Job Discussion Forums

[deepteeth]

Cross posted in General Discussion:

I'm in my first year of EFL teaching abroad, and I want to know where I stand. I've read the forums extensively the last year or so and so I have a general idea (which I'll give at the end of the post) but I'd really like an expert opinion from others.

About my job:
I'm teaching in the Russian Far East. I don't want to mention any school- or coworker-specific details until I've decided to move on. I make about 350 rubles ($12.33) post Russian tax per academic hour and I teach 25-35 academic hours per week. I work six days a week, but for example on Tuesday I only have one class and my Russian class (where I'm a student). Some days are long - 9:00am to 9:00pm - while some are short - 4:30pm to 8:10pm.

It's a private school, catering mostly to the well-off in the area. I teach students from 10 to adult; all of them have at least a pre-intermediate knowledge of English (Russian teachers take the very young and beginner students). Most students come to the school three times per week; I see them once and my Russian co-teacher sees them the other two times. Class sizes are never larger than 12, and some are 6 or less students. Classes are either 1:20 or 2:00 long. I get paid for class time and there is no required in-office time other than a meeting once a month or so.

The Russian teachers are a very mixed bag. Some of them have been around for a while and they seem well-organized and good teachers. The vast majority (I feel) are grossly lacking in self-confidence and are more concerned with being liked by the students than actually teaching. Some of their English levels are very low.

We use Cambridge textbooks, which seem really good. There are dozens of other resources in the office, and no limits on the number of copies/prints.

So far, there has been very little in terms of pressure to perform or any type of performance checks - though this could be because the other native speaker decided to leave en media contract.

About the perks:
Roundtrip airfare from the USA (about $1750), my apartment (expensive in this area), coffee/tea/snacks at work, and taxi rides home when working at night are all: free.

About the school:
The school has about a dozen small classrooms, each with a computer, window, whiteboard, and coatrack. There is an office area, all open, where we share about 10 seats in a small room. There are two computers with internet access that we share. Adjacent to the office is a small "kitchen" with a microwave, espresso machine, and electric kettle. There is no fridge.

Nearby the school is a public school, where I can buy a fairly delicious school lunch for about 100 rubles ($3.33).

About me:
I am a young (23), American, recent (2009) college graduate from a slightly above average school. However, my degree is in English Literature, though I did take some linguistics classes and have serious exposure to French and Spanish. Experience-wise I've tutored a foreign graduate student for about two years (paid) and also taught children in Ecuador for about two months (volunteer). I've traveled extensively.

I'm very into healthy eating, and I'm actually okay with Russia's availability of healthy food.

However, I enjoy writing and the arts and conversation, and there's not really a community for any of that here. There are quite a few expats here, but I haven't met anyone under 33 yet. Most are here with families or they are trying to make families. Few are Americans. One of the reasons I didn't want to give school details is because I'm teaching at the only EFL school with native speakers within a few hundred klicks. There are two other American teachers here, but they are much older and more interested in pursuing their own religious agenda than my idea of socializing (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

This summer I'm going to try to get CELTA in SE Asia, so keep that in mind for all questions re: contract renewal and payment.

About my life here:
Yes, it's cold, but not as cold as most of Russia. It won't get any worse than -25C. There's snowboarding available nearby and I'm trying to learn. I've got a girlfriend, but not too many other friends, especially not male. So far I enjoy Russian personalities from a distance, but those I've made friends with have been disappointing. There are few creative minds here; most people play video games and get drunk. Strangely, it was difficult to get the two groups of friends to even play cards while drinking; they just wanted to drink. When I told them I like to paint and write they thought I was crazy.

My apartment is MASSIVE - I have two completely unused rooms - and very centrally located. However it is very old, no one's lived here for a couple of years, and it has many problems which are (obviously) not fixed very promptly or professionally.

In general, the cost of living here is about the same as in the USA. I was extremely pleased to discover the adjacent school's cafeteria and I eat there nearly every day, at least when I'm busy. There is a total of zero moderately cheap restaurants - trust me, I've looked and asked.

My Questions!:

1. Greed: Am I getting paid enough? Specifically, what are some rough equivalents of [$12/hr + airfare + apartment (in Russia)] = [$?/hr + no air + no apt (in Thailand/Vietnam/Cambodia/Malaysia/S America)]?

[jpvanderwerf2001]

Interesting you work in the RFE. Might I ask what city? I live in Vladivostok, and don't know of many other language schools in the area.
As far as your position goes: It's not great, but not bad. I've heard of people doing much worse here in Russia. In terms of your social situation, I think that it's rather typical, especially at the beginning.
Best of luck!

[coledavis]

Especially considering your relative lack of experience, I think you're paid very well. Obviously you need to try to find more people to socialise with.