Job Discussion Forums

Tiger Beer · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong

Anyone been to this region? Particularly the beaches along Bulgaria, Romania or Ukraine? This is perhaps a bit more of a travel question than an ESL question, but where did you go and where did you like in this region?

john_n_carolina · Joined: 26 Feb 2006 Posts: 700 Location: n. carolina

...i think Scot47 from this forum knows the Bulgaria area?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Slim pickings for EFL in Bulgaria - and Romania. Even slimmer in Moldova (which has no coastline on the Black Sea). Ukraine ? low wages. Russia !? Forget it.

007 · Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject:

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Teachers in BG are on strike these days. They want more than they get at the moment - average salary about 200 Euros a month.

007 · Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 5:27 pm Post subject:

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

Saudi bus drivers deserve more money - theirs is a riskier occupation.

007 · Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 7:24 pm Post subject: Re: Any more fares?

Beyond1984 · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 462

"Anyone been to this region? Particularly the beaches along Bulgaria, Romania or Ukraine?" -Tiger Beer

I worked three years in Kiev and during that time went on school trips to Odessa, on the Black Sea, and also Camp Artek, also on the Black Sea, and within an affordable taxi ride from Yalta. Yalta is the nicest of the resorts and probably most expensive.

Two summers ago, in mid-July, I flew into Simferopol, from where vans and buses go, very cheaply, to all of Crimea ("Krim"). My first stop was Alushta; the beaches were packed. Next stop: Sudak. When the bus pulled into the station there were about 20 people with signs offering rooms for rent. This place was most interesting ... for about $5/night I stayed with a family and there were also paying guests from Moldava. There was a very good restaurant with outdoor tables a short saunter distant.

Walking to the beach I passed a Tatar community, and the beach was not crowded. Next stop: Feodosia, very crowded. Then I took a bus heading to the west, to Evpatoria, where I saw little of the beach because I was trying to withdraw money from my Nadra Bank account. I had to go back to Kiev, where I opened my account, to get it.

Black Sea oil tanker wrecks in December may have fouled many of the beaches close to Kerch.

My favorite Black Sea beach was in Varna, Bulgaria; our hotel was adjacent to a nude beach. The charcoal-grilled mackerel, washed down with cold white wine and served at outside tables by the sea, were delicious and affordable.

-HDT

"How does it become a man to behave toward this American government today? I answer that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it."
-Henry David Thoreau, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience," 1849

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

There's a Romanian board and a couple of people who have been there for years, Mike 2007 and Bebsi come to mind

Mike_2007 · Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 349 Location: Bucharest, Romania

Apparently the Bulgarian stretch is better than the Romanian coast in terms of prices, service and clean beaches. A lot of Romanians prefer to head over the border to their neighbour for their hols.

Never been myself so can't offer any first hand experiences, not a mad fan of beach holidays anyway, and the pics I've seen of the Black Sea resorts in Romania from friends' holidays seem to depict it as overcrowded and a little grubby.

Mike

ecocks · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland

was nice. I was in Sozopol last August. Nice beaches, mostly pretty days, occasional rain. Plenty of people and prices were reasonable to me. My wife said that the prices were better than in Crimea and the service/attitude is better too. Next time we go we will run down to Istanbuk and do an overnight or maybe two there. I liked it.

coffeespoonman · Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 512 Location: At my computer...

The Bulgarian coast is wonderful - although the beaches aren't fantastic, the level of service and development there is nearly up to Western Europe standards at a fraction of the price. I can't recommend Varna highly enough. Burgas/Sozolpol is ok too, but you just can't beat Varna. I'd move there in a second if I could make a living there.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

http://www.englishacademybg.com/

is a language school in Varna set up by former BC people when the BC closed down their operation in Varna.

travellingscot · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 64 Location: UK/Eastern Europe

Be careful with Varna-many residents avoid it's beach and go along the coast a bit. A local newspaper mentioned pollution and sewerage from pleasure boats which discharge into the sea near the beaches. Not unusual to find a used syringe with attached needle to stick in your foot from a party on the beach either.
Not sure what is meant by a fraction of Western prices-- 70 % is a fraction[For example] but not "cheap", and expat boards are full of complaints about getting ripped off in various ways, including overcharging.
Never worked at the school mentioned but I know someone who said the teachers were local expats and not all were experienced teachers. Perhaps this person had a disagreement with the bosses, but I have no knowledge either way as to conditions etc.