Job Discussion Forums

[LostNortherner]

hi all,

i've just completed my CELTA at an IH school and i am now looking for a job. i've heard good things about the IH in Belarus but was wondering if anyone has any opinions/experiences of teaching out there, cheers

[maruss]

This is probably the ONLY place in Belarus where a foreigner is likely to get a teaching job so whether that is good or bad can only be found out from people who have worked there!
I have some close friends in the country and have travelled around there a bit...if you have a nostalgia for what Russia was like in the late Soviet era, almost toilet- paper valued local currency and certain basic foods sometimes vanishing from the shops,you might find it interesting!!But be warned,there was serious contamination from Chernobyl which still affects some of the territory of Belarus,especially in the south, and its indiginant population although Minsk was not so badly hit.
Most of all do not forget that it has one of the most unpopular regimes in Europe and criticism of anything which it considers 'sensitive',especially from foreigners, is not welcome and could indeed get you into a lot of trouble.The economy there is in an even more a bad way than before since the world recession started and quite frankly,living and working there is only for the adventurous-and the cautious!
I had personal experience of the police 'hospitality' there simply for not buying a transit visa in advance and would not recommend breaking any regulations!

[Kootvela]

You can always leave if you don't like it.

[buntingblue]

I just wanted to forewarn you about a particular point. Most probably there will be a clause in your contract warning you (actually disallowing you!) from discussing Belarussian politics of any kind during your teaching. Doing so can lead to instant dismissal.

Of course, politics is an easy subject to avoid if you're aware that you do indeed have to explicitly avoid it.

Your best bet is probably looking around the Internet for a language school in Minsk.

And don't forget folks: Minsk's most famous resident is ..... yep .... Lee Harvey Oswald! If you google it, you can even find directions to his old apartment block in Minsk!

[maruss]

It is illegal for more than ten people to even meet in public without permission in Belarus and discussing politics will almost certainly get you into trouble......You might imagine that most people there hate their regime and leader but although there is a considerable covert opposition,there are also many people who will express support for 'Papchka' Lukashenko and mean it!This is one of the most repressive regimes left in Europe and even makes Putins Russia seem slightly more democratic by comparison...
As for Elles well-meaning advice that you can leave if you don't like it,this means the country and not just the job at IH because the immigration rules for foreigners in Belarus are quite rigid,even though border and customs controls with Russia have been virtually abolished for years and you could get the train to Moscow and back for example, with only a very small chance of a passport check.But do not try to go to any other countries such as Poland,Lithuania, because they are another story altogether!

[sharter]

I bet the women love foreigners there.

[maruss]

Perhaps surprisingly,they are generally more reserved and less easy to establish relationships with than girls in Russia so anyone going there presuming they will be falling over themselves to go out with a foreign guy might be disappointed!This could be because of the regime and its suspicion of people from western countries,or maybe because families there are closer-knit?
Of course for anyone only interested in buying time with them,Minsk has plenty of opportunities which unfortunately attract foreigners to go there for short 'business trips' and Greek-Cypriot men have become notorious for it,among many other nationalities!

[Velocipedaler]

Maruss, I've long attributed your consistently off-topic, unhelpful, Russia/Slav-hating posts to those of an immature, bitter, flibbertigibbet. I have, however, been excruciatingly sensitive to the probability that you've had some horrifying experiences in this region of the world.

Your postings on this thread, though, are a bit over the top. I say this because your personal interpretations and unsupported statements cross over the line from sharing one's own experiences and opinions to being unacceptably misleading.

Would you care to elaborate on the 'hospitable' behavior of the Belorussian police when you committed the SERIOUS OFFENCE of entering Belorus without a visa? This statement is conspicuously devoid of any details, leading the reader to consider any possibility up to, and including, physical violence, imprisonment, and/or deportation.

I, myself, have been in this same situation (I ignorantly never considered the possibility that my SPb to Kiev train may pass through Belorus). At the Belorussian/Ukrainian border I could not produce a Belorussian transit visa, so I was told to gather my belongings and exit the train. Some paperwork was completed, and then we were put on the next train back to Gomel, where we were to transfer onto a train to Minsk, where we were to purchase transit visas. Realizing that there was no border control between Russia and Belorus, in Gomel I purchased a ticket to Bryansk, Russia, where I caught the Moscow to Kiev train. I arrived in Kiev a day late and about 40 dollars poorer. I considered the Belorussian police to be very lenient, considering I had entered their country without a visa.

Unless you were uncooperative and/or antagonistic, I would wager that your experience in Belorus was similar. In short: inconvenienced. Is this the conclusion a reader of your 'police 'hospitality'' is like to reach? Not likely. Therefore, I feel this post is misleading.

I love entertaining the idea that Kootvela's post is ingenious innuendo, directed at you, Maruss, instead of a reply to LostNortherner...

Regardless, you went off on a tangent implying that a foreigner may not be able to leave Belorus if the situation neccessitates. From LostNortherner's profile, I deduce he may hold a British passport, in which case he would, indeed, be able to enter Poland or Lithuania. In the case of a highly-detiorated political situation, he could also seek assistance/refuge at the British embassy.

I also take issue with your underlying premise, the insinuation that a situation may arise which would require, in a best-case scenario, an exit, or in a worst-case scenario, a problematic exit. These two observations are why I feel this post is both erroneous and misleading.

Lastly, your stereotypes regarding the whole of Belorussian women are disappointing, especially since they lack any concrete or anecdotal evidence.

Please stop posting such disparaging views and erroneous and misleading information. Thank you for your kind consideration.

[maruss]

I quite agree and mine were based on experiences. I would not waste time inventing fairy-tales and posting them..But like you said,not everybody might be interested in hearing them,so I will P.M. you as soon as I have some free time.No offence intended and I hope none taken?

[coledavis]

[coledavis]

"border and customs controls with Russia have been virtually abolished for years" - for CIS (ex Soviet Union) citizens, yes, but not for those of us from outside CIS, i.e. most of the frequenters of this forum.

Re. girls being approachable: yes, they are. Sorry, but I don't think you can have been in Belarus for that long, Maruss.

[maruss]

From my own experience,there were hardly any border controls between Russia and Belarus by train for anyone and I made the journey in each direction several times without being asked for my passport.But admittedly that was ten years ago so things could have changed?Where you will come unstuck of course is if you try to go from Belarus into any other country except Russia and you don't have a Belarus transit visa(or try to enter Belarus in transit without one).The consequences may be very unpleasant and can include detention and a fine,or in my case being sent back to Poland and told to get a visa from their embassy in Warsaw-the fact that it was a Saturday afternoon and the embassy would not open until Monday morning made no difference!
As for the ladies,this is of course a personal subject and everyone could report different experiences.I am also ashamed to admit that Minsk,along with many other cities in various places of course, has become notorious as a venue where men can buy 'services' at much lower prices than in Moscow and a number of Cypriots here have boasted to me about their trips there which were specifically for that purpose!!
I have never been in the habit of buying people on principle,but also have to admit that my experiences of meeting women in Belarus (who were not involved in such dealings by the way!) were rather disappointing,although I can only speak for those in other cities and not Minsk.
Perhaps it should be borne in mind that Belarus does have a closed political system and society and many people there also earn very low salaries before making hard judgments?

[GF]

Two of my local friends (one Russian, the other Georgian) were in Belarus within the last couple of months on business and they told me the same thing: the hotel lobbies were full of girls for hire (and reception can order you something else if you don't see what you like) and that state security officers kept a visible presence near the few expat hangouts. On the other hand, they both said they felt perfectly safe out on the streets.

[coledavis]

I have to say that I've been enjoying myself here and I've chatted with a compatriot and locals quite a lot.

[coledavis]

I'm going for an interview on Thursday, for a job with accommodation included. Any idea how much salary to ask for if they ask rather than tell me?