Job Discussion Forums

TG12345 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 41

Hi everyone,

I am an Education student at the University of Winnipeg who will be graduating next year. I will have a TESOL by this July, and I have several years experience of student teaching, working as a teaching assistant and volunteering with students from all ages. I have worked a lot with EAL students from different countries and of different ages.

Russia and some of the Caucasus Republics (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkemenistan) are some countries I am thinking of teaching in. I have a few questions, and would be grateful if someone could share their knowledge with me.

1. What are the wages for EAL teachers in some or all of these countries?

2. What are the costs of living? Does the school help with accomodations, travel etc?

3. Is it possible to save any money? Can it be sent abroad?

4. In addition to working as an EAL teacher, I would like to do some volunteering in my free time, are there such oppurtunities available? I would be interested in helping out with groups who are working with street kids and refugees.

5. I do not speak Russian or the other languages spoken in the Caucasus, would that be a problem? I do speak Polish fluently though.

6. Does anyone have experience teaching in these countries?

Thank you very much for your help and advice, I look forward to hearing back from you.

Regards,

Tomasz

maruss · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus

As you will see from many postings on this site by myself and others,going to Russia is not something to be undertaken lightly!Moscow can mean money but also has a lot of negative aspects to living there which can really get you down.You can find out why by reading up for yourself and also the ins and outs of taking a contract job against freelancing etc.I really recommend you have a look at the moscowteachers.com site too as there is a lot of useful information there on various topics.As for the other ex-s.u. countries,Kazakhstan and Kirghizia both advertise jobs frequently but remember they are both even more third-world than Russia so be prepared for that-there has also been political unrest in Kyrghizia in recent years,although the country is beautiful and most people are very hospitable.
If you look on tefl.com a British run school there often advertises jobs for around $500 per month which is more than enough to get by on there.I would avoid the other asian republics as they tend to have nasty regimes-e.g. Karimov in Uzbekistan etc. and in any case I don't recall seeing any jobs advertised in them either.
If you knew some Russian it would be a very big advantage,but don't be put-off as you will not be the first person there who doesn't.....
As for Polish,apart from some places in western Ukraine which speak it,I doubt if it will be useful anyhwhere else but Poland,although I presume you don't want to go there even though there are plenty of jobs???
I liked your idea of volunteering-last winter,I used to go and clear snow from an orphanage in a small town near Moscow and believe you me,those were some of the happiest days I ever spent in Russia!
But I think you understand why....
Hope this info. is useful.

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

While it is technically possible to save money working in a place like Moscow or Almaty I would say forget it, the only way you're going to pull it off is by doing nothing but working and staying home and if that's all you're going to do you'd might as well move to Ft. McMurray.

Russian is as grammatically difficult as Polish but the pronunciation is much easier for English speakers, so if you have learned Polish fluently you should be up to learning Russian. But nobody in the FSU understands Polish except in W. Ukraine as the other poster said.

For some info on living costs in Russia you might want to look at the websites of
www.bkc.ru and www.languagelink.ru, this is not meant as an endorsement of these schools although there are few practical alternatives for a newcomer to Russia.

TG12345 · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 41

blaz44 · Joined: 03 Jan 2005 Posts: 32 Location: wroclaw, poland

Hi I am from Winnipeg and have taught english in Poland, have brought my wife back from Poland and am returning to Poland this Sept. I am also interested in teaching in Russia in the near future. With a name like Tomasz you must be origionally from Poland. Why not teach in Poland? Maybe we could discuss things? If you are currently in Winnipeg.

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

I have just returned from Russia a couple of months ago and perhaps you will not mind if I put my two cents in.

You speak of saving money while working in Russia and perhaps sending it out of the country. You also don't speak Russian. When I went to Russia the first time, I had a small command of the language. I think it made a tremendous difference. I noticed a book at Barbes and Noble yesterday that would teach you about a 200 word vocabulary. If you are serious about this, I would certainly buy something like that.

I worked for a great big language school in Moscow that seemed to specialize in taking people as you describe yourself and paying them a subsistence wage while they basically acted like their nanny for a year. That would give you a year in Moscow, some memories and snapshots and a little teaching experience. That's fine if it's all you want.

My suggestion would be to take a year or so - you seem young and Moscow will probably still be there - and get some decent Russian studies under your belt before you go. I think you would enjoy a year in Moscow much more that way. It's a great place for those who can enjoy it.

The added advantage to picking up a working fluency in Russian is that if you decide to stay and work off contract with private lessons, you would be in a much stronger position. I think that it is highly possible you would prefer Moscow or St. Petersburg to Winnipeg - maybe not as nice as Edmonton, but a decent little place all said and done.

silasbilas · Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 16

Hi mdk - are you able to let us know which school you taught in and what your experiences were like?

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

Well, I never promised I wouldn't tell, but we did not part amicably so let it lie for the time being eh? I worked there about seven months and it was OK as far as it went. I am planning to return to Moscow, but not to working with any of the language schools. I don't look at myself or teaching the same way as they do -- as a way to make money.

My experience was that the school looked after people well enough, but you were not judged by how well you could teach the subject, but by how happy you were able to make the students. Few people are cut out for vaudeville.

The school also taught by the straight TEFL line. I don't agree that is the best way to teach a foreign language. For instance, I think there should be a lot more drill on speaking and conversation. Also I think that first you should explain the concept in L1 and then work in English to consolidate the lesson. I always felt as if I were being forced to teach with imaginary "hand cuffs" on - so the school and I parted with a sense of mutual relief.

Now that my social security is coming on line, I can afford to return and get a flat and cherry pick my students. If they don't want to prepare for lessons, then I intend to suggest they find another teacher and I will go visit a museum. Some retirees like to fish or play golf and I like to teach. But the point to either fishing or teaching is that if you don't enjoy it, why do it?

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I think a part of the point of the school may have been that there are loads of qualified Russian teachers of English who can explain a concept in L1 and then move on to consolidation. If you're teaching in the same style of a local, you may be less attractive to local learners - though I want to say that I'm not getting into any arguments about the validity of the approach.

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

Yes, I agree. There are arguments in favor of not using L1. I've tried both and now I prefer using the Schartz-Metterklume method.

maruss · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus

MDK is right-if you want to make money in Moscow as a first-timer and sign a contract for a monthly salary with one of the larger schools that employ newcomers,you will not succeed!
As he said, if you pay your own way for accomodation and visas etc and choose your own private students or make a deal for a good hourly rate on a freelance basis with one of several decent forms who teach adults and in-company,you can make serious money.But like anything worthwhile,it takes time,energy, effort and patience to achieve-as well as money and the golden rule is you need students as much as they need you!The better you are,the more you will be sought after!
Not knowing Moscow,or the language is a serious handicap which you should never under estimate either!

mdk · Joined: 09 Jun 2007 Posts: 425

And there is a lot to be said for just breaking even.

Moscow and Saint Petersburg are great cities of the world like London or Paris or Florence. If you have just a little bit of language competence and cultural knowledge, they are great places to spend some time.

For instance, I saw a matinee of Swan Lake at the Moussourgsky theater in Saint Petersburg for six bucks. That was the price for people who are working in Russia. I had a box seat looking over the flute player's shoulder. How could you do that as a tourist?

maruss · Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 1145 Location: Cyprus

I enjoy these kind of things too and agree you can't beat the prices of concerts etc for good value in Russia.I spent years researching Shostakovitch and his music but still cannot assert that I know what he really meant ,although I'm fairly sure!
There are many places all over the world worth spending some time in though and I certainly would not want to experience Moscow working for someone like BKC or LL and I'm always sorry to hear when people go there and have bad experiences.
I suppose people like us who know about Russia are in a different league to the adventurers and newcomers though...

MIKEBUCHAN · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 106 Location: Russia

I read with intrest all your posts on this thread. I have lived in Ufa for 4 years and Togliatti for 1 year. It seems to me that the OVIR registration was forgotten in all of your thoughts. Some of you want to return and freelance teach -- great! Whitout a letter of invitation from an employer you will only stay legally in Russia three months - and that is with a private invitation letter.

I understand working without a proper visa and registration can be a deportable offence. At least you get deported now a days and not sent to a Siberian gulag! Malinkaya shutka!

I have a russian wife and have spent untold hours and USD's trying to get a residence permit -- only to find the rules changed almost every day at OVIR and MVD.

As I understand things - a resident permit will allow me to teach anyone or no one and do as I please - go fishing or whatever! I may even be able to buy a sim card for my cell phone!

One other thing you all forgot to tell the new guy -- Russian schools have a habit of not paying your last month or so salary if you choose to not renew your contract with them or if they suddenly decide that they can do with out you anymore for any of the stupidest reasons ever thought up. And don't work over contract hours - you will never see that pay at all! Russian teaching contracts may be in both English and Russian, but they are worthless - except as kinkling for a shashlik fire starter.

Happy trails!

Mike

silasbilas · Joined: 15 Jul 2007 Posts: 16

Maruss, just how bad are these bad experiences with these schools in Moscow?