I read here and my experiences in Japan and running a school, I cannot possible see how they have enough full-paying students to even be out of the red. What in the world are these people thinking??

Also, I wonder about there empty locations. There is on on Osaka I often pass by. It is in a prime location and the signs are still up, but the school has been closed since last year!! What in the world? Who owns this place? If it is Nova, why don't they open it? If it is another landlord, why don't they evict them and make some money off of the location??

Hang on, if you say G Com only want people on spousal visas, then they don't need to sponsor them in the first place. I'm renewing my spousal visa at the moment and immigration just wants to see proof that you are working there, so I just gave them a copy of my contract.
Anyway, if they don't sponsor work visas they're going to have very few teachers indeed.

What Is A NEUTRAL Accent?

Swiss

The landlords simply haven't found new tenants and gutting a location doesn't make it look any more appealing for prospective tenants.

I wish someone could do a survey of NOVA students, 'cause only G.com would have the numbers you're referring to and they probably don't want to share it with us. While I was there less than 5% were new students and we didn't sign any new kids.

The one thing that might be keeping them in the black now, or close to it, is their obsession with maximizing capa and increasing the maximum class size to 5.

That "neutral accent only" thing is bullshit and discriminatory!
Would that be RP like BBC British English or Standard American like CNN?
Then, what do we make of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Wales...? They just don't qualify any longer!?

Personally, I would not join the union. I do not understand why some people hate it so much though. What is the big deal? It is voluntary regardless. And considering how little the law is obeyed here, how can it hurt?

Regardless, it has very little power anyway. Why get so unwound about something that has so little power?

Find something else to cry about!

Canadajin.... shame on you. Thought you were smarter....I always knew you had American tendencies. "I aint got no accent"

p.s. did your hear about Batman's new position at Gotham University?

No. You speak American English. Quit the self-loathing and accept your country has been totally subsumed by the US. Its sad but...what ya gonna do. You should never have disbanded the experimental moose warfare unit in the 60's. Imagine......an army of 500,000 expertly trained killer mooses quitly slipping over the border then...........BANG! Good night USA.

Oh...what could have been.

That's what it's called in the union/management trade history. Anyway, it's a bunch of crap. Wait till u see the next little game the Gs start playing - this time with probable tacit union support. Scratching each others' backs.

What kind of bonehead are you? What do you think a union is there for? I'll give you a big hint. It involves protecting members jobs. . By telling them that G-comm will rehire them is well within that mandate. This does not mean a recruitment drive it means contacting members and seeing if they want their jobs back. What's wrong with that?
If the General Union got jobs back then that's a victory. If a union member tells G-comm to stick it up their ass that's there prerogative.

There are a few 100% paying students...not that many...there are not that many teachers really either...the company is making money selling franchises though...lots of people are buying them...the company is just having a problem supplying the franchise owners with teachers...to help make the books look healthier some parts of G.ed have been attached to different parts of G.com...like G.network...to spread the loss around...Mr Inayoshi is enjoying things though apparently...he loves gambling and he's likened the current situation at Nova to when you're gambling and you're not sure how things are going to pan out...whether you'll win or lose...but it's exciting...you're heart's in your throat...you get that compulsive rush...come in spinner...

Look at a fucking globe.
It says "America", North and South.

Anyone dumb of to expect the world out of a weak little union in Japan deserves to be disappointed.

As long as it is voluntary and it helps some people, I certainly do not have a problem with it.

off topic, I know, but what exactly is a 'mascarade'? Is that when you cover your face with eye make-up so people don't recognize you?

May I get my Visa before it is all over?

I. Don't. Believe. It.

A franchise with no value. Where have I heard THAT before? :-)

If Gcom ring you up for a job, speak in some ridiculous accent , some dialect or mumble and see if they still offer you a job.I believe they'll hire anyone at the moment.

Why is the union acting as a recruiter for g-com? its another example of them beig idiots. What do they possibly have to offer? What safeguards can they give, to anyone who they try to promote or offer to g-com, when they were absolutely powerless to stop what was happening a few months ago? And infact disappeared like sahashi has done for a few months. The unions role is to protect the rights of the workers they represent not to recruit staff for an organization that everyone recognizes has acted dishonestly. Its way past the time where this could have helped people out that were in a bad situatuion they've either found a new job or have gone home. The union putting forward people or even participating in any part of the recruiting process involves them unneccesarily, makes them accountable to some extent, and just shows how basic they are. Anyone who takes a job at neo nova is rewarding bad service, and its not based on the way the original nova treated people but also the way g-com has behaved. At this point YOU are also part of the problem. Leave now like everyone else,dont be lazy, respect yourself and move things forward for the benefit of future people that come to work in Japan and show the Eikaiwa industry that there are some things that foreign teachers wont accept. Really there is no excuse for people who have worked there for years and continue to do so it only shows, a lack of motivation, ambition, and integrity. To be prepared to work for a company that has treated you and others so badly is kinda pathetic. "oh i couldnt make the money i make here elsewhere..ohh its so easy.. There arent so many jobs in japan nowadays...I just do my work and go home..." The only saving grace before was "at least you know you'll get paid on time " and that isn't even true now. You are suffering from battered wife syndrome. Come on guys...Challenge yourself... If you leave you might actually get that sense of appreciation and passion for teaching that NOVA drills out of you teaching the same lessons 7 lessons a day... And its even worse now than it was when i worked there..?!

The question is...HOW Gcum does to OPEN branches and how this fucking company is STILL alive! They lost hundreds millions... what is the deal, until when?

Enlighten me. Where?
Obviously, some franchises have no value and others do. Do you think there is value in a Nova one? If so, why? Personally, I see no reason to pay for the crappy Nova name in a competitive environment. What is the value in that?

From your angry post I take it you are a fully paid member bitching about the union wasting your hard-earned dues? Otherwise you'd be just another pathetic twit with no reason to complain at all.

All it says is that the union will cooperate in introducing instructors in the areas where they are needed and that they will cooperate with the recruitment and hiring of instructors. The keyword is 'cooperate'.

We have no details, but I'm guessing that will involve no more than the the union sending a bunch of emails to it's members saying there are jobs available, and I don't see why that would be a conflict of interest.

I think the agreement is symbolic. It's too late for the union to be able to help with this problem directly, as they can't have that many instructors still waiting in the wings, but this deal will remove the union as an impediment in G.com NOVA's recuitment.

"The keyword is 'cooperate'."

Well I dont know what the union has to gain by "cooperating" with the hiring of instructors. We can do without, at minimum, the symbolism of this. The union has enough problems with G-com to deal with, eg. instructors being hired, fired and and then being asked to be rehired, all in the space of 2 weeks, people not getting the paid the 28 days notice etc. And then, with all these unresolved issues going on, the union says its going to help facilitate? cooperate? help with the hiring of new instructors. This whole situation has screwed over so many people, and all the issues havent been resolved yet, and now the union is going to cooperate with hiring or rehiring new instructors?!
If you dont understand why some people might question this decision, you are the fucking "twit" mate..

"And apparently the union has gained the concessions listed above, didn't you read them?"

Man have you worked outside of Nova? Have you worked in the public school system or other similar chain schools basically, most employers offer shakai hokken. Really NOVA deciding to pay something that government says is mandatory for all fulltime employees over 37.5 hours a week (exact figure i'm not sure you can google it maybe on the general union site!!) is not something to be thankfull for. I dont think financially its in the best interest of the majority of short term Nova employees anyway. I'm not a union member because I didnt believe the were effective, due to NOVA being ruthless and not respecting any kind of law and the short term nature of the majority of employees. I dont work for Nova now anyways, but the few years I did I never felt they had any teeth. I'm sure they do their best in really difficult circumstances so maybe I am being harsh, and there is definately a place for the union.
LISTEN IF YOU ARE STILL WORKING FOR NOVA ITS TIME FOR YOU TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, CHALLENGE YOURSELF. YOUR COMPANY IS DISHONEST YOU HAVE POOR WORKING CONDITIONS AND YOU SHOULD LEAVE. IF ANYONE CAN TELL ME WHY YOU SHOULD STAY AT NOVA PLEASE DO SO. AT THIS POINT YOU ARE DEFINITELY LOSERS. SO DONT WORRRY ABOUT THE UNION GETTING YOU COINCESSIONS THAT YOU ARE LEGALLY ENTITLED TO, AND THAT ARE OFFERED BY NOVAS COMPETITORS, YOU NEED TO SIGNUP TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL CONTRACT.

"I SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL NEVER BITCH COMPLAIN OR BE SUPRISED BY NOVA / G-COMS POOR WORKING CONDITIONS. I HAVE CHOSEN TO IGNORE THE FACT THE COMPANY WENT BANKRUPT DUE TO NOT FOLLOWING THE LAW OF THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND I AM STILL WILLING TO WORK FOR THEM. I AM CHOOSING TO IGNORE THE WAY THE NEW COMPANY G-COM HAS TREATED MY FELLOW EMPLOYEES, MESSING THEM AROUND SAYING THEY ARE GOING TO RENEW THEM THEN DECIDING NOT TO, AND NOT GIVING THEM ANY 28 DAYS PAID NOTICE UPON NON RENEWAL. I AM CHOOSING TO IGNORE GCOM NOT RESPECTING THE CONDITIONS THAT ARE MANDATORY FOR ALL FULL TIME EMPLOYEES UNDER JAPANESE LAW AND OUTLINED IN THEIR OWN CONTRACTS. I AM CHOOSING TO IGNORE THE WAY THAT EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN TREATED IN THE PAST AND PRESENT, AND WILL BE TREATED IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE I AM TOO LAZY TO FIND A JOB ELSEWHERE. I WILL NOT BITCH OR COMPLAIN OR BE SURPRISED BY THE WAY NOVA/G-COM BEHAVES BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN GIVEN AMPLE EVIDENCE OF HOW NOVA/GCOM BEHAVES IN THE PAST AND THE PRESENT. I AM WILLING TO MAKE MONEY FOR A COMPANY THAT ACTS DISHONESTLY BECAUSE I THINK I COULDNT FIND A JOB THAT PAYS MORE ELSEWHERE AND I DONT HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO LOOK FOR A JOB SOMEWHERE ELSE. BECAUSE I AM MAKING AN INFORMED CHOICE ABOUT THIS, AND I AM A RESPONSIBLE ADUT, I WILL NOT COMPLAIN OR BE SURPRISED BY THE WAY NOVA / GCOM BEHAVES WITH REGARDS TO WORKING CONDITIONS,OR FEEL ENTITLED TO CONDITIONS THAT ARE NOT MET BY NOVA / GCOM, AS OUTLINED IN THEIR CONTRACT OR JAPANESE LAW."
If you follow these conditions you are on to winner can live happily ever after.

"I dont work for Nova now anyways, but the few years I did I never felt they had any teeth. I'm sure they do their best in really difficult circumstances so maybe I am being harsh, and there is definately a place for the union."

Right, so we have some agreement. I agree that the eikaiwa unions have limited power, but that's mainly because they are not compulsory, and so many employees are only in Japan for a short time so they don't really need to join. In fact I don't think I'd even heard of the union until NOVA failed to pay our salaries. I don't know any members in my area at all.

The unions are obliged to look after their members first. Others benefit as a by- product of the union's efforts.

Tench used to be one of the heads of the Nova union... he still could be for all I know.

Weren't you around when all this trouble happened or were you asleep. The General Union was in there fighting for us. They had meeting to give NOVA teachers (both members and non members) advice and they organised demonstrations outside the Labor bureau.

If you agree with my analysis of the company then why do you continue to work there? If you work in a branch in the middle of Gifu with limited job opportunities then fine. But if you work for NOVA in a city like Osaka or Tokyo Nagoya etc. then you dont really have an excuse for not looking elsewhere. Its not a question anymore of "personal choice" you are an active part of a dishonest organization, to put it politely at best, and you are willingfully participating in it. For financial gain or whatever. Therefor you are a loser. Just because you didnt pull the trigger doesnt make you any less culpable now does it? Personal choice involves something that doesnt have a detrimental affect on others and you cant argue that NOVA hasn't done that. So if you are working for NOVA/GCOM in an area with other job opportunities and you are choosing not look or find something else, then that reflects on you. And you will have to put up with negative bullshit cos frankly you deserve it.

And yet you go to the trouble of coming here and leaving a post to say that...

Is this discussion forum moderated? I don’t think so. I worked for eight years at Nova, and it was the best job I ever had. In the most part, all teachers were happy. This discussion group has attracted the vocal minority. Whiners speak out the loudest, like in here, but by and large, most of the teachers I worked with at Nova were very happy with Nova, and by all accounts, the new Nova is no different to the old. Whiners are spreading rumours that the new Nova is out of money, and I have no solid evidence to support my view, but by all accounts, it would appear there is more than enough money to go around, to keep Nova going, for good. Indeed, there is no justification to be spreading malicious rumours that the new Nova is any form of financial trouble. All opinions need to be respected, and I invite challenges and lively debate at any time, but to say that Nova is bad, or was a bad place to work, is not true, and nearly all people who have worked for Nova enjoyed it. I would write more, but I am kind of busy right now. Hey, I am happy to listen to and take on any opinion, but I invite you to keep it clean and respectful, if you expect my reply.

Clean, and respectful, that is all I ask.

coburgsavoyman

i just keep imagining my old trainer over and over again and how he now earns half of what I do. haha stupid motherfucker.

I particularly like item F in the above letter. Both GCom and the union have basically agreed that GCom has broken the law in the past and will break the law in the future. I thought the idea was that you had to follow laws or there were penalties.

F: Both G.communication and G.education, who effectively operate NOVA, will, in good faith, engage in collective bargaining with the General Union, and strive to uphold labor laws.

IN fact, the actual wording of the "agreement" was not reproduced on this site in English or in Japanese. IN fact, it arguably obligates the union to help "G" recruit.

True. And Outrageous.

psychiatric help.

In fact, I've heard through the grapevine that there is at least one neo-Nova teacher who hails from the Philippines. As to whether Filipinos or Indians are to be considered native speakers, this is to some extent a grey area: e.g. how many centuries of occupation and colonization did it take for the Irish to collectively transform from native Irish (i.e. Gaelic) speakers into native English speakers (with few Irish speakers left)? There may be no easy, cut-and-dried answer to this, but I wonder if there's a native speaker "acid test" for it that's more or less recognized by linguists (not just for English but for any language).

Go work with AIG you might get a bonus when your company is losing money hand over fist. Typical American capitalism and the government doesn't have the balls to stand up and say fuck ya we are taking the money that the hard earned taxpayer has paid you slimy shits. No wonder America is in such a shit hole.