Job Discussion Forums

[paula83]

Hi -

Has anyone heard of or taught at Language Link school in Russia?
Is it a good program?
I am new to this forum. I will be earning my TESL teaching certificate this month and have been browsing for job opportunities on the internet to get an idea of what salaries. I stumbled upon LANGUAGE LINK school in Russia. I am interested in possibly teaching in Russia.

I recently graduated in May 2008 with my B.A. in English and a minor in French. I am hoping that the TESL certificate will make me "more" qualified for a position.

[GF]

This question has been asked repeatedly. Look at past threads on the topic. If they don't answer your questions, then ask us something specific. A little research and effort on your part will go a long way.

[maruss]

..and enjoy being exploited working in a notorious firm in a lousy environment,living in a dingy high-rise with unknown persons in your grungy ill-equipped flat and teaching dejected,irritable kids in return for what is effectively peanuts compared to todays cost of living in Moscow,I would avoid it!
Enough said?There is plenty more about them and similar outfits on this site!

[betacygnus]

I currently work for Language Link. My recommendations? Do your homework carefully before you come to Russia ... I have lived in, worked in or visited 6 cities in Russia (Moscow, Togliatti, Samara, Kazan, Syzran and Saratov) and they vary widely in terms of quality of life (and I do mean widely). Also, with a company like Language Link, teachers' experiences can vary widely from school to school as each school is a franchise. I would NOT recommend coming to Russia unless you speak basic Russian, and I would not come here unless you think you could tolerate a DRASTIC downgrade in your standard of living ... it can be really tough here. On the positive side, my students have been wonderful.

[maruss]

The cost of living in Russia has risen considerably during the last few years,while salaries for most foreign teachers generally have not gone up accordingly.Outside Moscow you also have the disadvantage of there not being alternative jobs if something goes wrong,plus what our friend said about knowing the language etc.If you take the plunge and opt for a job in Moscow,do not do it for the wages L.L. and BKC pay, which are a pittance!
Overall,especially with the current negative atmosphere between Russia and the West,plus all the bureaucracy and complications involved in going there,I would seriously reconsider whether it is worth the trouble at present.His final point about meeting some nice students is also valid-if it wasn't for my Russian friends,I would have left the place within weeks,if not days!!

[jrwilheim]

Ignore what maruss is saying. Obviously he has some kind of ax to grind against LL, has completely unrealistic ideas about living standards in general, or both.

A single person can easily get by in Moscow on the basic contract LL provides, and even save a little. I get $1000 US per month (26,000 rubles) and am able to live on about half of that. This is not eating home at all but mostly at blini stands, schwarma places (they're all over Moscow), and a few odd cafes around the city. Granted, I don't drink and so am not shilling for beer all the time the way some teachers do.

Additionally, if you pick up a private student or two, your savings potential goes up dramatically.

[rusmeister]

[maruss]

I have to agree with Rusmeister that surviving on this kind of diet is bad for your health,especially when the environment in Moscow is already unhealthy and polluted!Your immune system needs to be kept strong by eating plenty of nourishing food with fresh fruit and vegetables etc.Many Russians have health problems associated with bad diet and lifestyle so why join them?(as another ex-pat teacher told me while I was there,he felt like a rat, scavenging around and grabbing bits of unwholesome food from roadside stalls when he found the chance,just as you have described!)
But coming back to the main theme,as Rusmeister also wrote quite recently,even some people working in Macdonalds earn over $1000 per month nowadays and to expect a foreigner to go there and work for that for teaching English is a very bad joke!Another ironic point is that this firm is owned by an American who is one of Moscows most notorious' scroungers when it comes to paying teachers and by agreeing to work for this kind of a pittance you are helping to maintain a system of exploitation which many of us on this site want to eradicate!It will only stop when they cannot recruit people any longer unless they increase the wages to a decent level,so please bear that in mind before you consider going there again!Although you cannot expect their terms and conditions because they are highly qualified specialists in various fields,try asking ex-pat employees of foreign firms in Moscow how much they earn and you will find they probably get at least 5 times-if not much more-than what LL pay,plus other lucrative benefits such as decent housing and not a room in a run- down Soviet era hovel with a shared bathroom and kitchen etc!Russia is regarded as a 'hardship' posting and they are rewarded for going there accordingly,not punished!!
Sorry to be so blunt,but I think many people will agree with me and not only Rusmeister.

[rusmeister]

I will add that Mickey D's advertises starting pay for young Russians with no training or foreign language skills at 20,000 r/month. Trainees on the metro (subway) start at about the same; upon completion of training they can make 35,000. Only people like dvorniki (street/public area sweepers) make less. Euroset (Evroset - the big cell phone/tech retail dealer, a little like Radio Shack in the US) advertises that people who hustle at sales can make 60,000 a month.
This can be written off as rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth anti-LL propaganda if you like. When you arrive you will discover it to be the truth. Then maybe we'll be taken more seriously.

[maruss]

Not so long ago,people were afraid to speak the truth in Russia and everything was based on lies and deception....-maybe the old days are coming back again?Or did they never really go away?

[jrwilheim]

[maruss]

What kind of appartments do LL give you and how far are they from your work?You cannot rent any kind of appartment in even a crummy suburb nowadays for much under $1000 per month!With $600 you will only get a room in a shared place and I don't share my living space with anyone else unless I invite them as guests,or it is my wife,girlfriend etc.So how do you solve this problem on LL peanut wages?Live out of cans and eat standing at bliny stores as you first suggested maybe??
To live there decently,not luxuriously you need to be earning at least $2.500 and upwards nowadays and most people know it,including Russians who would scoff at even $3000!

[rusmeister]

[Kootvela]

I'll pop in. Though not living in Russia but having experience with McSchools and having native speaker friends around, I'll share my thoughts.

From what I've observed beginning 2005 when I started to work for a McSchool and today, when I have my own private teaching practice, I can draw the following conclusion: teachers, especially native speakers who intend to stay long term in this country, rotate from school to school every year in search of a better financial package. Schools have a bad policy of perks, I must say, for example, a friend of mine went for a job interview and was told that salary increment for job experience begins with the second year at their company though she already has four years of work experience. Taking into consideration high staff turnover, schools save here quite a bit.

I have also noted that smaller schools, not affiliated with the giants, offer smaller rates but better working conditions.

[jrwilheim]

[quote="rusmeister"]