Job Discussion Forums

Red and white · Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 63

Wondered if anyone could shed light on this. My wife teaches at a Moscow school which will remain nameless. Last week they had a meeting to explain how the management wanted to change T&Cs for teachers, and not to the benefit of the average member of staff.

To justify this they cited 'market research' that found that a combination of rising inflation, the falling rouble and on-going anti-Western propaganda was discouraging people from studying English. They claimed the market in Russia (I think, I may just have been Moscow) had contracted by about 20%.

I can't find any reference to any research that would support that conclusion (admittedly I've not look very hard). Has anyone else got any evidence that would support / dispute that claim? Right now I'm highly suspicious.

teacher X · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 12:34 pm Post subject:

By 20%? Seems rather high, but I'm no expert on such things.

I have noticed that several schools have had a drop in adult students. But in its place there has been a large rise in kids. From my experience, when economies go bad, adults drop off, but they still want to invest in their kids, so send them for ESL classes instead. This is by no means 'proof', but just what I have experienced over the past few years of teaching.

If your wife's school only focuses on adult students, perhaps this is true.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 1:28 pm Post subject:

Can't say from any proof, but sounds doubtful. In fact sounds suspiciously like a see-through plan to fob teachers off with even less than stellar terms and conditions than before.

See if their market research can show a trend for teachers ditching crappy schools in favourite of freelancing or alternative employers. Might be more realistic.

Red and white · Joined: 30 Sep 2007 Posts: 63

Thanks. I was smelling a rat as well. The school doesn't really work with kids to the best of my knowledge, so that might be a part of it. But I suspect the 20% bandied about is more of a scare tactic than anything else.

Ah well, employer shafts staff is hardly going to make headline news ...

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 7:40 pm Post subject:

Well, from my experience there continues to be high demand from adults who want IELTS, TOEFL etc so as to emigrate. The current political goings on has increased that, if anything, not reduced demand.

Anyone susceptible to the tenor of the reportage of the crisis was not likely to have been interested in studying a foreign language anyway. Anyone who works in banking, oil and gas, or any import/export company, is still going to need English, and they know it. Few if any students/clients I have dealings with have expressed anything but a sense of realism about how the events are unfolding and how they will be affected. No anti-Western sentiment worth talking about. At least, nothing more than the usual : )

Sounds more and more like a big bunch of porkies being peddled by a school being opportunistic. Anytime I've been told my terms and conditions need to be altered by a school, I make sure to get my own changes in too. Reduce pay by 20%? Sure, now cancel that annoying early morning class miles from the last metro station. And the outta control teens too...

teacher X · Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 7:52 pm Post subject:

My shirt shrank in the washing machine yesterday. Do you think there is a link between my shirt and sanctions?

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 3:48 am Post subject:

Are you sure it was the shirt shrinking? Not you expanding? All this decadence you've been engaged in...