If it seems to good to be true- It probably is !

I want to share with you a frustrating experience of job seeking here in Moscow.

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a teaching agency here in Moscow and offered a good teaching job. It seemed too good to be true, which usually means it is! I was offered a job on great money, for five hours a day, Monday to Friday to teach two children at their home in a luxury community outside the centre of Moscow. I was asked to meet the mother of these two 'darlings' and a woman from the agency, at a coffee bar, at a metro stop outside the centre. The day came, I hired a baby sitter for my kid; allowing three hours, planned the journey, consulted Google maps (see link) and went to meet them. If I was given the job, the pay was so good that I would have hired a a baby sitter to look after junior, baby sitters are easy to find here.

I found the coffee shop and went in, they were not sitting near the coffee entrance door, as logic would suggest but at the very back of the coffee shop. Every pair of women I saw sitting at tables, I walked up to and mentioned the name of the agency women "Nadia". Eventually, after odd looks from some affronted women who were sipping their coffee, I  found two likely looking women at a table and they responded and I went back to the front of the coffee shop to wait for my turn to meet them. At the agreed time, I was called to their table, I was not offered any coffee but sat down to sell my experience. The mother was attractive and not a stereotypical rich Russian and it was clear to me that they were meeting many possible candidates for this lucrative teaching position. The mother asked me if I had my own books, I told her I did not, which was not actually totally true as I do have books but in my experience, each child is different and so a book could be liked by one child but not liked by another child and so its better to meet the kids, asses them, then buy the books, there are many Early learning Centers here (see link). I had not even met her children to asses their langauge ability, although the mother told me her youngest spoke no English and her eldest had been learning for two years. Rather meaningless information. A child may have learned for two years but may have poor concentration or bad ability.

After about fifteen minutes of talking to them, the mother asked me to do a 'trial' lesson. I agreed for Tuesday the following week. These 'trial' lessons are very common here and often you don't get paid for them, they are annoying but its the only way to get a regular class as trust is not relied on here. Its what Russians expect. I went home. A day or two later, I emailed the agency asking for pick up details as it was agreed that the mothers 'driver' (many people here, expats and Russians have private drivers) would collect me each day from an agreed metro station. I also asked them via email, if I could prepare for the 'trial' lesson. They told me I should and that they would email me the day before the trial lesson with pick up information. All seemed arranged.  I spent many hours at home and one full ink cartridge, as well as a small forest of my own paper, printing off fun games and activities for the two children. I was keen to impress and to entertain the two children and to motivate their interest in English, then hopefully I would be offered the job. This was a complete waste of time.

Today, on Monday, the day before the lesson, I had an email from the agency, saying that the mother had 'canceled the trial lesson' as she had found 'another' teacher, 'sorry for this' and they hoped I would find 'another job' but would 'be happy to put my name forward for other jobs!' My heart sunk, yeah right, thanks a lot. Sometimes I get the real feeling I am cursed or that Russia simply is not for me in body or in spirit. Russia does not like me.

I have decided to share this story with you, as some expats move to Russia to work as teachers. I think if you are single, child free and have good contacts, it will be easier than it has been for me but be ready to be screwed around and have your time totally wasted. I have been told that Russians only think of themselves. I don't think this is true or fair, as you can't really generalize about a whole nation, but I do get the feeling, that some Russians are very proud and do seem at times to have a total contempt for 'foreigners'. Be ready to do lots of leg work and have your time wasted but you may have a bit more success than me and find the job you are looking for here in Moscow. My advice is, state your terms at the beginning and don't believe it, till you see it, when it comes to negotiating a job here. You could end up being used when you think you are onto a good thing, if it seems too good to be true, it often is too good to be true.

Teaching jobs can be easily found in Moscow, but the money can be bad and you will often end up being exploited for your time. When you find a good offer, as I did, jump at it but be very careful as what is offered and verbally promised may not be the reality. The older I get, the wiser I get, or that's the theory anyway. I'm still learning.

Update: Since this post, I dumped that arrogant agency and found a job teaching the rich. That's Karma!

Related stories: I have taught the rich before when I first arrived in Moscow. Read about it here 

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