Blizzardboy | A Kiwi in Japan

Just saw an interesting notice on facebook. It appears that mainland China based English school chain English First is offering relocation assistance and free flights over for the hordes of ex-Nova instructors who were finally put out of their misery on Friday with the filing of bankruptcy in the Osaka District Court by the embroiled chain.

Here is what they posted on facebook:

EF English First would like to offer free flights and relocation assistance to all former NOVA teachers who are qualified to work in China for a year.

You can check out applications at the English First website here: English First Registrations

I looked into working for them a couple of years ago before we went to China. From my understanding there is a little more flexibility within their system than Nova has. They have branches throughout China, including even Urumiqi in Xinjiang. There a lots of other options besides English First, but I think it is very good that company to extend a helping hand at this time. In the end I went with a much smaller school: Circle English in Korla as I preferred what the owner had to say during the hiring process (hiring being a two process after all). I am very glad I went with Circle English as it was a fascinating experience.

Of course you wont earn anywhere near as much in China as in Japan, however cost of living is much much lower so the effective standard of living is much better. Imagine if you were earning 3 times the average salaryman wage here in Japan!

UPDATE (29/10): English First have a posting on the Tokyo section of Craigslist with more detailed information about what they have to offer: Interesting Job Opportunities for Nova Instructors from English First on Craigslist Tokyo.