Job Discussion Forums

[kostachucks]

They have branches in Samara, Togliatti, Chelyabinsk and Kazan, apparently. Does anyone have any experience or know anything about them? Thanks.

[JharekCarnelian]

I'll send you a Private Message about this...

[iHooT]

acutally, I am very interested as well, they sent me an email and seem pretty keen about everything.

Is there something I should know? like in a bad way??

Appreciated

[kostachucks]

Hoot, I'll send you a private message about this. The common consensus is bad news, yes.

[sukoma]

I just returned to the US from working in Tol'yatti, Russia for the British American Language Center and here's what happened to me.

For starters, they took their sweet time getting me my visa invitation. They told me they would get me the invitation in time for the date that I planned to arrive, but it came about 2 days late. At the time, you were not allowed to enter Russia for 5 business days from the date the visa is issued. My flight was scheduled to arrive 2 days BEFORE the date on the visa allowed me to enter. That meant that I had to spend 2 days in Frankfurt and then come to Tol'yatti...which cost me about a thousand USD. I never got as much as an apology for them delaying on things (in fact, they thought it was kind of funny).

Once I got there, my manager turned out not to speak very much English (although I thought her ability was rather selective). She was nice enough and tried to be helpful, but little or no communication beyond telling me where and when I worked.

The job itself wasn't that bad. The Russian teachers and staff were nice enough as well as the students. After being there a month, the other native speaker (a Canadian) quit. This meant that I was suddenly juggled around to cover both my own as well as his classes. This is when they decided that my contract was based on clock hours as opposed to academic hours. I wasn't too mad about this since it wasn't clearly defined in the contract, but the school had me thinking I was going to get some overtime which would have been nice for all of the traveling I was doing for them.

They pay you in rubles, but your contract is in dollars. Because of the fall of the ruble in the time I was there, I was getting a raise (technically) every month. They figured this out in January and about half way through February, I got a new contract emailed to me with the following email from the owner: "We appreciate you working here and feel you are doing a fine job. Please sign this new contract or we will fire you." And told me that this was due to the "economic crisis"...more like the sleazy owner was having trouble affording his BMW payments and the flat for his mistress.

The new contract was a 20% pay cut from $900/mo to $720 a month. Also, my summer pay went from $600/mo to $450/mo and overall they expected more hours from me. They have one line at the bottom of the contract which says they can change the terms of the contract if needed...this pretty much means the contract is little more than toilet paper. Of course, they will hold you to everything in this contract, but feel they can do whatever they wish.

I found out they are offering new employees even less ($600/mo starting) and are looking for people to work for them. So, in order to save a few more rubles a month, they started having Russian teachers "sit in" on my classes to brush up on their English. They also suddenly had all of these complaints about my teaching which were contradictory (I use the book too much/I use the book too little). Also, they had someone in my apartment looking around while I was working (I set up a little signal to let me know if someone entered while I was away).

It's too bad that they pulled this on me...I enjoyed working for them and liked the city in all it's run-down, polluted junkiness. If you decide to work for them, be careful...they seem very nice and will tell you what you want to hear, but they are not to be trusted. I'll be happy to honestly answer any questions you might have as well.

[GF]

How did the story end? Were you able to leave amicably?

[sukoma]

How it ended....

Well, I left town 2 days after payday. I heard from another teacher there that if you put in notice, they will find a way to screw you out of pay. I got paid on Thursday and was on a train to Moscow on Sunday...then on a plane back to the US where I am now.

I didn't want to do it that way, but I felt like I had no choice. Giving 2 weeks is something Russians don't respect...at least not this school. The guy before me was accused of stealing things and destroying his apartment, so they deducted his pay for everything. He never stole a thing nor did he trash his flat...in fact, he paid for a maid to come in and really clean the place up (as I did).

One thing I learned in Russia is that once things start to go bad, they don't get any better. It's too bad because I really enjoyed the work and the students...not to mention the town.

[beachtime]

Hi, Just to confirm, I applied to this school, got an instant reply from the Deputy Director with a job offer of the $650 per month. I wrote back with a very polite, thanks but no thanks, and received a snotty reply from her. Probably best to give this one a miss?

[sukoma]

I was making $900 a month and they decided to cut my pay to $720....and it sounds like they're offering new hires even less. Don't let them fool you...$650 isn't really enough to live there unless you have your own stash and don't mind dipping into it. The summer pay is even worse ($450/mo)...originally it was for 2 months, but in my new contract, it was for 3 months. That was the straw that broke my back on this school.

The next person they get for Tol'yatti will get a few new things in my old apartment...a microwave and a mattress at least. Unless they took that stuff out and sold it (which wouldn't surprise me).

[scooby_rex]

but do you think 600 is enough to live on, because i really wanna go there, chelybiansk that is, and i wont be wasting cash as most of my free time i will pump into my degree, free time will be a luxury pretty much. if i have enough for food and one or two beers i dont care at all

what do you think?

[sukoma]

If you're a tight wad, you can probably survive on $600 a month...in theory. Russia has ways of nickel and diming you to death however. Also, Chelyabinsk has on of the highest HIV rates in Russia (and the world). It's a major drug hub for heroin going to Europe and the West.

Really, it all depends on how the ruble does against the dollar. That is the biggest reasons they cut my pay I think.

Be careful and trust no one. The "new" contract came to me out of the blue and the day I decided to sign it, my manager suddenly turned very evil on me. She started having the Russian teachers and students spy on me. One of my students actually told me that my boss was calling her during and after class to ask about me. They also had someone snooping around my apartment (I have proof of that).

[Uncle_chop_chop]

hmmmm, this wouldnt be called Oxana by any chance? im chomping at the bit to go to russia for the EXPERIENCE

if i wanted to earn money i would be in the coal mines

again, aint no chance in hell i would do it unless i KNEW FOR ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that 600 us dollars is 'manageable' to get by on

[sukoma]

uncle chop chop...send me a pm and I'll fill you in if you like

[LJKSU]

This is a post I made about BALC in the forum about Kazan:

I worked at the school in Kazan for one year until March 2009. About the school:

Pros:

1) Salary paid on-time very reliably.
2) Willing to give you partial pay advances if you ask.
3)Classes take place in evenings from 630-9pm. This is not promised but while I worked there, the classes all were in the evenings.
4)The office is at a separate location from the school - you don't have daily contact with the office staff/director - you work very independently.

Cons:

1) One secretary (Elvira) who basically handles everything and she doesn't know English. This is a problem for people who don't speak Russian. I did so I got by fine but the director, who also doesn't speak English is rarely available. You may have to use the main office in Samara via telephone as a translator if you need to discuss something.
2) Elvira is helpful but can't tie her shoes without asking the director first. If you need help, tell her everything at one time so she can call and ask the director everything at once.
3) The apartment. This can be good or bad it's just going to depend on your luck. My first six months I was there I had a great 2 bedroom apartment all to myself. Then I had to move and I was put into a 1 bedroom apartment in an apartment building under construction and that meant a whole bunch of construction-related issues within the apartment. They also selected the apartment without letting me see it first. (I was living a block away, you'd think that they would give you the courtesy of looking at it first)
4) They are kind of sneaky sometimes. For example, I took two weeks off to go to my girlfriend's hometown. This was allowed because at this time there simply weren't any classes. (This location is still new and has few students). Well, after that time I called to say I was returning to Kazan. They said, oh just take your time, there isn't any work here now for you anyway. We'll call you when there is a new class. Sounds cool, huh? Not cool on payday. I don't see the difference between me sitting in my apartment in Kazan not working and me sitting in an apartment outside the city not working. Had I spent those days inside the city of Kazan, I would have been paid for them but because I was not in the city, I didn't.

Anyway, I'd suggest avoiding this school if you can. I at first was very pleased working with them and there weren't any issues and everything was smooth but after I insisted that I get a new apartment (which I paid the agent fees, etc) things started going downhill from there. I suspect the second apartment they put me in was about 5000 rubles a month and I moved into one costing 11000/month and they didn't like that. (Even though I asked what the school was willing to pay monthly and they said 11000 so I didn't just pick that number out of the air. If they didn't want to pay that much then they should have said a different figure.

[acer994]

This is an objective view of my short stay in Togliatti.

I was on the same pay scale as another contributor i.e. $720 and $450 respectively. Not that I got paid. M___ the director in Togliatti accused me of being drunk. This was untrue. Her English was shite and she kept telling me to speak to her counterpart in Samara. It was Monday and I was going to be driven to Ozon, a Pharmaceutical Factory in zhguliovsk (a 40-minute car journey which you did 1-2 times per week).

To their credit, the students at the school (a 15-minute walk) were polite and respectful. However, there just werent enough hours. I was on 10-15 hrs per week and it was extremely boring waiting for your first class at 19:00 to 20:30

The reason I left was not work-related, though staying in that apartment with noisy plumbing and a couple (including barking dog) a few feet above you arguing all the time was not exactly pleasant. The apartment windows were broken. It was dingy and miserable. The TV was all in Russian (no BBC World or CNN).

I left because of a bad experience at a nightclub and striptease joint. I innocently gave my apartment number to a taxi firm whilst standing outside the nightclub. I received a visit from someone telling me not to go back and calling me a 'flithy American'. I am British, for the record. I had spent 3000Roubles in total, paid a 500 Rouble cover charge and 300 Roubles each for a Heineken. I expected this and am not complaining about the money. I do NOT like being threatened with my life and told to leave. There was a group of skinheads outside the nightclub and I have a suspicion that these clubs are run by gangsters or criminals.

There is anti-American/western sentiment in Togliatti. Go there at your own risk. It is perfectly safe during the day. One of my students, D__, took me to a park and showed me round the city. It was quite pleasant. He said I had made a HUGE mistake by going out alone at night. He said I needed a guide. He was probably right.

Staying in your apartment like a rat in a hole when the sun sets is not my idea of a good time. I only stayed for three weeks and didn't get paid. Fine, I would rather leave than die in a gutter. Togliatti cosmopolitan? You must be ***** joking!!