I am considering teaching English in Russia and wondered if...

I’ve been interested in going to Russia to teach English for about a year and a half. My main motivator is the learning Russian (I’m a linguist). It’s still somewhat of an "exotic" language. The culture fascinates me, too: both eerie and somber, but somehow attractive. All that said, I have so many fears of going to Russia alone as EFL teacher (safety, legal rights, all the "incoveniences" of Russian life, etc).

The lifestyle in a larger city is different when compared to smaller cities. Good luck. You never know how you will adapt to living in Russia until you do it. You may like it. Have you thought about taking a short trip to visit for a few days or a week? I’d recommend visiting the city before you even entertain the thought of living and working there.
Have fun.

Thanks Rene. You’re right it is probably very prudent to go and check out the city where you might live and work and it is what I’ve been thinking recently as well. Cheers.
And Matt I have a friend who works in Moscow and he says don’t trust ANYONE there. He is a very cynical guy but he wrote it in capitals to me so he must mean it. From all my research it is pretty safe in Russia though and no reason to be too fearful. But unfortunately its reputation precedes it and it is my main, and perhaps irrational, concern.

Russia is an exciting place to work, but I would agree with your friend that you should not trust anybody. It is better if you go with another teacher so that whatever happens you could help each other. It is also better if you know somebody there or have some friends to help you during your first days. People will try to rob you and rip you off in the cafes and restaurants because they hear you speak English and they think you have money. I think a lot of things are changing now, but you really have to know some Russian to get by.

Hi Alex - I lived and taught in a private KG school in Moscow a few years ago. It was quite an experience to say the least!! i had taught abroad before so was fully aware of culture shock ect. I lived in a flat close to my school in a good neighborhood. The winters are VERY long and glummy and that made a huge impact on me personally. The people you see on the streets are not friendly, but those in my school were gracious, warm and lovely people. English is not widely spoken and there are zero signs in English which made it difficult to get around. If you know Russian it would be easier to survive . The most important thing to have is to find a network of friends to be with for support when it gets rough. I was involved with my embassy which provided a lot of activities and group tours in the area as well as giving me that personal support. There is still a lot of corruption and intimidation going on especially within the governemnt and with wealthy people. Moscow is expensive to live in and many families live in shifts in the small flats together, Life can be difficult for most living there. Visiting the country and area you would be interested in livinging would be a good thing to explore. Best of luck to you!!

I wouldn’t consider going to Russia as an inexperienced teacher. Russians students, like Russians in general are demanding and surly. Think about New Yorkers x 3! They are grammar freaks and will dig up a 30 year old grammar book in Russian to contradict you. It was a good experience, but not for the faint hearted. I won’t go back even though I learned a lot. Once dance with the devil is enough.

Hi Alex. I'm Russian and living in Russia. As a rule of thumb, I would recommend you to go only to cities of at least 1 million people. Shouldn't be any problems. Such cities will be more or less the same in terms of development and infrastructure. Moscow and St. Petersburg are different, though - standards of living are much higher and prices as a result.