Job Discussion Forums

[libchivs]

Hi everyone,

When I tell people in America that I am thinking of going to Moscow, most people have the same reaction which is, "isn't it unsafe in Moscow?" For people who are there now or who have lived there, can you tell me how safe you feel/felt living in Moscow?

Also, how awful are the winters when there is such little daylight?

Thanks!

[GF]

There is a long thread on safety further down the page.

You get used to the winters. If you are from the south like I am, you can even find them to be fascinating. I live even further north than Moscow and love the extreme difference between the seasons. For example, here in Tallinn we are entering the period known as the 'White Nights' because it is light nearly 24 hours of the day.

[spiral78]

Just my personal take on the question, for what little that's worth!

I spent three months last year (admittedly, not that long!) living in one of Moscow's 'less desirable' districts. I was pickpocketed once, but had no fear of violent crime. Maybe I'm naive, but it seems to me that violent crime outside of the US (and definitely in Moscow) is generally targeted, not random.

While it's not politically correct to say so, I think the reality is that you might need to be more concerned if your skin is dark, particularly if you're male.

The random violence in the U.S. seems to me far more dangerous. I'd personally much rather walk the streets of Moscow than the streets of, say, Richmond, Virginia, or Chicago or Detroit.

[rogan]

Great reply spiral - and accurate.

[maruss]

Nice to hear from you again after so long!I would agree about Moscow as I never felt threatened during the time I was there and I lived in quite a grotty area for some of it!But what will get you down are the crowds, noise, dirt,pollution and many other undesirable things about the quality of life there,coupled with the undeniable fact that it can be very unfriendly and lonely,especially for a newcomer from abroad without friends or a knowledge of the language etc.

P.S.- where are you nowadays?

[spiral78]

maruss, do you mean me or rogan? I suspect rogan
Just in case you care, I'm currently in the czech rep writing up research that arose from my project in Moscow at LUKOil. Remembering my months in Kuzminki both fondly and with horror. Moscow's such a city of contrasts!!

[rusmeister]

I'm afraid the experience in a metro station at rush hour of the intense crowding (where you only have one square foot of space to stand as the crowd slowly shuffles and pushes you toward the escalator) would freak out most western-type people. One time at Prospekt Mira it was so bad - the entire station was filled from end to end - I was afraid a panic would start and we would be crushed to death. I make a point of avoiding that situation now; I try to avoid Moscow in general.
Driving is mostly not a better option either.
But crime, as long as you're reasonably prudent, is not so much of a threat. The police can be more dangerous these days. They are no longer afraid of arresting Americans (for example) and shaking them up for money at the police station.

[libchivs]

Rusmeister, thanks for your response. I see you are still in Russia? Are there good places to live and teach right outside of Moscow so that you can commute easily into the city if you want to do some touristy stuff or go to a club on the weekends, but far enough so that you do not have to endure the metro and other hassles of the big city?

[maruss]

I was intending it for Rogan but am glad to hear from you too!Kuzminki-I remember it well from the winter of 2005/6,Perekrostok supermarket and walking through that park all the way across to Volzhskaya metro!Then I remember Rogan telling me they used to test chemical weapons in the lake there and the whole area will still be contaminated for years to come as they don't have the know-how, or the funds or probably the interest to clear it up,but nobody asks about things like that in Russia, especially nowadays!Just carry-on as normal!

[demoiselle]

I have lived a total of about 12 months in Moscow. I haven't felt in danger walking the streets, though I prefer to stay in lighted areas at night. It can be hard to adjust to the number of people hanging out on the street and in the parks drinking -- but eventually I realized they were in fact hanging out, and not intending any kind of harm. What is scary in Moscow is the knowledge that if something DOES happen, the police are not your friends, and may not help you.

[rusmeister]

[spiral78]

Hey, maruss, so all those old guys ice-fishing in the lake at Kuzminki probably glow in the dark? Because they're definitely catching and eating, from the campfire evidence!

[mdk]

I've never felt remotely threatened in Russia. When I returned to the US in 2005, I had been threatened twice within 3 months by people who casually offered to punch me out. I think I had forgotten all those little subconscious ploys we learn in America to avoid people like that.

Having said that, I look enough Russian that people would ask me for street directions about 2-3 times a month. I asked my friends if I looked like a Russian and they said of course not. Nowadays people in Moscow, at least, wear a wide variety of clothing.

Many of the teachers who didn't look like white bread europeans would get hassled. Asians and Armenians seemed to get the worst of it.

The great big school where I was working regularly employed people who had come to Russia because they couldn't get a teaching post back home (this is what they told me) They were almost totally innocent of Russian and would go out and honky-tonk on the weekends. Moscow bars are a bad place to get smashed after midnight - or any time.

One particular warning was not to get into a street cab late at night.

Also one of the girls got raped. I later covered a class for her and they had her teaching night classes out in some suburb where you had to walk a half mile down dark streets to get to the metro.

Oh yeah, I went into a sports store near my place in Bibirevo and they were selling aluminum baseball bats. I asked them where the people played baseball in town and was told nobody plays baseball. I resolved not to argue with strangers after that.

As to burglary, everybody's flat had a door you would need a jackhammer to get through.

[coledavis]

Although you certainly stand out as a westerner when you're outside Moscow or St Petersburg, that's not necessarily a bad thing. In spite of the misgivings of my friends, I found that people in the sticks were very friendly to me. But yes, the cops aren't necessarily your friends...

[maruss]

As a general rule(unless of course you actually know someone in the police force!) people in Russia keep away from anything to do with law and order and officialdom in general because of the notorious corruption!I would also agree that they are unlikely to help you and indeed you might well end up in trouble yourself for going to them in the first place,especially as a foreigner who doesn't know their language!
Finding a job outside Moscow means either working for a school in a satellite town like Zelenograd where the notorious sweat-shop outfits like BKC and LL have outlets or maybe someone like Sunnyhill school in Solnechnogorsk or Istra if you like rivers and forests and a relatively quiet life.The only other areas,apart from St Petes,where there are likely to be any vacancies are in oil towns like Surgut in Siberia or perhaps Samara but be aware that if you run into problems you will most likely have no other job vacancies to fall back on and there are not going to be many ex-pats around for comfort either!I would not personally recommend a non-Russian speaker on a first-time working experience in Russia to contemplate such a risk.
Concerning racism and 'non-white' skinned people,it is not an ideal place to live in and unfortunately this seems to be getting worse with the collusion and tolerance of the authorities.