Job Discussion Forums

[spiral78]

Fair enough, coledavis. We do recognize SIT here in Western/Central regions, but it's entirely possible that it's not known further East. I should have qualified my statement.

[ComradeBL]

@ Cole - See my previous post in regard to the favoring of UK/EU English over North American English...

Yes, I recognize that just because China is the 3rd largest country in the world, doesn't mean it's reflective of largest. That said, every interview I've had in CIS nations required a photo sent with the application materials and a Skype conversation with live video. On one interview I had a slow modem connection and could do voice and not video and was told point blank, "If we can't see you, we can't hire you..."

[Sashadroogie]

I have not applied for any jobs recently in any of the other CIS states, but in Russia I know of plenty of non-white teachers. Asians, Afro-Americans, (or whatever the current terms are) are all represented here in EFL. Sure, there are issues, even at the interview stage. But to suggest, as I believe was the point of the above post, that only whites need to apply to Russia is simply is simply untrue.

BTW, as I am sure you know, the term Caucasian is best avoided in relation to Russia. Causes too much confusion with inhabitants from the Caucasus. Which is another kettle of canned worms entirely.

[coledavis]

I didn't have to use video or cv photos, but I presume that my passport photo would have shown them what they wanted to know. If they wanted to know it. I agree with Sashadroogie that I don't think race concerns most employers in Russia. It's the native tongue that they want, ideally attached to the native.

[ComradeBL]

@ Sasha - sorry if my statement was taken as a blanket " no whitey allowed"...That wasn't my intention...

I was simply saying that being white has its advantages, just as having certs do, too. Certainly, I'm sure there are plenty of both qualified & non-qualified non-European Ancestry teachers in Russia & the CIS who have great success stories.

All I was saying is in reality, there is a pecking order & that holding a UK passport & being an ethnic European with a qualified cert is the gold standard. Most do not fall into that narrow category, myself included, & have no problems.

[Sashadroogie]

That's fair enough. But I'm still not too sure where this idea of the UK passport holder being the gold standard comes from. That's not the reality, in my experience of it. There really isn't a pecking order based on origins. Certainly, you'll find mad school owners who'll say nonsense like 'we don't like giving Americans management positions because the British don't respect them'. But these are the same type of clowns who'll say that only Americans can teach students to 'think like TEOFL does'. However, as said previously, these mad people are fairly thin on the ground. Luckily...

[coledavis]

Although a western guy I know who arranges Skype lessons for Russians says that most of the demand is for British English. He didn't say anything about their sanity.

And maybe the guy who said Brits didn't respect Americans had come across cases of this. There is sometimes a certain amount of friction relating to 'correct English' and also to cultural issues.

[Sashadroogie]

That is true. But these 'isolated incidents' have their exact opposites too. For every Russian student who insists on a British teacher, there'll be another who wants an American one. It's very hard to generalise on what all Russian students want. Apart from a half-decent lesson, that is.

[coledavis]

[coledavis]

Or perhaps a bit more helpfully, I would say that if the prejudicial trends only pertain to a minority of Russians, I would suggest that it is a rather substantial minority.

[Sashadroogie]

This might be true where you are Cole, but in Moscow I don't think this would be borne out. Yes, you get some clients - nearly all Beginners or Elementaries - who insist on 'чистые английский', but I'd call them something ore akin to a fringe than a substantial minority.

[coledavis]

Uncle.

[Sashadroogie]

Eh?

[coledavis]

To 'say uncle' means to give up, concede, throw in the towel.
Cole's dictionary of outdated expressions.

[Sashadroogie]

Aha! I thought you were sent from Illya Kuryakin...