Job Discussion Forums

[briana74]

Anyone out there who knows anything about these 2 centres: Samara & Kazan -- and The British- American language centre? Thanks!

[LJKSU]

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

I worked at this 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.

[eslcowboy]

i know this school. never worked there, but have known others who have. they don't have a central location and you have to travel to all your classes. working hours can be really inconsistent - you might have a month with 40 hours and another month with 15 hours. that said, there is no oversight of the teachers - they pretty much can do nothing in class and as long as the students are entertained, no one cares. if your students like it and think they're learning if you just stand there and pick your butt, you'll be fine. pay is low, i've heard of some people having visa problems with the school. generally i wouldn't recommend it for a professional, but if you're looking more to be irresponsible and don't care about your school, then maybe...