Job Discussion Forums

[ogni strada]

Hi everyone, I'm a new poster although I have been a regular tourist on this board for quite a long time. I'm hoping for a bit of advice regarding a job that I've been offered in Novosibirsk.

The pay is 300 rubles per academic hour, of which there are 18-26 per week. I imagine on this basis I will be looking at $1000 per month, which I realise is not good by Moscow or St. Petersburg standards. I should add that the company are providing me with free private accommodation and are not preventing me from taking on private students.

MY CELTA course finishes in May, at which point my contract with the school will (potentially) begin once I fly over from the UK.

With the economy as it is at the moment, does the above seem reasonable? I am sure that a lot of people on this forum will see 300 rubles as pathetically low but I have little bargaining power as I have no teaching experience. The DOS I have been conversing with has been nothing short of excellent all the way through the process thus far.

I would really appreciate any advice. General musings on Novosibirsk would be gratefully received as well.

Many Thanks,

Mark

[jpvanderwerf2001]

If you get 26 ac. hours a week x 300 rbls., you're looking at just over 30,000 rbls/month. If accommodation is taken care of, and you can finagle some private students, you should be fine. I'm assuiming you're single? If so, that kind of money should allow you a decent standard of living.
Admittedly, I don't know how N-sibirsk compares with Vladivostok in terms of cost of living, but I'm sure it's not more expensive. That same position with those benefits would allow a single person enough in Vlad, so I'm thinking it'd be fine for N-S.
Good luck!

[coledavis]

For someone without teaching experience, it sounds pretty good. Ok, I guess nightly restaurant visits aren't on, but if sensible, you should have a good time.

[ogni strada]

Thank you very much for the reassuring advice. As it stands I think I will accept the offer. I am single and have no dependents to think about so I think the pay should be sufficent.

If anyone has any general advice about Novosibirsk (there are a few threads elsewhere) I would love to her about their experiences.

Best Regards,

Mark

[anubistaima]

I've been teaching in Novosibirsk for three years (leaving in two weeks, though). If you have questions, let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.

[ogni strada]

[ogni strada]

Sorry, just realized I wrote 'Is their a large group of people'. I promise I am not as backwards as that would imply.....

[anubistaima]

1) What is the prevailing attitude towards westerners in NS, are we generally well received?
Westerners are still a rarity here, so we're sort of celebrities, in both the good and the bad way. If you're single, Novosibirsk is a great place to be. Lots of beautiful people. I'm a girl, but guys have it even better.

2) How severe is the climate? Is it a serious issue that seriously impinges on your daily life?
I prefer winter over summer, so I might not be the best person to ask. I think Siberian winters are fascinating. It was -38F last week and +3F today. -30F is average in winter, although this year has been warmer (in the -20s). Life goes on as usual in winter here. Don't expect things to slow down just because you got 10 inches of snow overnight.

3) Is their a general attitude amongst students, are they eager to learn or generally quite frosty and aloof to begin with?
I think it depends on the age bracket. I teach mostly teens and adults, and they're great. Kids are more difficult because of the language barrier. In general, though, I find they're eager to be around foreigners, so that makes them pay attention.

4) What is the nature of the ex-pat community? Is their a sizeable group of people?
There is no expat community here. A few foreigners here and there (I've met only five in the years I've lived here), but if you're looking to make friends, you'll have to look at the locals.

5) Have you had any run-ins with the police (i.e. through no fault of your own, being coerced into the back of a car and driven around the city, as happened to a friend in Moscow recently).
Never had any problems with the police here.

6) With regards to travel, is it easy to reach Kazakhstan and major Russian cities?
It's not easy to go anywhere from here. Novosibirsk is in the middle of nowhere. A bus to Kazakhstan will take 37 hours plus 6-7 hours at the border. The train to Moscow takes 4 days. Flying is ridiculously expensive (3-4 times the cost of flying between cities in the US) but it's basically your only option because of the distances involved.

7) Is there a high demand to learn English? Will I have trouble finding private students? I don't think you will. The biggest problem with private students is that they're not reliable, so you have to keep looking for new ones all the time. [/b]

[ogni strada]

Your responses are extremely helpful, thanks a lot for your altruism.

It seems as though many of my expectations/preconceptions have been confirmed so it is looking likely that I will accept the job offer.

Again, thanks for all your help.

[anubistaima]

You're welcome. By the way, I'm from NY too
The ESL community here is rather small and we all know each other. If you want to share the name of the school (here or by PM), I can probably tell you what its reputation is.

[Bradley326]

This is a wonderfully informative thread. Novosibirsk is my main choice of city to teach in Russia once I get my CELTA certification. Glad to read some information on it!

[coledavis]

I am looking for a job now. If anyone knows a school in Novosibirsk in need of a teacher, I would be appreciative of a pm. (I have CELTA and experience of teaching in Russia.)

[rusmeister]

The ruble is falling so quickly that you need to recalculate your salary almost daily if you want to talk about it in dollars.

A 30,000 r/mo salary is $1200, no - $1100, no - $1000, no - $900, no - $800....

[anubistaima]

[coledavis]

Before we get carried away with the exchange with dollars, note that the pound has also drifted down. So the 51.57 r to the pound isn't a lot worse than it was in say 2004. So for those of us who think in fuddy-duddy sterling, it's not that volatile.