Job Discussion Forums

[katieoutside]

I noticed there's a relatively recent thread about Language Link Russia, but I have enough specific questions that I thought it might warrant a new thread.

I'm graduating soon and would love to spend a year or so abroad before beginning the fight for a job/career here. Specifically, I'd love to go to Russia and I thought maybe my English language could be a ticket there.

I spoke to my Russian professor about it and she said that she's had a few past students teach English in Russia through Language Link. Since I've looked into it a bit more, I've found that Language Link Russia has primarily negative reviews. However, I've also found some good or at least decent reviews of it and I also wonder how many of the negative reviews were just from people with very high expectations.

Language Link appeals to me for a number of reasons. For one, it seems simple. It sounds as though they take care of a lot of things for you, including transportation from the airport, visas, accommodations, and training.
They also state that they will hire people with no experience. I have no experience at all, so I'm sure I wouldn't qualify for any positions that are even remotely competitive. I also know very, very little Russian and I'm sure that would further limit me.
I also like that they have quite a few different locations since I'm most interested in going somewhere other than Moscow or Petersburg. I certainly wouldn't turn down an opportunity for Moscow or Perersburg, I just have a preference to be somewhere else.

My expectations are not high. I think I'm ok with pretty poor living conditions. A lot of the negative reviews I've read have stated that Language Link sets you up in "unacceptable" apartments/housing, but nobody has specified what unacceptable is. If any of you have any insight on what "unacceptable" is, I'd be glad to hear it.

I'm also not expecting good or even really decent pay. Obviously that would be preferable, but I really just want to be able to afford to live in Russia for a while. I have a bit in savings now and could probably have a good amount by the time I would be able to go to Russia, so even if breaking even is hard, I think I'd be ok.
But obviously if this endeavor would be a huge money sink, it would be in my best interest to avoid it. I won't exactly have a high-paying job waiting for me in the US when I return. So is it feasible to break even during a contract with Language Link? And might it be easier in locations other than Moscow?

Since I have no experience, I'd be applying for one of LL's intern positions. I saw that somebody said in another thread to A. Never ever do this, and B. Since the pay is lower for the interns, it's worth it just take a month or so to get a certification before going/applying. I'd definitely be willing to do this, but from what little research regarding this that I have done, it sounds like most certifications programs are pretty expensive, especially considering that I am most likely just wanting to do this for 1-3 years at most (though, I guess who knows. Maybe I'll really love it). Is it really cost effective to get a certification just for the higher pay from LL's certified positions?
The other thing to consider with getting a certification is the Language Link offers these positions in a lot more locations than the intern positions, and as I said before, I'd really prefer to be somewhere other than Moscow or Petersburg, and preferably a smaller city.

I'm also wondering how difficult it is to get hired by LL. My Russian professor said that she'd never had a student apply and be turned down, but it also sounded like she hadn't had very many students who have done it.

I have a lot more questions specific to language link, but I'm not sure if this is the best place to post them as I'm assuming not many of you have had direct experience with them and this post is already getting pretty lengthy.

I've just read a lot of bad reviews, but none of them were too specific regarding what was so awful other than long hours and low pay and those are things that I think I'm willing to deal with in exchange for the experience of living with Russia. As long as they aren't likely to completely screw me over (like not paying me at all or leaving me homeless in Russia,) it sounds like it might be something that could be right for me.

So if anybody has any insight regarding any of these concerns, I'd love to hear it. Or if anybody knows of any other opportunities for native speakers with no ESL experience, please do share. I'd also like to know of any other online resources where I might be able to find this kind of information.

Thanks for any responses as well as all the very informative past threads that I've poked though.

[kittenshoes]

hi! i'm getting ready to go to moscow in september to do the teacher/intern program with language link. obviously i haven't experienced the program firsthand yet, but i feel pretty confident about language link so far. they have been extremely friendly, professional and helpful in all of the communications i have had with them over the past few months. they're extremely punctual and they have delivered on all that they have promised so far.

i applied for lots of teaching positions in russia, but i decided to go to language link because i've never been to russia before and the other schools that offered me positions didn't offer me much more than a salary. i was a little concerned to be in russia for the first time and house hunting. i'm not sure what kind of accommodations i can expect from language link, but at least i won't have to look for them myself or deal with paying the rent, etc.

the pay for teacher/interns is 20,000 rubles a month, but this is on top of getting free housing, travel allowances, etc, and they pay for your airfare and your visa upon your return. i've been living on about $100 a week for the past year to save up a considerable chunk of emergency funds for the trip, so $635 a month sounds like a huge amount to me.

i hope this helps

[Sashadroogie]

Dear all

You would be so much better served staying at home to get a basic EFL cert first, and then coming over to Russia. Internship programmes may seem attractive to you now because they appear to offer an easy way into the country, but they are usually painful experiences for all involved.

Think about it. You have no qualifications, no experience either, yet LL is prepared to let you loose on their students. How professional does that sound to you? LL's training is next to worthless - by all accounts you'll be left to your own devices for the most part to figure out how to teach. Forget any real support academically. The little paper cert you get after your internship is worthless in any other position outside LL.

As for the salary, this is pitiful. 5,000 rubles / 150 bucks a week will not see you very far. Seriously, I spend about 500 to 1000 rubles every time I go to the corner shop for basics. A coffee and sandwich is going to set you back about 300 - 400 rubles at least in any cafe. You'll be living hand-to-mouth and at the same time you may have the usual punishing routine. How many academic hours are you supposed to do, by the way? How much travelling around from location to location in a typical day.

This is pure exploitation. You'll learn next to nothing practical about EFL, except how chain schools con naive new teachers, and you'll be extensively worked over. If you think that LL is punctual and polite now, just wait till you get here. I predict, based on my friends and colleagues' experiences, a massive change in their attitude, or at least in the attitude in who ever your line manager will be. You'll be seen as a skivvy and treated as such. Forget anything remotely resembling respect.

Think about this very carefully. Don't willingly accept a life in dismal servitude by clapping on their chains yourself.

[Foma87]

Agreed. I'd do more research about the cost of living in Moscow. 20k a month is probably possible to get by on, but as Sasha said, you'll be living "hand-to-mouth" in a very demanding, unforgiving environment, below even, I'd say, living standards of a majority of "regular" Muscovites in your position. Sure, the cultural prospects are appealing, but will be mostly out of your reach. It will also be hard to socialize outside of work, as bars/clubs, especially "expat" ones, are egregiously expensive.
You'd be much better off going to cheaper SPb, where the people are more friendly and less careerist, but even then�

[kittenshoes]

i actually do already have my TESOL certificate, however the intern experience still appeals to me for the experience alone. the other job offers that i received offered little more salary-wise, but with no reimbursement for airfare/visa and no accommodations. i'm not going to russia to make money. i'm not going to russia to be comfortable. i'm going there to improve my russian and experience the culture.

i have also saved a considerable amount of money for the trip, so if i want to do something outside the capacity of my 20,000 rubles, that's still a possibility. i wouldn't recommend the internship to anyone who hasn't been preparing for a while, but for someone who has been planning, saving, researching and building a network of friends over there, i think it's a good option if you don't want to have to worry about finding your own housing.

i would have chosen st petersburg if it were up to me, surely. unfortunately, that's an extremely popular program and i've been placed in moscow. i'm trying very hard to warm up to this idea...but it's still kind of scary! like i said, though, i guess i'm not going to russia to be comfortable.

[Linochka]

I essentially agree with Sasha for the most part, except for how useful the in-house intern training is. It's a month long, and shows you how to teach with the books LL uses. From what my friends who did it tell me, it sounds very similar in structure to the CELTA, and set them up well to start teaching straight away. Of course, a LL certificate means nothing if you ever want to seek further TEFL jobs. However, as you're only going for a year, that wouldn't be an issue for you anyway.

Without disclosing my location, I think the accommodation is very good. I can't vouch for every city, though. Not having a washing machine, for example, seems a thing of the distant past.

Regarding money - While the 'regular' teachers often express our sympathy for the interns on their 20K salary, I have to say that they seem to manage. They know they're not here to make money and eat in restaurants, they're here because they love being in Russia. I don't think I've ever heard them complain about it. Their lifestyles are far from extravagant - while the regular teachers aren't exactly eating black caviar for breakfast, they can at least manage a trip to the ballet or fancy restaurant every so often. Just know that you probably won't return with any savings.

Re: your visa cost, airfare and travel expenses within the city returned, etc, you may have to be insistent when the managers conveniently 'forget', but you'll probably get it. Just know what you're entitled to.

Hours working - the max is 34 academic hours where I am, I think this is standard throughout LL. That's a LOT and you won't feel like doing much if you have anything over 30, believe me. But you'll get your two days off. Hopefully consecutive days, they usually are.

I replied because I feel it's important to present a different voice beyond the obvious disdain here for McSchools. Certainly, many members of this board dislike them due to the lack of focus on academic quality rather than being money-making machines. I agree. It is apparent that there is a distinct lack of understanding of what teaching actually means beyond 'go in that room and do that thing you do.' Your main communication will be regarding punctuality and covering for other teachers when they are sick. That is the main concern.

On a different note, I am by no means saying that it's the best company, but I think it's one of the better McSchools, hence why I've stayed. I get the impression that while others have better salaries, you'd simply be trading one set of problems for another - finding accomm, lack of materials, dodgy visas, being paid by the hour rather than salaried, etc. LL has none of these issues. You just work a heck of a lot. It is also one of the few McSchools that does at least try to have some 'quality control'; there is usually a DOS who regularly observes and you can ask them questions. Ours is helpful.

As you can see, it's not an ideal situation if you're passionate about education. However, for your purpose of coming for a year for the experience of living in Russia, I think it will be enjoyable enough.

[kittenshoes]

thank you so much for writing this!! it certainly allays some of my personal fears about having accepted this internship.

[Linochka]

[Brunouno]

I have done the LL internship and I wholeheartedly agree with Sasha. If you have the time and money, you are much better off doing a CELTA course before coming to Russia. The only reason I didn't take this path was because I was so short of time and due to other factors, but if you you're not suffering from any of these problems, do the CELTA!

Internship- you have to pay 600 USD for the first month in your flat (most LL teachers live with 2 other teachers, not 1). The starting salary is 20000 rubles and you are eligible for a pay rise of up to 3000 rubles after 3 months (subject to a performance review).

The 1 month of training is very similar to the CELTA, but at the end of the day you're getting a certificate which is nowhere near as prestigious as the CELTA certificate. The teachers (not trainers) training you are definitely not DELTA qualified, but they were competent enough. Having said that, a couple of them did enjoy going out with the trainees and getting drunk.

Even if you took this career option for only one year, you would financially end up at about par whether taking the CELTA route or the internship. So for this very reason you're much better off taking the CELTA route (you will get a minimum of 33000 rubles as a newly qualified teacher with a CELTA.

LL will have you wrapped around their finger during this period as you do not get your certificate until the end of the 9 month contract, and you run the risk of something going wrong and ending up back at home with nothing (including no flight, visa reimbursement). It's very easy to sit back now and say you can handle whatever conditions gets thrown at you, but when you have to deal with things that you cannot handle day after day, week after week, it's much easier said than done.

Why allow someone to have total control of you when you don't have to? If you have a CELTA, you can jump ship and soon after get a job somewhere else if things don't work out. I think someone said earlier that they want to take the internship for the experience alone. I'm not sure what this means as you're working exactly the same as every other teacher in LL following the training but for less money.

There are aplenty of companies here that offer a salary package with accommodation. I can think of International house, Windsor and International Educational Center off the top of my head now alone.

As has been stated already, this company is all about the money, and they are not providing internships to young people (95% of interns are about 22 or younger) with no experience because of the kindness of their heart; they are doing it to save money, and a lot of it too! There are about 40 interns each year so you do the maths.... It also shows how much of a 'churn and turn' company this is when they have to put on this many interns each year alone.

All of the above I have written are just facts. I'm not a disgruntled former employee (I still work for them) or bitter in any way. In fact, I'm one of the lucky ones who got placed at a very good branch school where split shifts don't exist. I have a very nice apartment which is located very close to my school.

It's just the luck of the draw whether you have good conditions or not. If you end up in a similar situation as me, you will probably be happy. If you end up working at the central school or the like and have to see and deal with Zara Bilides (head of the academic department) and all the other egotistic, rude, unqualified and arrogant superiors, then.........

Just remember that you will be just a number and nothing else. Just a fact also Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.

[Sashadroogie]

Oh dear. I am shocked and dismayed by what I read here - even by those who see the good side of LL's internment camps... sorry, internships.

In any case, I wish all concerned the very the best of luck. I sincerely hope it all works out well for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMYsrZQjlf0

[Linochka]

Haha, it's not all doom and gloom, the boss orders pizza for us sometimes!

I feel it's important to inform people applying to LL that the intern program's sole purpose is to underpay teachers for 9 months by dressing it up as 'training'. There is no job difference whatsoever between being a teacher and being an intern. The powers that be probably live in fear that jobhunters will become savvy to this.

As I said in my last post, I didn't notice that the prospective intern here already has some sort of certificate. What I said about the present interns at my branch seeming relatively content with their lot still stands. However, really, why do it if you can just be a teacher straight away? You'll be losing, not gaining anything.

Doing the intern training for a month in Moscow, morning to night for a month (or is it five weeks? I forget) is exhausting. You're essentially providing them with free labour, despite the feedback and theory sessions. Thinking it might be an 'experience' isn't a good enough reason to put yourself through that if you can avoid it. I'll have to second Brunouno. It depends on your cert, of course. If it was a month long, definitely try to switch to teacher.

[Sashadroogie]

Pizza you say? Well, that changes everything!

I think LL interns should enjoy this movie clip while munching on their free rations, which are no less free than they are in reality, and comtemplate what manner of beast relates to them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jyw8BPB69Ds&t=1m50s

[RoscoeTX]

Right on! I'm with Sash!!

Somebody say pizza? Shoot, Where do I sign?!

[katieoutside]

[katieoutside]