Job Discussion Forums

BK4872 · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 9

Hello all!

I am looking for a reputable school to work for in Moscow. I have already worked for the "Mc Schools" and I am looking for a smaller, more teacher friendly school. Any suggestions or experiences you have and would like to share would be greatly appreciated... Feel free to PM me if you don't want to post on a public forum...

Some of the schools I am interested in are:

Windsor
Parlex
Wall Street
Tom's House
IPT
Globus
Lexik-on
Modern English

I haven't applied or even communicated with any of theses schools yet - Just in the initial phase of research... Any feedback or additions to my list would be great! Thx!

expatella_girl · Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 10:38 am Post subject:

Parlex?!

No.

http://www.expat.ru/forum/teachers-discussion-folder/136653-questions-about-parlex-school.html

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

Please bear in mind that I left there in April 2006 so things have probably changed in firms since then but I would definitely avoid Parlex and Wall Street. Ditto Itec.Toms House did offer me some work which I declined as it clashed with what I was doing elsewhere but I have heard some poor reports about them, due to their system of payments where you only get money several weeks in arrears.
Windsor was in the old Olympic complex at Prospekt Mira and run by a rather nice lady called Yulia then but they already had contract teachers earning low salaries and didn't have any hourly-paid work available.
You could do far worse than going to see Crichton Brauer at Globus,a British ex-pat who is very decent and up-front about working there and I gather he was offering work-permits.
I am assuming you are already living there and have found accom. etc but be sure to check about the new visa rules as I understand they have just changed them again and there is a lot of confusion!
Please p.m.me for more info.

discostar23 · Joined: 05 Nov 2009 Posts: 9

moscow is hard place for ESL teachers as most schools offer a low salary. If you want a good private school I can recommend any Bonne Schools but be prepared to work with young children.

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

Zajko · Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:33 pm Post subject:

Both IPT and nearby BBLC are, in my experience, decent and professional British owned/run outfits. Both were also recently hiring in Moscow.

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

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

This also happened to me with Toms House......classes were on/off with hardly any warning and this made it almost impossible to plan hours with anyone else-no good if you need a steady income!

Sashadroogie · Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:56 pm Post subject:

Strike IPT off your list. Too many shenanigans. Might be British-run in theory, but too many local bad habits, Russian wives and sharp business practices make it hard to distinguish from any other cowboy outfit operating in Moscow. Contract? Job security?

Zajko · Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:57 pm Post subject:

Speak as you find, I guess: personally, I never found IPT anything but professional.

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:13 am Post subject:

Well OK. Good for you. I hope the fair weather holds up. However, many other employees, or former employees, would not have such a high opinion. They tended to not like being told by email that they were losing their job etc. BTW how many KAMS are left in the office these days? Not as many as this time last year I'd guess...

Zajko · Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 4:26 pm Post subject:

I worked for them part-time and on a freelance basis, so 'job security' wasn't exactly high on my list of priorities. All I can say is they paid as agreed, when agreed, the classes were regular and pleasant, I didn't get 'messed around' and from all contacts I had with the school management and admin, I had no cause for complaint.

There may, of course, be underlying issues apparent to longer-term, full-time teachers there that I remained unaware of. Although that said, I don't recall anyone working there ever voicing anything to me beyond the occasional minor everyday grumble that you'd come across in any school, just about anywhere in the world.

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

They were good with me,paid on time and never interfered in my work etc. but then perhaps other people would differ?The problem is that with hourly paid work you have no guaranteed monthly income,while your living expenses are always there......until you establish your own network of private students it is risky,especially from May to September when the 'dacha season' comes around and many people don't want lessons.But your landlord still wants paying on time and your stomach still needs filling!

Sashadroogie · Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 10:06 am Post subject:

As I said, that's good for you. I'm happy you have not been mistreated by them. But some of my colleagues and other contacts were less than impressed to be asked about their religion and their belief in God by the company 'decision-holders' when all they needed was a concrete reply to queries about visas and erroneous salary payments. Most people who were there on a full-time contract have either left unhappily or been pushed onto a part-time contract. Just as well, seeing as the staff room is nearly always used as a class/exam room these days.

Good way to measure the health of a company, that. Ever-diminishing floor space is not a good sign. And like a wounded animal at its most dangerous, a company that is cutting back on nearly everything else to survive, will not hesitate to cut back on its obligations to its teachers... For example, imagine having to pay for your local registration in such a school - a hefty 2000 rubles each time. Totally opportunistic of course, not to say illegal. Wouldn't you agree?

I'd strike it off your list.

Zajko · Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:07 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't dispute the truth of anything you posted re your own experience: it may well have been the case. All I can say, though, in my own instance - I wasn't treated unprofessionally, I was certainly never asked anything about my religion or beliefs, and I wasn't asked to pay my own registration or anything similar. Sorry it seems you had a less positive experience: I, however, can only comment on any school based on my own case, which in no way tallies with yours.