Job Discussion Forums

[shoran]

Hello all,

Found a lot of the previous threads insightful and helpful. I apologize in advance if some of these have been answered/addressed before, but I was wondering:

Is it smarter to get CELTA (seems to be the most in-demand) certification back home or once in Russia? Some schools, like BKC-IH offer it there, and back here in New York, month-long intensive classes run ~$2500. Will having CELTA beforehand help secure a better offer? Is that too much for that program? I have a TEFL certificate from BridgeTEFL (60-hour online course), but have been told by some that wouldn't count for much. Does something like this, or even CELTA, really impact your contract if you have no classroom experience?

Has anyone tried Rosetta Stone for Russian? A friend swears by the Spanish program, and it seems foolish to head over with no Russian (my current state). I saw a lot of schools offering free/discounted Russian classes; are these effective? Seeing a lot of horror stories about shady practices at some of these schools, and didn't know if these classes were worth going for/insisting on.

And finally, a lot of the schools offer 'shared accommodation'. Does this mean with another teacher at the same school? Do you get much say in the process?

I appreciate any help with these. I've been fascinated with Russia forever, and have finally decided on trying to pursue teaching there. Thanks again.

[ancient_dweller]

firstly, that's great news you want to head to Russia! it's by far the best place in the world for ESL teaching! Mind you - i'm biased.

yes, the CELTA is the standard here in Russia, but demand for teachers is high so it is by no meas an absolute necessity. One of the interesting things (and i speak only aout Moscow here) is that earning power doesn't change that much from newbie to pro. A newbie ca charge a private 1500r an hour and a pro can charge 2000r an hour. There are numpties out there who accept 1500r for 2 hours... Most schools hourly pay their teachers more than that!!

Have you got any experience teaching? Any experience leading people, making presentations? At the end of the day teaching has a lot to do with confidence. And experience helps u get through the tough lessons.

I have met people who haven't done a CELTA and they got lucky with a school. They got abused massively - running around the city all day, for not much wages, but they got a heck of a lot of experience and then stepped up to start teaching with better schools, bigger companies and more lucrative privates - with less metro hopping.

As for rosetta stone, i must admit i used it to start things. It is a great idea, only i got bored of it very quickly. There is a lot of repetition and i found myself losing interest.

I studied russian at a private russian language school which really brought me to a decent intermediate level with reading and listening although i can communicate at a basic level. I know what you mean about horror stories though. I had my own - long story. at the same time, the course was very unprofessional and lacked structure. I only went because i paid the money upfront.but the lack of structure was actually what made it enjoyable - not knowing what mood the teacher would be in... Haha

how adventurous are you? People on this site always recommend 'mcschools' but if u want to start in september you are too late for work permits. Just turn up in russia - send out your CV's and the interviews will come. It's what i did. It needed about �2000 upfront, because of accomm deposits etc... But i was even after 2 months.

I don't know about shared accom, i didn't want to work for a mcschool on their subsistance wages so i went it alone and i'm glad i did... Damn... shared accom and $1000 a month to spend! Ouch!

[shoran]

Thanks for the quick response! So it would seem that getting a CELTA certificate prior to arrival would be a good idea, if only for the mobility it allows if your first job ends up sucking. I was just wondering if it was possible to avoid the substantial course fee.

I just graduated from college in June, and while there spent a semester as a Biology tutor, working one-on-one and running a weekly review session. Wasn't extensive, only a few hours a week, but it's something. Have made presentations in the workplace before as well, so wouldn't say completely inexperienced, but no TEFL classroom history.

Speaking of just graduating, I saw a post earlier on about students not respecting you if you're too young-- I'm 22 now, turning 23 in January. This would be acceptable to most students, no?

And I'd like to think I'm somewhat adventurous, haha. Is September the only real start date? I'd like to start sooner rather than later, but wasn't in a rush to jump on a plane tomorrow, was more realistically thinking around January, especially if I wanted to get certified before/learn a bit of Russian. Do they hire year-round? Is there a strategic time to apply? I've sent emails to the big three 'McSchools' everyone references earlier this week, and haven't heard anything back yet.

[ancient_dweller]

the benefits of the mcschool are well documented on this forum. it was recently calculated that a full mcschool package amounts to about 50,000r with accom, visas etc. The welcome it gives u to russia.

Recruitment does happen year round but as i understand it is easier to get a job in september. I personally took on work from different schools at all different times of the year. So it's not impossible.

Also i may have been wrong about the work permit situation. I think what happens is you arrive on some other visa and the school produces a work permit for you.

About the CELTA, one option is to do it in Moscow. That way you can study some russian for a month at the same time. Bkc i think is the only provider in moscow of celta courses. It's 50000 roubles, thats probably the same as in NY. But, i think if they give u a contract they pay for the course or something like that.

Of all the mcschools i've heard really bad things about language link. IEve heard they are the worst in the treatment of teachers. They also provide a faux-tefl course and they pass u off as qualified teachers. Not heard anything bad about the others. Because of he sheer size of bkc people have complained. But the teachers i've met have only ever said good things

[ancient_dweller]

forgot to mention your age.

Ye, as i understand u are at the younger end of the scale. I think appearances have a lot to do with it. Well, people say that Russians are tough students and want results and that they can see though bullshit. But, as with any job. A lot of PR involved and i think the age thing can be as much of a problem as u want it to be. Although, i've personally never met a teacher so young in Moscow.

Others should have better advice in that regard...

[Sashadroogie]

[Kofola]

[spiral78]

I believe that research shows that Rosetta Stone and similar programmes can give a bit of a boost to a total beginner to a language.

They can help make at least a few familiar words decipherable to one's ear, and also may help one get a bit of a grasp of intonation patterns (if the student has a pretty good ear). That can be more helpful than it sounds, as catching intonation patterns can help a raw beginner determine where words start and end in an oral text (everything doesn't run together as much).

Beyond raw beginner stage, their usefulness is unproven so far as I have read.

[stacyrey]

You can also download the Foreign Service language lessons online free. I have found that the Russian lessons are giving me a good start.

[ancient_dweller]

pimsleur russian is a good foundation for complete beginners.

[Mikalina]

Agree with spiral re Rosetta Stone. I developed a good ear for the language and also learnt the cyrillic alphabet (on the keyboard too). i loved the way it 'snook' in the grammar without you noticing it. The problem came when I got to Moscow and I knew wonderful sentences like 'the young boy in the yellow jumper is sitting under the red helicopter'. Never saw one yellow jumper...

Great idea to learn the language before you get here (sorry, there, haven't adapted yet). Schools which promise lessons always seem to have problems organising them.......

As for being young, some of the mac schools have very young teachers. It's a matter of confidence. Go into the classroom with confidence - you are the teacher. You do need to know your stuff though. Some mac schools will just give you pre-int and below until you feel confident. Classes don't get to go feral at that level.

Sharing accommodation? When you first arrive, no choice - just lots of amazing 'experiences'. How about a thread on 'amazing experiences' of flat sharing?

[ancient_dweller]

[Dyadya Misha]

For me Oxford Take Off In Russian is the best place to start. It's reasonably cheap and better than the other 3-4 books/systems I tried to use.