Job Discussion Forums

[adavidwatson]

What's the word on Globus? Has anyone worked for them? (Sorry I am not going further back than 2003 posts, if it was covered prior)

[maruss]

Which Globus in Moscow are you referring to?If it's Chrichton Brauers firm near Chisty Prudiy,he seems a nice guy but does not pay very well-the other Globus is part of BKC and we all know what that means-even less pay and worse conditions than the first one!
Hourly pay is the way-and for not less than $20 per academic one at todays Moscow cost of living!
But most of all, accomodation is the problem and unless you've solved that,don't even think about going there,unless of course, you have plenty of spare cash to tie you over!
Pay a visit to:moscowteachers.com

[adavidwatson]

Thanks Maruss,
I meant the one that isn't a part of BKC. I worked for BKC in 2001, so I know them and know Moscow well enough not try and set myself up there without a wad of cash (particularly with the current rent spikes).

I am on Moscow teacher's too and asked the same question there. It's a good site, but it needs more traffic.

Thanks for the reply

[maruss]

I had an interview with Crichton Brauer and got a good impression of him(and especially his gorgeous fiancee!!).The downside was that he tried to convince me that it is better to work on a salary basis,rather than per hour,with the justification that you are guaranteed to get paid each month etc but of course he didn't want to pay me the equivalent of $US 20 which I was earning freelance and which nobody with any sense works for less than nowadays!He also couldn't help me find affordable accomodation and admitted this is a major problem that made it very hard for firms to recruit staff in Moscow nowadays.I doubt if he would pay a fixed salary of much more than $1200 per month which you can earn in many other firms such as Windsor etc.Another thing to bear in mind is that working in-company will probably involve both early morning and evening lessons with a long gap in between during the day and this is a real bind, especially in winter!Unless you can afford to live near the centre,it is not practical to go home and rest because of the sheer hassle of transport etc.Effectively, you end up working over 12 hours a day or more and it is physically and mentally exhausting-I can guarantee that from my experience last winter!I usually tried to avoid morning lessons because conditions on the buses and metro were horrendous and the increasing overcrowding are a disaster waiting to happen!The first company I worked for gave me lessons no earlier than mid-day with the latest ones finishing around 21.00 and this is the type of schedule to go for if you possible can, thus avoiding the morning rush and being able to sleep-in in the mornings!But if you have 'cracked-it' and can afford to live in the centre and avoid the metro etc. a split-schedule would be o.k.!
Hope this is useful!

[adavidwatson]

1200 a month without a flat would be about the same salary wise as working for BKC. I know how split shifts are, particularly when I was an hour away by metro. Still, there are far worse things. It beats the heck out of selling old women potting soil at Home Depot.

[maruss]

Maybe I'm spoiled by living in Cyprus since 1979 or maybe too old at 53, but the thought of enduring what I went through last winter in Moscow again puts me off and maybe selling fertiliser in Leeds would be better,although I did get fed-up living in York with my brother-in-law for about 9 months in 2003/4,even though I was looking after my son and not working for most of the time!
But coming back to Moscow,it just isn't worth going there to work for under $2000 per month nowadays, especially as appartments are so expensive and hard to find!Not mentioned enough either in my opinion is the environmental pollution which is horrendous in many parts of the city and it is a very unhealthy place to live in,especially in winter when the low temperatures only aggravate the situation!Not only will the stress of the place get you down but you ruin your physical and mental health too!
Sorry to sound negative but I've been there and done it and cannot recommend it to anyone unless they are being well rewarded for it!

[adavidwatson]

I would highly recommend Russia even at low pay for a young gap yearer even if they had to work for EF, Language Link or BKC. Russian in general and Moscow in particular may have a saturation level, but I find I and most of my friends who have visited there end up looking for a sustainable way back.

Yeah it's dirty, it's dangerous, it's corrupt, the elitny are vile, and living in Moscow is a job unto itself. Still you never know in Moscow what the day will bring.

[rusmeister]

Hello David (Mr. Watson?)!
From your posts you seem pretty eager to encourage young people to go live and work in Russia (Moscow...). I agree that traveling is good experience, but it would be much better to find that 'sustainable way back' and recommend that, rather than the existing sweatshops that you yourself don't want to return to, eh?
Let's look at this another way (just for fun):

[maruss]

Definitely avoid the 'sweat-shop' schools, even if you are on a gap-year because there are so many that pay better.Unless you've been used to Canadian style winter weather and living in somewhere like the rougher parts of Chicago,Detroit or maybe Manchester etc Moscow will come as a shock to a first-timer and I really suggest visiting it beforehand if you possible can!It's definitely different and a lot can be learned from living there,especially that there's a very cruel world out there where people are very selfish and flout their often ill-earned wealth very provocatively in the face of the vast majority who are not so fortunate and far more decent than they are!If you are going to get bashed-and believe you me, you will do in Moscow, only metaphorically hopefully,at least get paid for it properly!
It's everything that Dave wrote and a lot more too!But then perhaps such places have a weird attraction for people in some way, just like Auschwitz and the Flanders battle fields etc!There's no denying that this city has seen a lot of bloody history too and even I still cannot pretend that walking through Red Square etc. isn't a unique experience which still costs nothing and is available to anyone who goes there!

[adavidwatson]

Russmeister, I didn't say that I wouldn't work for the "sweat shops" again.
I figured out a while back when I was working at Home Depot that after my commute I was pretty much making the smae money I made at BKC where I actually LIKED my job. Yeah there are better paying jobs I could get in the states, but it takes a while to get one.

Maruss, I live in eastern Kentucky which is boderline 3rd world itself, so maybe I don't find Moscow or Russia as disturbing.