From classroom to boardroom: entrepreneurs from Japan's teaching programs lay stakes many miles from home

Japan, Inc., August, 2003 by Marcus Chidgey

Caroline Pover became one such teacher after an impulse decision took her to Tokyo in 1996. She quit her primary school teaching job in the UK in search of adventure abroad. A friend had suggested that she go to Japan, and one long-haul flight and 24 hours later, Pover was sitting on the steps of Tokyo's Ebisu station, waiting for a contact to meet her. The contact forgot she was coming.

"I spent 8 hours waiting at Ebisu station, during which time I called language schools listed in a book I had brought with me and asked them for interviews. I set up five interviews for the following day (a Friday) and started a full-time job at a technical college on Monday. The contact turned up at 11 p.m., full of sincere apologies!"

In those first six months, the reality of being a foreign woman in a big city, in a culture that still places social and professional restraints on women, dawned on her. "I met a number of women, both foreigners and Japanese, who all had similar experiences to me and so I decided to start a magazine to help bring together internationally-minded women and offer them a forum."

Being A Broad was popular, but after 13 issues it couldn't survive the high printing costs. However, the continuing support of the Being A Broad online network encouraged Pover to keep going. She set about interviewing 250 women about their experiences in Japan for the basis of a book that she financed, published and distributed herself. Being A Broad in Japan: Everything a Western Woman Needs to Survive and Thrive became a best-seller, receiving widespread critical acclaim. Public speaking dates, press articles and TV appearances followed.

Pover now publishes other authors' books through Alexandra Press (named after her mother), and has recently launched a new venture, Go Girls--an online language teacher and student matching service and community exclusively for women. Go Girls staff member Satomi Matsumaru says, "As a language service it's practical. Students can gain feminist ideas in an indirect way through its philosophy and events. It's better than outwardly saying 'girl power!' This style is better for Japan."

Pover comments, "I had no expectations; I didn't know how long I would stay but I knew I would teach English. I came with an open mind. I had no idea that I would end up running three businesses, and I still consider myself an 'accidental entrepreneur.' With no business background, I am learning things all the time. It continues to be an amazing experience."

Success comes in many forms. Revolutionizing the telecoms market and changing the way Japan makes its phone calls is all a far cry from teaching in Tokyo's eikawas, but Brad Pavloski, World Link president and CEO, now runs a multi-million dollar company. After hanging up his teaching cap in 1994, Brad set up the discount telecommunications firm together with his brother, Patrick.

"Every time I picked up the phone to make an international call back home, I wondered why I was paying so much in Japan for what would be relatively inexpensive in the States. There was certainly a gap in the market there." After several months researching procurement strategies, the brothers put together a business plan and secured the financing to launch.