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A Market Still in Decline
The last time we looked at the numbers in the foreign language school market, they were obviously bad, reflecting the fallout from Nova's money woes. New statistics from METI released on February 8 [PDF in Japanese] show the foreign language school sector for the three-month period from October to December 2007 to be still in decline.
According to the statistics [Excel file in Japanese and English], December 2007 sales in the foreign language school market fell 36.4% marking the 12th consecutive drop in sales. Overall, sales were ¥97.7 billion, down 28.4% from the previous year. The number of students declined 22.3% and the number of new students also fell 21.5% from the previous year. In terms of staff, the number of instructors fell 26% from 13,580 to 10, 060. Of this total, the number of full-time instructors fell by half while the number of part-time instructors increased 9.9% to 6,004 from 5,460.
Given g.communication's rough start in re-opening old Nova schools and the way it has been treating its instructors, it's safe to say that the market will be feeling the effects of Nova's collapse for some time to come.
Edited 03/05/08 to correct sales figure.
Comments
Market decline has nothing to do with Saruhashi's monkey business. He was bending the rules, thieving, cheating, and lieing, even when times were good. People need to demand justice, and insist that prick be arrested, charged, convicted, and punished.
The scam-like ways of eikaiwa have been exposed for the world to see. Harassment , intimidation, bribery-like corruption- and that's just the way they treat the instructors!
Face it, in this universe, honesty and integrity are rewarded in the long run and their opposites sooner or later fail to prosper. The mad race to milk the legitimate need for conversation lessons here,lead to all kinds of corners being cut in the race for easy profits. Insufficient training, extended hours and extreme overbooking. The funny thing is that by doing this, the 'schools'(and I use the term advisedly, it being Nova in particular), sawed off the very branch they sat on!
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=e6AYnOLpAJE
For all of you people screaming for Saruhashi's blood, you are setting yourselves up for yet another disappointment. I have no idea if he will be charged or not, but in Japan, if you are charged, it is almost certain you will be convicted.
However, the chances of him actually getting sent to jail are slim to none. At worst, he will get a suspended sentence and a big fine.
Then all of you will be crying about that for another few months.
Ok, so you signed up to work for a shitty corporation because you failed to do even the most basic internet research. Ok, fine. And then you got screwed over and failed to see the end coming and got stuck with no job. Ok, fine. But please just don't pin your next great hopes on seeing justice done, 'cause it ain't gonna happen.
Please move on with your lives.
Dragon-Eagle
Not one person on Dave's Smartarse Cafe agreed me with that the whole market would take a bashing from the fallout of Nova. As I'd seen almost exactly the same happen with the collapse of Opening in Spain, though, this didn't surprise me at all...
Any reason why they thought so? I don't think the demand for English lessons has changed much, but the numbers clearly show that the sector has taken a hit.
It's hard to say when it will recover as Nova is still in the process of liquidation. Since it didn't have much in the way of tangible assets, it's likely the students will never see any of their money refunded.
If the students had received some sort of refund by now they may have plowed that money back into English lessons with g.com or elsewhere. Instead, they find themselves out of a few thousand dollars and are hesitant to throw more good money after bad.
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them. -Albert Einstein
Shawn
It's impossible to tell, but how much of this "decline" is actually just eikaiwa students switching over to private lessons with their former teachers, especially the mass exodus from Nova, and the likely huge increase in private teaching. Are the coffee shop private lessons, slightly more formal group lessons in a rented romm in a community center, or even the small independent one-gaijin and one spouse in their apartment schools, even on the radar?
What is the private lesson trend? Did they used to be a supplement to eikaiwa lesosns, but now are a complete replacement? I know some of my private students still go to my old eikaiwa, and others quit to take my lessons when I left the school. They aren't paying ridiculous lesson fees anymore, but they still are part of the "eikaiwa demand" pool, but the economists probably can't count them, while we can.
I have no problem with teachers keeping 100% of lesson fees at the expense of the eikaiwa industry. It would just be nice to know exactly how much we're hurting the big Three.
Yeah the market for the big corps is gone, but figures dont take into account all the privateering that is now going on.
People still want to learn English and for those left the best way is cafe english it seems, good luck and I hope you get the money which you are due from times past.
The Japanese still want to learn English. They just don't want to pay for it. It's why so many strangers will speak to you in English even though your Japanese is good and you are in fact speaking Japanese to them. I have lost count at the number of times I have gone into stores, used Japanese with the staff but they respond in English (usually terrible English). Or the times when you go out with Japanese friends/students who invite their friends and say to their friends right in front of you "practice your English with *insert name here*"
To all you guys and gals bitchin out there sorry to say but the market isn't in decline. Atleast not where i am. The company i work for is giving a pay rise, and quite substantial too. And for those that complain about being spoken to in english by a japanese person - it's because they think (and are taught) that japanese is the hardest langauge in the world so when someone makes a mistake they assume out of politeness that they must try english. Having said that i have had the same situation as anonymous. Shame he/she couldn't give a better title really.
It is true that some Japanese naturally assume that it is impossible for a gaijin to speak English or stupidity think it is polite to answer in English when your Japanese is much better. However, for a very large percentage of them, it is just because they want to try to practice their English and could care less about how rude it is or about you in any way.
Many a time I have had Japanese approach me and want to talk. However, as soon as the find out my Japanese is much better than their English and I am not interested in speaking English on my off time, the interest the had in me suddenly evaporates.
Obviously, not all are that way. I can guarantee though that a high percentage of those who approach you in English certainly are. You are just a English speaking practice machine to them.
I use the opportunity to pick pocket them and then find out whats drugs they are using and if they need and new dealer....as my old Girl Scout Cookies sales "coach" used to say "Never miss out on an opportunity to make a sale!"
Sarcasinisms are sarcastic!
Wow...burly...not finished correcting your latest wife through a nightly `beating up` that you have time to come here and comment!
So gay burly...so gay
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