Job Discussion Forums

[Dalton]

So I have 2 years of a physics degree completed, and I'm scheduled to take my CELTA here in the Canadian city where I live this fall. My plan is to go abroad next year so I'm in no hurry, and I plan on doing all the necessary research including reading this board back and forth.

My questions are these:
1) Is Eastern Europe (specifically Ukraine, Poland, Russia) really what you'd consider a bad idea for a first excursion? My standards aren't terribly high (I grew up rather poor); all I'd really expect is to be paid for my work and have a halfway decent apartment not too far from my school. If I'm a turn-the-other-cheek type, is it remotely possible I could enjoy a year teaching in one of these countries?

2) Is a CELTA with an incomplete degree an acceptable level of education to teach ESL in Eastern Europe? I've read enough to disqualify getting an Oxford Seminars certificate and have accepted the necessity of a CELTA, but is this enough? (For the record, my degree is on hold indefinitely so please don't chime in with "get your degree first" posts.)

Thank you.

[spiral78]

Most newbies on the job market will have a degree, but the more important factor is the CELTA in this region. Assuming that you present yourself as professional and responsible, you should stand a decent chance.

Your salary/standard of living requirements also sound realistic. Just be aware that most jobs in this region aren't found from abroad - there are lots of teachers around and it's unlikely that any reputable school would consider someone seriously sight-unseen. The most realistic way to find an ok job in this area is to come over in late August and go around in person for the normal contract period of Sept/Oct thru June. Keep in mind that few directors will be on duty for most of August - it's really holiday period. If you're Canadian, you have 90 days to get paperwork filed to get a working visa - coming at the end of August gives you maximum chances.

You could send around CVs in advance, and try to line up interviews, but don't be surprised (or discouraged) if no-one much replies to long-distance contact attempts.

I am not really sure about the current situation in Ukraine regarding visas - you will want to check the Ukraine forum below for details.

[coledavis]

Poland would require serious research, as it is easy for EU teachers to get there (i.e. without visas). Ukraine is suffering a lot, also EU teachers' access is relatively easy. I would have thought either (a) Moscow, where there is demand for native speakers or (b) Siberia, where there is a shortage of native speakers. Siberia usually requires direct application to schools rather than waiting for job advertisements to come up. (And don't listen to the Siberian gulag/bear stories; these all come from people who haven't been near the place.)

Although do note that there has been a visa problem in Russia for some time. So, you would need to ask schools about this.

And don't even think about Belarus. Nice place, but poor wages, poor opportunities and that's for fully qualified and experienced people!

[Dalton]

Thanks for the help, guys. It's much appreciated. Cole, going back to what you just suggested (and keeping in mind the parameters I set out in my first post), would the McSchools in Russia really be THAT bad for me? I've read a lot about the situation in Moscow for ESL teachers, including Eve Lopez's blog, and it doesn't seem like a completely terrible idea as long as I work hard and keep my mouth shut, barring major catastrophe. Also, I'd likely have to begin by applying from here in Canada until I got the money together to go apply in person.

Siberia is out, though. Maybe I should've mentioned that I'm committed to going only to a city with an Argentine Tango scene, even if my work dictates that I won't be able to be a fixture in it. Moscow fits that bill, as do Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, SPB, etc.

Once again, thanks a lot for the insight.

[coledavis]

Well, I didn't say that the McSchools were that bad. Whatever their disadvantages, they do take on newbies to Russia and/or teaching and offer some support and/or training (I think).

Re Siberians doing the Argentine Tango, who says they don't? I believe they do it in Minsk, why not look up (using a Russian translation bunged onto a search engine) Novosibirsk or Khabarovsk before being so sure? As I suggested, people think that Siberia is a wilderness. There are flaming big cities there and they ain't wandering around in troikas. YOu might be right, but do a search first (PROMT translation software, then use a search engine).

In fact, I just typed in Аргентинское Танго Новосибирск into Google (Argentinian Tango Novosibirsk if you can't read Russian yet): the results look encouraging. The first listing is a school of yes, Argentinian Tango.

Don't underestimate Siberia!

[coledavis]

In fact, looking at the listings, it looks like Novosibirsk folk do nothing but swirl around looking macho. My guess is that you'll find similar in other major Siberian cities. Siberia also has some McSchools (one of our fellow members is at English First in Novosibirsk, I believe).

[Dalton]

Thanks again; it does appear that Argentine Tango flourishes in seemingly unlikely locales (my hometown included)! I guess I'll have to get over my prejudices of Siberia if I'm looking for a place to cut my teeth in ESL as a newbie, but Moscow would probably be preferred at first. What about St. Petersburg? Are there any "McSchools" there of the same ilk as those in Moscow?

[Dalton]

Also, thanks for the suggestion of Novosibirsk. I've been reading up on the city and looking at photos and it's beginning to look pretty interesting.

[Eamonn]

Its a great city, i just stopped off briefly there when travellin through Russia for a few months.
Had some great pizza there - it strikes me as a lively young city.
I plan on going back for a better look at the place soon enough.

[Dalton]

Just how cold does it get there anyway? I know it's Siberia and all, but how would it compare to, say, Edmonton, Canada?

[gibberish222]

I'm another newbie from Canada with dreams of moving to Eastern or Central Europe for a while. I'm open to almost anywhere in the region... My questions are similar to those of Dalton above, so I thought I'd just piggyback on this thread, which I've already found helpful.

My wife and I both hold Master's degrees (in Classics). For the past two years, we have been teaching as full-time faculty members in a quite intensive first-year integrated humanities ("core-text") programme at a well-established small Canadian university. So we have a fair amount of real classroom experience (though unrelated to ESL). We have lots of experience helping students with writing, etc., as well as positive teaching evaluations. But, we need a change of scenery -- we plan on doing CELTA training when our contracts expire in May, and we're hoping to find jobs overseas in the summer or fall of 2011.

I'm wondering whether someone with such a background and experience as ours would have a reasonable chance at finding decent employment in Russia, Poland, Belarus, Serbia, Ukraine... anywhere really. We're hoping for something in a major city that allows us to make our debt payments and do a little bit of traveling... We're very new to this scene -- Any advice on where we might fit would be much appreciated.

[spiral78]

allows us to make our debt payments

Only if your debt payments are very modest. Seriously, wages for teachers in this region are subsistence level. Assume that buying a pair of jeans will require at least a bit of advance planning, and a bicycle would be a pretty major investment.

You might be better-off than this, but it's tough to count on it, especially in the first year. As you become more familiar with a city, make local contacts and build a reputation, and learn local language skills, you are more likely to find the 'better' paid jobs that should be around.

The fact that you will be two wage-earners presumably sharing accomodations gives you a bit more leeway, financially, but you'll want to seriously calculate any debt payments and find out as much as you can about local NET salaries and RENT: this is bound to be your greatest expense.

[coledavis]

[coledavis]

[naturegirl321]