Viewing topic: Making money in Teaching

In an other thread there was some discussion about salary and what is exceptable and what isn't. In order to look at this objectively you have to look at several issues.

1st: What is the cost of living in the area around the school.

2nd: Does the school provide housing and the type of housing.
3rd: Does this salary fit your needs.

There are some schools in Russia that are just starting out and just now offering to take on Foriegn teacher. If the local salaries don't allow for paying extra for foriegn teachers then the salary offer will be low. But this is what they have to offer. If you don't like the salary you don't have to take the job. But if you think you going to make money as a teacher in Russia you might want to recheck your figures.

Yes you can make a fair amount as a teacher by local standards, but what are you living cost. In Moscow and St petes you will be lucky to find an apartment for less than $300 - $400 an month and a lot of school don't provide apartments. The extra cost of living in the big city will mean that you will have to make more money. In a smaller city like Ufa or Oktyabrsky and others that have been mentioned, the cost of living is less and the school is providing housing. So the salary goes farther. Do the math.

While in each area the salary is set according to the living standard, it your living standards do fit their, don't take the job. For most of use this is about the travel and the experience and the notch in our belt being able to say "I have been there and done that"

If you have committments and needs that demand that you make great amounts of money this may not be the job for you.

Should have read "If your living standards don't fix theirs, don't take the job.

Felt I should add to this topic...

Folks, if you're thinking about going into teaching to make money, and I mean real money, not just a comfortable living, you need to look for another country entirely.

Of all the teachers I know in St. Petersburg, only one breaks the $2k mark without risking losing his sanity.

Even if you're making a 'good' living somewhere by local standards in Russia, saving, say, from $200 to $500 a month, that money won't go far in the real world.

If you have debts in pounds, euros or dollars, don't expect to pay them off while you're teaching. I've seen more than one attempt at this, and I can say it's not an undertaking for the lighthearted.

Teaching does suck you in, and not because it's so much fun. Unless you have qualifications and experience in a professional field, it can be very, very difficult to stay in Russia without teaching (I can just get by on translating alone, but it's not something I'd want to do on a purely ad-hoc freelance basis).

Moving out of Russia after an extended stint of teaching can be a difficult, if not plain harrowing experience. Unless you had savings before you started, any money you scraped together as a teacher won't go far.

I know too many people who got stuck in this business after just a few years, despite efforts to get out. Talk about a dead-end job!