Job Discussion Forums

[Madeline Olena]

Hi! I'm going to be graduating from college this spring and I'm hoping to spend a year teaching English in Russia. I've been doing some research, and it seems like the Language Link Internship might be a good deal for me since I don't plan on pursuing a career in TESL. Does anyone have any experience with this program? Its does not require any prior experience (I have none) and covers accommodation, air travel, medical, and pays $400 a month for three months, then $450 for the next three month block, and ends at $500 a month. Is this livable? Also, does anyone know in which city or cities this program is located?

Thanks!

Madeline

[Communist Smurf]

I had applied to this same internship, but decided against it. I don't think it's a good idea because it's just not enough money. I hear a lot of great things about the staff there, but I had slightly negative experiences with them. Nothing major. I just had a hard time getting them to respond to questions (through email).

With a degree alone, you should be able to find a job teaching (or possibly other stuff).

I changed my mind (sorta). Do the internship, but only the summer one.

CS

[Madeline Olena]

Thanks for the warning. Yes, it would be much better to get a real teaching job, I'm sure, but I was under the impression that you need certification to get such a position in russia. Someone on this message board said that you have to have the CELTA or TESOL, and the sites for the companies I've been visiting seem to insist on certification or experience as well. Is this all just talk? Or do I just have to know which jobs to look for? Any guidance at all on these issues would be wonderful.

Madeline

[Communist Smurf]

I'm not the right person to advise you whether or not you can find a teaching job without a certification. But it's certainly possible and I have friends that have done it.

The thing that interested me in the internship the most is that it sounds like you get a lot of hands-on experience before being thrown in the deep-end (teaching by yourself).

You said earlier that you weren't planning on making a career teaching. It's possible to find something else with a degree alone. Teaching is probably the best/most available opportunity (for most people, especially recent graduates).

CS

[Cookie Monster]

It's not as good as some jobs but better than others. $400 isn't a lot, but considering that everything else is paid for, you certainly won't starve and will be able to enjoy the place, albeit without luxury....but it is Russia afterall! LL and BKC both pay qualified teachers between 500 and 600. The only people that earn more are freelance or very experienced.

I hear the support and training are vey good for the inter programme too.

[steven_gerrard]

If you don't anticipate TEFL being your career and just want to spend a year in Russia, then the internship is ideal for you. There is absolutely no point in spending up to a thousand pounds doing the CELTA if you have no intention of being a teacher for any longer than a couple of years. The course covers all the basics you'll need for the first months of teaching and there is a good support structure afterwards. OK, $400 isn't a lot to live on in Moscow but this is only for a probationary period- if the intern is successful, the salary is significantly increased. If anyone had any problems communicating with Language Link via e mai, it's because they have literally hundreds of applications for the programme every Summer.

As for LL in general, they are one of the better companies to work for. They pay you on time (you'd be surprised how many schools over here don't), you get full visa and registration support, a generous flight allowance and healthcare benefits. In addition- and probably most importantly of all- they provide you with a flat. It is very difficult to find a flat in Moscow even if you have been here for years, almost impossible if you are new in town. I don't know of any other school of Language Link's size that does this for it's new teachers. If you don't want to live in an LL flat, you can opt for the accommodation allowance instead, though most teachers stay in company flats for at least their first year in Moscow and many for their second and third. Although I did used to work at LL, I have now moved on and have little contact with the place anymore. I don't have any vested interest in the place at all.

Personally, I do have my own reservations about the internship programme but these are more to do with what the students get out of it rather than the teacher. As EFL is my career, I do not like to see the widely -held misconception that English can be taught by any native speaker given any encouragement (which I thought the internship at LL did). I think that ALL teachers, regardless of how long they wish to dtay in the profession should have the CELTA. But this is a different argument altogether and I still feel it is a very good deal for the interns themselves and especially those who fancy a year out after university.

[Madeline Olena]

Thank you very much for the advice. I'm definitely going to look into the LL internship. And yes, I am concerned about my ability to lead a helpful class with no training, but I can assure you that I'll be dedicated to the task. Can you suggest any readings that might prepare me for TEFL?

[canucktechie]

they provide you with a flat .... I don't know of any other school of Language Link's size that does this for it's new teachers

BKC does too, and for good reason - I don't think you could get anybody to work here without providing accommodation. True, some teachers do strike out on their own but they are mostly people with personal relationships with Russians or a privacy bug.

[lunarfeye]

Hi I am considering applying for the internship next year. I am currently teaching in Japan so I have experience but I don't have CELTA qualification or any TESL qualification. Has anyone done the internship? Can you reccommend how long for? It seems you can stay 18, 24 or 36 months. Can you really live off 400 a month? Thanks!

[bobs12]

Although I don't live in Moscow, I'd say that even with provided accommodation you'd have to tighten your belt a few notches to live on $400. If that's without accommodation- no chance!

For MO, The Practice of English Language Teaching by Jeremy Harmer is a useful guide to the theoretical side. Just don't get too bogged down in the academic nonsense. Don't forget to buy Murhpy, at least intermediate level. You might find it useful for yourself to read (I know I did) as it lays out grammar points that we wouldn't normally identify as native speakers in a very clear and simple manner. And it's great for teaching

Whatever you read in books, or whatever you learn in training, go into the job with an open mind. There are no hard and fast rules- you'll find your own apporach and techniques that work best for you, don't let anyone dictate to you that their methods are the 'correct' ones.

[problembears]

Thanks for the great discussion and advice everyone, hopefully I can continue this thread. I too am graduating from Uni. this year and was thinking about the LL internship. I'm also concerned about the low salary to start - then again, it is Russia and I'm pretty accustomed by now to living the life of a poor student. Is there anyone who has actually done the internship that could comment on it? Or, anyone who has worked with LL outside Moscow and SP...like Pushkin, Petergof or Volgograd? Cheers,

Phil
Ottawa, ON., Canada.

[steven_gerrard]

I didnt know BKC provided accommodation but I had a quick gander at their website and it seems they do provide shared accommodation. If you work at Language Link you will more than likely have your own flat, and definitely will if you requested it.

As for the LL internship, I think if you were planning on working at a centre outside Moscow or St Pete's, after the initial training you would get very little support apart from the odd visit from a DOS or the school principal, maybe twice a year at most. Also, it is possible you would be the only teacher working for LL in that place so if you like company then it may not be for you. You wont have access to many resources. (though if you have a laptop bring it and this problem is solved) However, if you love a challenge and are willing to get stuck in (and many people are) then you'll love a year in one of those places. You'll be the star of the town, everyone will want to buy you a drink and you'll have a great time.
Its not for everyone. If you're fresh out of uni and have never lived abroad before, it may be a bit of a baptism of fire. Having said that, many teachers don't want to live in a huge, impersonal city and prefer the smaller towns.

As for the poster who says $400 is impossible to live on each month- I agree to a certain extent. It wont be very easy but it is certainly doable. But as I said, this is only for a probationary period and of course accommodation is provided on top of that. Perhaps they have even raised the salary by now, I dunno.

[bobs12]

I think the wages are up a bit- I recently contacted LL about a position in St. Pete's. From what I understood wages begin at $450 and go up to a maximum of $600, plus accommodation provided. Best to check those figures, don't rely on them.

If I understood correctly, the contract stipulates that you are 'on call' 15 hours a day, and that's for what they call an 'internship'. Miss staff meetings etc. and they dock your wages. Sounds like a wring-'em-dry policy.

I can't remember the stated contact (not contract) hours per week, but that's slightly irrelevant. Work out the hourly wage yourselves, and don't kid on that travelling between sites doesn't count as work just because it's not in the classroom.

That said, LL do claim to have a very high staff retention rate, and you might find that with a long working day you have less time to spend money. Or, you might find you spend all your money on convenience foods and your weekends sleeping and tidying up the mess in your flat because you're too knackered to look after yourself properly

Good advice about small towns- if you can handle being far from the city lights, it's probably a much more fulfilling experience.

[rogan]

I worked outside Moscow for LL - in Volgograd and elsewhere and I revelled in the fact that I had only limited contact with Head Office. - But I was qualified and experienced in TEFL

The local managers left me alone, except on pay days.

My accomodation was fine - much bigger and better than the accomodation that I had with LL in Moscow.

Support networks are available for those that need them.

I recommend LL as being amongst the best Languuage Schools in Russia.

Personally I wouldn't work for $400 a month, but my needs are probably very different from those of other people.

[bobs12]

Yes, being left to your own devices can be a good thing once you know what you're doing and don't need a DOS or similar to chip in with his tuppenceworth to justify your being paid less this month...

Then again, even for the experienced it can be a bit unnerving to have zero backup

Who will work for what pay is a pretty personal matter. I wouldn't work for that amount either unless I just wanted to get out of the city, but for someone who wants to get into teaching, or just into Russia in general, it's probably not bad, especially if they're not going to be dependent on it.

It's more than I earned in my first few months here in St. P, and I didn't have accommodation provided then. If I didn't have so many ties I'd possibly consider going to one of the schools in the sticks for a year. Though I think Zaneth's set up is much better, and more prestigious.