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trainees12
Our Trainees
«Ever since my flight landed in Moscow in mid-March 2008, I’ve found the world works in very different ways than it does here. I left Ottawa after a weekend that saw 2m of snowfall to arrive in a green Moscow. That plus everything is heated here, including the metro. Needless to say, my mukluks and huge winter ski jacket were out of place.
Before the trip, I’ll have to say that getting the visa was actually pretty easy for this Canuck, even after recent legal updates earlier in the year. Point to note: be clear on what type of visa you want. If you sign up for CELTA with the intent of being hired BY BKC, then specifically request the extendable three-month business visa. If you intend to work at another school in Russia upon completion, you’ll need a non-BKC-sponsored visa (usually requiring repatriation as part of the process).
The application was pretty straight forward thanks to the wonderful ladies in Teacher Training. They were very helpful in providing all forms, visa application info…the works. Do pay attention to the name at the end of emails (as teacher training is a departmental email account). The sign with my name on it at the airport was nice, but I’m dismayed to this day that I haven’t received the traditional Russian greeting of a slap on the back and a kiss on each cheek. Oh, get the metro pass with 100 or so rides on it as you’ll use that up throughout the course easily.
CELTA, well, yes it’s demanding, but it’s all about increasing your awareness of the language and methodologies. If there’s one thing I can say about most of the techniques is to trust the process! That’s one thing that really helped in my teaching, even though I’m patient to begin with. Overall, the course was the career qualification I had been looking for in terms of helping me teach better.
Both instructors I had on the course were great. Loads of very practical materials with great pointers throughout. Half of the class was Russian, which I thought was surprising, but they, too, want to live and work abroad, so…. What added some fun was the fact that the entire group spoke North American English while the two instructors spoke British English. Purely by chance and it was fun to exchange idioms, but we didn’t get penalized for different accents as we were all clear to understand.
You won’t really have time to read in your spare time (i.e. weekends) because you won’t have much time at all. So, read up beforehand and bring one or two reference books (I highly recommend Swan as you’ll need it for the assignments). The libraries are stacked here, so no need to worry about finding materials for the practice classes. Plus, it helps to stroll through the (very) nearby Red Square after a long day. Oh, and the catered lunches offered at BKC are inexpensive (given food prices in Moscow) and tasty, especially the mouth-watering buns/rolls.
Speaking of the practice sessions, they were great. The students were eager to learn and appreciate almost anything new you throw at them that they can understand. If the grammar is new, no worries as it will be discussed in afternoon sessions. If you’ve never thought about grammar before, try an online ELA course (I did one before CELTA and it eased my worries tremendously, especially when I started teaching at BKC afterwards).
Prior to Moscow, I had spent four consecutive years teaching English in mainland China and what a huge difference it is! That said, I’m used to living abroad, so culture shock wasn’t so great this time around.
You won’t be a monkey here; you’ll have to know your stuff. Fortunately, there are plenty of experienced teachers and huge libraries of resources. In fact, senior teachers are allotted to various areas of the city to act as mentors, giving advice and keeping in regular contact with those newer to the Russian bloc. All you need to do is keep one step ahead of your students, so, again, trust that process if you have to wrap your mind around any new concepts.
Students are generally eager to learn and are direct with questions and expressing needs to fill gaps in their language base. Adults are mature and accept a bit of humor in the classroom, kiddies are appreciative of opportunities to learn and engage themselves, teens are usually pretty cool, and the libraries of resources give you loads of activities to keep pre-teens on track to improving their English.
If you decide to sign on here at BKC, there are loads of benefits. You don’t need to fly back to get a visa, free accommodation from the end of the course onwards, quick visa processing, orientation, etc. You’ll most likely have a few days to treat yourself to excursions and sleeping in, so budget accordingly. Monthly seminars are more like social gatherings and some important what’s-what sessions, definitely worthwhile. If you’re set on working in a small town near Moscow, that’s pretty much only done in September (beginning of the academic year) from what I’ve been told, although once you’re there….
As for life in Moscow proper, well…. I find it’s more expensive than most places, especially fresh food, so bring your vitamins. Russians, like myself, don’t understand vegetarianism, but there are veggie shops around. Clothes of all (affordable) styles are in great abundance, although there’s a big focus on denim for dudes. If you don’t do the Russian thing of spending the portion of your salary that’s truly disposable on vodka, then you can cook up some great eats, eat out every once in a while, save, and go on occasional trips (not only the ones offered in-house). Books in English are available at a few well-known shops and good Russian textbooks are widely available.
Moscow is the first city with a population of over 1.5 million I’ve lived in that I like. In future, I’ll see about doing the Young Learners’ Course.»
Richard Soulliere - CELTA Course, March 2008
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