Job Discussion Forums

[natasnowden]

Hi all,

With just a few more days before pulling the trigger and finalizing my decision to accept an offer in Moscow, I'm here to seek kernels of wisdom from you all who have been teaching here (or other cities in Russia). This will be my first time teaching abroad (yes, I just recently graduated from college, yes, I'm seeking thrill and adventure and purpose, yes, I love Russia) so I wanna hear the things that you would tell a newbie, or that you wished someone would have told you!

A few things - I am Russian, immigrated 14 years ago to the states, have family and strong ties to Moscow, speak Russian, etc etc, so I have a pretty good understanding of the cultural side of things. In the interest of solidifying a plan, I am a hair away from accepting a job at what I understand to be a "McSchool" and I'm alright with that course, but am open to any and all feedback about your experiences in that regard.

Good to meet you all in advance!

[expatella_girl]

I smell a success story here. Speaks Russian, doesn't need a visa or a work permit. Has a family safety net.

You're golden. The very envy of EFL in Russia.

Once you get your bearings, I might suggest there is a lot more money in translating than teaching (which most EFL teachers do not have the skills for). You can make a decent independent living in high end translation positions - legal, business, contracts, marketing, banking, IT.

Being light years ahead of the game as soon as you hit the ground there - travel. See the beautiful Russia outside of Moscow, go everywhere. Get out of Moscow as much as you can. Russia is such a fabulously beautiful land, and so difficult to navigate for non-Russian speakers. Don't get caught up in the vortex of bars and clubs and Moscow myopia which swallows so many people.

Many best wishes for your future - you're going to love it.

[Brunouno]

It's a little difficult to give advice without specifying which centre it is as each one has their very 'unique' policies regarding teaching and learning that make them very special and better than the rest If you're not planning on making a career out of teaching English, perhaps it won't concern you so much. If this is the case, then your main priority should be to make sure you'll be working in an environment that you can tolerate for 9 months or however long you plan on working there. Ask for email addresses of teachers currently working there etc.

Do you still have a Russian passport? Do you still have a Russian accent? If Russians can't identify the hint of a Russian accent in you and if you have a Russian passport, you're only punishing yourself by not working freelance and, perhaps, working an hourly-paid contract with a centre a few hours a month to create some financial stability.

[Sashadroogie]

Best of luck to you! As other have said, you look like you are well set up.

Advice - not much to offer. Except maybe about being wary of confusing English language teaching and learning with translation in the classroom. Many bilinguals, be they Russian or non-Russian, fall into that trap. The result is that apart from the immediate expediency of helping learners understand something, there isn't much benefit to longer-term learning. You'll still need some EFL training - presumably you already have this.

Also, while it might be a great adventure from your point of view, remember to see things from the point of view of the learners. Their learning issues, and the fact they are paying sometimes hefty fees for the lessons. Make them worth it.

Let us know how you get on.

Good luck!

[water rat]

Not just for Russia, but wherever you go. Excuse me for writing this in all caps, but I really feel it warrants it.

NEVER ATTRIBUTE TO MALICE WHAT CAN BE ADEQUATELY EXPLAINED BY STUPIDITY

Words to live by, my son.

[MuscatGary]

[Deats]

You'll probably make as much money in 15 hours doing private lessons as you will in a whole month (probably 160 hours) at a McSchool. If you don't need a visa, you would be crazy to work in one of those places.

If you have no teaching experience, I would highly recommend taking TEFL/CELTA/DELTA. Being able to speak English is totally different from being able to teach it.

Also, LISTEN to and WATCH other experienced teachers. Learn from them - take their good points and note what you think aren't such good methods. This will make you a better teacher - way to many EFLers think they are god's gift just cos they are a native speaker. Don't fall into that trap. When you start out, every lesson will have mistakes - learn from them. Accept them and correct them.

[natasnowden]

Wise advice from everyone, thank you!

In the back of my mind, I am tentative about going to a place that doesn't offer much of a salary, but am also accepting it as part of the experience; a rite of passage for the first year, so to speak.

Of course, on the other hand, who wouldn't want a little more income? It's daunting to mastermind getting into the private sector before I'm physically there. Is it truly a matter of who you meet randomly that wants to learn English? Are there companies that hire native speakers, or is this fully self-employment?

[Deats]

Many schools will offer freelance work. There is one source of income. You should get at least 1000rub an hour for this. Maybe more depending on who you are working for and who you are teaching.

Then you will meet someone who knows someone who wants to learn English. Then they will introduce you to someone then blah blah blah. In my experience there is a domino effect. The longer you are in Russia, the more students you will find. The first month or two may not be great, but after this it will be way more profitable than wasting your time at a McSchool.

You can also advertise lessons on different websites - anything from vkontakte to tutoring websites.

There are loads of ways to find students. I'm in St Pete, but I presume the same rings true for Moscow. I'm sure some of the Moscow guys on here can offer some more tips

To put it into context how shitty school pay is compared to private work - I teach 3 kids together and get 3000rub an hour for this. That's 13,500 a month for 1 hour a week. In Piter I charge 1500rub an hour for 1 on 1. I have 1 girl to my house 5 times a week for an hour a day. That's about 33,000 a month. So working 6 hours a week I can get 46,500rub a month. Now look at what contract you have been offered... You only need a few private students to make a better living than what a school will pay you. Most people only work at a school because of visa restrictions.

[Sashadroogie]

The money is better in private lessons, of course. But chain schools offer some sort of safety net while learning the ropes. Also provide a built in network - of students and colleagues. I'd say go in with a large school to begin with, get practical experience in the classroom, attend seminars, network like mad, build up privates. Then go solo, with more confidence than now perhaps.

[Gamajorba]

[GotoRussia]

You have a leg up in being able to speak Russian and English and know the difference between the 2 languages.

You must have left Russian young enough to learn English as a native speaker, take it you have no accent when speaking?

I have some Russian friends who immigrated to North America, they had to give up their passport and citizenship. This was a long time ago. Not sure if it applies to you.

If you have family, know the language, it should be a breeze re-establishing yourself. And if you still have your Russian citizenship and don't need a visa just skip the schools altogether.

[Foma87]

Russian citizenship cannot be taken away simply for immigrating to the U.S. It is a constitutional right. This creates the odd situation where Russian-born citizens can be citizens of both their home county and the U.S., whereas American-born citizens automatically lose their citizenship upon acquiring Russian citizenship. Yes, the Americans have a somewhat more onerous and restrictive policy with regard to citizenship than the Russians. Consider yourself lucky!

My guess is you could fairly easily get a Russian passport and enjoy the privileges that would bring you as far as working is concerned, as well as avoid the draft, as dual citizens cannot serve in the Russian army. Consider yourself double and triple lucky!

Speaking English and Russian at native or near-native levels will give you a big leg up in the long term, but actually being able to teach effectively and convincingly will most likely be a struggle in the short term, even with your Russian. Nevertheless, I'm sure there will be a lot of interesting teaching opportunities coming your way.

[Deats]

You have it all wrong Foma. It's Russia that makes you renounce your US citizenship, not the US.

You can't get a Russian passport unless you give up all other passports. I'm British and the only way I can get a Russian passport is if I renounce my British citizenship.

However, my wife is Russian and she can get a British passport and keep her Russian one.

This is because Russia allows you to hold more than one passport ONLY if you get the Russian passport first.

We just had a child and we got her a Russian passport first, now we will get her a British one. It is forbidden to do it the other way around. Stupid, but true.

My wife thinks maybe some nationalities like Uzbek or Tajik or former Soviet countries can get a Russian passport and hold their other passport, but she isn't sure.

[Foma87]

Deats, I respect the fact that you may have personal experience with this type of process, but before you accuse me of being wrong, you should read my post more carefully. In fact, we are saying essentially the same thing.

I wasn't talking about naturalizing (i.e. acquiring Russian citizenship). Since the OP was born in Russia, he most likely already is a Russian citizen, no? So yea, we are in agreement on this: you can't be required to give up your Russian citizenship if it was obtained at birth, allowing your wife to keep her Russian citizenship even after acquiring British citizenship. Maybe I am wrong in assuming this was the case with the OP, though.

Where you are in fact wrong is that you don't automatically lose your US citizenship upon acquiring the citizenship of another country that doesn't have a treaty with the US excluding this consequence. Although Russia does require you to renounce the citizenship of other countries upon obtaining citizenship through naturalization, also.

Sorry if my post was unclear on this. I know my comment about getting a Russian passport was a bit confusing.That said, I don't see why you were so quick to contradict me, especially when you yourself are confused on the issue, at least with regard to US law and the difference between a natural-born citizen and naturalizing. Nevertheless, I wish you and your wife the best with the immigration process, I only hope you aren't in charge of the paperwork.