With decreasing salaries and eroding job security, it may seem as if little has improved for instructors working in Japan's eikaiwa (English conversation) industry.

Full-time contracts, which are needed for enrolment in the shakai hoken (health and pension) program, remain elusive. However, there was a brief moment in 2007 when that could have changed.

While large eikaiwa schools such as Nova focused on the quantity of students, small companies such as Lado International College of Japan catered to a niche customer base that concentrated on quality.