Job Discussion Forums

[MarcusK]

Here's a list of English schools in Tbilisi. This list comes from the British Council web site. http://www.britishcouncil.org.ge/english/schools.htm

If you've had experience with any of these schools, or if you know of others, please add comments with the specific details.

The English Language Centre
Director � Maya Kiasashvili
Adviser � Barrie Watson
51A Barnov Street
Tbilisi
Georgia
Telephone/Fax: + 995 32 22 23 26

International House
Director � Irakli Topuria
2 Dolidze Street
Tbilisi 380015
Georgia
Telephone: + 995 32 94 05 15
Fax: + 995 32 00 11 27
E-mail: [email protected]

International Language Academy
Director � Rusudan Tsitsishvili
17 Chavchavadze Avenue
Tbilisi 380079
Georgia
Telephone: + 995 32 22 06 40
E-mail: [email protected]

Professional Training Group
Director � Glenn Gard
33 Paliashvili Street
Second floor
Tbilisi 300008
Georgia
Telephone: + 995 32 22 34 96, 8 99 969439

TCS � Tbilisi Central School of English
Director � Adelina Chubitidze
Pikris Gora, 5 Sharashidze Street
Tbilisi 0179
Georgia
Telephone: + 995 32 22 04 70, 92 34 54
E-mail: [email protected]

ETI � Education & Training International
Director � Pamela Kemsley
1/10 Jakob Nikoladze Street
Tbilisi, Georgia
Telephone: + 995 32 29 17 35, 25 09 45

[englishindian]

Dear Marcus,

Thanks for putting up the post with very valuable info about Georgia. I am about to conclude talks and perhaps head off to Georgia to work with IH. Can you please give me an insight about how much a decent salary would be in Tibilisi. Are living costs lower than that in Moscow or Alma Aty ? I have lived and worked in Moscow before and so am a bit familiar with its prices.
I have just completed a contract in IH Istanbul and the salary was very very decent there. What pitfalls should I keep an eye open for when dialoguing with IH -Tbilisi? Can anyone give me an idea about the owners and teaching done there. I assume that you have spent some time there already.

Can you also please advise about entry and exit rules as there does not seem to be info on the Georgia MFA website. Are there any strict laws regarding import and export of foreign exchange ? There used to be such draconian laws in Russia in the early 2000s but have been removed now. Also any advice about opening bank accounts and wire transfer of funds would be deeply appreciated. Also what about importing electronic things like laptops and digital cameras ?

I would certainly like to hear from anyone else about anything they think important with regards to finishing a contract successfully in Georgia.

Thanks for the help and time taken in reading and answering this post. You can write to me at [email protected]

[werkard]

Hi,
this is a note for all potential teachers to Tbilisi and IH in particular.
I worked for a full semester for Irakli and I found him to be manipulative and aloof.
I was installed in a miserable broken down flat and asked about changing to somethiing better. He said this would be OK but he didn't have anything and I would need to look for myself. Quite difficult as I don't speak Georgian!! I managed to find a better place near to the school wich he reluctantly agreed to pay for.
During my time at this flat the hot water heater blew up and so did the replacement (Georgian workmanship) I was without hot wate for a number of days while it was sorted out WHO would pay for this. The school, the landlord or me. In the end Irakli kindly let me contribute over 25% of the total replacement costs because "IT broke while I was living there".
This is one of the lesser details I could share with you.

[werkard]

Oh sorry, and watch out for ETI they had the reputation of paying late and sometimes omitting to pay, or forgetting obligations re flight.
Goodluck

[maruss]

As I wrote some time ago and have already replied privately to'EnglishIndian' this is unfortunately still not a safe place to go, for foreigners especially, under present circumstances-Georgians I spoke to a few days ago here in Cyprus and who have either been home recently or call regularly, warn me that things are still risky there, robbery and even kidnappings are rife and now there are serious threats of problems with not only rebel internal provinces,but even with Russia!(and that's apart from the negative reports you can read about hassle with employers etc!)
I write this with great regret as it was a lovely country and most of the people are warm, friendly and very hospitable and proud-the women are often delectable too, but only looking is allowed unless you have serious intentions!!

M.

[Anthony Schierman]

Contrary to whatever is being said in Cyprus (and what Cyprus has to do with Georgia is beyond me), Georgia is not an unsafe place. I have lived in Tbilisi for a full year now, witnessed a change of government as well as periodic disturbances in the breakaway regions of Ossetia and Abkhazia and the wannabe breakaway region of Adjara, and I have never felt for my personal safety as an expat. Crime exists like it exists all over Russia and the CIS, no more and no less. Georgia is a beautiful country and Georgians, 99% of the time, will go out of their way to help us clueless foreigners find our way: the vast majority are helpful, friendly, hospitable people... not muggers and thieves. Georgia is a tough little country which is doing its best to make the quality of life better for its citizens in the face of a fractured history, bullying neighbors and a weak economy. It is a great place to teach if you are interested in getting to know a unique and fascinating culture (problems with employers aside). The last thing this emerging democracy needs are people who are not familiar with the present conditions "on the ground" (and by all accounts, a lot has changed in the past ten years here) making ignorant statements about how "unsafe" Georgia is. Don't believe it: take it from someone who actually lives here now, or better yet come see for yourself: You will find yourself to be most welcome.

[joe-joe]

I would have to agree entirely with Anthony's post, (I've actually met him, and worked in Georgia). Georgia, and the Caucasus in general does have problems like anywhere in the world. But it's still a very interesting, and generally nice place to live and teach in. I'm in Azerbaijan now and it's in many ways a lot than living in the UK where I'm originally from.

[englishindian]

priviet my friends,

I am already in Tbilisi now, despite the warnings of my friends and family and yes while it is not Europe yet , it is certainly not Cambodia. I have not been able to to spot any potential threat to my well being yet but my eyes are peeled. I am sure that I will be able to post a better report on things after a month here. Do keep an eye open for my next post.

Thanks and keep TEFLing...

[englishindian]

are interested in Georgia in the Caucasus. So far it has been good and except for the odd power cut, things have been good. Was able to walk around in the Old city during the Tbilisoba celbrations and see some amazing display of Georgian talent in singing and dancing.


I've made a few georgian friends and even been to one of the Supra's and drank in time to the tamada's commands. Future plans include a visit to batumi, near the black sea in january and to kazbegi in the NE highlands in spring. Will keep you posted.

Nkamdis

Daniel

PS.. Ojakhuri...the pork and chips dish really rocks..check them out if you can at some local georgian restaurant.

[Budapatty]

Gamarjoba. I am a former Peace Corps volunteer who served by the Azerbaijan border in eastern Georgia. I notice that all of you guys having this conversation about Georgia seem to be men and living in or around the capital, Tbilisi. If I am incorrect, ukatzravod. Life is fantastic for men in Georgia, but I would seriously question advising any woman to go there, as women are viewed as saints or whores, and if you are from the west, guess which one you are. The whole thing about safety goes with this. I left Georgia as a result of a security issue because of my gender. Men can go where they like and do what they want in Georgia. Women cannot, and that's that. I lived there for a year, and I have this to say about westerners in Georgia. They seem to be concentrated in Tbilisi, and rarely have to deal with the poverty, drunken desolation, power/water cuts, food shortages (milk for example was only available from local cows, rarely seen in stores, again, in the jar-from-someone's-cow-form when it did appear, and this in a town of 2000), and absolute envy from people who once had it all and now have nothing to hold onto but their dead and their home-made wine. The kids are eager to learn, but also as eager to cheat and bribe and buy their grades (marks), no matter how you write it in the "permanent" record book. So beware of the headmasters who have bought their jobs, and of every other form of corruption that you can imagine, and of being exploited to the hilt because these people think you have something more than English to offer. On the positive side, their seasonal produce is very good, as they cannot afford to buy the chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers that we westerners are accustomed to. Their dance is phenomenal, as is their singing. Sometimes you can hear the lovely all-male drunken supra choruses singing late at night in your neighborhood. Tbilisi is a very interesting city, and has most of what you could need, plus an obvious Persian influence due to the Persians having taken Tbilisi about 400 years ago. Shah Abbas is still resented, as are people from Muslim cultures. Old wounds die hard here. They are still angry with Turkey and Azerbaijan for getting former Georgian territory, but that's history. Also, I have known people who got things stolen on marshrutkas, but only in the west. Right now there are Peace Corps volunteers getting drunk every weekend in Tbilisi, and they may have really fantastic things to say as well.

[Guy]

I've read the recent posts on Georgia with interest and would be grateful for any information about schools and wage rates. My Georgian wife and I are investigating the possibilities of living in Tbilissi and as I am currently teaching English in Germany it could be the ideal way to avoid the crappy European winters (and English summers, if we chose to move there).

My opinion from our trip to see the family in August is that Georgia could be very dangerous - to the heart, circulation etc...I put on quite a bit of weight and never realised I could drink so much wine. The city felt safe - this is perhaps deceptive - but certainly much safer than Berlin felt!

[Budapatty]

Hi Guy. When all of Georgia is trying to get to Germany, where I hear the shops have signs written in Georgian that say "Please don't steal", why would you want to trade the modern, well-paying life for Georgia? You will never make the kind of money in Georgia you can make in Germany, if you can find a job at all. Life is hard there. Living in Georgia is a romantic notion suitable for (male) students and no one else. Perhaps your Georgian wife misses her family, and that's a good reason, but seriously, you will always be the guest. I don't know where you are from, but if you are American like me, you will have everyone think you are endlessly rich, and compared to them, you are. People will break a taboo of asking how much is your salary (khelpasi! khelpasi!) to which you should reply by asking them about their sex lives...that ought to shut them up quickly! No, I never did that, but I thought about it after I left Georgia as a good way to show the inappropriateness of asking how much my teacher's salary was.
By the way, I am married to a Georgian man who wants nothing more, and who has always wanted nothing more, than the opportunity to live a normal life by living and working outside of Georgia, while somehow maintaining Georgian values and tradition. Good luck to him, I say, because Georgia has all those old values because the people are so isolated and pretty much stuck there. Other than Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey, Georgians cannot easily visit other countries. They are personae non grata. Sure, Georgians are warm-hearted and all that, but you are lucky to have found a Georgian outside of Georgia, where all of the more difficult aspects of Georgian people are sure to be muted and supressed a bit. I would like to know what your wife was doing while you were drinking all that wine. Was she sitting with you drinking to the tamada's toasts, or was she back in the kitchen with the other women serving everyone's needs and gossiping about whether people they know were having sex with each other and how much khelpasi they make. Oh, and how difficult is this Georgian life! Tell me the truth!

[Guy]

Hi Budapatty

Thanks for the reply. Firstly life is extremely difficult for Georgians in Germany. We haven't seen any of the signs in shops but we are well aware that many Georgians in Germany seem to have developed sticky fingers! The problem in Germany is that Georgians can only come here as au pairs or students which means they are open to exploitation from their "hosts" and that they cannot work legally. In various language courses and in the course of daily life it is impossible to miss the fact that the Germans, by and large, have a racist hierachy of "Ausl�nder" (foreigners). White, English-speakers are at the top, East Europeans on about the same level as the Turks and Africans are looked at in a way that might even make a southern good ol' boy blush.........

Germany does have good pay of course but comparable costs. Although I have managed to avoid it so far I could get nailed by the bankrupt German pension system (20% of your salary pa. plus all the other usual costs of living).

During the supras my wife was doing most of the translation so she was always next to me but I take your point that Georgia is not exactly a feminist's paradise.....

By the way I'm British so the UK is another option for us if my wife can't get any half-decent work here in Germany (the 5m unemployed don't make it any easier although she has the same rights as an EU citizen).

So if there is a chance that we could go to Georgia and get half decent money we would seriously consider it.

Lastly have you come across the Georgian tradition with beer? You can only drink to someone with wine and to say a gamarchos to someone with beer is regarded as the greatest insult. My father-and-law and I had a great afternoon toasting Putin, Yeltsin, Shah Abbas (he is resented in the way Jews resent Hitler - with good reason), Allende, Pinochet, Napoleon and quite a few others. We got by with my fragments of Georgian and his fragments of German...........

[Budapatty]

Hi Guy,
I suppose you noticed that I wrote about "Shah Habbazi" also. Yeah, 400 years later they're still pretty ticked off at him. I'm surprised they are giving beer toasts to Allende. Yes, a beer toast is absolutely okay for Shevernadze, but where I was, people still thought Stalin was a strong man and a hero who showed how a typical manly man from Georgia behaves, and that killing 30 million people is just what a man has to do when dealing with such a big thing as the CCCP and maintaining order. And when you think about it, it really is typical Georgian on both sides, their viewpoint and how it really was. Many people think you can only deal with things in the way dogs do, by showing that you are stronger and by striking fear in your underlings. Some people really don't respect you if you are not a bully here. It's primitive and tribal and yes not a feminist's paradise. I am a liberal vegetarian feminist and proud of it! Yes, a left-handed toast with wine or a beer toast is the insult toast. And damn well you'd better finish that glass of wine or else it's, "You don't love your mother? You don't love Peace? You don't love your homeland?" No, it's that you really don't love barfing all over the place from not having an iron stomach that was cured on eating preserved pigs, cow stomachs, and tsnili (sauerkraut)!
Anyway, I think you should go to England and send your relatives money, then enjoy some really lovely holidays in Georgia. That way it won't wear on your nerves like it did for me, feeling like a prisoner in the 18th century wrecking my eyes reading by lamplight, sometimes fueled with tractor fuel, which is more toxic than the navti, and anyway people were always wondering what my problem was reading all alone like that and why wasn't I out on the bench by the street gossipping and turning my teeth black with those f*king sunflower (semichka) seeds like all the other ladies! And by the way, about the teeth, they used to say that they had bad teeth becaue there was no iodine added to their water like is done in cities, but seriously, people weren't into dental hygeine there, and just let their teeth go. Hygeine is something I like, and it probably has made me unable to deal with lots of different microbes, but I will say that people generally only rinse their dirty dishes with cold water and no soap, and they like using a community cup by the spigot or spring. Iccck! For Pete's sake man, go to England! You know how you said about your heart, well there is a definite connection between plaque on the teeth and heart problems, and if you eat pork and are nervous all the time from not knowing where your electricity, water, and khelpasi are, then screw it and save yourself and your no doubt lovely wife from a life of hell in paradise!

[englishindian]

Gamarjoiba friends,

I do go along with some of what Budaptty says.. I am here and can see the difference between EU and GEO. I suggest that you look for work in Turkey and come to Georgia for a holiday in the term breaks. turkey is far better than Georgia in terms of living standards.. and the infrastructure sucks.. so istanbul or Ankara is better.. give it a look before your decide.

Regards