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Robert Leitch Site Editor |
An English teacher since 2001, Robert is currently working freelance in St. Petersburg, occasionally travelling to Scandinavia on secret missions ;) The rest of the time, he's maintaining VisaRus and trying to get it recognised as the top EFL site in Russia. |
| Robert Leitch takes a short, cynical look at the hype that surrounds the EFL industry in Russia, and the realities of making a living as an English teacher... | ||
Damning myths
EFL in Russia is like a secret society with open doors. From the outside it looks like an intimidating, exclusive profession accessible only to the most qualified teachers. But step inside and you will find an industry, if it can be called that, in total disarray.
The outside impression is created by the big schools (BKC, English First and Language Link amongst others) that obviously need to culture such an image of prestige and quality. The reality is due to the fact that the demand for English teachers in Russia is fast outgrowing supply. As a result, almost any passing English speaker can get a job as a ‘native teacher’. This is good for passing English speakers, but bad for the teaching industry. Further problems arise from employment issues for teachers.
It’s difficult to make a career in teaching English. For a newcomer, the only option is usually to begin by teaching in one of the big schools. Without experience, the new teacher will be taken advantage of in terms of poor pay and poor conditions. Working conditions tend to stretch the limits of tolerance at the best of times, as few classes will be taught in the school’s main office. These companies farm teachers out to smaller schools and often to businesses, and in a big city like Moscow or Saint Petersburg, unpaid traveling time can accumulate into a big chunk of the teacher’s day.
The ‘split shift’ is where a teacher’s work is separated into a morning shift and a late afternoon or evening shift, usually with a good deal of traveling in the middle. This stretches the working day into an arduous slog, leaving little time for lesson preparation, never mind looking after oneself. The net result is that because the day actually contains relatively few working hours, the hourly pay drops to a point where teachers are often struggling to break even. Teachers are often dissatisfied with their own work because they simply have no time to plan good lessons, and it’s not uncommon for depression or other illness to set in, especially during winter months.
You would expect most people to refuse to work under such conditions, but for many there’s little choice. Because of the lack of teachers that I mentioned before, schools will, in reality, take almost any passing English speaker. So much the better if he has a teaching certificate of some description. There are people who teach English for a living, and there are those who look at it as the adventure of a lifetime. The ones who do it for ‘fun’ keep the schools alive, and let them get away with deplorable working conditions. The 'holiday teachers' may not give the best lessons and they may not really know what the subjunctive is, but they speak (usually) fluent English and they're happy just to be in Russia so they’re hired, sign here please.
The continued existence of the big schools means that that’s where the students are. So working as an English teacher, for most people, means working with these schools under these conditions at some time or another. There are other options, but none of them are guaranteed. Teaching privately is one, but it means you are effectively running your own one-man business. You have to advertise your services (in competition with schools and other teachers) organise timetables, give lessons, keep up with payments and you still have the problem that your working day is going to be spread out to suit your students. Most want their lessons in the evening, and there are only so many hours you can work after six or seven p.m. Adding the fact that just one student canceling or missing one or two lessons per week knocks a big percentage out of your income really highlights the risks of this approach. Don’t even think about getting ill.
There are a lucky few who get jobs like mine, as in-company teachers in big businesses. They generally don’t have to worry too much about money, as they should never sign a contract that has no guaranteed monthly wage. The problem is that their employers may have little or no understanding of teaching. The ‘behind the scenes’ work that goes on in teaching is often underestimated to the point of being dismissed completely. Businesses don’t want to pay for work that they can’t see a need for, so preparation time is squeezed out of your timetable.
Because few people ever work a solid timetable in teaching, they don’t always realise what a draining job it can be as a regular nine-to-five. For me, three hours of teaching individual lessons without a break is as tiring mentally as digging a six-foot deep hole is physically. Stop for three-quarters of an hour to run down the street to get some fresh air and pies and start the next three-hour block. Then fifteen minutes to get notes in order before the last lesson of the day.
There's money to be made in EFL, but there are no free lunch breaks.
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