As a large country you could teach English in Russia state, language or international schools. International or state school jobs teaching in Russia, a teacher’s specialist subject, for example chemistry, physical education or history is available.
To teach in Russia, you require work and residence permits as a legal requirement.
As a qualified teacher you’d get sponsored from an employer and ultimately obtain permission to legally become a subject teacher at an international school fairly easily.
Teaching in Russia
State and international schools advertise jobs for teachers providing good employment opportunities for overseas teachers, although most jobs for subject teachers are at international schools.
Russian schools advertise all classroom subject teaching vacancies including: science, physical education, business studies, English, information technology, mathematics to education jobs as a bursar, personal assistant and sports coaches.
Children age from 3 to 18 years where you could teach nursery, primary teaching or secondary high school students your specialist subject area.
As with state schools you must be a qualified/certified teacher.
Employers are looking for English teachers that have a language teaching certificate and with classroom experience with learners in language schools.
Russia salary as a school teacher
Depending on your experience and qualifications a state school teacher at primary and secondary level or language school you can expect to be offer around £1,400-2,300 per month teaching full time.
International school teacher jobs in Russia come with better salaries and provide accommodation as part of a salary package. Pay levels can be from £1,800-4000 per month.
The Russian salary package for school teachers usually includes an apartment or an accommodation allowance, return flights, health insurance and possible reduced cost children school fees at international schools.
Russia visa & school teacher requirements
For a all teachers in Russia, you require a Russian work permit and an entry visa obtained from the Russian embassy in many countries worldwide, for example in London. You actually have to go to the embassy to complete the work visa process in the UK. You get a finger print scan as part of your visa process.
Immigration and learning providers have their own separate requirements, some the same legal and desired requirements, including appropriate education qualifications.
- Russia embassy expects a clean criminal background.
- Possible accredited degree qualification and teaching qualification for school children.
- Native English speaker is a must for English school teachers and visa issue in schools.
- Experience teaching student age range helps to gain a post, especially top state and international schools, management positions.
- Teaching English as a second language in Russia at least requires a TEFL, CELT or TESOL certificate.
- You need to get a full medical check certificate for a work visa, residency permit to stay and work. Full medical check with blood tests and chest x-ray, HIV certificate for a Russian visa application.
- Signed contracts from 6 months to 2 years, also possible renewable. Think is this contract financially beneficial for me?.
Summary on requirements: All documents may require to be authenticated first and legalised by the Russian Embassy, which includes qualifications, criminal record check, medical check and blood test.
People from the UK, Western Europe and North America that wish to teach English must obtain a work visa before flying to Russia, first obtaining all the documents needed before applying.
Teach English in Russia state schools
Russian state schools are actively employing good teachers of English for Russia towns, cities and in more rural areas.
You could find yourself as an English language teacher to classes of primary or secondary children depending on the age range you are qualified.
School children in Russia are the same as anywhere, most are well behaved and do not mind learning, although you’ll come across now and again a disruptive pupil that does not wish to be at school.
State and international school year
School pupils start the new academic year around late August and finish around the following June.
You can start a job in Russia in a state or international school at the beginning of the new term in August.
Popular cities for teaching jobs
The capital of Russia Moscow and Saint Petersburg are large cities with millions of people living in both cities.
Hundreds of thousands of school pupils attend free state schools, although there are a number of fee paying international schools where local children and foreign children attend from 4 years to 18 years old.
Universities in Moscow are popular as the city has some of the best universities in Russia. To teach English at a university you must have a TEFL certificate or similar and possible additional qualifications.
Foreign English teachers are actively employed in state schools to teach English to Russian school children from 5 to 16 years old.
There are a number of English language teacher programs where you can be employed and placed with a school teaching English in a state school organised through a language school.
Essentially employers with local government contracts to supply native English teachers to help children learn and improve their English. This is not the same a full time contract as a fully qualified school teacher.
Renting accommodation in Russia
Signing a lease for an apartment or house is possible, although most landlords will ask for a residency permit, deposit when signing a rental lease.
Large cities such as Moscow are expensive in relation to a teacher’s salary for renting an apartment in the city.
Russia country facts
| Russia population: 146 million October 2021 | Country dialling code: + 7 | Capital: Moscow |
| Area size: 17,075,400 SQ km approximately | Drive: On right | Language: Russian |
| Climate: Warm summers and cold autumn and winters | Time: GMT + 3 or hours. number of time zones | Currency: Rubble |
Where to find a job teaching English
International jobs boards for English teachers are a good start and recruitment agencies websites.
Search for English teachers Russia and look at the job positions for a suitable vacancy.
Also, apply to language schools in Russia direct and international schools at least 3 months before the start of the new term.
Care should you become unwell
Your employer hopefully will give you medical insurance.
Depending on your location appropriate medical care could take some time and will be expensive if not covered. Obtain international illness cover before arriving in Russia.