Many westerners from all walks of life have found this to be an excellent way to subsidize an extended stay in Russia, and there are several options to do so. The most stable and certain work can be found with a handful of companies that hire teachers on contract, usually from six months to a year.
Competition is quite high, however, with some companies receiving dozens of resumes per open position. The most attractive applicants for these hold CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) or TOEFL (Teaching Of English as a Foreign Language) certification and often experience in teaching or business. In some cases, the hiring company will provide free or discounted certification courses to otherwise qualified candidates.
For some agencies, other skills are required; for example Svetlana Kondakova of Mr. English, an English language "club" with branches throughout Russia says: "Our vacancies are very specific. (Our) program has been in partnership with (international agencies) for 4 years and the English-speaking educators we hire are professional facilitators, as their goal is to deliver teambuilding trainings."
For those already in Russia, there are considerably more possibilities. "Native speaker" services are highly valued, often more than those of certified teachers from Russia. A wide variety of companies and institutions such those mentioned above, the English Department at Moscow State University, and others actively hire part-time native speakers to run conversational English classes. Paying between 10 and 17 dollars an hour, these jobs are fairly easy to come by. However, the hours are often minimal and irregular, making it difficult to depend on them for a livelihood. Furthermore, they can often require unpaid travel time equal to the teaching time. Little wonder, then, that western students living on a budget often fill these jobs: students who require only a source to subsidize their food or spending money.
There is a major pitfall to avoid when teaching for companies: certain schools in Russia are known for unscrupulous business practices, such as late or non-payment of teachers. On the advice of some of our past students and acquaintances that have worked for such companies, we advise against working for: 1) Harvard English; 2) American Language Center; 3) New York Language Center; 4) ELC Time. Update (5/16/06): In a sign of growing maturity in the Russian language market, Harvard English, American Language Center, and New York Language Center have since gone out of business. Needless to say, none of these organizations ever bore any affiliation with the other organizations of the same or similar names located outside of Russia. SRAS will update this article with any additional information that may arise.
"Safe" companies include those with more international reach (companies with classrooms in other countries besides Russia). Those with international memberships such as with International House are also regulated by international standards. Companies we can recommend working for include: 1) English First (send an email to recruitment@englishfirst.com for more info); and BKC International (email at recruit@bkc.ru). These two companies also offer contracted work across Russia with the Russian equivalent of a middle-class salary in addition to such perks as visa support, travel reimbursement, and discounted Russian lessons.
The final and potentially most profitable option are private lessons. Native speakers who take out ads in newspapers such as iz ruk v ruke (ads must be placed in Russian) or who find companies offering a position to teach employees can easily command $15-20 per hour and even upwards of $40-60 per hour if they are teaching a private group of employees. Others have had luck with ads in www.redtape.ru, an online message-boards community for English speakers living in Moscow.
John Monroe, for example, makes a living teaching private English lessons, mostly to the children of his Russian wife’s co-workers. The living he makes is, he says, very comfortable and, as an added perk (or perhaps curse), he has become something of expert on pop-culture icons such as Britany Spears from his daily conversations with Russian youths.
Teachers will find private lessons be the most volatile option, however, as students can vanish when their willingness to pay or attend does. Also, arrangements must often be made in Russian, meaning that a grasp of the language (or pre-made contacts in Russia, are more necessary to attaining such employment).
In general, westerners will find the education industry in Russia open and inviting and even occasionally well-paid.
Find out more:
ARTICLE ON ESL (05/06)
Article by a former teacher
The SRAS Guide to Russia
The SRAS City Guides
Heath and Safety in Russia
The SRAS Newsletter
Journal for Students
More Free Resources!
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