... and it'll be a year this July that I started my Russian journey. Am I still in Russia as of this posting? Sadly I'm not as I went back home to Canada in March. The reason? Well let's say that while I like the teaching job and the nice people I've met, the job did not like me. I have no idea why I was let go (though I do have some idea which may be plausible) but there are some things that I've learned just from being abroad.
In summary I've been in two cities (two and a half counting Adygea and a small town outside of Krasnodar) during my stay in Russia. There was a bit of a break when I went to Lithuania to get some new docs but in total I've been about 9 months and a couple weeks as an expat. I've taught in 2 private language schools (plus contributed to a friend's school) learned a bit about working overseas as a teacher and a bit about people who go to private language schools. It's not enough to make a huge generalization but it's enough to overpower the little guy in these places.
As rookie teacher I pretty much entered the world with having a teaching certificate, practicum observation and teaching, and volunteering in an ESL classroom. Was that enough to bring with me as experience? I'd say it depends. It's a bit of an advantage over someone who has never taught or worked in a classroom setting, but someone who has a bit more charisma and comfort around working with people (and giving speeches) will have a slight advantage at winning people's attention. Rookie or not everyone needs training and orientation.
So with my training and experience as my weapons, it was a bit of a hit in the face getting thrown into the job the next day after my arrival in Krasnodar. I was offered to start early in the summer as opposed to September. The reason? Someone was leaving. So after being put to work the next day (and given some time to work things out with the clientele) I apparently was not what they expected. 2/3 of their clients weren't too satisfied with me and refused to pay. The manager of the school at that time (no teaching experience, but has learned a foreign language or two) complained about my looks and found the way I present things not showing a lot of confidence. Hey that's what you get for throwing someone into the lion's den without the proper equipment. Thankfully enough the manager and a well-known, experienced teacher form the schools other location saved me from being sent home early. As for the manager of the first location? I learned that said manager left because of bad management.
Learning a foreign language, especially English is a hot thing in Russia. There are many schools with many trained teacher (most of them native Russians) but not that many that hire foreigners. There are a couple of things for this: Licencing and documents. I'm not sure how it is in other cities but friends I've made (who happen to be former employees of the school in Krasnodar) started their own school but in order to hire foreign workers they have to jump through a lot of hoops to get a certain type of license. That takes who knows how long if you know Russian bureaucracy. The second thing is the documents and they aren't cheap. I'm not sure how many rubles but contracts usually say that visa is covered and also things like an apartment (whether it's shared or solo). So while little guy school is good there are things that prevent them from getting things to make them, well, big name schools. Sure foreigners can work in schools that don't have the special license but the way that works is to be tied to a Russian or have some sort of citizenship.
As for the big name schools, you got to be careful of them as well. While they are well known in the cities for their excellent services provided to the clients, there may be some things that aren't so well known to their clients. For example, how well someone knows how to run a business and what type of business. With private language schools you need a combination of teachers who know what's good for the clients and the business people who know how to market to potential clients. They have to be working together side by side, hand in hand, pretty much chained together. Even with that there may be one business partner who wants to take control of everything because anything that's hot will bring in a lot of money. These can come in the forms of cutting essential services or training trial periods, heck making workers work on a part time basis when you've been offered full time. If controlling business partner doesn't like you then said partner (who may be the main owner) can let you go without no rhyme or reason.Whatever money is earned from full time students may not be spent on salary but it could be on things that the school doesn't need. I could go on but hey it can happen. There are businesses, not just private language schools that do this.
Anyway back to my journey. So from one bad thing to another I eventually got let go from the school in Krasnodar after apparently being too weird (in my opinion). While I've heard that I'm a good teacher from co-workers, this didn't translate well to upper management who wanted some to fit their image. So for some months I was without a job but somehow managed to stay in the country with my visa which was multiple entry at the time. Technically once you're let go of a job your visa is no longer valid (after approximately 3 days after your last day of work). So I was pretty much out of a job for some time. On advice from former co-workers I had to move to another part of the city (since they heard that I was going to be charged for living in the apartment since they couldn't get the deposit back until the end of the payment month and the owner of the flat was returning). After moving into the new space two things happened: I found another job and the old workplace was offering me something.
Starting with the old workplace, they made a contract with some corporate clients and since I had the most availability the old workplace manager offered me the job. Said manager knew I wasn't the strongest they can offer but I was a native speaker and had a "British or American" accent. (Canadian accent is close enough to American). The corporate clients were located in a town outside of Krasnodar. I agreed to it because it gave me something to do in the meantime (until I started new job). Unfortunately what was suppose to be a two week thing only lasted two days. In my opinion most of it had to do with miscommunication in what the corp clients actually wanted.
So after that blunder and a stay in Lithuania it was on to Yekaterinburg, in the dead of winter. Now compared to the school in Krasnodar this place was more organized. It used to be part of a big name school across the entire country (and many others) which eventually became a big name school in the city (even if it's the only school in its name). While I'd hope I'd work there for at least longer than I did in Krasnodar my time there was quite short. I think it may have to do with starting in the middle of the year kind of and again with my teaching style. While I was able to get a filled schedule (even if most of it at that time was taking over portions of other teachers' classes) there was trouble filling it. And because I wasn't generating much money I had to be let go after what was three weeks. Friendly staff, not so friendly clientele (or maybe just hard to win over with me).
While not all of the people I've encountered teaching in both schools were antagonistic towards me, all of them were different in what they wanted out of teaching. Some like a lot of talking going on the the classroom, others want more learning the core material. With kid learners some want more dynamic things going on in the class, others refuse to go along with you even if you make it dynamic. Most of the time it's the parents that force their kids into these classes and they have unrealistic ideas of results. Believe me I had a kid's grandma complain that the grandkid doesn't show of their skills outside the classroom. While my style is a bit of a more laid back "This is what I'm giving you, now do it on your own" I found there are those who would rather have the teacher give them the answer and then explain. Maybe some work better that way I guess. Also there was this thing called conversation club which carries two meanings: It's either a place where people talk and hang out or it's that plus a seminar aspect (with handouts). The latter was more common and in my mind I was hoping for a topic and people freely talking about it with what they know (they can do it, but depending on the level may lack vocabulary to express themselves hence the handouts and seminar-like aspect).
Yet again there are factors beyond both mine and the school's control. Someone comes to learn with a native speaker and maybe they're not ready for one just yet. Scheduling may be a thing as well, especially if it's a university student who can't make it to class on time. The result may be "I can't do it now" and that has nothing to do with how good or bad I am. Then there is the placement testing. A student may place at an intermediate level according according to the criteria but in reality may be below or advanced for intermediate (this may be in control of the school and they may be moved to another class which won't change in income but if there's no class offered it's a bit of a loss).
Maybe it's just my luck. The same thing could easily happen in China or Korea, even if they have more opportunities for things. I'd thought I'd have better luck outside of Moscow and Saint Peteresburg because those cities are well-known compared to others in Russia so less competition. It turns out it's not just about competition but maybe it has to do how the person hiring has confidence in the person they're hiring. Had I started when I was supposed to start maybe I might have adjusted since new management came in around the time I arrived and they've already settle in. Maybe the same thing would still happen and I'd have been sent home in October.
So if this seems like a combumbled rant basically this is what I've come to a conclusion after my bad experiences
In summary I've been in two cities (two and a half counting Adygea and a small town outside of Krasnodar) during my stay in Russia. There was a bit of a break when I went to Lithuania to get some new docs but in total I've been about 9 months and a couple weeks as an expat. I've taught in 2 private language schools (plus contributed to a friend's school) learned a bit about working overseas as a teacher and a bit about people who go to private language schools. It's not enough to make a huge generalization but it's enough to overpower the little guy in these places.
As rookie teacher I pretty much entered the world with having a teaching certificate, practicum observation and teaching, and volunteering in an ESL classroom. Was that enough to bring with me as experience? I'd say it depends. It's a bit of an advantage over someone who has never taught or worked in a classroom setting, but someone who has a bit more charisma and comfort around working with people (and giving speeches) will have a slight advantage at winning people's attention. Rookie or not everyone needs training and orientation.
So with my training and experience as my weapons, it was a bit of a hit in the face getting thrown into the job the next day after my arrival in Krasnodar. I was offered to start early in the summer as opposed to September. The reason? Someone was leaving. So after being put to work the next day (and given some time to work things out with the clientele) I apparently was not what they expected. 2/3 of their clients weren't too satisfied with me and refused to pay. The manager of the school at that time (no teaching experience, but has learned a foreign language or two) complained about my looks and found the way I present things not showing a lot of confidence. Hey that's what you get for throwing someone into the lion's den without the proper equipment. Thankfully enough the manager and a well-known, experienced teacher form the schools other location saved me from being sent home early. As for the manager of the first location? I learned that said manager left because of bad management.
Learning a foreign language, especially English is a hot thing in Russia. There are many schools with many trained teacher (most of them native Russians) but not that many that hire foreigners. There are a couple of things for this: Licencing and documents. I'm not sure how it is in other cities but friends I've made (who happen to be former employees of the school in Krasnodar) started their own school but in order to hire foreign workers they have to jump through a lot of hoops to get a certain type of license. That takes who knows how long if you know Russian bureaucracy. The second thing is the documents and they aren't cheap. I'm not sure how many rubles but contracts usually say that visa is covered and also things like an apartment (whether it's shared or solo). So while little guy school is good there are things that prevent them from getting things to make them, well, big name schools. Sure foreigners can work in schools that don't have the special license but the way that works is to be tied to a Russian or have some sort of citizenship.
As for the big name schools, you got to be careful of them as well. While they are well known in the cities for their excellent services provided to the clients, there may be some things that aren't so well known to their clients. For example, how well someone knows how to run a business and what type of business. With private language schools you need a combination of teachers who know what's good for the clients and the business people who know how to market to potential clients. They have to be working together side by side, hand in hand, pretty much chained together. Even with that there may be one business partner who wants to take control of everything because anything that's hot will bring in a lot of money. These can come in the forms of cutting essential services or training trial periods, heck making workers work on a part time basis when you've been offered full time. If controlling business partner doesn't like you then said partner (who may be the main owner) can let you go without no rhyme or reason.Whatever money is earned from full time students may not be spent on salary but it could be on things that the school doesn't need. I could go on but hey it can happen. There are businesses, not just private language schools that do this.
Anyway back to my journey. So from one bad thing to another I eventually got let go from the school in Krasnodar after apparently being too weird (in my opinion). While I've heard that I'm a good teacher from co-workers, this didn't translate well to upper management who wanted some to fit their image. So for some months I was without a job but somehow managed to stay in the country with my visa which was multiple entry at the time. Technically once you're let go of a job your visa is no longer valid (after approximately 3 days after your last day of work). So I was pretty much out of a job for some time. On advice from former co-workers I had to move to another part of the city (since they heard that I was going to be charged for living in the apartment since they couldn't get the deposit back until the end of the payment month and the owner of the flat was returning). After moving into the new space two things happened: I found another job and the old workplace was offering me something.
Starting with the old workplace, they made a contract with some corporate clients and since I had the most availability the old workplace manager offered me the job. Said manager knew I wasn't the strongest they can offer but I was a native speaker and had a "British or American" accent. (Canadian accent is close enough to American). The corporate clients were located in a town outside of Krasnodar. I agreed to it because it gave me something to do in the meantime (until I started new job). Unfortunately what was suppose to be a two week thing only lasted two days. In my opinion most of it had to do with miscommunication in what the corp clients actually wanted.
So after that blunder and a stay in Lithuania it was on to Yekaterinburg, in the dead of winter. Now compared to the school in Krasnodar this place was more organized. It used to be part of a big name school across the entire country (and many others) which eventually became a big name school in the city (even if it's the only school in its name). While I'd hope I'd work there for at least longer than I did in Krasnodar my time there was quite short. I think it may have to do with starting in the middle of the year kind of and again with my teaching style. While I was able to get a filled schedule (even if most of it at that time was taking over portions of other teachers' classes) there was trouble filling it. And because I wasn't generating much money I had to be let go after what was three weeks. Friendly staff, not so friendly clientele (or maybe just hard to win over with me).
While not all of the people I've encountered teaching in both schools were antagonistic towards me, all of them were different in what they wanted out of teaching. Some like a lot of talking going on the the classroom, others want more learning the core material. With kid learners some want more dynamic things going on in the class, others refuse to go along with you even if you make it dynamic. Most of the time it's the parents that force their kids into these classes and they have unrealistic ideas of results. Believe me I had a kid's grandma complain that the grandkid doesn't show of their skills outside the classroom. While my style is a bit of a more laid back "This is what I'm giving you, now do it on your own" I found there are those who would rather have the teacher give them the answer and then explain. Maybe some work better that way I guess. Also there was this thing called conversation club which carries two meanings: It's either a place where people talk and hang out or it's that plus a seminar aspect (with handouts). The latter was more common and in my mind I was hoping for a topic and people freely talking about it with what they know (they can do it, but depending on the level may lack vocabulary to express themselves hence the handouts and seminar-like aspect).
Yet again there are factors beyond both mine and the school's control. Someone comes to learn with a native speaker and maybe they're not ready for one just yet. Scheduling may be a thing as well, especially if it's a university student who can't make it to class on time. The result may be "I can't do it now" and that has nothing to do with how good or bad I am. Then there is the placement testing. A student may place at an intermediate level according according to the criteria but in reality may be below or advanced for intermediate (this may be in control of the school and they may be moved to another class which won't change in income but if there's no class offered it's a bit of a loss).
Maybe it's just my luck. The same thing could easily happen in China or Korea, even if they have more opportunities for things. I'd thought I'd have better luck outside of Moscow and Saint Peteresburg because those cities are well-known compared to others in Russia so less competition. It turns out it's not just about competition but maybe it has to do how the person hiring has confidence in the person they're hiring. Had I started when I was supposed to start maybe I might have adjusted since new management came in around the time I arrived and they've already settle in. Maybe the same thing would still happen and I'd have been sent home in October.
So if this seems like a combumbled rant basically this is what I've come to a conclusion after my bad experiences
- There are people who can't run a business properly in the private school business
- There are people who have high expectations of something and won't give people another chance
- It's all about image and people paying more for something that appears to be of good quality
- Time is money and for some there's not enough money to provide training
- One thing can mean two things. Ask what they mean before assuming what's going to happen
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