Job Discussion Forums

[ancient_dweller]

It seems that everytime I come on this forum, all I seem to read is that the 'Mcschools' are all singing all dancing, 'moscow is not welcoming of newbie teachers' and that they are supportive bladdy bla - they must be the 3 biggest lies since Peter denied Christ.

Moscow is not the place to come to fanny around on $1000 a month, at best that's $15 an academic hour, realistically that's about $8. Don't tell me, you flew (or are considering flying) half way across the world (for some of you) to earn less than the minimum hourly wage in your home country? Come on...

you need to look past the BKC and LL stakeholders that sit posting that garbage in this forum. Really winds me up.

Get out there, google, yandex english schools in russian (use google translate if you have to) and then send your CV out. Moscow is not an easy place to live full stop. Don't think that because they provide you with some accommodation that would make first year university students quiver they are they almighty saviour of the ESL teacher.

why are you coming to Moscow then?

anyway, seems like a rant, but i think the forum needs a bit more alternative opinion.

look for smaller schools is my advice = more pay and less sleep (worrying about losing your job!) ha!

[kazachka]

+++++1
I've said that repeatedly in here- Why in the Sam Hell would you come here to make less than you could at Wal Mart for Chrissake!? Yes, anyone who tells you that you can survive on 1000$/mo here is blowing lots of smoke up your butt-full stop! Don't buy it for a second!

[Houston]

You can survive here on $1000 a month, as long as your accommodation is paid for.

Most of the smaller schools need to learn how to advertise better I guess.

Most teachers who come here on a newbie contract to get their foot in the door go off-contract afterwards, and make a lot more money. There are plenty of BKC teachers who have been here for several years now, and they don't have many complaints.


Also, to equate teaching in Moscow with working at Wal-Mart in the U.S. is rather silly. Teaching can actually be gratifying and rewarding, while working some shit job in the U.S. is just living in hell with fluorescent lighting.

[kazachka]

1000$ a month means roughly half will go to food alone and I'm not talking caviar every day either-just the basics. Food costs have gone through the roof recently I used to be able to eat like a queen on 100-150$/mo when I was in grad school here 7-8 yrs ago. I don't know of any schools who provide separate(I mean no living w/ some stranger) accom. either. I got to choose where I live which is uber important for me. I need to have easy access to a green area(I'm a runner need to train sans hassle) and the metro-I'm 3 min from both.
Live on your own or w/ the proverbial(as my boss says) 3 eyed roomie is an individual preference. Personally, at my age I'm pretty set in my ways and don't expect anyone to have to put up with me nor will I tolerate someone else's bee ess-privacy is bliss

[coledavis]

Stakeholders as contributors? Are you sure about this or just chasing a conspiracy theory? If I was, for example, a Dos, I'd have better things to do than play around on forums.

I'll suggest a reason why many of the smaller ones do not advertise. They can't take the risk of taking on a newbie who may or may not be an asset to their company. Where I am in Poland, some schools in my area are shying away from most native speakers for that very reason. It's only when they are approached directly by somebody who looks useful that they then take an interest and maybe pick up a reference or two. (In my current school, they haven't taken a NS for years and only took me on because of my qual/experience/references). So, yes, I do think that McSchools should be the main target for newbies. Not that you shouldn't try for something better, but don't set your heart on 3000 dollars and all the blinnies you can eat!

[ancient_dweller]

point proven

[coledavis]

[jdsolo]

I have a Russian friend that will help me search online for schools when the time comes..

..But how easy will it be to find a job that isn't a mcschool for an Asian American guy (NES) with 1 year experience in Korea and with a TESL certificate? Does having any other experience on the CV even matter? Reason I ask is that I'll be writing down 4 years as an Army officer. I can see Russians frowning upon that.

[coledavis]

[jdsolo]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Yah, I'm not planning to say anything about being ethnically asian. I'm in Afghanistan now and I always get, "You American?.. No, you Chinese!" And it's ironic because half of Afghans are Asian looking.

I guess I figured since Russia has a lot of Asians, they might be used to it.

And yah, I've been looking around at the other countries. Poland, Ukraine, and Turkey. I'll look more into Poland but as you mentioned, the non-EU visa issue can pose to be a problem.

And my biggest issue is that I'd like to be able to show up and find a job. My plan is to teach in Korea for a year and then take the railroad all the way to Moscow and then down eastern Europe to Egypt. I was thinking about stopping along the way for a few months to teach and get some money out of it while experiencing the local areas.

Lodz? Is that a better location for ESL teachers than Warsaw or Krakow?

[ancient_dweller]

ye, i agree that asian american is meaningless in russia. although, i think it's meaningless outside the US. you are american, you are a native speaker. that's the way to look at it.

on the point about working for a few months while travelling through - well that will be tough. a lot of the work here comes about through trust - and trust seems to take a while to build up. unless you know somebody that can help you out i'd say it would be difficult but not impossible - Russia is not China. In saying that, I've only worked in Moscow so i can't say anything about the regions. But a have spoken to the odd person and they have said that Moscow is a little more cut throat than in smaller cities.

i'd say good luck, and start чуьт-чуьт learning some russian and you'll be on your way!

also, ask yourself what you're looking for. Money, experience, helping people learn english...

even in Moscow you can do volunteering - teaching hard-up kids.

[coledavis]

The 3 month idea isn't likely. The schools have to make arrangements and they won't switch on and off students, timetables, etc just to accommodate your holiday plans. The days of utter native speaker worship are long over.

I don't know whether or not Lodz is better - and it would in any case depend upon your criteria of what is good - but there does appear to be a greater demand for native speakers there and, as I said, at least one of the advertisements did mention visa support, which is rare in Poland.

[BTK]

Someone mentioned translation! I�ve been sending emails in English to universities in Russia that have a language department: Is this a wait of time? Do I need to translate them into Russian?

Also, I posted the message below in the Job Discussion Forum and naruralgirl suggested I post here.

I'm looking for information on teaching in Russia; primarly interested in a university position. I'm teaching in China now.
1) How can I get information on teaching at Russian universities?
2) What's the pay range?
3) Are accommodations usually provided?
4) Can I go direct from China to Russia or must I return to my home country before entery?

[coledavis]

[BTK]

Thanks coledavis for the info. I have a few response-questions. First some details, followed by a question.

For the last five plus years I�ve been in China teaching at a university. I�ve always preferred the short hours at the universities. The university I�m at now gives me 5 to 8 courses a week.
Are the Russian universities the same?

The universities in China offer apartments on campus as part of the contract.
I gather from your comments the Russian universities don�t do so?

The private schools in China, from what I know, which I admit is limited, expect you to teach 25 to 30 hours a week at 10 to 20USd per hour.
What do the Russian private schools pay? (I assume that what you call "Language schools..." is the same as what I call "...private schools...".)

A final question: Is it possible to get a list of Russian universities complete with email address?

And thanks for the suggestion to contacting the Russian Embassy in China. I will definitly do that.