Job Discussion Forums

[MrPost]

I've just received an email informing me that I'm "one of the finalists" for the position in Dushanbe, Tajikistan with US Embassy to teach Tajik government officials. The next, final, and pivotal (I believe) step is for me to submit a firm proposed salary By Tonight. That sounds like the hinging non-negotiable hiring factor. When initially applying, I was vague in my request and mentioned a combination of (partial) airfare and/or $1000-1500. Now they want precise figures.

Can someone please help? What is the going rate in Central Asia? Is it wise to ask for airfare as a requirement? How much do I ask for monthly on top of that? If covering the flights is not the norm for these kind of positions, what are the reasonable high and low for flat monthly salary?

I do not require visas nor accommodations, but am ideally aiming for just a tad above cost of living.

I'm gung-ho to get hired for this 4-months gig, but I gotta consider its financial viability... So, I'm put in a quite stressing position right now.

I enormously appreciate any advice, the sooner the better:))
-Igor

[kazpat]

(In Kazakhstan)

BA and CELTA usually gets people between 1000 and 1500 USD. I have recently been offered as much 2000 to go to a provincial oil city. Most jobs I see offer flight reimbursement either in full or up to about 1000.This is for Astana / Almaty and some smaller cities like where I live. Some salaries at the Presidential schools here are much higher. Oil companies are of course a different ball game, I know that some teachers with MAs make 4000-5000 in KZ.

[adey]

Kazapat, How do you secure a job with the oil companies, I 've got beyond MA qualifications ?

[kazpat]

At my wife's oil company they are hired through a third party vendor. Up until 2011 that was Dietsman but I heard the vendor was going to change in 2012. They advertise when there are openings.

[spiral78]

[MrPost]

Thank you for advise. I'm not able to pm anyone just yet, but thanks for support in the mailbox as well! On to the next step... wish me luck...

[kazpat]

[ComradeBL]

The going rate in KZ, which is probably on the high end of CA due to its petro wealth, is about $800-1500 USD/mth. There does not appear to be a large demand for recruitment out of country as it seems there are more than enough people willing to get a visa and jump on a plane to make a go of it on their own.

I constantly read on the forum from the Ruskie guys/gals that the name of the game is privates. Here in KZ, I don't try at all and I am constantly asked if I will teach private lessons.

Oh, and pack your long johns! We haven't seen positive degree territory since November. They are saying that, maybe, on Friday we will crack the ole Goose Egg with a mid-Feb "heat wave"...

Hope this helps!

[kazpat]

[ComradeBL]

Oh, don't get me wrong...today's high is -10 & low is -20 (14 Feb 2012), but yesterday's high was -15 and tomorrow's is -9...slowly creeping up to 0 by the weekend, just in the nick of time to get hammered by yet another snow storm. (Right now the snow is so deep, I can't cut through the backyard of the flat. I have to walk around the complex on the roads.) Looking at hovering near 0 next week. We're all pretty stoked!

As for teaching and visas, some come on a tourist visa and some come on a business visa. Some have a Russian connection and have found a way to play the visa game back and forth between the two. I've never really asked as my visa situation is basically golden and not a concern. Many of the language operations tend to be really low key, from those doing private lessons to the schools themselves. Those who teach are often multi-lingual, doing Dutch & English or Finnish & English. It's usually an odd combos of small language & English; not something like Spanish & English or French & English.

I don't live directly in ALA, but those are the kinds of people & opeartions I've met while being here.

[MrPost]

You guys talking about cold weather, do you mean further north in Kazakhstan or down in southern part of CA as well?

[ComradeBL]

MrPost - We were talking about the weather in KZ. If I remember correctly, Kaz is in the NE European part of the country closer to Russia. I am in the SW Asian part of the country closer to China & Kyrgzstan (I always spell it wrong). If I've misspoken, I'm sure Kaz will get me straight...

As for weather in Tajikistan, it's far enough inland & south to be relatively pleasant in winter with mild winters. Although, I did a quick check of the radar and today the high was +3 and the low was a chilly -10. Looks like cold rain moving in for the week and snow late next week.

One other thing...I realized you're looking at a gig with the US Embassy, so I'm assuming you're from the States (I am too). When I gave you the Dushambe forecast of +3/-10, that's in Celisus. The same forecast would be 38/14 in Fahrenheit. Not sure if the Embassy folks talk in standard or metric (I spent time working as a contractor with the US military and EVERYTHING is metric).

[kazpat]

I have seen Kirgizia (Kazakh way of saying it) spelled about 5 different ways and your version looks close enough.

As ComradeBL said I am in the north of the country, NW actually, about a 3 hour drive from the Russian border. Tajikistan is sure to be much milder.

As for teaching on a tourist visa, that's interesting info for me, must be life in the big city. There are only a handful of western expats in my city and all of them are connected with oil as far as I know. Being the only native speaking teacher, just about everyone in the city knows who I am and so do the migration police, all the cops know my visa and WP are legit. I could not imagine working on visa that does not allow it.

I guess in bigger places with allot of foreigners you can get away it. Heck, in Almaty no one stared at me when I spoke English on the bus.

I am constantly asked about privates too, I do a fair amount of one on one lessons at my center and they charge a hefty sum. I think it would be hard to land here and just start doing them but once you are known it could be quite lucrative.

[MrPost]

Roger that, Kazpat... Thanks for clarification!

[kazpat]

No problem Mr. Post.


This website is in Russian, not sure if you know it, it is usually spot on for weather in KZ. Here is the Dushanbe page.

http://www.gismeteo.ru/city/daily/5358/