Job Discussion Forums

[ohahakehte]

i will soon be finished my first year of EFL teaching in seoul, south korea and im considering going to russia (likely moscow) to teach.

the way it works w/ most teachers in seoul is that you get hired by a hagwan (a private english school - really its a business) and they usually pay for your airfare to and from korea. salary is good and unless you party a lot you can save a good amount of money. they pay for your rent and you pay for utilities. getting hired is easy as pie. if you have a degree in anything they'll hire you. oh ya, and demand for native-speaking english teachers far outstripts supply.

what qualifications are necessary for finding a good EFL job in russia? CELTA? TEFL?

how does the EFL job availability situation compare in russia?

is the salary conducive to saving a lot?

does the cost of living gobble much of your salary up?

are most jobs professional EFL univeristy-type jobs?

are the schools/companies generally honest and respectful towards their teachers? in korea its a mixed bag but aside from some annoying aspects of korean culture its not hard to find a decent employer.

[bobs12]

Hi there,

Sorry I don't have time to answer your question at the moment, but if you rake through some of the recent posts on this forum, you'll find answers to most of them.

PM me nearer the time you come to Russia. Don't go to Moscow, come to St. Petersburg first

[dostogirl]

Hey
I've taught both in Korea and in Russia. I wouldn't say there's much difference between both countries. Never trust anything that's not on paper (hehe..remember korean "we are all one big family" thing?). While in Korea it's easy to find a job with any degree (it must be a BA though), in Russia they prefer TESL or any other degree particularly in ESL. Salary differs a lot. In Korea one actually can put away some money, in Russia it's close to impossible. But in Russia you'll have fun. Korea was fun too, but not for women (I'm a woman you how it is towards females in Korea). If you have more questions, just ask...

[zaneth]

Is this a thread about the Russian Seoul?

[Pushok]

Hi

I spent 5 years in Russia (3 in St.Petersburg and 2 in Moscow) and now I'm teaching in Seoul after 2 years in Saudi Arabia. I've only been in Seoul for 5 weeks and so am not massively able to compare, but would go along with what people say about the similarities.

In Russia the people will not be so friendly publically - in fact they will appear downright miserable and often rude at first. This can make simple, everyday tasks, such as shopping, using the metro, more difficult - so I recommened learning a few Russian basics, esp. the Cyrillic alphabet before going (should be a breeze after Hangeul!).

As for living costs, it depends where you go - if Moscow, then not much difference. However, eating out and groceries are generally a lot cheaper in Russia than I've discovered so far in Seoul. Rents seem to be comparable.

The students will certainly be different. After 7 years in this game; teaching Russians, Saudis and a few stints in UK summer schools, I can wholeheartedly say that Korean students are an absolute treat. I already sense that I'll be speaking of their good example when I go to other countries to teach! Russian students will not be quite so studious and respectful - expect them to speak Russian in the class. However, Russians are not the worst I've taught either, by a long shot.

Anyway, I'm aware that I'm rambling. Condensing 5 years in Russia into a few paragraphs of comparisons in not too easy.

If you have any specific questions, please ask or just PM me.

Hope the above helps.