Details
Demand
High
Busiest
Sep-Jun
Academic Year
Currency
R
Russian Rubles (RUB)
Contract
9 months
Normally
Taxes
Acceptable
- Summary
- There are plenty of people with lots of money since the collapse of communism, so the demand for English teachers is high
- Main TEFL regions
- Moscow, St Petersburg, Vladimir. In such a big country, there are opportunities in many towns and cities.
- Types of teaching
- In-company: General English, Business English
Private language schools: General English, Business English, Cambridge FCE
State schools: General English
Private tuition: General English, Business English - Accommodation
- Accommodation is usually provided by your employer. Don’t expect much more than a poky room in a shared apartment, but you should thank your lucky stars for even that! A one-room apartment of your own will cost upwards of 25,000R (US$1000 per month) in Moscow.
- Flight reimbursement
- You will usually get some sort of cash bonus at the end of your contract.
- Salary
- 18,500-35,000R (US$800-1500) per month for a newly-qualified teacher, including accommodation and sometimes meals; while more experienced and qualified teachers can earn over 70,000R per month. Private tuition can earn established teachers up to 1500R (US$65) per hour.
- Taxes
- Russia has a flat income tax rate of 13%
- Cost of living
- This is the big problem in Russia: the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years. Inflation is over 10% and Moscow has recently been named as the world’s most expensive city.
- While transport is relatively cheap - only 12R (US$0.50) for the metro and 14R for the bus – most other things (especially food) will put a big dent in your disposable income.
- Potential to save money
- Coming to Russia is a great chance to make a difference but you won’t be able to save much money.
- How much TEFL training is recommended?
- You should definitely get a TEFL qualification before arriving, as there are lots of newly-qualified teachers arriving every week.
- Common teaching conditions
- Teaching resources are in short supply, so you’ll have to be inventive with your teaching techniques – i-to-i’s Teaching with Limited Resources certificate should help with this. The students tend to be hard-working, but it can take some coercing to get them out of their shells.
Be aware…
Many schools can be mercenary with their contracts – both with the terms they offer and the ease with which they cancel them: try to get recommendations of good employers from fellow teachers.
