Comments on: NOVA teacher murdered in Chiba Prefecture

By: English teacher murdered « LongCountdown.com

English teacher murdered « LongCountdown.com — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:31:04 +0000

[...] NOVA teacher murdered in Chiba Prefecture [...]

By: masusan

masusan — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 11:55:39 +0000

Work visas are issued by Japanese immigration and can only be revoked by immigration. Your employer initially “sponsors” you, which is to say, they hire you, they fill out the paperwork and they submit it to immigration for you. After you receive a work visa you are legally entitled to work anywhere until that visa expires. Your employer has no power to revoke your visa once it’s issued.

By: jaye

jaye — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 15:07:52 +0000

almost all teachers i knew who worked for nova (2 years ago) had private students. i had about 10 who i saw weekly at their homes, or in mine. i found them through websites and through recruitment companies and my AT (assistant trainer and immediate manager) said that although nova frowned upon other employment, they did not forbid it.

By: More news on the murder of NOVA teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker » Japan Probe

More news on the murder of NOVA teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker » Japan Probe — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:08:03 +0000

[...] NOVA teacher murdered in Chiba Prefecture 9 Turner, Paul, Ken, Turner, Roaf, Turner [...] [...]

By: Turner

Turner — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:40:42 +0000

Paul – I know that, I was just responding to James’ call.

Ken – I did not know that; I could have sworn work visas tie you directly to the companies that sponsor them (i.e. aren’t they allowed to revoke one year visas, if you are terminated?). Good to know.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:34:48 +0000

And if we can be more explicit, the NOVA policy doesn’t, if I read correctly, forbid teaching students that are non-Nova. Fraternization with nova students is against nova policy, however. While I cannot provide more information than these news stories do, I do work at Nova and with someone close to the victim and the alleged suspect was not a Nova student.

By: Ken

Ken — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 15:15:27 +0000

Turner, teaching private students (on a visa that allows you to legally teach) does not violate your work visa. The visa in no way shape or form restricts you to only work for the employer who sponsored it. It may be in violation of their employment contracts, but it does not violate any visa regulations.

By: Turner

Turner — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:43:04 +0000

Of course it’s a gray area – I should have mentioned… although the eikaiwa policies prohibit such interaction, it happens everywhere, because it’s such a ridiculous policy… forbidding teachers to socialize with some of the people they spend the most time with in Japan? People who can speak to them in English? As much as the eikaiwa would like to believe that just because they sponsored teachers, they somehow gain control of their personal lives, they don’t…

I understand the reasoning behind these policies (#1: bad publicity), but that doesn’t change the fact they are simply absurd.

By: Roaf

Roaf — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:10:41 +0000

Sad story, my thoughts go out to her family.
The NOVA non-fraternization policy is a bit of a gray area these days, and is not rigidly enforced or brought up by the management, but most teachers tend to keep it a secret just in case.
Lots of NOVA teachers supplement their income by teaching non-NOVA students in their free time, so I expect this was the case.
This is a terrible incident. It doesn’t surprise me that the police let the suspect escape. They displayed staggering ineptitude during the Lucie Blackman case a few years ago, as you can read in this Time Magazine Article

By: Turner

Turner — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 14:01:17 +0000

I don’t have any firsthand material, Mr. Perry, but I can answer James’ request regarding student-teacher socializing.

Unless something has changed as of late, AEON is the only member of the eikaiwa (out of NOVA, GEOS, AEON, and ECC) to have a policy which allows students and teachers to socialize outside of class. NOVA forbade such interaction, and I believe still forbids it.

None of the eikaiwa allow teachers to have private students outside of school, as this is in violation of their work visas (assuming they received any money for such lessons; it’s still not allowed even if you don’t, because why would the students pay for lessons at eikaiwa when they can talk to you for free?) Of course, they have no way of enforcing this other than keeping you under constant surveilance, so it’s broken all the time.

I’ll keep researching this – any GEOS or NOVA teachers have a policy manual handy?

By: langslave

langslave — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:17:30 +0000

How on earth, if the police went to his apartment, did he manage to get away from them???

By: Richard Lloyd Parry

Richard Lloyd Parry — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 12:20:30 +0000

If anyone has information on this case which they wish to share with a sympathetic and responsible correspondent in Japan, please be in touch.

Richard Lloyd Parry
Asia Editor
The Times

mob. 090-9373-7305
office. 03-3270-3481

richard.lloydparry@thetimes.co.uk

Thanks.

By: Tokyo Katie

Tokyo Katie — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:31:24 +0000

That footage gives me shivers. I feel so bad for her poor family her parents must be deverstated. I hope they catch the man that is responsiable for this fast.