Job Discussion Forums

[ancient_dweller]

westbrook:

Sorry to have upset you. Do you believe in keeping the negatives under the carpet. Nobody here dislikes Russia. Im pretty sure, I'll be here for life. In fact, i don't just not dislike it, i love it.

As for future teachers, being aware of whats out there makes them better equiped to deal with their time here. Will lower their expectations and make their time more comfortable.

Are you a user and abuser of these tactics?

[Peg Leg Pete]

If someone has a bad experience should they keep it to themselves and let others have the same? I think not. I have had good advice from others here-and I hope some of my pm's have helped others the same way.

I love it here, but that doesn't mean it's all easy.

[spiral78]

Anyone contemplating a move to a foreign country needs to know what obstacles and problems he/she MAY face. Being unprepared for potential trouble can have serious repercussions when one's far from home and a support system.

I've seen small bad luck turn into disasters over my 14 years in EFL, for people who really just didn't want to know anything negative about a country and their prospects in it.

[Sashadroogie]

Yip. It can be quite distressing when it all goes wrong abroad. We've all either experienced this or witnessed someone else's descent into turmoil. However, the particular country you are can play a huge factor in just how bad things can get. In Russia things have the potential to get very bad indeed. It is better to know this well in advance before contemplating a move here. Part of the value of forums such as this is that newbies can be painlessly disabused of any romantic notions before they land themselves in a hopeless, brutal mess, partly of their own making, partly due to unscrupulous employers taking advantage. Well, at least I think it is painless. Apologies to any readers who don't...

[westbrook1]

I didn't mean to imply that threads like these shouldn't be created. They're very useful indeed. I meant what I said in more of a general expression of the frustration I feel when considering teaching English abroad.

I'm new to this and am currently scoping the field of potential locations to teach. I'm willing to go just about anywhere, but it seems like for every thread that tells how wonderful it is to teach in a certain place, there are two or three that dissuade me or completely put me off. There are people who post how they love teaching in Korea, for example, but then there are entire websites devoted to explaining why you should avoid it at all costs. Russia is great, but there are a billion things you have to watch out for. Basically, it's just very frustrating.

I know it's what you make of it, and going into any new job with any kind of romantic expectations, especially if it's in another country, is not wise. But it just makes me wonder if there is any single geographic location on earth where one can teach English and not have to worry about being exploited and taken advantage of. I mean, as native speakers we're doing people/schools a service by leaving our comfort zones, our friends and families, for the purpose of helping other people. It would be nice if there was a general consensus that teaching in X is manageable (by manageable I mean you don't have to worry about getting paid or having your contract toyed with or getting fired randomly etc).

[coledavis]

I have to say, I tend to agree with Westbrook1. I'm not saying that I haven't come across any dodgy practices, but on the whole it rather depends upon the individual employers, a bit like everywhere else. If possible, do what other people do, i.e. ask others on the forum if they know of the particular school.

[westbrook1]

I guess I don't know the meaning of threads like these in general, in any forum.

Is it this? - Teaching English abroad is a pretty shady practice and should be avoided unless you REALLY want to teach. People are always getting screwed by employers no matter where they go and in Russia, these are the specifics (insert text by OP and others)


OR this? - Teaching English abroad is a wonderful, fun and rewarding job. Generally speaking, things are positive and go well without any major problems. But problems do come up, and here in Russia they are usually as follows: (insert the content of the OP).

Of course you can substitute Russia with anywhere else...I hope you see what I'm getting at. I just don't know if the entire industry is plagued and should only be left as a last resort.

[Sashadroogie]

I see what you are saying Westbrook1. Of your two interpretations, the latter is closer to the general situation here in Russia. Life for me has generally been fine, and probably would be for most sensible people who take the time and trouble to check out as much as possible in advance. But rose-tinted glasses can without doubt cause problems and some posters on even this forum have learnt this the hard way - to their cost obviously. The topic of this thread was concerning the tricks to watch out for, explaining perhaps the more negative slant. (Some of the problems are Russia-specific, so not all problems can be compared to problems elsewhere.)

Check my other posts here. I do not think I paint a picture of doom and gloom in Russia. Quite the opposite. I do my best to promote it and help people to get set up. In fact most people who have not been here have many preconceived ideas (that are not borne out in reality) which are far more negative than what we have written on this thread.

Russia is a great place to live and teach - no question. But caution needs to be exercised here much more than in a western European country, for example.

I think the thread is a valuable one and wish I had had the idea to start it. Perhaps a sticky would be an idea??

[spiral78]

[westbrook1]

Yes Spiral, everything you say is undoubtedly true, but I don't agree about your interpretation of the 'service' aspect of teaching. I'm not saying we should be looked at as 'cool' or 'special'. Certainly not. Just that the schools who hire English teachers (which 99.9 of the time means a native speaker) obviously want just that: a native. By default, they should understand that since it implies leaving our home countries (usually) and going somewhere foreign, we're doing them a service, and should be appreciated for such. We all know what happens when we have unqualified and barely fluent English speakers teaching other people the language. Look what's happening in Turkey with the upcoming import of tens of thousands of native speakers to teach their citizens. It's because a lot of teachers in Turkey are Turks who speak broken English. Our services are wanted and should be appreciated. And that is all I'm saying. Cheers from London.

[Sashadroogie]

We are appreciated: we're paid for our services. (Usually, at least - unless you get screwed over due to lack of knowledge...)

[spiral78]

[Jazziz23]

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[kazachka]

[kazachka]