Job Discussion Forums

james_tesol · Joined: 21 May 2005 Posts: 65

Has anyone lived there? What was it like in terms of people, social/night life etc ?

Also on a salary of 5oo USD and free accomodation what type of lifestyle could one have?

Many thanks!

mandivided · Joined: 20 Feb 2006 Posts: 15

If you've been offered a job at IH Dnipro, do yourself a favor and look elsewhere. I'm writing to you under a bit of pressure at the moment, as I'm in the middle of preparing a lesson which kicks off in 15 min. - thought I'd check eslcafe for some Christmas ideas for the lesson.

I'll write more later.

Pat

Digger81 · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 4

I live currently in Dnepr and if you are looking for a raging active kind of town, then you'll probably be disappointed. There is a general shortage of good quality bars and night clubs to go to. Generally the city seems to shut down after midnight. They even turn the street lights out on the main street, which looks odd when you are walking home.

People are generally ok though there are some danger spots where some foreigners have been mugged. Globa park is a real hotspot for muggings and petty crime, so if you come be careful there.

On the bright side though the women are some of the finest looking you'll ever see anywhere. Just take a walk around the centre in summer and you'll just be shaking your head at how many gorgeous girls there are.

A salary of 500 bucks is a struggle though. Practically all your money will go on food and a few luxury items, the standard of accomodation is not so great either. All in all the quality of life is probably better somewhere else.

canucktechie · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 343 Location: Moscow

Just like to note that nobody pays more than 500+accommodation in Ukraine except BC and London School, and good luck getting a job with them.

If that's what you're getting at least you'll be higher up on the social ladder in Dnipro than Kiev. The latter has lots of expats with money.

mandivided · Joined: 20 Feb 2006 Posts: 15

"Just like to note that nobody pays more than 500+accommodation in Ukraine except BC and London School, and good luck getting a job with them."

Actually, the American School in Dnipro pays $700. In addition to that, they provide their teachers with decent, furnished accommodation. Having said that, the teachers there apparantly don't do much in the way of teaching - they basically provide conversation classes. At least that's what I was told.

Furthermore, I was on $600 per month at IH Dnipro and would have asked (and received) $700 per month, had I decided to stay.

At the end of the day, you're only worth as much as you negotiate.

As for Dnipro itself, altough the people there were by and large very nice, I found the place extremely stifling. Moreover, public transport is also a major hassle and the heavy industry in the area is a drawback. I guess that I should also add that the service in the bars and cafes (even at a couple of the elitniy ones...the cellar bar at 'Reporter' especially), is deplorable. However, the service at 'Beer House' is pretty good. Alas, they close at midnight.

But that's what you get when there is ZERO competition. Same applies to language schools.

canucktechie · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Posts: 343 Location: Moscow

Thanks for the info. It would appear that teachers may well have more bargaining power in outlying cities than in Kiev as the latter is glutted with teachers. That's excluding Lviv and Odessa, which are also seen as desireable.

I personally would be quite happy to work in Crimea but I've never heard of any school there hiring native speakers. Crying or Very sad

ccrider · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 11 Location: United States

There is a school called linguist in Simferopol that hires native speakers. In 2002 they were only paying 15 hr per 45 minutes. I left there from the Peace Corps at that time. Rates may have gone up or they may have ceased to exist. They have a web page that hasn't been updated for 4 years. There are probably schools in Sevastopol.

jonpernick · Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 12 Location: Ukraine

be cautious of that free accomodation... it can be very, very soviet. But, putting that aside you can live a bit better than the average Ukrainian. you can buy a loaf of fresh bread for .20$ or a beer of local brew for about a $1. Chicken breast may cost around 4$ per kilo. Cheese can be a bit less.

Ukraine is a highly class divided country - low and high. Although there is a large middle class developing in Kyiv. You won't become rich on $500 per month.

Jonathan