Working in small towns
Zhelesnodorozniy
About Zhelesnodorozniy
Testimonials
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Zhelesnodorozniy
Zhelesnodorozniy (or Zhel-dor) is a town 23 km to the east from Moscow with about 100 thousand habitants. It became a town 65 years ago though the first settlement in the area was mentioned in Moscow Great Prince Ivan the First (nicknamed Kalita) official papers in 1327. But the place was famous for Leo Tolstoi novel “Anna Karenina”: the main character of the book who committed suicides on the station platform of the town.
The settlement started growing from 1861 when a railway station was built there.
The name of the town is rather functional, meaning railway and functional is the way to describe the town too. It is a satellite of Moscow, 45 minutes away from Red Square by electric train and metro. The town is also famous for its old church which was built there in 1623 and was originally wooden. Since the 19 century this church is made of well-known locally produced bricks which were used also for Moscow state Historical Museum, State Russian Duma (the parliament) and the Moscow state department store. The church is one of only two in the whole of Russia with ceramic icons.
The town itself is quite developed and shows the 19 century industrialization and all facilities and infrastructures which modern town should have.
Testimonials
Michael Aliprandini
Zhelesnodorozniy is a small modern industrial city east of Moscow. Meaning simply 'railway,' it has but one claim to fame as the reputed site of Anna Karenina's demise. 
Alexander Nizhnikov
I love this town. Sometimes it feels like I’m back in the USSR. Slow paced life style and the Soviet era work ethics, long lines and unfriendly clerks in hospitals and administrative offices can still be observed here.
The close proximity of everything
Zhelesnodorozniy is a small modern industrial city east of Moscow. Meaning simply 'railway,' it has but one claim to fame as the reputed site of Anna Karenina's demise. A quiet but not particularly exciting city, it affords few of the disadvantages of Moscow and few of its advantages. Perhaps the best feature of living and working in Zhelesnodorozniy is the close proximity of everything.
The school is but a five minute walk from my apartment while the train station, several Western-style.
Supermarkets, and the well stocked outdoor market are only slightly further afield. From Zhelesnodorozniy to Moscow's Kursky Station is about thirty minutes and there are plenty of trains running both ways, so it is easy to spend the day in the capital. The BKC branch is located inside a state primary school and has recently been remodeled. It has three classrooms-currently one for each on-site teacher. The staff room has a photocopier, a computer and a decent collection of teaching resources. The support staff is helpful and hospitable. Nearly all of my classes are on-site. The exceptions are two corporate students whom I teach at their company headquarters, located a 30-minute walk or a short mini-bus ride from the train station. All of my students have proven keen and easy to amuse, and I'm blessed with small classes.
Michael Aliprandini
April 2005
Living and Teaching in Zheleznodorozhnyi
I love this town. Sometimes it feels like I’m back in the USSR. Slow paced life style and the Soviet era work ethics, long lines and unfriendly clerks in hospitals and administrative offices can still be observed here. However it doesn’t seem to be a problem for the residents of Zheleznodorozhyi. People are not inclined to relocate to overpopulated Moscow or elsewhere. In fact, many of them are very patriotic. I asked some students of mine where they would like to live. Very few of them expressed any interest to move. They are happy living in a wooded zone 45 minutes away from the center of Moscow.
I haven’t noticed any super elite housing, super shopping or fine dining around here although there are quite a few expensive cars on the streets. What really amazes me is a number of casinos in town. They are on every corner. As one of my students commented once, “Ëàñ-Âåãàñ îòäûõàåò”. In idiomatic Russian it means “Las Vegas has no way of competing”.
Zhelezka (as local people often affectionately call the town) is one of those places where you feel at home the first time you get there. It seems to be getting better and better each day. Moscow suburban towns have always been notorious for their roads. Zhelezka authorities have done a lot of improvement lately. And that is a good sign.
As far as the BKC school is concerned, it has a reputation of a highly professional institution, staffed and equipped to develop learners’ language skills. Satisfaction’s guaranteed.
Alexander Nizhnikov
May 2005
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