Jobs teaching . . . or translating?

[BTalley 0]

All of a sudden, Svetlana decides that she misses teaching (she was an English teacher in Saint-Petersburg).

But are teaching jobs possible for Russians to whom English is a second language? What about translation jobs?

She doesn't think she is qualified to teach English to students who grew up speaking it. And of course, there is little demand for Russian teachers.

We are currently having her diploma evaluated by a professional company that specializes in those things, but I have no idea what will come out of it.

I want her to be pro-active in seeking any opportunuties that may exist, but frankly, we do not really know where to get started.

[YuAndDan 153]

My Yu has been doing this for a year now. She teaches Chinese on the weekends.

Translating and language teaching or tutoring is a fine profession, and don't require any certificates.

[bora bora 1]

All of a sudden, Svetlana decides that she misses teaching (she was an English teacher in Saint-Petersburg).

But are teaching jobs possible for Russians to whom English is a second language? What about translation jobs?

She doesn't think she is qualified to teach English to students who grew up speaking it. And of course, there is little demand for Russian teachers.

We are currently having her diploma evaluated by a professional company that specializes in those things, but I have no idea what will come out of it.

I want her to be pro-active in seeking any opportunuties that may exist, but frankly, we do not really know where to get started.

Even though your wife is an ESL student herself, if she knows English well enough she can teach it in the U.S. Why not look for English institutes in your area?

[Danno 1,228]

All of a sudden, Svetlana decides that she misses teaching (she was an English teacher in Saint-Petersburg).

But are teaching jobs possible for Russians to whom English is a second language? What about translation jobs?

She doesn't think she is qualified to teach English to students who grew up speaking it. And of course, there is little demand for Russian teachers.

We are currently having her diploma evaluated by a professional company that specializes in those things, but I have no idea what will come out of it.

I want her to be pro-active in seeking any opportunities that may exist, but frankly, we do not really know where to get started.

I hear a number of teachers with a pretty strong spanish accent working at the school, I would think she could find work teaching in some capacity.

You mentioned she is getting her diploma evaluated; I know a guy who was a doctor in Ukraine or Russia, he has been working as a carpenter since arriving in the USA (more than 5 years ago), as this line of work is now hurtin, I asked him why not go into Nursing, maybe some of his education will help speed things up.

What do you know about getting his prior medical training evaluated? What is the service your wife is using?

Any info anyone has would be helpful, that would be great.

[BTalley 0]

We will be using this company to evaluate her credentials:

http://www.jsilny.com/about_us.html

http://www.jsilny.com/foreign.html

Edited February 15, 2009 by BTalley

[slim 1,523]

Another thing she may want to do is check with the local hospitals and courts to see if they need translations services. A lot of times they'll use native speakers on a contract basis and that would give her something to do while also allowing her to speak her native language.

[Melissa&Vadim 0]

I don't know about Florida, but in New York state, you can look up the civil services websites, which list openings for per diem court translator services. Maybe she could check out the universities and/or colleges in your area, to talk to the heads of foreign language departments. If the schools don't have regular Russian professors, she might pick up some part time experience tutoring students? Either of those may open up opportunities for her to network and find more profitable or stable positions. Good luck!

[GiGii 4]

Have you tried local community colleges? Many hire all sorts of nationalities to teach ESL classes. As long as she doesn't have a strong accent and speaks clearly I think it may be a good idea.

[Brad and Vika 129]

There is a translation company here, I think called Languages around the Globe, or some such. They provide contract translators at $75 per hour plus mileage. There may be something like that where you live.

[Old Dominion 26]

The major university nearest you will have a Russian department, and to my way of thinking, that is the place to begin looking for advice. The faculty will be knowledgeable on things like work opportunities in your general area.

[Lyuba 0]

Let me share my experience in the field. I have master's degree in linguistics and I taught college in Moscow while being a translator for an oil company. I speak 3 languages (including Spanish).

I had VERY hard time looking for a job. In order to be a teacher you need to be certified to teach and the only way to do it is to go back to school. Another 4 years of college. I was told I had to take Russian classes taught by an American professor! That's ridiculous.

Russian departments are not really big in the universities and there are plenty of candidates for those few jobs available.

Being a translator is an option. BUT! Many people believe you need just to speak a foregin language to be able to translate. WRONG. I spent 7 years studying translating and interpreting and there are a lot of things you need to know before becoming a good translator.

Let her try anyway. Maybe she will get luckier than me.