Bob Tench

From Eikaiwa Wiki

Bob Tench is a former instructor of NOVA Group and former President of the Nova Union of Teachers, the organization that used to represent instructors of the original Nova Group prior to its bankruptcy in October 2007.

Tench became President in 2003. He was involved in negotiations for the payment of unpaid salaries to Nova instructors in the aftermath of its bankruptcy in 2007. He stated that he felt "more disappointed than betrayed" by Nova not paying the final salaries of instructors.

Tench was also involved in organizing the Union's "lessons for food" program, whereby former Nova instructors that lost their jobs in the bankruptcy taught English lessons in return for a meal, rather than the standard payment in yen.

Some current and former eikaiwa instructors criticized Tench as being a poor representative for teachers, on account of his unshaven and scruffy demeanour, as well as questioning whether the "lessons for food" program would be more detrimental than beneficial to former instructors' interests.

[1] Nova Union asks government to secure employment