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This is Tokyo not L.A.

by Josh Bonati

(My opinions relate only to my experience working for Nova in Tokyo. Other locations may provide a totally different experience.)

My situation might be a little different than yours. I had visited Japan a few times before living there, and already knew some people in Tokyo. I knew the basic layout of the city, how the subway system worked, and some places of interest before I ever lived there. I also knew what to expect for my living conditions. I had studied Japanese for two years in college, so I was capable of reading menus & signs, asking for directions, basic conversations with friends, shit like that.

The reality is that none of this is really necessary to exist comfortably in Tokyo. Although the language barrier can be prohibitive, the culture-shock factor is entirely over-rated. Most of the people that spout these overly dramatized culture-shock stories are usually individuals who, prior to moving to Tokyo, lived all their lives in rural areas. A more accurate term for what these people experience is "City-Shock". They would be equally as shocked moving to Chicago, London, Hong Kong, or Sydney as they would moving to Tokyo. The most commonly heard "culture-shock" comments come in the form of Americans complaining about the inadequate McDonald's Value Meal portion size.

I chose Nova for my employer. Yes, I chose THEM. Nova will employ anyone with a Bachelor's Degree. A Bachelor's Degree in ANYTHING. That is their only pre-requisite, besides being a native speaker of English. It's basically an "open door" hiring policy for college graduates. The only reason I chose Nova was that they are the only company out of the big four (There are four major "juggernaut" language corporations in Japan: Aeon, Geos, Nova, and ECC) who allow potential teachers to SUGGEST their location. The others just pick, you go. My only demand was to live and operate in Central Tokyo. I have an intense interest in the Japanese independent rock scene, so it was imperative that I lived close to the relevant clubs and record stores. Other locations in suburbs like Chiba or Saitama, or more remote prefectures like Gunma were unacceptable. I had to be where the action was.

Most people gunning for careers in education are not filling positions at Nova. For this reason, you get all kinds of folks on the job. I was lucky to be placed in a school with a really interesting, diverse group of people. I worked at Nova Ginza. Ginza is hands down the wealthiest and most expensive area in Tokyo. It's a great place to work. A lot of teachers stuck out in the sticks are envious of the folks at Nova Ginza. I used to teach this businessman who owned two gourmet sushi shops in the area that were 10 minutes apart on foot. He drove back and forth between the shops in a gold Mercedes 500SL. No shit.

I realized early on that working for Nova was an English trap. A lot of people tried to hook up with me as a "friend" in order to get free English lessons. I had to fight these people off with a stick. Speaking English for 8 hours a day sucks. You will not improve your Japanese working for Nova. It is impossible. It took an amazing amount of effort to get away from that place. Do your job and do it well, but clock out and get the fuck outta there and go hang out in the city. Talk to people, try nasty-looking food, dance and sing karaoke, etc. Do it ALL! Make an effort to step back into that Nova bubble as little as possible.

Tokyo is a loud, bright, fast-paced, and modern metropolis with a population of 27 million. Dress appropriately. Tokyo is also an easy city to blow money in. With average concert and club admission fees of $40-$50, I found myself hitting the two dollar ramen stands more often than not. If you're of the 7-days-a-week-drink-fuck-&-smoke variety, then you'll find yourself routinely living from paycheck to paycheck. A few people I knew lived like that and loved it. Whatever works for you.

I found the day-to-day work schedule at Nova to be pretty enjoyable and far from stressful. Some of my first classes were a little rough, but I found my niche and my teaching style developed quickly. The Nova system actually gives you a lot of room to improvise and be creative with lessons, as long as you stick to the basic outline of their lesson plan. That said, if you can be relatively creative on the spot, you'll adapt. If you're a boring, uncreative sod with a poor sense of humor that can't get by without detailed instructions for everything in life, you will find it challenging. You will become one of these bitter assholes I had to tolerate time and time again. You will spend your time posting boring shit to English teacher message boards. Maybe you will join the union and opt to spend the rest of your life battling to raise in-between class time from 10 minutes to 12 minutes. Ganbatte moron!

Yes! You have 10 minutes between classes. You will use this time to do the following things, in order: write comments for previous students, put said files away, get student files for next class, plan lesson, smoke a cigarette (optional), go to the bathroom, chat with other teachers/students, get to class. The teacher's union will swear up and down that this is insufficient time to accomplish these tasks, but I assure you it's plenty. It just requires a certain level of efficiency that you will have to acquire.

Japanese opinions of Nova teachers are quite polarized. One perspective is that although most Nova teachers are not career educators, they are at least helpful and courteous in the classroom. The other viewpoint (which also applies to teachers working for Aeon, Geos, etc.) is that these foreigners are expendable voice box scum with a shelf life of 9-12 months at best.

Most people decide to teach English because they are interested in Japan and/or want to make money. It's possible to claim both, but usually people adhere to one or the other. As far as these reasons go, I never quite understood the latter. Teaching English doesn't really pay that much unless you start taking on private students or move on to a more expensive "elite" company like Berlitz. You will only be able to really save up a lot of money is if you work ALL the time and don't do anything in the city. But wouldn't that be just fucking boring?

The only question you need to ask yourself: Why do I want to go? If you are interested in Japan, consider that this is THE easiest way to work and live in Japan. If you're in it to make money, understand that you might not be able to save up that much considering what a fun and expensive Tokyo is to live in.

- Created 5/2002

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