FAQ Living in Moscow
What do you need to know about the Russian culture, packing for your trip to Russia, traveling in Moscow, learning the Russian language? Ask our expert…
Mick Calvett helps BKC to answer your most common questions (Mick - Australian, taught in Australia for 26 years, Denver Colorado for 1 year and in Moscow from 1997 till present)
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I'm planning to travel around in Russia and possibly travel back through Europe on my way home to the UK. I don't really want to have too much stuff with me. Do you think it's possible to get by on just a backpack to start with or is it better to have about five suitcases?!
By all means take a backpack, but it's probably better to also have a suitcase with the allowed 20kg. You can travel light in Russia, leaving the odds and ends back at your flat in Moscow.
Most things in Russia are similar in price or cheaper than in Britain, where I gather you come from, more to the point, they are what you need to cope with the extremes - in fact you don't need too much cold weather gear - because most of the time you are in centrally heated buildings.
A word of warning though - visa regulations are changing all the time, so check with recruitment about whether it's possible to travel extensively in Russia after your contract ends - sometimes you only have 10 days to leave the country, unless our visa department knows in advance.
Are warm clothes/coats expensive in Russia? And what's the general cost of living?
Of course you will need one really warm set of clothes - lined boots, warm tights, a really good winter coat etc; from November to March - but the secret is layering with easily removable layers - otherwise you soon boil indoors.
I am able to save some of my salary in Moscow - this helps pay for my return trip to Australia each year, and a number of side-trips in Russia or one to Western Europe. However the rising cost of living and the dollar exchange rate can eat away the buying power of your salary quite quickly, so the situation is changing.
There is one cinema showing English language movies in Moscow - about 5 or so in any one week - about $10 per person, the Bolshoi theatre and other Russian attractions can be quite cheap if you plan ahead. Like any place, if you live high, your money will run out, some Moscow bars and nightclubs are astronomical in price by any standards, but your fellow teachers will fill you in on the good value ones.
Compared with North America or the EU, you have to hunt around more to find value in Russia, but it's there - the more you want to live it up, the more private work you will need to do, and the less time you will have to live it up.
Any important things which aren't obvious to take with me on my trip to Russia?
Take a couple of universal sink plugs and a couple of electrical adapter plugs/your style power board if you are taking anything electrical - it's 220-240 volts in Russia - northern European - 2 round pin plug prongs.
I was thinking of buying a tape recorder once I get in Russia for teaching and so I can play a bit of music in the flat. Is this sort of thing quite cheap in Moscow?
A cassette recorder will cost from $25 up and a brand name CD/cassette player around $100 to $120 - I don't know how that compares with the UK. Tapes and CDs are very cheap in Russia - but take a few favorites with you for the "homesick" days - we all have them - usually brought about by sheer frustration at being in an unfamiliar Russian environment. It passes, especially after a few beers or whatever with other teachers or your older Russian students.
Any other gems of wisdom spring to mind?
Don't forget to bring your sense of humor - it really is your greatest 'weapon'. And bring a Russian language phrase book (Lonely Planet or Collins have good pocket ones) unless you are fluent in Russian of course. And learn the Cyrillic alphabet and its sounds prior to arrival in Moscow.
Any ideas on traveling round Russia & teaching in other places?
Like any job, where to teach in the CIS is a matter of your priorities. The most lively and varied, but the most expensive place is Moscow. It's also one of the few cities in Russia which are going ahead at present, most are in 'maintenance mode' or are deteriorating.
I know teachers who have taught in St Petersburg. The teaching is good, it's cheaper to live in and historically it is extremely interesting. It is also icier and windier than Moscow and has very obvious signs of decay away from the centre. If anything it is more Western oriented than Moscow.
Vilnius and Riga are beautiful cities in the Baltic States and the teaching is good, but speaking Russian is increasingly a no-no.
Kharkhiv in Ukraine is a very happy and tight-knit school - I've been there 3 times now - but pay is less, it's a 6 day week and power and utility cuts are common. There are also IH schools in Kiev, Lviv and Odessa.
As far as traveling around Russia goes, trains are best for longer trips and buses for shorter connections - they are both still quite cheap, though prices are slowly creeping up. Once you have a bit of Russian, booking is not too difficult.
How accessible are things such as videos in English, CDs, and English books (novels etc)?
English books, CDs etc are quite accessible at kiosks and several markets, CDs cost from 70-120 roubles and contain the latest English language songs and computer programs. Several bookshops carry a good selection of novels etc in English. DVDs with English sound tracks are also not too difficult to find and range from 100 roubles upwards.
Is the Internet available and how expensive is it in Moscow?
Every flat has a phone. Most are not duplex - a kind of party line, which is not really suited to the Internet as your neighbor who shares is cut off while you are on line. Let the school know that you want to connect to the Internet at home and they will try to put you into a flat with the appropriate line. The lines in Moscow are not too good and vary from district to district. I use MTU - they charge 75 cents US an hour peak and 25c from 2am to 9:30am - they have a special Nightsurf option $20 month, unlimited access 2 - 9:30am. There are also other plans which help keep costs under control. Broadband - unlimited 256k ADSL or LAN is also now available in most areas for $25 per month or less.
There are a few very good Internet cafes available with fast computers and Internet connections. They charge anything from 75 roubles up for 90 minutes and additional charges for saving or printing documents. Most of them have English-speaking staff.
Exactly how cold does it get (with wind-chill included) and how bearable is it?
Most of winter hovers between -5 and -15 Celsius - it can drop to -35. It happened in 1997 and in 2006, but it's fairly rare.
Usually, when it's really cold there's little or no wind - Moscow isn't usually windy. If you have a good jacket, double thickness football hat (Russian fur hat if you prefer), scarf and lined boots you will survive - I'm from Australia and have done so for 9 years. All buildings are centrally heated in winter in Moscow.
I have a Commonwealth Bank Cirrus Maestro Card which can supposedly be used at some ATM's in Moscow. How accessible is this in Russia?
Electronic plastic cards can be used more readily in larger cities like Moscow and St Petersburg in Russia. The number of ATMs is on the increase all the time - it's best to use the bank ones. And the larger shops and more expensive restaurants etc also offer payment by card.
How to convert and repatriate your salaries?
This is a tricky one, because the rules keep changing. At the moment (May 2006) you can take up to $3 000 cash out of the country without declaring it, and up to $10 000 with a declaration. Also you can arrange with some banks to have a credit/debit card and take out more money on that card. There are exchange points everywhere, so converting to and from US dollars or Euros is no problem.
Currently there are 2 ways to repatriate your hard-earned salaries while staying in Russia. One way is to buy Travellers' cheques (American Express, Thomas Cook etc), and post these home or take them with you when you leave. Another is to use Western Union.
The cost of doing a WU transfer is approximately US$30 up, depending on the amount, at the time of writing. This may work out cheaper if you have a large amount to transfer, as opposed to the standard 1% for purchasing Travellers' cheques. Then again, you usually lose some money when changing from one currency into another.
The government has recently announced that the rouble is to become fully convertible in the near future, so there may be new possibilities once this happens, for example 'normal' bank transfers.
Will I gain Russian visa support?
Yes, we will provide you with a letter of invitation to get a Russian visa and register your visa with the Russian authorities when you arrive in Moscow. Russian bureaucracy can be difficult at times, and registering a visa in Russia can be time-consuming, but with an organization as large as BKC International House, you can rest assured that we will deal with these problems for you.
There are two types of visa available. You could have a one-year multiple entry visa or a working visa. With both visas, you will need to pay for it yourself at your Russian embassy or consulate but the money will be refunded to you at the end of your contract. The cost of the visa varies from country to country and the amount of time you are prepared to give the embassy or consulate to process your application. In general, the faster you want your visa processed, the greater the expense.
The type of visa provided to each teacher normally depends on teacher's nationality, time limits and quota for each visa type given to the company. Once the contract has been signed our Visa Manager will contact you with precise information and instructions about the visa obtaining process.
What is the housing like in Moscow and in Russia?
 Most of the flats are fairly basic, usually Soviet style, but they have the essentials. You will have your own room (in a shared flat), a working bathroom and toilet, a kitchen with cooker and fridge etc. They are all centrally heated and have a telephone.
Don't expect luxuries like a sitting room. Most Russian flats, except for the wealthy, have a dual function larger bed/sit room and a smaller second room. Some have a TV, but I bought my own, along with a VCR and DVD player - and later bought a computer here, a basic set-up is comparable in cost with the US or UK. Washing machines are provided by the school on teachers' request. In this case a rental fee of $30 per month is charged.
If you prefer to live alone - the school can provide a flat at extra cost - up to $200 per month at present. Another alternative is to arrange your own flat once you have been here a while. The cost can vary from $450 to the sky is the limit - much more than your salary! Property values are booming at the moment, but the school provides an accommodation allowance (currently from January 2006 $300 per month in Moscow, (but it can vary elsewhere) for teachers with their own flat.
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