Thread: work for americans in Russia - prestigious-->humble

To clarify what I said earlier on this: I have no particular plans to move to Russia although I wouldn't rule it out, if something good came along.

One of the reasons I picked up Russian back in 2009 was that everybody in IT in Scandinavia seemed to have dealings with Russia/Ukraine. I read several articles about senior figures in the IT world in Scandinavia saying they wished they had studied Russian because it would have come in handy, it's a sought after skill etc. Cool, I thought. I know the basics, why not?! I thought it would be useful and interesting, I kind of liked Russian in school, despite finding it incredibly hard. I was inspired to pick it up. I had some vague notion that it would be useful in my career, but in reality this seems doubtful to me today.

However at that time 2008 or 2009, I was not up to date on the situation in Russia whatsoever, so it was interesting to inform myself and find out the real story behind the headlines.

So sure, with regards to moving there, you should never say never!
But in reality, due to my poor language skills, I could not compete with locals on equal terms (I have a management job). The only realistic way I could get a good job in Russia would be in some kind of expat arrangement whereby I would come in as a representative for a foreign company, and again, I struggle to see why I would be offered such a job. Anyone with solid business level skills in Russian would be better qualified, plus, it's a job for someone with thicker skin than me...

And as Doomer points out; it's not like there aren't talented people in Russia with the same skills that I have! Only if a company wanted to implement some methodology or way of working that's new to Russia (Read: American/British/European methodology...) would I have an advantage! And I personally have never liked situations where senior people from abroad come in and tell local people how to work. I wouldn't be good at doing it myself!. So the whole idea of me working in Russia is basically a non-starter; moving to Russia is not comparable to relocating to another EU country like France or Luxembourg. I mean; the visa issue to start with!

Basically such a move would be complicated on many different levels and I just don't have enough incentive. Things may change in the future, but right now it does not seem realistic.
Also; the housing situation and traffic in Moscow is quite offputting.
But again, never say never!

And on the money front: Living on a very low salary?! Are people in IT management jobs doing that in Russia? It's one thing to keep a budget, to save and use the savings later. It's quite another to live on a tight budget simply because it's the only way you can survive. Obviously I would not swap my current situation for something highly economically disadvantagous, as a single woman. That would just be irresponsible and stupid.

Originally Posted by Hanna

And on the money front: Living on a very low salary?! Are people in IT management jobs doing that in Russia? It's one thing to keep a budget, to save and use the savings later. It's quite another to live on a tight budget simply because it's the only way you can survive. Obviously I would not swap my current situation for something highly economically disadvantagous, as a single woman. That would just be irresponsible and stupid.

Yes, people are
Again, all roads lead to Moscow but even Moscow is not panacea. And if you move to Moscow you need to be able to digest Moscow's lifestyle that is not suitable for every person.
Moscow is New York of Russia, if you know what I mean.

Originally Posted by Doomer

Yes, people are
Again, all roads lead to Moscow but even Moscow is not panacea. And if you move to Moscow you need to be able to digest Moscow's lifestyle that is not suitable for every person.
Moscow is New York of Russia, if you know what I mean.

Yes, I don't think Moscow would appeal that much to me, as a place to live. Too big and too crowded & hectic. London is too much for me really, and I understand Moscow is even bigger.

I have visited St Petersburg (really liked it!) but it was a very long time ago, and a lot of things have probably changed beyond recognition. I have heard it's got lots of nice wine bars, nice cafes and quite good shopping. Also that part of town was fixed up (it was quite noticeably run-down when I was there - definitely no winebars or chic cafes). I'll definitely go there sometime soon.

I also visited Kiev (cool, funky bustling, historical city - but I didn't see enough of it!) and Minsk (elegant, clean, safe and lots of parks/green areas).

Some places in Russia I want to see: Samara, Kazan, Viborg, Novosibirsk, Omsk.... spa towns on the Black Sea. Plenty more actually. It's just like the USA: So much variation, so many cool places.