Job Discussion Forums

[zhanna]

I am a newly certified (Trinity TESOL) teacher looking for her first job...I want to find a job from January to May/June, and then in August for the year. I want to work in Russia specifically, since I majored in Russian Studies and want to brush up on and improve my Russian.

Unfortunately, my goal at the moment is "anywhere but Moscow," which is where most of the jobs seem to be. I've visited the city before, and can't really picture myself living there...Petersburg, though, is the city of my heart. I spent a semester there in 2003 and absolutely loved it. Ideally that's where I want to work, though I am open to other locations as well (just not Moscow!).

So I suppose my question is this: does anyone have leads on jobs available in St. Petersburg? I haven't seen any advertisements, so I have no idea if there are even any positions available. I would assume that it is a popular location for teachers, and that finding work there without experience would be more difficult.

Barring that, what other locations are good places to work? I've seen job postings in the past in Volgograd, Samara, Irkutsk...any recommendations? Any places to definitely avoid?

Many thanks in advance for your help!
Jana

[bobs12]

I don't think there is a shortage of jobs, they're just not so well advertised as elsewhere. There is a list about forty schools in the city here http://www.visarus.co.uk/community/schools.php with phone numbers and addresses (needs registration). Calling round them beofre you come will give you an idea of what's available.

If you're in the UK, try these numbers for calling Russia:

Destination Number Cost/min
All Russia 0871 570 5179 10p
Moscow 0870 794 4379 local rate

Best to check the rate with the operator, they might have changed. I used to call Moscow in the evenings from my mobile for free!

Mike Sherman at 'American Language Master' is almost definitely looking for a teacher, and I might be able to give a few hours per week. Everything is subject to arriving at the right time though- these things can be very hit-and-miss. With Russian-owned schools you might get a job over the phone without an interview. With foreign-run schools, you'll need an interview and maybe a trial period.

In Petersburg, don't go to Benedict School unless you like being treated like an idiot slave. They're very big, though, so it's usually easy to find work there. Avoid the International Language Academy- although they pay well in theory, they try everything they possibly can to cheat you out of your money. I've heard that one or two consulates in the city warn their citizens away from the ILA.

[donfan]

Language Link sounds like a good company to work for - haven't heard any bad stories about them anyway. And they have schools all over Russia.

[Naponroy]

Hey,

Well, from my experience you should be very careful about Language Link. They will pay low (rare work off contract for $5-8... which is poor, on contract even with CELTA is less than BKC's contract) but if you are on contract they may try to charge you extra for your flat, ie: they pay the landlord $200 but charge you $300, etc. *see below for details** Usually once a year someone gets screwed on airfare, and lots of teachers have left there this year in disgust and frustration, and in general for the past few years the school has been quite corrupt. I know teachers who work there and said that they commonly overcharge clients for services, but the clients don't notice. One test group actually trashed a classroom there (teens) when they found out that they were charging them a lot more than the actual cost of the test, which was held at the Brit.Council not at LL. However, this summer a whole lot of the staff has been fired (Russian Admin staff) and so maybe things are changing.
The DOS Saul Pope will not support you in any way against the admin, he is essentially a puppet (or muppet) and his best answer for you will be "I'll see what I can do." And that's all he will do.
The only good thing is the visa support, which is well done.

I don't know what Bobs was smoking about ILA, they do pay better than most (I got $17 per 45min. for one class, normal $11-$13 for 45min.) and it's not a bad place to work, the financial director can at times make some small accounting errors with your pay,but it's more that they tally it all up from weekly schedule sheets with all kinds of changes and cancellations written on in ink rather than malicious intent, but if you know what you worked just tell her if there is a problem, and it's OK, right on Kanal Griboedova. I've had classes there for almost 2 years only had errors twice, never more than 300 roubles.

Benedict is the lowest paying school in the city, even Russians laugh at you. Avoid like the plague.

BKC here is completely different from in Moscow. They are effectively independent and it is a pleasant place to work,you can make a lot more money off contract than on, because on-contract means like $150 a week maximum,and you can easily get $10 from them per 45min. The office girls are actually REALLY nice and mostof the work is general English, and also,only one school.. no travelling anymore since the satellite schools at Pushkin and Chornaya Rechka have closed, and very few company clients. The only thing is they LOVE to change the schedules of the teachers with no warning and split classes.

British Coucil (although "British" is apparantly an equal nationalities employer), pays very well, but you need to have real qualifications and experience, the Benedict pretend certificate C-Tefl does not count.

For beginners, places like CLS are ok (but far),you often work in tandem with a Russian teacher and have no grammar, just conversation. Shurigina School on Spasskii at Sennaya Ploshad is good for this, pay in roubles not dollars, but they have a limited amount of work, but good surroundings and a friendly collection pf teachers (russian women), a great place for someone just wanting a few hours a week.

Lidenz-Denz is almost as bad as Benedict, Julia the DOS is quit unpleasant, the library-Nazi is strict, but the accounts girl is cool. You have to climb 5 floors to get to the school which is near Ligovskiy metro. A good thing is that they will hire teachers with very little credentials (but some) and will pay $8 for sure as of 2 years ago after threats and grovelling (albeit to get paid is a byzantine experience of paperwork, signatures and pain)... so the trick here is to bargain hard for your salary, go up from what they offer, and tell them you want the probation period over fast, which means Julia must observe you. If she offers you a job via internet, that doesn't mean you will have a job when you arrive, as one teacher found out 3 years ago.

Denis School is also good, pays competitively, also near Sennaya/Sadovaya.

Be careful of Makia's school.

There are other schools too,lots, open the yellow pages and see. English First has another ex-gestapo boss who will grill you in the interview. Intellect Tool, Leksika, Educa Centre, ABC, and others. Many schools are small and deal with in company stuff, while a huge number are only Russian staffed. There are also good opportunities at same of the universities and there are some private schools, including an American School for children. Net research is possible,or if you have some experience and credentials, you can just come here and look for work, the best time is late sumer early autumn, hard to find in Spring/Summer.

ttyl,
NR

[coledavis]

TeleDiscount also offer very cheap calls to Russia. www.telediscount.co.uk/

[steven_gerrard]

Hi Napenroy,

Language Link don't charge the teachers directly for flats so I don't see how any teacher who lives in a $300 flat would find themselves charged $400 for it.

As for overcharging for Cambridge Exams- I don't think so. Because the bank commission rate changes daily, students sometimes find that they have paid perhaps 50 roubles (as an absolute maximum) more to LL than the actual cost of the exam. I don't think this counts as "a lot more" and certainly is no grounds to trash a classroom. Anyway, if students wish to go to the bother of registering themselves for exams and saving themselves up to �1, they are free to do so. 99% don't for the simple fact that it is too much hassle.

Your comments about the British Council are also inaccurate. Teachers do not have to be British, although some Councils around the world insist on a British passport and/or British educational background. Not so the BC in Russia. There are many teachers working at the BC who are not British.

[leroy]

[Naponroy]

Alright, maybe what I wrote about it isn't completely clear. I know several teachers who work or have worked there in Piter. Recently they have done a whole lot of restructuring and firing admin personel (Russian) from what I've heard. Anyway, what I know from first hand accounts are that language link will offer say $200 for a flat subsidy for contract teachers. As I was told by two employees there, that they will pay for your flat up to $200, beyond is the teacher's responsibility... well, they told these (I'm not naming them) people that they found them a flat for $300, and so they give the teachers the $200 which they are entitled to by contract for the landlord in a sealed envelope, but since the rent was $300 the office would take out another $100 from the salary for the teacher's rent, and then present you with a sealed envelope for the landlord with the sum of $300 supposedly sealed inside it. However, some people opened the envelopes and found that in fact the flats cost $200, and the admin was pocketing the $100 taken from the salary. Possibly this has changed recently with the restructuring, but these accounts were told to me this past summer. Anyway, if this is the case for you, just open the envlelope and check for yourself.

Alright, I've never applied for work at the British Council, but one BC teacher actually told me that they only do hire Brits... but if it's wrong then I'll edit it from the record above. There, done.

NR

[steven_gerrard]

Sounds liks an odd state of affairs up in St Pete- since when were teachers responsible for physically handing over the rent to the landlord? LL always pays the rent directly- teachers never see the money.

Overall, Language Link is a pretty honest company- certainly the expats who run the place are straight up. However, where the system falls down is that they have a few dozen "administrators" working for them- Russian women who administer the branch schools and who report back to the central school and management. A significant proportion of these women are way out of their depth handling the responsiblity and large amounts of money from students. Often these women were cleaners of the buildings where LL has it's filials and their job of locking the rooms and tidying up a bit morphed into a role of responsibility over the years. Now there is no doubt in my mind that these women were/are ripping off Language Link itself by putting undeclared students into classes and pocketing the money, working out deals with the owners of the building to charge LL inflated rental prices then split the profits etc etc. And though LL has recently sorted out it's house regarding this in Moscow (LL is currently suing former several locally-hired employees for serious fraud), I am sure it is as alive and well in the provinces as ever. It is virtually impossible to eradicate. Though before anyone starts feeling sorry for LL, they still make a huge profit.
Happily for teachers (in Moscow, at least) all salaries and benefits are controlled centrally so no scary stories of teachers not being paid or being thrown out onto the streets coz their rent hasn't been paid or anything like that. Sounds like St Petes is different altogether.

[r.moody]

Educacentre are very good - they're the only school here that I have only heard good reports of. They're brilliant, but better if you already live here, I think, as they pay very well and give you as much support as you need, but they don't help with accommodation or the language very much. In terms of reputation, though, they're top-class, and treat their teachers very well...

Haven�t heard great things about Language Link, sadly, and I think the Benedict School's reputation is so well known that I don't need to say anything about it

[james1977]

You might want to check out Language Studio as well. I work for it and this isn't the place for adverts so I won't say any more.

On the BC subject, I used to be a part time teacher there. They DO take non British Citizens. It's called the British Council because it's the cultural arm of the British Consulate. It's primary purpose is to promote British Culture overseas - they sponsor the British Film festival each year. The teaching centre is only a small part of the whole organisation.

The issue is slightly academic though as the BC teaching centre closed its doors for good just before Christmas.

[henry]

If you want to work in Petersburg avoid Ima Press at all costs.Their
Uk recruiters Cicero of Tunbridge Wells in Kent will issue you with a contract stating about 1500 dollars a month but when you arrive in
Petersburg you will be hit with a battery of dubious deductions including
50 dollars a night hotel costs while they look for your accommodation,
700 dollars 'deposit'on a flat and then monthly rent of about 800 dollars.
I is no use complaining to Cicero back in Tunbrudge Wells because they do not want to know-they receive commission for the cheap labour they induce to go to Russia.
The ultimate rip off was a Cicero director in St Petersburg who used the
name John Dell Ross and paid departing teachers with cheques from a bank account which he had closed months previously.