6 posts tagged “nova sucks”
Former Nova chief arrested
Sahashi grilled over misuse of ¥320 million in worker benefits
OSAKA (Kyodo) Nozomu Sahashi, former president of bankrupt Nova Corp., was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of misusing some ¥320 million of the company's funds held in reserve for employee welfare programs.
 |
| In the hot seat: Former Nova Corp. President Nozomu Sahashi faces reporters last year. KYODO PHOTO |
The Osaka Prefectural Police served the warrant for the alleged embezzlement after questioning the 56-year-old Sahashi on a voluntary basis starting in the morning.
Sahashi, who headed what was once Japan's largest English-language school chain, is suspected of diverting the ¥320 million in reserve funds, set up specifically for employee benefits, last July 20 to Nova through an affiliate firm that he effectively owned.
Sahashi allegedly used the money to refund tuition to students who had canceled their contracts.
"The money was used to refund tuition, but I did not misappropriate any for my own interests," Sahashi said in a statement released by his lawyer.
While Sahashi was questioned by police, his lawyer held a news conference in Osaka and criticized the attempt to build an embezzlement case against his client.
Repeating the same line of argument as Sahashi's statement, the lawyer argued that the fund was used to refund tuition fees to students who had canceled their contracts.
"I don't see any logic in claiming that company employees became the victims" of the refund system, he said, suggesting that Sahashi's actions were based on his responsibility as Nova's president and not dictated by personal interest.
The lawyer also said Sahashi has been ready since late May to cooperate with police if summoned for an interview.
The news of police action against Sahashi largely drew a cool response from former employees and teachers, who indicated that it was expected.
The president "never offered an apology to employees" over the firm's collapse, a former Nova employee said. "My impression of Sahashi is that he did whatever he wanted, saying 'that's for the company's sake.' "
He added that the arrest is only the first step in a full investigation into the company's collapse.
Fionna Macrae, an English teacher now working for another language school chain, expressed hope that Sahashi's arrest would uncover Nova's mistreatment of employees and teachers.
Nova faced a liquidity crunch after the government ordered it to suspend some of its operations last June for allegedly lying to prospective clients about tuition charges and also faced lawsuits by clients seeking tuition refunds.
In October, a labour union that includes non-Japanese Nova instructors requested that labor authorities build a criminal case against Sahashi and others at Nova.
Nova's board sacked Sahashi and the company filed for corporate rehabilitation.
Some Nova schools have been taken over by G.communication Co., based in Nagoya.
Established in 1981, Nova at one point had 300,000 students and employed about 4,000 foreign instructors.
(The Japan Times)Here's a glimpse at our fabulous Xmas party! And other random assorted things.
I can't believe its been so long since I've updated. There really hasn't been too much happening. Well, that's a bit of a lie but I don't have any details to talk about. In efforts to keep things brief, so I doubt you want a blow-by-blow of everything I've done over the last 3 weeks, I'll give you the highlights.
- I've started teaching this 7-year-old boy, Keigo, once a week. His mom took him with her to New Zealand for four months and wants him to keep up his English. It's sweet as: I just go over on Friday afternoons and play for an hour. We read books, colour, just chat. He's amazingly good for 7. Better than any of those Nova brats. Plus, they are SO nice. They worry about me and the Nova situation and always have treats for after the lesson and send me home with food.
- I've got a couple other private lessons on the go as well, one really nice lady who was a student at Nova Kashiwa. It's great cuz I get to teach the way I want to teach. She's so nice as well; if I need more money, she'll do more lessons. And if Nova does start up again, she'll still want lessons with me.
- Nova is still under resuscitation. We haven't had any real information in about 2 weeks. I heard that they had 8 or 10 days to find a buyer or the company's done. Christian told me today that they will have an answer in 2 days. That must mean they have a plan and someone lined up to buy. I heard Yahoo and HIS Travel were interested, but that could just be rumors. I don't care if Nova tanks, I just want to know.
- I'm in the process of moving. I went to a couple of real estate companies and looked at half a dozen places and found one I really like in Kashiwa, 10 minutes from the station. It was a bit of a bitch because I needed to find a Japanese guarantor in order to sign the lease but my new boss said they would co-sign it for me. So that's sorted. Andrew went with me and we filled out application forms so now I just have to wait for the stamp of approval. At best, I'll have the keys by Friday.
Those are the highlights. Our internet got cut off, so I've been sponging off the boys upstairs, and just checking emails on my phone. I haven't been out sightseeing at all until yesterday. Andrew's friend from Korea was visiting so we went out to Yoyogi Park, Harajuku and Shibuya for the day. It was my first time going there, and I heard it was crazy on the weekends. It was, but too bad it got dark so early. The weather has been retarded - it was warm enough for t-shirts yesterday. It's the first week of November! Insane.
I hope you are all doing well. I hope you all have been following this bullshit with Nova. Long story short, Nova is in the big shit. The company has been making stupid business moves for years, but everything has blown up since July. The company ran into some trouble when they didn't honor student contracts and were forced to refund them. However, as far as I know, some people are STILL waiting for their money. To my understanding, when the contract scandal happened (the story goes that Nova claimed students could take lessons ANY time they wanted, but couldn't live up to that because there weren't enough teachers) the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) banned Nova from taking anymore long-contract students until December. Since then, things have become a downward spiral. In August, some of the Japanese staff's pay was delayed by a few days. In September, Branch Trainers' pay was almost 2 weeks delayed. Some of the Japanese staff still haven't been paid since the 27th of September. And now, the teacher's salaries have been delayed from the 15th of October to the 19th, and at that, it is only "scheduled". There is no promise in those words, and I would not be surprised if pay was pushed back further until the end of the month. Why? Because there is NO money. Nova has been closing schools left, right and centre. They decided to close 200 of 900 schools, and I think for good reason. 3 schools in my area have closed, but they were so small they couldn't even support themselves. Abiko school closed and many students moved to Kashiwa (my home branch) and Toride school. Kita Kogane and Moraju Kashiwa (both satellites of Kashiwa) are closing at the end of this month and students can move to Jusco Kashiwa or Matsudo if they wish. Many are not happen because Nova's claim to fame was that students could take lessons anywhere, as close as a 5 minutes walk from their homes.
So what does this mean? Nova is dying. Teachers are quitting daily, leaving the J-staff floundering to find teachers that don't exist. They rearrange the schedule about four times a day, switching lessons and canceling classes. There just isn't anyone to teach them. Some teachers aren't coming in until they get paid, as the trainers did back in September. Fair enough. If there isn't any money to pay us for our work last month, we won't be getting paid for anything this month. There is a tiny glimmer of hope, people think. I'm not sure how much of this I understand, since I am no Commerce student, but apparently Nova has been selling warrants to companies in the British Virgin Islands for next to nothing, and on the 24th of October they turn into a bunch of money, which (in theory) is supposed to pay teachers. That's great! But that doesn't do anything for the rest of the things unpaid:
- the office rent (read: schools have closed due to eviction)
- the (stolen) teachers' rent (read: teachers have been moved due to eviction)
- the (stolen) health insurance
- the late staff wages
- the missing bonuses
- the teachers who quit and were not paid
- the suppliers
- the bank loan
- the advertisers
- the student refunds
How can this situation get better? I don't know. I think the moron CEO of this company who surely has a bounty on his head is waiting for the bans to be lifted in December and is just trying to keep the company afloat until then. Will students come back then? Will there be an income? I don't know. I seriously doubt things can last this way much longer. At one time, we had up to 8 teachers at Kashiwa; I'm surprised if we have 4 now. Have I painted a grim enough picture yet? For more info (and a bit more cynicism) check out http://memoirs-of-a-gaijin.blogspot.com/. Some Nova teacher writing candidly (and rather accurately) about everything. I don't know where he gets his info, but its damn scary how much he knows.
I'm sure you're all scared for me now. And if you aren't, you bastard. :P Just kidding. So, this begs the question, "Heather, what are you going to do?"
Well, since early October I've been hunting for a new job. I can't possibly stay in Japan without having an income, and I'm not ready to come home yet. After all I've spent to get here, I'm not leaving without a fight. It's been really stressful because out of 4000 teachers on the employ of Nova, a good half of them are looking to stay in Japan as well. Needless to say, there is some fierce competition for jobs right now. But I had an interview last Tuesday for an Assistant Language Teacher position for a junior high school in Kashiwa starting in November. I got a reply yesterday, and he said he thought I was the most suitable person for the job! However, the school requested to keep the current ALT but he has a couple of positions open in Funabashi. It's not as convenient as Kashiwa, but its better than nothing and more secure than Nova. I could always ask for a position in Kashiwa when the new school year starts in April, if I stay on there. I haven't heard back with any details on this new job yet, but it's looking really good. :) I've also got a couple part-time things lined up and about 3 more interviews. Now that I've nearly got a new job secured, I wonder if I should continue on with Nova knowing I probably won't get paid for my work. I could sit on my as and surely not make any money, or go to work and keep busy (and avoid spending) until the end of the month. It's only another 2 weeks so what's the harm? I might get some karmic redemption with a final paycheck next month.
The next problem to tackle is housing: Nikki and Amanda (my super star roommates) said I can stay as long as I need to here when/if I leave Nova. I want to stay in Abiko/Kashiwa and have been looking at the real estate listings around this area. I can get a 1 room place (albeit incredibly tiny) for less than half of what I'm paying now. Although I definitely plan to get as much free stuff out of Nova as I can at the moment. The Sydney and Boston offices have stopped sending recruits, and I'm sure Canada has done the same given the situation so I don't think I'll have to worry about a new person forcing me to move before I'm financially ready to do so. This hiccup in the plan is going to delay the "making money" part, but now I can say I survived a corporate meltdown. Although, that's probably not something to list on the resume. Conversation piece? Perhaps. As for them, Nikki is hunting for jobs as well; we went to an info session at Gaba, another conversation school, this morning. She is worse of than me, having gone through the bulk of her savings here since she started mid-month and hasn't received a full paycheck yet. Amanda is going to apply for some jobs tonight, which sucks because she's only been here for 2 weeks. We all are probably going to keep working, not only because we feel bad for the J-staff and students, but Nova probably will write us off the payroll if we leave now and won't be paid for the work we've done. At least I am assured a pay this month when money arrives, since I have my pay stub.
I emailed the consulate and there isn't anything they can do. They just sent me some links to labour rights and unions and stuff as well as a list of English-speaking lawyers in the Kanto region. Like I can afford a lawyer. But at least they were prompt in their reply. Nikki got the same sort of answer from the New Zealand consulate.
Anyway... It's been a really rough week. I was so stressed out I couldn't sleep, and actually had to leave work early on Sunday because I was just sick to my stomach. I came home and bawled my eyes out, finally falling into a half-decent sleep. This definitely eases my stress a little bit, but there are still so many people out there getting fucked by Nozomu Sahashi who ran his company into the ground. Keep your fingers crossed for all of us.
That's about as detailed an update as I can get without going into the nitty-gritty, mundane things. As shitty as things have become, and with the realization that if I had scheduled to leave a mere month later, I could have got on with JET, I don't regret coming to Japan at all. For all the shit I've had to put up with, I've had a great time and met some really awesome people. When I get a steady pay coming in again, and a new apartment, I'll get around to seeing more sights and enjoying myself again. At least I'm not going through this alone.
Send me your well-wishes. :) It's always nice to hear from you. How are things in your neck of the woods?
Take care, dress warm.
Love, Heather
As things are becoming clearer.. the prospect of leaving Nova is becoming more and more certain. Alex found me on Facebook and I thought, "Oh shit, we're going to be policed now" but he's actually a really awesome, chill dude and basically told me to go for it so I don't get screwed. I'm sure he's looking too. As D-Day looms, everyone is getting antsy. A Nova Walkout is the works, but I don't know if I have enough balls to go through with it. The thing is, this probably will only happen if we don't get paid, but it should happen anyway. Not that it really matters, it seems the company is doomed anyway. Heard back about 3 more interviews, so that's a positive sign. One of them, the morons, gave me 2 different dates. One of them was the very next day, after sending the email at 7pm with an attachment saying the date was the following Tuesday. I haven't yet heard from them on this mistake. I was hoping to maybe do some touring on Tuesday (since I'm working Weds for Christian) but I have lined up interviews so that won't be happening. It's going to suck and basically be like a day at work since (if my plan goes accordingly) I'll have the first one at 10am and then second from 1-5:30pm so I don't have to make 2 trips to Tokyo and spend 1500Y. No word on that ALT position I "interviewed" for yet, but there's still a few more days. I'm doing OT today, or at least working a long day instead of short. They'll dock me some lessons somewhere else, I'm sure since they don't have money to pay OT.
Well, as you may have guessed, no news from the CEO of Nova (who apparently has gone AWOL). There was a fax however to the J-staff today about delayed pay again... Alex told me about this website Of Rice and Zen which apparently has been pretty accurate about the whole situation. Things just don't look positive and I really don't know what to do.
On a brighter note (I guess), I had a job interview today with this International Education Systems who supplies Assistant Language Teachers to elementary and junior high schools in Saitama, Chiba and Tokyo. They have contracts with Funabashi and Kashiwa and they are looking for 2 ALTs to fill positions in Kashiwa. It wasn't really an interview though. I made my way down to Akabanebashi (an hour and fifteen minutes from Kashiwa) after my 2 lesson help shift today, and got there 30 mins early and ran into this other Nova teacher applying for the same job. So we schmoozed and went it and filled out the application form. When the 3rd guy came, Mr Oishi told us about the job, what it entailed, a bit of history of the company and then asked the randomest questions that were seemingly about nothing. Like, "You live in Abiko? What's your nearest station, Abiko station? Hmm hmm. You work in Kashiwa now?" Random stuff. NOTHING to do with the actually job itself. I have a feeling he already knows who he wants to hire and this is just a formality to see if people are creepers or not. I was the only person he asked, "When's the soonest you can start?" to which I answered, "Beginning of November". It was very strange. But I'll know by Sunday what the decision is. The pay is a bit less, but I actually like my job. I like the students, I like the atmosphere, the lessons are a bit shit at times, but I enjoy the teaching. And I really like my coworkers and the staff. I think I should see if I can get a meeting with Cerie and talk to her about this situation. She won't be able to tell me anything, because there is no information, but am I being a total skank just leaving Nova high and dry?
If I DO get the job, I might be in the same position come spring since this guy doesn't know if Kashiwa will re-contract for another school year. And they are looking for teachers mid-contract, so its only until March. Am I better off sticking it out with Nova for another month, hoping for the best (MERGER! MERGER!! MERGER!!!) or do I jump ship now, and get something a bit more stable for the time being? If I don't get it, then I won't have any choice but to stick it out. In any case, maybe its a good idea to search for some new living situation just in case. Maybe Justin will move in with me. I'd like to be closer to Tokyo, maybe Kita-Senju or Minami-Senju. I like living in Chiba though... I like Abiko, as sleepy as it is. I don't think I'd be able to convince him to move out this way.
What should I doooo?
