Job Discussion Forums

[Caporetto]

I will be new to Russia this year, coming over from Latin America. I'd be interested to know what experienced people consider to be good and bad pay in Russia.

Assuming that accommodation, bills, visa fees, and some sort of flight help or bonus is part of the deal, (they vary in the detail) I am typically seeing:

21,000 rubles at the lower end (Togliatti, Volgograd)

35,000 rubles at the medium-higher end (both in backwaters and big cities)

I am seeing some considerably higher, 40, 45+, but usually with an evident catch such as longer hours, working Saturdays, or traipsing from company to company.

I'd love any thoughts. I should point out that in my own case I am mainly looking away from the bigger cities and don't fancy them.

I am imagining that 35,000 in Moscow and the same in Novosibirsk are two very different beasts?

[maruss]

I can't comment on Novosibirsk but for Moscow this is what we call 'Mac School' money!It's around $1000 U.S. equivalent per month and will just about allow you to afford some food and maybe go out for drinks and a modest eatery once or twice per month!To make it worth while you need at least 65-70.000 roubles per month,assuming of course that they pay for your accom.-have you checked out what accom. they include?No doubt a room in a shared flat with someone you may-or may not-want to share your living space with!To rent a small,basic flat for yourself will cost at least 30.000 roubles-hence the need to earn at least 65-70.000.
Hope this helps.

[Caporetto]

Hi Maruss,

Thanks very much for your reply, and I see what you mean. As I said though, I'm planning to stay away from Moscow.

Yes, as I said most of the jobs I see advertised do include accommodation, about half specify single flat. Most do not push shared accommodation, is this maybe something that's altered in recent years?

I suppose the main question I'd have in response to your advice is Where are all these 70,000 ruble jobs being advertised? Not on the net. Looks like all the IHs fall into your 'MacSchool' pay bracket too.

[spiral78]

[Caporetto]

Right. Not the case everywhere. Has anyone got something for the 'Constructive' pile?

[Sashadroogie]

The money, even the highest band, is fairly poor, inside and outside Moscow. Yet, it is typically what schools offer newbies from abroad, so I doubt that you'll find anything better from outside. Most people come here through a MacSchool, which IH most certainly is in Russia, and then branch out to better paying positions elsewhere and supplement that with lucrative private work.

Don't know much about the back-of-beyonds - just Moscow. But most of my friends tell me that various costs are the same if not higher in the provinces. So quite similar beasts in fact. Don't pin your hopes on being able to live more frugally in the countryside.

[smithrn1983]

[maruss]

Life in Russia is not cheap for many people-in fact it's often damn difficult and full of stress and hassle!Firstly because the earnings of the vast majority are very low compared to the cost of living and also because of myriad other issues which you can read all about elsewhere on this forum if you have the inclination?In Moscow and other key cities there is a middle-class of educated people who live better than the poor majority and have what by western standards might be called a 'reasonable' standard of living,with foreign holidays,new cars and access to up to date clothes and electronic goods etc.But overall, for many of it's inhabitants,Russia is still a third world country and it's very easy to overlook this,especially if you are a foreigner and have only visited Moscow or St Petes etc.
So obviously you ask yourself how you find one of the better paid jobs,rather than go for IH and other Mac Schools?Once again,as you will read on this site from my postings and those of others such as our friend who made the last one,you either bite the bullet and do it via the Mac route to get in,with the aim of moving to something better a.s.a.p. or do as I did and take a job which is hourly paid,get your own flights and accom. etc. and basically try to earn back what you spend to get there from the job afterwards.But there are drawbacks,the major one being that most of us used business visas and could stay up to six months a t a time then without having to leave and come back in again-nowadays 90 days is the limit and you also apparently have to stay away for 90 days after that?The other is that the job may not work out as you hoped(I had this problem!)and you end up looking for other work which can take time-and remember you are paying your own way in what is not a cheap place to live in,even more so in Moscow!And last but by no means least,I had good Russian friends there to turn to and a working knowledge of the language-and they found me my first 3 months very nice accom. at a bargain price,something which very few people are lucky enough to do!Never overlook this last point,as I'm sure others will agree!

[Caporetto]

Guys, this is crystal clear, many thanks for your input. I'm relieved there isn't some secret golden route-in that I was missing - it sounds like a case of year or so's grunt work and feet-finding before moving on to something more fulfilling.

Interesting to compare the situation to my current location, where even the cheesiest Mickey Mouse outfit will not give you accom, flights, holiday pay or sick pay (and where IH are the exception and the highest payers).

[da teacha]