Job Discussion Forums

[Vsevolod]

Hi everyone,
Next year I plan to do a lot of travelling, which will include spending around 6 months in Russia.
More specifically, I would like to travel, from west to east, spending a month or two in a few regions (particularly Siberia) over the course of 6 months. By spending that much time in a region I hope to get to know it better than the average tourist.
I have saved up some money for travel expenses but plan to survive by teaching English at either schools or universities. And by survive I mean getting enough money/assistance for accommodation and food.
Concerning qualifications, I have a BA degree and a CELTA with 2 months full-time teaching experience with children (obviously English is my first language).

My questions are as follows:
1. Is it possible to find short-term teaching jobs across Russia that will cover my accommodation/food expenses as stated? (in all honesty, I�m willing to work solely for food and shelter � I don�t really plan to save but some pocket money would be nice!)
2. What are the TEFL hotspots in Russia (outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg) for employment?
3. What implications does my plan have for my Visa requirements? As far as I understand at the moment, I will need a private visa � is this correct? Would I also need some kind of work-permit or should I assume that all my work, should I get it, be �underhand� and not official?
4. In your opinion, what do you think of my overall plan? Is it generally feasible? Have I overseen anything major?

Any replies would be greatly appreciated!

[Vsevolod]

...Anyone?

[coledavis]

Consider your market. You can do this initially from an armchair perspective. How many schools are going to want to pay good money for somebody who will be there for a couple of months and then go off again? Apart from the odd lucky coincidence, i.e. there is a temporary gap, I don't see it. Perhaps other people may disagree..

[Sashadroogie]

Tend to agree with coledavis. Doesn't sound likely. Russia is not a place one can come to on a casual basis. The amount of visa paperwork for schools and teachers is incredible, whether it is an official teacher's visa or not - and there is also registration to sort out etc. Even travelling from one Russian city to another means you need to re-register with the authorities. Too much hassle for schools to bother with. A lot of hassle for you too. I'd plan to stay in one spot in Russia for a full contract, if I were you.

[maruss]

It was always complicated in Russia anyway and now with the economic crisis etc. firms will be very 'picky' about employing anyone.