Job Discussion Forums

[babaoreiley]

I was wondering if any of you Russia-vets could let me know which schools are good ones to work for in St. Petersburg, Moscow, or the surrounding areas. I have a BA in History and am finishing a TEFL certification program at Hamline University, at the moment. I'm trying to line-up where I want to try to find a job in the near future, and Russia is near the top of my list. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also any info on Ukraine would be helpful as well.

Thanks

[BELS]

What do you regard as a best school, the biggest, the most successful for themselves, what it offers for the teacher, or what is best for the student, it is a big subject, what are your specifications of what a good school is?Perhaps a decent salary, and good hours for a professional teacher ?

If I was looking for a school I would look for the smaller schools, who will be pleased to have, and treat you as ateacher and its students as part of the family, and pay you a decent salary. The big schools on my findings is a big NO NO.

[babaoreiley]

I am definitely looking for the most comfortable environment for my first teaching abroad position. For me, that means a place that is focused on teaching students (not the almighty dollar), and one that treats their teachers fairly. I don't expect to be treated like I am something special. I love to teach, and that is why I would be there.

Pay is definitely negotiable. I don't want to live like a pauper, but I do not expect a king's ransom either. If money was the over-arching motivation, I would go to S. Korea. So, I would be willing to sacrifice a few rubles for a great environment. I studied Russian/Soviet history extensively as an undergraduate, and I would really like to teach there. Any advice you can give about quality schools that meet the above criteria would be appreciated.

Thanks

[BELS]

Myself personaly, I have decided to teach privately. At the time when I was considering a school , the only one I could recommend would be The British Council, I suggest you email them, or check up their website and see what they have to offer at the moment.

[Nexus]

[Pushok]

I work for the British Council and the reputation it has as being too hard to get into is unfounded. The minimum requirement for entry-level teachers is CELTA and a minimum of 2 years experience. I don't work for them in Petersburg anymore, but used to - the ratio of teachers without DELTA is about 60-65% across the globe at the moment with the Council.

You can find their latest vacancies here:
https://trs.britishcouncil.org/internetSSL/indexmain.html

[Pushok]

By the way, I know that they need 3-4 new teachers in Petersburg for a start in late August/early September.

[Nexus]

That's interesting. Can you tell me who I should contact about those vacancies - they're not on the vacancy list that you linked to? Does the work there involve teaching YL or adults only? Are YL classes rotated with all teachers etc?

I should have enough qualifications and experience to get by without the royal connection

[BELS]

I personally would be pleased that the British Council are not trying too hard on their advertising, they probably have sufficient enquiries to meet their needs. If they did advertise that bit more it would be much more difficult for you, the prospective employee to compete with the larger amount of well qualified applicants.

The British council has a good website, have a good look at what they have to say, and whether there is vacancies advertised or not, post a good creative cover letter and C.V to the relevant e-mail address. And by all means post your C.V using a directory of schools in the relevant areas you want .

Babareilly, in regards to your TEFL, it simply means Teaching English as a foreign language, perhaps a certificate, a diploma, or a degree ? Perhaps from a highly respected university ? Perhaps you can give your prospective employer more accredited information on this TEFL, in other words SELL IT and sell yourself to your prospective employer. My personal opinion, but I think the British Council will keep an open mind on the type of TEFL qualification a person has.

[babaoreiley]

Yes, I am taking a TEFL certification course at Hamline University right now. It is comparable to the CELTA or Trinity certifications, but just not as well known. It includes the relevant practicum, as well. So, I will have some actual experience teaching from the course itself, and I am hoping to get a little volunteer ESL work in the area to improve my CV. I won't have extensive experience, but I will have some.

Hamline U. is a small university in St. Paul, MN. I'm actually from Texas, and came up here to take the 2-month course. Anyway, Hamline is a pretty reputable private university. Apparently, they have a top-notch law program.

As far as the British Council, I am not British, nor am I qualified to work in Britain, so I believe that that deletes me from consideration. Not having two years of EFL experience also would not help my chances either.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

And Nexus, any information you could PM me would be most welcomed.

Thanks

[BELS]

The British council , amongst other things is an International world recognised non profit making school. Not all of Britain�s ex-colonies are accepted internationally as English Native speakers. The USA American citizens are welcome to apply to the British Council as an English Native speaking teacher. The name British Council, although deceiving, has nothing to do with the British government

It is likely that there will be A British Council in the countries you are considering to work

[Nexus]

[babaoreiley]

I know what the British Council is, and I am aware that they hire native English speakers from outside of Britain. But from their website it was pretty clear that you had to have the right to work in Britain, by way of a work visa I presume, to be considered for employment if you are not a subject of the UK. What I was saying in the previous post was that the British Council is not an option for me because I a) am not a subject of the UK; b) do not have the right to work in Great Britain; c) I do not have the two years of TEFL experience to be qualified for employment by the British Council. So, unless they are willing to bend their rules of employment significantly, I cannot work there.

Any other suggestions?

[BELS]

Zaneth , you assisted in making me decide to find out more about what the British Council is all about. Who are they, and what do they stand for, and about their history. My Russian wife has always been pro British Council , I wont tell you what she thinks of the other EFL schools. She always recommends her customers who wants to have an education in UK , to have an educational establishment accredited by the British Council. She believes in the qualifications they have available , such as PETS, IELTS, and CAE. So does my Russian students recognise these qualifications. If learning English she would recommend students paying that bit extra to study, by learning at the British Council.

When I looked at the site, its Archives and it History , I found it very interesting .Did you know the British Council was founded by an Australian in 1934. And that he wanted a voice to Imperialist Propaganda. That the British Council was partially funded by the British Treasury. It is now independent and registered as a charity. Although I was a bit confused when another section stating it was a great success for the treasury coffers, alongside the BBC.

The British Council is in 110 different countries, and is the largest independent cultural organisation in the world. One of the few countries it has not entered is the United States of America, that is because they feared resentment and criticism from the USA of Imperialist Propaganda.

I thought of starting a new thread on what the British Council is and stands for, I would find it interesting, but perhaps others might find it boring, I don�t know.

[Nexus]

Great info, thanks!