Job Discussion Forums

[catbhn21]

Hey all,

I apologize, but I have had no luck with the search function and just browsing, I've been able to find a lot of discussion of LL and some of BKC but virtually none of EF.

I presume English First is your run of the mill McSchool. Does anyone have any other insight? I'm interested in teaching in Tyumen, maybe Moscow or Petersburg.

I've had some horrible jobs and I have lived in the South Urals (around Chelyabinsk) so I feel pretty prepared for the worst. I have worked in a half dozen shitty service industry jobs, had my share of double shifts and I'm an AmeriCorps member now so I'm used to hard work for minimal pay. But are the McSchools really so bad? What EF is offering me is nearly twice what my husband makes as a firefighter and it sounds like the work is stable if grueling.

I'm sticking with the McSchools because I have some odd but related experience (ESL tutoring and teaching as a volunteer, afterschool program/summer camp program admin and leadership) but only a local "tutor training certificate." If I get interest from employers, I'll complete an online TEFL program should they require it, but I still don't know how competitive that makes me. Should I keep looking, apply to all of the postings whether or not I feel qualified? Are the private schools really that much better than the McSchools? It seems like the general consensus is yes, unless you end up with the wrong one...

[Shelby]

Sorry can't help with your questions but why does Chelyabinsk make you prepared for the worst. Apart from the occasional meteorite it is not that bad!

[S.Thornton]

My girlfriend and I were recently offered a position through EF, and we are first year teachers. We have experience tutoring, working with kids, and a little classroom experience, however nothing solid. We also took a 150 hr online TESOL, that was required. We had a few questions about the school.

Our recruiter is from the US (Based in shanghai), and works directly for EF hiring for owned schools, not franchised. Is this a possibility? Are some EF schools owned directly, and not franchised out? Based on what I've read it sounds like they are all franchise, but there is little information on these forums about EF that is recent.

Some reviews that I did come across were on the eslteachersboard.com, and always referred to an Ivor Games and the school being a front for money laundering, and being raided by the police on several occasions. All in all negative responses to a "planted" positive review, but only from 3 people and they were of questionable reliability. Nevertheless, has anyone heard of anything like this?

We are promised 65,000 rubles gross monthly salary each. They also provide basic healthcare, and a monthly flight stipend of 3500 rubles. They said they would reimburse us for cost of visa, and cover 17% of the 30% non resident tax we would be dealing with for the first 6 months. We have to pay for our own housing, but they help us find one for free.

Does this all sound to be good to be true? Our recruiter has put me in contact with two teachers that have completed the program in Moscow, one is staying for a second year with EF, and the other is transferring to China with EF. They also have a community page for EF Russia teachers to communicate and organize meetups.
It all seems legit, but we are a little worried that things may change once we arrive.

Sorry to hijack your post, but I was just about to post a thread about EF when I saw yours. Besides, you will want to have these questions answered as well if you're considering Russia. You can PM and I can give you the contact information for our recruiter if you'd like. Thanks to anyone that has read my post and replies back. We are in need of some reliable information, and I hear this is the place to get it.

[gaglen]

I literally worked my last day for EF Tyumen 10 days ago after a 2-year stint there so am in a good place to help you both.

The package:

Just the same as mine was. The tax thing is correct - for your first 180 days in Russia you are non-resident for tax purposes so pay 30% tax. After this period you go to the 13% tax band like usual Russians. The company pays the extra 17% for the first 6 months so you just pay the 13% rate for all your contract.
Remember that the flight allowance is also taxed, so you will be receiving just under 60000 rubles a month after deductions. They reimburse your visa costs at the end of the contract, I haven't been able to check but I'm guessing this will also be taxed.

Franchise:

EF Tyumen was not franchised, I officially worked for EF Moscow, Tyumen Branch. I know there are some franchised branches in Russia but if you got recruited through Shanghai, you'll be working at a company-owned (and controlled) school. This is not necessarily a good thing since local management has very little freedom to make decisions and the director and DoS are permanently busy with webinars and Skype calls with head office.

Working for EF:

I had 8 years' teaching experience before going to EF but was put on a basic starting salary just like a newbie because only EF experience counts for salary purposes. This actually tells you a lot about the company - they value inexperience in their native speakers, since they have nothing to compare the job, the textbooks and company policy to. I can only speak of Tyumen, but I always felt that they used the native speaker as a kind of gimmick � �come to an EF event and speak to a real English speaker� and stuff like that. If you like being on a pedestal, then this is OK but I personally don�t feel that the origin of my passport makes me special.
There�s a lot of paperwork to do, especially after kids� lessons and they expect you to write reports about YL and teens in Russian and hold parents� meetings in Russian, so some language skills would be useful. I guess they would help you out if you don�t speak Russian but when I told them I didn�t feel it was fair to expect me to do this I was told that the alternative would be not to have my own kids� groups but circulate, covering the odd class for other teachers - again so that students could regularly have contact with a �real native speaker�. Personally, I don�t think this is teaching but it would be OK, maybe even better, for someone who doesn�t have much experience or doesn�t want the responsibility of having their own YL groups.
The staff was great � very friendly and quite helpful (except that any big questions you asked had to be answered by Moscow so it could take some time). The students were also great, as they always are. The classrooms all had interactive whiteboards which were good fun to use in class but made preparing your lessons a bit less comfortable with a 2-metre screen for your computer.
Of course, I had split shifts and had classes at 8am and worked until 9pm but this is to be expected in this line of work because our schedule is built around the students� free time. I doubt you could find a school where timetables are made according to the teacher�s wishes so you just accept this as a necessary evil. They offer regular training sessions and the DoS, at least in Tyumen, is very approachable. I would have stayed there if it weren�t for the company�s sect-like expectations. They considered me disloyal for not agreeing unquestioningly with all their policies and for suggesting there were better textbooks on the market, which is why I say they prefer inexperienced teachers who have nothing to compare the company to.
Tyumen specifically:
The original poster was interested in Tyumen and I must say that I like the city very much - so much so that I left EF for another school in the city. It�s very green (not in winter obviously) and is quite well-kept, unlike most other cities in Russia. The weather is OK � Tyumen is only just in Siberia so the winters are tolerable at about 10-30 degrees below zero and summers are pretty hot 20-35 degrees above zero. Not the severe conditions I had expected. With a population of about 700,000, it�s quite compact but has everything you need in a city � shopping malls, sport centres, decent enough transportation. The people are generally friendly but not many speak English well. It�s quite an expensive city � food is about 20% dearer than in Samara, another provincial city I have lived in, and expect to pay a lot for good quality clothes. Restaurants charge about the same as in Britain but cafes are cheaper and can serve some good food. I rent a one-roomed flat (that�s a kitchen, a bathroom and the main sleeping/living room) in the centre for 15000 rubles - about a quarter of my salary. Expect to pay the same, give or take a couple of thousand.

[kidTEFL]

I have some experience, so I'll chuck in my two pence worth.

You will always get paid on time. You will also be reimburse for visas, blood tests, flights and everything that is required for employment.

If you need help with accommodation, they will also help you with this. BUT be aware you could be paying through the nose for the flat/room they find for you. I can honestly say, I would never let EF find me accommodation again. I was stung once, never again.

All schools are different, but they all work under the main office in Moscow. If Moscow says jump, they say how high.

I worked at three different schools. If you get a school with a good atmosphere, friendly teachers, a good library of resources and a approachable DOS, it can be a great place to work at.

No doubt your schedule will be topsy-turvy, so ideally try to find somewhere within walking distance of the school. It's nice living in the centre of the city, but you'll probably be spending so much time at school, you'll only get to enjoy being in the centre on the weekend.

EF require you to work 26 clock hours(I think). You will work like a dog. If you have a good DOS, you'll have the same level and book so you can do the same lesson a number of times to save planning.

The worst thing about working for EF is the materials. They produce inhouse materials which can be so bad you might want to kill yourself. I know at the EF adult schools, you have no control over the lesson and have to follow their procedure. EF do offer exam classes, so you might be lucky enough to score a few exam classes which use Cambridge exam preparation course books.

Russian students are great to teach. Not for the easily offended though.

All-in-all it will depend on your place of work like always. I know some teachers who have been working for EF for 5 years, 7 years and I think there is one guy in Moscow who is past the 10 mark!

Good luck. Ah, yes, the best way to find a job would be to contact schools directly. The EF recruitment department in China are all a bunch of knobs who don't know their ass from their elbow.

[S.Thornton]

Thanks so much for the replies. You two have really alleviated a lot of our concerns. We aren't expecting a lot, we just want to be paid on time, etc. We are looking for a good opportunity to get a couple of years of experience, so that more options open up to us at other schools in Europe, like the Czech Republic or St. Petersburg.

Thanks for the info on the apartment. Any recommendation on a way to find an affordable 1 bedroom apt that is in a SAFE area? That's our biggest concern at this point; there is a good chance that we will be working different hours and have to travel separately to and from work, so I just don't want to be concerned about my girlfriend's safety if we are getting back from work at night.

Anyway, thanks again for all the info, it has been very helpful.

[catbhn21]

I'm prepared for the worst I mean in that I have experience living in Russian apartments (we lived in a room in an apartment on the 6th floor of a 10 story soviet building in the summer) and I have experience with working long hours for minimal payoff. And at my current job (working with youth), I have to deal with a lot of paperwork.

I'm not sure how I feel about teaching with their materials. In my current position (AmeriCorps member), I've worked long hours and had lots of paperwork but I've also had virtually complete freedom in the classroom. I have a lot to think about.

Incidentally, although they wrote that they have vacancies all over Russia, my recruiter told me they only have positions in Moscow and Novgorod currently. I was offered a position in Moscow so I have to decide this weekend if I'm going to take it.