 Day 46: Sportin' My Teacher Look |
I get quite a few emails asking me about how I got my job teaching English in Ukraine, so now is as good a time as ever to divulge my lovely bits of insider information. If you happen to be one of those interested in an extended immersion into this former Soviet country, then listen up!
I never thought I would end up in Ukraine, and although my time there was in the murky Ukrainian winter, I am lucky to have had that experience. Without it, I would never have found myself killing time in the Baltic countries before my start date, thus never meeting Patrick! Plus, I now have a special spot in my heart for the Ukrainian people, one that goes beyond the bleak, non-smiling faces to the real soft and caring souls they contain. And, a deep love and respect for vodka as a winter-warming drink.
How I Got the Job
To be honest, during my month-long hiatus at home in August of 2008, I didn’t know what I wanted to do next – return to learn more Russian in Kyrgyzstan or attempt to get a teaching job. My ideal setup was to get a job teaching English in a country that speaks Russian so I could continue learning while also making a bit of money. I frantically took to looking for ways to achieve this, which involved me spending countless hours on the web scouring English language schools in countries like Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The options that I found – since I didn’t have any classroom teaching experience – were to either work in Russia for no pay except for a small return on lessons or to work with the American English Center in Kiev.
I applied and applied, and eventually I got a response from AEC who then wanted to do a Skype phone interview. I was ecstatic! Oh, the possibilities!
I got word of the offer when I was back on the road.
The Training I Needed for the Job
While I was in Bishkek studying Russian, I had already thought about the possibility of pursuing teaching abroad, so I took an online TEFL course. It definitely is not as good as taking a proper in-the-classroom course, but I thought it would at least give me a bit of an edge over people who had no training whatsoever. Plus, it is heaps cheaper.
Luckily, the job with AEC was open to those with no teaching experience since they offered a bit of training in the beginning and had a fairly decent classroom program planned out.
The Visa I Needed for the Job
This part gets a bit hazy. I was hoping to get my official letter of employment from AEC before I arrived so I could get the proper working visa, but alas, I did not. They told me to come into the country (where I could stay for up to 6 months) and then leave the country on a break to get the proper visa later on. Well, I never got the proper visa (I left before 6 months to go to Australia), and apparently that was okay for the school? We were also paid in cash.
So, as you can see, getting the job was not too much hassle when you consider the lack of teaching experience. But, you also have to consider that Ukraine in the winter isn’t the most desirable destination.
>> Read more about the pay situation at my teaching gig in Ukraine.
American girl left to travel the world in 2007. Studied languages, slept in a yurt, taught English, met Aussie guy and fell in love. Moved to Australia. Calls Sydney home. Wants a puppy. Still loves to travel. Read more 
would you recommend aec
Late response, but yes to the right people
Email me and let’s talk.
Brooke,
Would you say it would be very hard for someone to teach english in Ukraine is they only understood some basic Russian?
Also, how was the pay with AEC?
Hi Shawn,
You do not need to know any Russian to teach English, especially in a classroom situation as some students will know more than others and help. As for pay, it wasn’t that good when I was there because we were given hrivna and the value in dollars dropped because of the financial crisis. It wasn’t enough for me at the time to do anything more than live in Ukraine. Email me if you have more questions
Hi,
I am trying to relocate into Ukraine, and work there as a teacher, can you send me list of possible schools looking for a teacher?
thanks,
Migi
Thanks for the information. i would like to ask you some questions if I get you reply to this mail. Actually I want to go to ukrain to teach English.
Thanks,
Hassan
Brooke,
I’m looking for a private English teacher for my son (5 years old) in Kiev. The main idea of the lessons is not to use translation at all, just to develop the language feeling, understanding and ability to talk. He had such experience before and liked it very much. Could you please reccoment someone? Are you still in Kiev?
thanks!
I have not been in Kiev for a few years, but I put a message on Facebook to see if anyone else is still there. I’ll let you know if I find anyone
Hey Brooke,
What schools besides AEC can you recommend or heard good things about in Kiev? How often and how many times did you apply with AEC? Seems alot of crap small 1 man schools in Kiev run by american losers!
On a separate note? What did you like about Kiev and what’s some great places to hangout and see there and fun places to chill?
What’s your email?
Dear Sirs,
I am the director of Number One Language Center in Odessa. We are very interested in English-speaking native teachers for full-time work. If you are interested, please contact me:
My skype is oksana_scorpio, my e-mail is number_one_lc@ukr.net.
Kind regards, Oksana.
hello oksana,I am very much interested teaching english in ukraine
I am a usa citizen and have been to ukraine twice in the past several years.
I do know some basic russian.I looking forward to hearing from you soon
thanks paul greene
Hello, Oksana.
My name is Albert. I am an American, 58 and retired on a small military pension. I will be moving to Ukraine at the end of this year. I have many years teaching experience in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
I would like to stay in contact with you, but I don’t do Skype. Can we communicate through e-mails? luvthai2003@yahoo.com
Thank you for your time.
Albert Pearson
Dear Brooke,
Are there any chances for non-native teachers to get a job in Ukraine?
I would appreciate it if you could let me know of the regulations in language schools there.
Best Regards,
Shahrokh Javady
Would be very interested in teaching English in the Ukraine, but i am not a native speaker. Had several years of experience though, both as a private tutor and in several companies and also did English preparatory courses for Greeks who wanted to go to the UK to study. How would i go about finding work there?
Thank you for your time,
Costas
Hi.. I’m actually in Ukraine right now and I went to the National University in Kherson.. and they seem to be interested in my ability to teach French Phonetics.. I would really like to know what I can do as a Canadian to better accomplish this goal. I love Ukraine, the people and the way of Life.. and I want to build a future here. I’m 25, fluent in both English and French.. I believe we have a common approach to learning russian. It’s my 3rd time in Ukraine. I don’t exactly have a high school diploma but I’m willing to go back to school in order to achieve my higher purpose. The director at the university has voiced an interest and she asked me to bring all my documents.. I have no idea what those documents are.. and I feel I have limited time because ideally, they would like me as soon as possible. I’m not specific to which city I would like to work in.. Kherson is simply the city I had the chance to speak to a University about it.. The Director offered to house me in student hostels and to pay me a small salary.. enough to pay rent. I will probably need to get a second job but I would first like to secure my first job.. I believe I would make a great Phonetics instructor.. but I first need to return to school in Canada, In order to achieve this and to feel comfortable providing a higher quality program for those I wish to teach. What do you recommend? and is there a way you can give me suggestions in a List Format?