Job Discussion Forums

[Phillip Schofield]

"The school should pay me more money because the ruble has fallen against the dollar."

"Since the ruble has halved against the pound, the school should pay me double the salary in order to compensate me."

These are comments I have heard from teachers frequently over the past few months.

Today I had someone state, in quite a derisive manner, "This is minimum wage in the UK"
Indeed, that may well be true, but what everyone seems to forget is that we are in Russia. We're not in England, Australia, France or the USA. We are working in Russia.

Our clients are not international workers or oligarchs (unless you're lucky), they are average people, many with families. People who work in administration. Pharmacists, hairdressers, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers.

They are people who ask us to teach their kids; often paying quite a large portion of their monthly salary to do so, because they feel that it will help their children in the future. They're not sitting on vast sums of gold, they are just trying to get by.

Have these people's wages been doubled? Have their bosses suddenly declared, "Sanctions? Failing economy? Damn it all! I will pay you double so that you may take extra English classes!"

The reality is that many of my Russian friends have lost their jobs. Their main concern is finding more work, paying rent, supporting their family and actually having enough to eat. Whether an English teacher is getting paid 4000rub per hour to offset the weak ruble is very, very far down their list of concerns.

I work for a McSkool. Well known for their low salaries. My school is well aware of the situation and the need to raise teacher's salaries. Yet, where will this money come from? This is not a question most teachers like to trouble themselves with. The sustainability of their school is not their concern. Whether the school will remain open in 6 months time is even less of a worry, just as long as they make their money today. Right now.

I know of half a dozen schools which are currently having financial difficulties. If your students are too poor to afford class, you have no income. Our school in particular doesn't want to raise the cost of lessons because we are situated in a residential area. Our clients are not all CEOs of Gazprom or well off businessmen. They are families, spending what little they have to send their kids to us.

This leaves the school in a pickle. Raise prices and you lose students. Keep prices low and struggle to meet the salary demands of teachers. It's a lose, lose situation.

Indeed, schools need to attract teachers to Russia as best they can. They do indeed need to raise salaries without losing students. But the demands of many teachers are utterly ignorant to the political and economic climate Russia is currently enduring.
I have heard teachers demanding to be paid in dollars. $2000 per month. Threatening to quit if their demands are not met. These are first year teachers, fresh off of their CELTA.

I do, however, have a solution for such people.
If you feel that you are suffering here in Moscow and would be paid better in the UK or US, GO HOME.
Unlike the poor Russian population, we don't have to stay here. Nobody is forcing us to stay in Russia and teach English.
There are roughly 194 other countries in the world. Rather than sit here, complaining to me and others that you are not being paid enough, go somewhere else.

But of course, as we all know, most of these people really couldn't make it anywhere else.

I have been recruiting and have had the horrific job of looking through expat.ru and tefl.com applications. When a CV cover letter has more grammatical mistakes than a pre-intermediate's essay, my soul dies a little. When I ask someone who claims to be a teacher to tell me how they would explain 'present perfect' to a pre-intermediate group and the 'teacher' stares blankly and asks, "What's that?" I almost get angry.

But when the same teacher then sneers at the money offered to him, it takes all of my will power to not unleash my utter vitriolic contempt upon him. Of course we all want more money, but when someone who clearly has no place teaching English looks down upon the pretty good (by McSkool offers) salary offered to him, I find myself losing my charming smile and laid back attitude.


Perhaps there is a plus to this economic crisis. Perhaps we will be rid of the 70% (and I do believe it to be that high) of teachers who simply think that by being blessed with a US or UK passport they are entitled to more money per hour than many Russians earn in a day.


*regarding privates; of course, it is and has always been the money maker. But I know some teachers who are demanding to be paid in dollars at the old rate. So they are now demanding the equivalent of 3000rub per academic hour. They now spit bitterly that the 'cheap Russians' are refusing to pay what they demand.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the issue is not with the Russians, but with the ignorant, bovine, cretinous teacher who is trying to bleed their students dry for barely adequate lessons.
There is still money to be made here in Moscow, you just need to work that little bit harder.

The point of this thread? Teachers need to understand that Russia doesn't exist to make them rich. The people of Russia have their own problems and are struggling right now. If you don't like it, go home and go back to flipping burgers.

[Sashadroogie]

Double plus good, comrade!

[maruss]

Why is Russia in this mess and who is responsible for it?Perhaps they need a long-overdue change of leadership and the corrupt criminal regime?But unless enough of the ordinary people referred to are prepared to get together and agree on this aim and then do something to change it,things will only continue to get worse??
But as foreign English teachers it could be argued that it's none of our business to interfere,although that raises other equally controversial questions!

[Grenouille]

Well said. And I agree.

[Sashadroogie]

We, the English teachers in Moscow, Maruss?

[Phillip Schofield]

[Sashadroogie]

To get back on topic, I think we will see an even greater emphasis on Russians teaching Englsh. Most trainees on Celta or TKT courses are locals. They can do the job much better than the 'bovine' job applicants who also grace my interviews. (No need for emotions, Phillip, just reject them out of hand. If they really do rile you, then more selection at CV stage is required.) They are fully integrated into the local economy, and are not totally obsessed with dollar rates. Plus they'll probably never have any issues with visas and Russian language tests : )

The future is local! Start assimilating!!

[Brunouno]

[Sashadroogie]

True. Plenty of students prefer non-Russian. But there are also growing numbers of schools that employ Russians only, or are majority Russian. Now, if the visa regime tightens up to the point that it is no longer cost-effective to recruit foreign teachers... It is hard to know what will happen...

[Foma87]

It's not just English teachers complaining about the conditions in Russia, nor is there anything wrong with demanding higher compensation as a result. Think: many of them came to Russia expecting accommodation and around $1000 a month. That figure has since halved. Prices have also gone up across the board. And while I haven't raised my rates for the reasons the OP mentioned, if I thought I could, I would.

In short, I don't think it's insensitive (much less disrespectful), nor really naive to demand higher wages. The more who do, the more likely salaries will rise and stay at that level (when and if the ruble ever rebounds). You could also look at it this way: the less native english teachers, the higher the demand, the more valuable we become. I don't really understand the OP's discontent here. If anything he should be thanking his less tolerant peers.

Nevertheless, the OP has touched on a very interesting cultural difference between Russians and many Westerners: the former are far less likely to confront their superiors, either at work or in govt (evidently, the OP is an exception to this rule). Many have commented on this as being a source of great strength for the Russian people (that is, their tolerance, ability to endure). Perhaps we are seeing this with the conflict over Ukraine now. But one can't help but notice that such an imposition can also have very negative effects on society.

[Phillip Schofield]

Forma, I see no problem in asking for higher wages if the industry is doing well and the company is making a comfortable profit.
But where should the extra money come from if students are dropping off and the company is barely making ends meet? (answers on a postcard)

This is my main issue. This idea that 'I want more money, so it should appear from somewhere. Where it comes from is not my concern, I just want it and it should be done' attitude.

But seriously, if you have an idea how a company can pay teachers more money when they are suffering from a much lower income, please tell me and I'll pass on your suggestions.
You could also get a job in the state Duma advising how to balance Russia's budget sheet.

[Phillip Schofield]

[Sashadroogie]

I know a fellow who charged about 70 odd euro for a 90 min lesson. Sometimes in euro, sometimes in ruble equivalent. Wasn't so exorbitant in the past, but converts to about 5,000 rubles today. He has lost a large section of his client base by demanding the current exchange.

Just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to push paying clients away to replace them with an empty time-slot...

[maruss]

I agree that Russians are extraordinarily tolerant and enduring, compared to people in many western countries but it is a very good question about what kind of society this has created there?Not letting off steam can create dangerous situations and unfortunately there are many examples in the history of Russia which show what happened when the screw was turned too tight?

[Sashadroogie]

Steam is let off. Through spirits...