シャンペンの超新星 (Champagne Supernova)
Is my life in Okinawa coming starting to come around full circle, like some kind of...boomerang? Three years ago I went looking for a job at the Nishihara Branch of NOVA, only to be told that they didn't have any available positions. Sadly that's still the case (sure would make for a convenient commute), but I went back there for the first time in years yesterday anyway. Why? For my interview with one of the NOVA hiring peeps, an interview that (dramatic pause) could result in some ginormous life changes in the near future.
If you've been reading this blog lately then you already know the story: I applied to NOVA not too long ago, and should I get a job with them I'd have to re-locate myself to either Kagawa or Okayama on the island of Shikoku. That's about 700 miles from where I currently live in Okinawa. What you may not know is what working for NOVA could actually entail. Here's some information I was able to gather from my interview:
- Salary - NOVA offers three different types of contracts, each with a different amount of classes and pay attached to them. At the bottom you have the 32 classes a week schedule that pays the least (about 160,000 yen a month). Next there's the 34 class a week schedule that pays something like 180,000 yen a month. Finally there's the 37 classes a week schedule that pays around 190,000 yen a month.
- Bonuses - On top of your base salary you can also get more money per month for agreeing to some stipulations in your contract: 1) NOVA can permanently transfer you to whatever branch they want, whenever they want and 2) NOVA can change your schedule from week to week if they need to. You'd still be teaching say...37 hours a week, but maybe your days off one week would be Saturday and Sunday, and the next week they'd be Monday and Wednesday or something. You don't have to agree to them naturally, but doing so is financially beneficial as they give you an extra 40,000 yen a month. Working the maximum number of classes and agreeing to these bonuses could theoretically put your salary higher than that of a JET.
- Transportation - NOVA will reimburse you for transportation fees related to work travel (perhaps I wouldn't need a car in that case...)
- Insurance - NOVA doesn't have their own insurance program for employees, but you would have to be enrolled in either the national insurance program or a private insurance program to even work there (which is similar to my old job).
- Housing - This is obviously one of the more important things to consider as I can't be homeless up in some cold ass mountain town. According to the dude, NOVA can find housing for their teachers based on a number of criteria (price, location, etc...) and the teachers have to pay back all the fees associated with such a thing. However, the reason Richie (my friend and former NOVA Okinawa teacher) quit NOVA and moved with Kinjal back to England was because NOVA refused to be a guarantor on an apartment. I'm not sure if there's more to his situation than that, but it's something to keep in mind...
Now if the above sounds amazing to you and you want to run out and apply to NOVA right now, here's some questions you can expect to be asked should you get an interview:
- Tell me a little about yourself...
- What's your teaching philosophy?
- If a student asked you what a career woman was, how would you answer that?
- If a student asked you "Can you say more smaller instead of smaller?" how would you answer that?
- Have you ever had a problem co-worker or customer before and how did you deal with that situation?
- How do you keep students motivated in the classroom?
All told everything took about 45 minutes to an hour. I walked away from the interview feeling pretty good about the whole thing. I find out in two weeks whether or not I'll need to pack up my stuff, buy a winter jacket, and move up north.