Job Discussion Forums

[eslcowboy]

Just wondering what life's like in Dnepropetrovsk. I previously taught in a Russian city of over 1 million (not Moscow or Pete's). I prefer living in places with fewer foreigners. No prob with Russian lang or culture - I get by just fine with those.

Is there anything to do at the weekend? Do they have any foreign food or is it just Russian/Ukrainian fare? Any decent nature near there for getting out of the city? How about pollution? Is the Metro functional?

Got a job offer there and am trying to decide on whether or not the city is decent. Anyone?

[Gruzinka]

I taught in Dnipro. It's definitely not a city with lots of foreigners. It was a closed city during Soviet times (the city was home to several missile factories). These days there are a few peace corp volunteers, some Mormons and the occasional group of wife hunters during the spring but that's about it. Oh and surprisingly it also has a decent size Orthodox Jewish community so sometimes there are Western Jewish charity groups that come through.

Dnipro is the 3rd largest city in UA and while it does have a metro it's only 1 line and no one ever takes it. Seriously, I knew locals that didn't Dnipro had a metro that�s how rarely people take it. Despite its population it really doesn't feel like a large city. If you're going to teach at one of the two schools I think you're considering then you'll be fine walking and taking trams/marshrutki to get anywhere you need to go.

The city is relatively rich compared to other areas so you'll have your usual Eurotrash style hookah cafes and nightclub monstrosities. I was there several years ago so maybe the dining has improved but in 2005 there were only a few Asian/Japanese restaurants and several Russian owned pizza and tex-mex chains but nothing special. There are plenty of western style supermarkets though and lots of awesome bars and beer halls.

Culturally I don't think the city has tons to offer. One of the best things going for it is that it's the first Ukrainian city to finish building its football stadium for the Eurocup and unlike Russia you won't risk bodily harm or death if you go to a match there. The other big selling point to DP is that it's centrally located to other places in the country. It's a 6hr train ride to Kiev and I think a 4hr bus ride to Kharkov. Plus it has an international airport. It's small and ugly and Soviet but if you want to fly to Russia, Turkey, or catch a connecting flight to the West via Austria you don't have to haul arse up to Kiev which is nice.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.