Viewing topic: Hi All!

Hi everyone,

I'm an Australian teacher heading on over to Russia at the end of the year. I'd love to hear any advice that anyone here has to offer - I've never been to Russia before, but have always been fascinated.

I've been teaching in Oz for a couple of years - mainly business and professional stuff, and a heavy focus on accent training. Might as well put all those deportment and drama classes to use, hey?
Before that I traveled around Europe and freelanced, and taught in Slovakia at the AkVz for about a year and a quarter.

Sorry for the long intro post! I'm about to finish a refresher TEFL course, and I'm all excited about Russia - I hope you don't mind!

-KLJ

Welcome to the site and thanks for taking the time to say hello

Please pay aprticular attention to the current visa situation - don't want to put a dampener on your plans, just best to be informed.

Contact Michael Simmons at EF Corporate (in the directory) - he's a decent Aussie chap and knows a couple more of your fellow countryfolks in the city.

My advice?....

1. Get your own visa.
2. Don't take up any contract with a school (unless you're absolutely desperate for low pay and/or a subsequent visa).
3. Be prepared to pay lots of $$ for somewhere decent (or even 'indecent' ) to live.
4. Read around the forums here for useful info which has already been posted - and only then ask any specific questions you may have.
5. Continue to get excited about arriving!!

Cheers!

Kate-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Just where are you noooooooooooooooow?????

Went off to eslcafe to be scoffed at for daring to think of coming to Russia, possibly?

Must say, we should rename ourselves in the forum. You get to be called Chief Womaniser. I get to be Grumpy Old Git Wot Likes To Complain A Lot.

Or CW and GOGWLTCAL, to keep with the ESL tradition of using acronyms to make everything seem even more complicated than scratching your arse while brushing your teeth.

Speaking of acronyms, I now realise that my new job involves even more, to the point where people with decades of experience in the field get utterly lost. Quite reassuring, actually. Perhaps we should start CASABLANCA, or Campaign Against Silly Acronyms Being Lavishly Applied Not Considerately Alloverthefrigginplace.

I was once all for changing 'VisaRus' to ARSE - All Russian Schools Evaluated