Job Discussion Forums

[Smerdyak]

The last first-hand information on these boards about Inlingua Moscow is from 2006 where they seemed to be pretty ramshackle, and there are some mutterings from 2010, then radio silence. My impression from two interviews is that they're doing a fair amount of filtering and care about pedagogy--I spent the better part of two hours going over lesson plan structure, classroom management, concept-checking, etc.

They're offering $2000 a month for 100 academic hours a month, with the possibility to earn more plus accommodation--I'm quite sure the accommodation will be a shared ex-communal on the very edge of the city, but that's fine.

They said they're really not in the position to offer work visas but can do the whole business visa/90 day border run thing and will pay for getting them expedited so I can make a day trip of it. Obviously a work visa is far preferred, but the visa regime and tax code are always changing.

My big concern is that they're full of shit about 90-100 hours guaranteed a month, that the apartment doesn't exist or is occupied and they'll try to give me some half-assed "housing allowance" that's totally inadequate.

I get that the hours are weird (before and after work) and that the materials are gonna be shitty, but if they provide approximately what they promised, that's more than enough for me to get started.

So, anyone know anything?

[Sashadroogie]

Dunno anything concrete. Sorry.

But no work visa equals no good to man nor beast. A trip outside every 90 days is going to eat most of your savings, based on their 66-odd-thousand rubles a month. 660 rubles an hour?

Pitiful. Pass.

[teacher X]

There are other McSkools which offer a visa and similar wage for less hours and less hassle. Go for one of those.

[Sashadroogie]

What Teacher X said! This is very true.

The least you can expect from working for lousy money is to be legal, with the visas to show it. And bear in mind, the 90 border run idea is completely illegal if you are working for a local school. The visa regime doesn't ever change to the extent of that not being against the law. You might not be caught, true. But you alone bear the risks. Not your school, in all likelihood.

Additionally, re the business visa offer, what does 'will pay for getting them expedited' mean? The school will pay for the invitation letter and visa fees? How generous. But it should also include air/train fare and hotel costs. Does it? And what about lost earnings?

Presumably you can kiss goodbye to paid holidays and sick leave too.

You might as well throw yourself on the mercy of BKC or Missing Link. At least you'd know what type of crappy flat you'd have, fixed salary of sorts, and a fairly legal basis for working in the country. Plus, the interview wouldn't be so gruelling : )

[maruss]

If this is the firm on Spiridonovskiy Pereulok near the Euro.Med. centre then I would agree with the above postings about it, although my dealings were back in early 2006.I was initially impressed with their offices and liked the fact they only taught adults, saying that they were the franchise of a Swiss firm etc. Teachers I met were also very good, although I only did some observations on their classes for me to see how they worked. However it was also obvious that the woman in charge had differences with the rest of the admin staff and much of what she told me initially was later proved to be hear say and non-committal. Although I was only intending to work freelance for them nothing ever materialized and I also learned of other people who had gone to work there and faced difficulties with almost everything-much of what they had been promised never happened, regarding work hours or other benefits etc......