Job Discussion Forums

jennam · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 1

I am beginning the interview process at Language Link, Moscow, and am wondering if anyone has worked for this company, anywhere in Russia. Are they reputable? Was it a positive experience? Please, responses only from people who have had direct experiences with Language Link, Russia. Thanks!

Marquess · Joined: 05 Feb 2009 Posts: 165

I worked for them several years ago and my advice is to avoid them like the plague.

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

and right from the horses mouth!Unless you choose to ignore it and are a massochist who enjoys low wages,long hours ,a low standard of living in a low standard appartment and low morale!
The guy who owns the joint is an American,believe it or not,and his name is rather synonymous with the Russian word for 'money' which you will not receive much of by working for his outfit,that's a certainty!

kazachka · Joined: 19 Nov 2004 Posts: 220 Location: Moscow and Alaska

The search feature is your friend Wink

In all seriousness, there is lots of info here on LL. Personally, I'd never in my lifetime even consider them. Anyone I have known who has worked there, bailed for higher ground. The owner is a tightwad cheapskate. I checked them out in 04 out of curiosity knowing they were not so good. At the time, I had just finished my 8th yr teaching in public high school in the US and I had an M.A. This nut offered me a whopping 600$/mo and SHARED (are you out of your %$%$#mind??)flat. Needless to say, that was the last time I ever set foot near the place.

LJKSU · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:34 am Post subject:

I worked for Language Link - Samara.

This is a very organized and very very commercialized school. This (as well as another reason I'll detail in a minute) is why I suggest you avoid them.

This school is all about making money. They want you to entertain the students more than teach them. They aren't concerned with whether or not you are a good teacher but they are more concerned with whether or not the students like you.

I for one enjoy teaching English to actually teach English. I didn't go to Russia to be a clown. If you assign too much homework, someone may complain to the office and they'll yell at you about this. Then you'll assign less homework. Typical thing to do if they say you assign too much, right? Well, then one of the students will complain that they don't feel as though they are learning anything because you don't assign enough homework. And the office will take it out on you. Quite rudely.

Ok.....

Next, I have a basic TEFL certificate. I don't have a certificate that qualifies me to teach children. Nor do I have a certificate that qualifies me to teach mentally challenged children. Please keep this in mind. The TEFL courses do not touch upon these areas, generally speaking, and teaching children/mentally handicapped children are completely different areas on study!

So part of the way into my contract there, they put two individual children (one about 10 and the other about 5) on my schedule. They also put a group of mentally handicapped children on my schedule that got signed up for English classes because Evroset felt like doing charity and they paid for it. All fine and dandy but they never told me the kids were handicapped.

So I seriously can't understand two things: 1) Why these kids can't stay seated for more than 2 minutes and 2) Why they can't retain any information whatsoever. Progress was extremely slow. Maybe it's because not only is it my first few months teaching English, generally speaking but.....I'm not trained for teaching mentally handicapped children?? Dd you ever consider that, Language Link?

So the office starts to notice that half-way through their program, we have fallen behind on the schedule and they don't understand why and aren't interested in the reason. It's my fault and that's all there is to it. So now as if I am the mentally handicapped child, they require me to sit down with one of the Russian teachers, the same age as me) to teach me how to teach English.

1) She's Russian and made English mistakes of her own.
2) She never once sat in on this class and didn't understand the situation.

So, no need to go any further, I think you can get the point. This school has trouble maintaining a teaching staff because of how they treat their teachers. Especially Kate Chinkova, who everyone called the bulldog. She's in her mid-twenties and has no interpersonal skills whatsoever. The director is a nice and sweet lady but Kate runs the show. She runs it right out of town.

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

But unfortunately it is all too typical of what you can expect to find in many schools in Russia!Everybody wants to make money of course,but over there it is definitely not their aim to help you even enjoy the job,let alone make any money for yourself...
The name of the firm means nothing as they are often run as franchises and its who runs it that pulls all the strings!!

rogan · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 416 Location: at home, in France

A blog by the ex DOS of Language LInk, Samara www.englishteacherx.com

If you take the time to read it from 2003/2003 onwards you can draw your own conclusions about him, his colleagues and the LL school in Samara.

gibronii · Joined: 04 Feb 2009 Posts: 40

eslcowboy · Joined: 01 Oct 2009 Posts: 7

if you can work anywhere else, do it. language link moscow is evil and will work you like a dog with split shifts, low pay and classes across the city. no good.

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

But for as long as they can get people to work for them,they will continue to exploit them!Ditto illegal Mexicans in Texas etc?
Also remember that most L.L. schools outside Moscow are franchises run by various people,usually Russian and unfortunately from the postings about them, they only seem to vary in degrees of nastiness!