Job Discussion Forums

stonethecrow · Joined: 04 Jun 2013 Posts: 43

Hi,

I've just been offered a job with this school:

http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=32130

Anyone know anything about them? The only thing I know, apart from the interview, is that they aren't these guys http://british-centre.ru/for-teachers

Cheers
Dan

maruss · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus

The hype is the usual blurb to lure you into taking a job in some pretty drab and miserable satellite towns east of Moscow where probably the most interesting building will be a branch of Macdonalds! Whilst rents for flats there are usually cheaper you won't be paying that anyway but food and groceries are about the same price as in city stores which is expensive!
The salary is the same as those offered by the leading what we call 'Mac-schools' on this site-i.e. basic and by no means generous so all in all you'd probably be happier and better off working for one of them in a city location where you will not only have all the facilities accessible by metro etc. but have more possibility of finding some private students to supplement your income and more choice of the kind of students you have-i.e. kids, teenagers, adults or business in-company etc.
Especially when winter comes you will not feel like making the commute into the city when you have free time-by mini-bus the traffic can also be horrendous! Try using Google earth and focusing on these places they list in their recruitment blurb-Reutov, Balashika etc. and you will get some ide of what they look like-at best uninspiring and often with people to match who tend not to be very friendly to boot!

maruss · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus

There was a very bad report from a guy who had worked in Noginsk on this site a while back-if it's the same firm, which is highly likely, then its a no-no!!

golsa · Joined: 20 Nov 2011 Posts: 185

Please don't confuse British Centre with BC, which usually means British Council ;) They're very, very different organisations.

maruss · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus

Russian firms have a habit of using names with British sounding connections to increase their prestige and misleadingly create the impression that they maybe linked with an establishment in the U.K.
I had a very bad personal experience with one called Oxford Crown which although it sounds as if it may be connected with Oxford was nothing of the kind, although they did admittedly have someone representing them in the U.K. to help with arranging summer schools there for Russian kids, which was their main activity.