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I really wish they paid more in Russia.

 
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traveler106



Joined: 22 May 2008
Posts: 46

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 12:54 am    Post subject: I really wish they paid more in Russia. Reply with quote

I just turned down an offer from Language Link in Russia, and doing so left a bad taste in my mouth. I turned down the offer because I've received a much better offer from a school in China, but I can speak Russian, I enjoy being in Russia, and Language Link seemed like a very good school to work for.

Having to follow the money is incredibly unpleasant.
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Spasibo



Joined: 02 Dec 2015
Posts: 31

PostPosted: Fri Aug 26, 2016 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Language Link and those other big chain schools in Russia are usually for fresh grads or those starting out teaching ESL. They are notorious for poor wages and work conditions.

Which city or branch of LL did you apply to, in Moscow?

You can make good money in Russia but you have to teach all private students and set up your clientele.

China is better. Depends if you like the culture there. Russia seems to be your preference.
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stuckinusa



Joined: 23 Dec 2015
Posts: 21

PostPosted: Tue Aug 30, 2016 7:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Spasibo wrote:
Language Link and those other big chain schools in Russia are usually for fresh grads or those starting out teaching ESL. They are notorious for poor wages and work conditions.

Which city or branch of LL did you apply to, in Moscow?

You can make good money in Russia but you have to teach all private students and set up your clientele.

China is better. Depends if you like the culture there. Russia seems to be your preference.

How can you live in Russia and just have private students? Don't you need to be sponsored by a school to get a work visa?
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mitsui



Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki

PostPosted: Sat Sep 03, 2016 9:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Or live near Russia so you could visit. Like in Harbin or Shenyang.
Maybe Moscow would pay better but then you have a higher cost of living.
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Partizan



Joined: 11 Jan 2013
Posts: 61

PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Anybody contemplating Russia or FSU right now need to get their collective heads examined.

There are better places to make coin.
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danshengou



Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole

PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2016 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even with the presumed better social life in Russia vs China, the pay is way too low at the chain schools. And setting up privates is not as easy as it sounds. If you are fresh out of college then you can take a gap year or something in Russia, but otherwise it's just going to be too difficult for an FT to build much of anything there. And by the way, almost every FT has to follow the money at some point.
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:26 pm    Post subject: A good question? Reply with quote

Unless you have had no access to the news for the last two years or so, you would know that the Russian economy is in serious recession and recessions inevitably mean people have to learn to live on less and tighten their belts!
For example, I earned an average of 70.000 roubles per month in 2005 which was then worth around $2.500 and was considered a good wage in Moscow.
Nowadays that is worth not much more than $1000 but prices for food etc. are the same or have often increased so you can do the maths for yourself!
Nowadays 100.000 roubles is considered a high salary in Moscow and many people there earn 50.000 or less.Go outside the city and the situation is even more dire: I know one Russian English teacher in a small town in Moscow district who earns around 20-30.000 roubles and essentials there cost much the same as in Moscow.
Conclusion: you don't go to Russia nowadays to earn money and many of the expat specialist executives who were on lucrative contracts started leaving when the recession hit as firms replaced them with locals who they pay far less for.Those who stayed have had to learn to adjust if they want to keep their jobs.
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danshengou



Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole

PostPosted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 8:52 pm    Post subject: Re: A good question? Reply with quote

maruss wrote:
Unless you have had no access to the news for the last two years or so, you would know that the Russian economy is in serious recession and recessions inevitably mean people have to learn to live on less and tighten their belts!
For example, I earned an average of 70.000 roubles per month in 2005 which was then worth around $2.500 and was considered a good wage in Moscow.
Nowadays that is worth not much more than $1000 but prices for food etc. are the same or have often increased so you can do the maths for yourself!
Nowadays 100.000 roubles is considered a high salary in Moscow and many people there earn 50.000 or less.Go outside the city and the situation is even more dire: I know one Russian English teacher in a small town in Moscow district who earns around 20-30.000 roubles and essentials there cost much the same as in Moscow.
Conclusion: you don't go to Russia nowadays to earn money and many of the expat specialist executives who were on lucrative contracts started leaving when the recession hit as firms replaced them with locals who they pay far less for.Those who stayed have had to learn to adjust if they want to keep their jobs.


The financial cost of remaining in Russia seems high, but leaving home isn't always the right choice (or even possible) for everyone.
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Tue Sep 06, 2016 3:45 pm    Post subject: A good posting! Reply with quote

Many Russians would like to go and live and work abroad if they could but circumstances don't allow it.....and it is not a passport which many western countries exactly welcome with open arms at present either!
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Helen_SM



Joined: 02 Nov 2017
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sun Nov 05, 2017 12:10 pm    Post subject: Re: A good posting! Reply with quote

maruss wrote:
Many Russians would like to go and live and work abroad if they could but circumstances don't allow it.....and it is not a passport which many western countries exactly welcome with open arms at present either!


Yep, You are right. Many Russians even from Petersburg and Moscow are looking for any opportunity to leave for Western Europe and not because of money..... Government dictatorship, bad roads and poor-quality food, and disgusting ecology.... There is no prospect for professional growth and much more, this list is endless Sad
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Fri Nov 10, 2017 10:40 am    Post subject: Why do they want to leave? Reply with quote

I have a conversation class a couple of times per week with Russian teenage kids here in Cyprus, whose parents moved here either recently or some years ago: a few of them are obviously wealthy as they have businesses in Moscow and go there regularly but they say all the reasons you have written why they prefer living here, and others!One boy openly admits that the whole country is crooked from the top down, people are angry and tired of their daily struggles to get by and there is a general cynicism about everything?On top of all this there is the awful weather and this year most of their summer was crap too, which makes the prospect of winter even worse!!
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jpvanderwerf2001



Joined: 02 Oct 2003
Posts: 1117
Location: New York

PostPosted: Wed Nov 15, 2017 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My approach on "getting ahead" in Russia (mind you, my personal experience in this regard was when the economy was better, but I think the concepts still hold to an extent. At least it worked for me in Russia when times were good and in Ukraine when times were less good):
* Plan to stick around for a while (I think it's hard to make much money in this field, in Russia, if you plan to be there only a year);
* Find a job with the lowest number of contract hours that will still support a work visa (if lower hours aren't possible, then find a job that doesn't require you to travel all over the city making for long days). Of course, it's important to do well in this job and get a couple of contracts in;
* Use the time you're not teaching to build a plan for an English club;
* Find a suitable location (cafe / cheap office space) to lead a weekly English club (charge just a little so there's *some* skin in the game);
* Run the club for 3-4 months, get to know those people who attend regularly;
* Eventually, let them know you are looking for a couple of private students (or private groups...potential for more money) -- come up with a price that will show you're serious, but doesn't scare people off;
* Build a clientele. Once you start to have consistent clientele, and they enjoy your lessons, you will likely find yourself with a full schedule...and you can start raising your rates.
This takes some time and some minimal investment (for instance, advertising the club, you may need to pay some for a space, etc.), but I've run many English clubs and have always made private lesson contacts through them.
Russians, as you probably know, value personal connections, and if you can make acquaintances/friends with a few enthusiastic people, they will promote you like no one's business.
Finally, after a year or two (perhaps depending on which city you live in) other opportunities for jobs which offer work visas will likely present themselves. Even a gig at a local university (with lower pay and hours) would do the trick once your private student clientele grows.
This is how I would approach it as an EFL teacher. Most teachers have weekends off, why not use just a couple of those hours to build contacts for future earnings?
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maruss



Joined: 18 Mar 2003
Posts: 1145
Location: Cyprus

PostPosted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 10:38 am    Post subject: Some good advice there! Reply with quote

I fully agree that personal contact is the way to get anything done in Russia-people in general are wary because of the system and inclined not to trust anyone they don't know: this has always been a feature of life there which they inherited due to circumstances and from their history, it's not hard to understand why!
The biggest problem for a newcomer is to find a way to get into the country with a work visa from a firm which will not tie you down with split-hours or lessons at various locations which involve you spending a lot of time commuting-in Moscow this is one of the biggest problems!
The other factor is that short-term you cannot achieve much, either money wise or in building contacts, which then raises other issues, such as whether you are seriously prepared to invest time- and some of your own money-i nto the venture by staying for a few years, with all this will entail?
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