When you signed your contract, it was quoted in U.S. dollars. If you're a contract teacher, the pay was somewhere around $1000 USD per month. Official rates for the 2009/2010 school year were $1040-$1190.
When you signed your contract, you thought to yourself, Wow, good. Because I heard the ruble fluctuates.
The ruble does fluctuate. Big time.
Hold your enthusiasm, though.
Read the fine print.
You are not paid according to what the ruble is worth at the time of calculation.
Read your contract again. And read the Weekly News. We know it's boring stupid. But read it anyway.
The exchange rate used when calculating salary is based on the Russian Central Bank’s official rate + 1% but within the range of minimum and maximum internal exchange rates set by the company (presently 24 and 30 roubles for 1 USD).
So that means you will be paid whatever the hell BKC Moscow
feels like paying you!
A Message From an Angry BKC Teacher (Originally Posted on the Teacher's Forum)
It was the good old time, about one year ago - maybe less - when the "crisis" just begun. The Big Boss came to us with an even bigger smile to explain that, whatever will happen, the school will do everything for the teachers, that teachers are the most important (thing?) in the school.
BKC does the best for its teachers. I trust.
That's why I could understand, that from january up to september I've been paid 30 rubles for 1 USD, when the rate was over 30. I mean, it was fair : students pay in rubles, they don't pay more when the currency is going down... I calculated, that from january to may, the average for the ruble/USD rate was around 33 (a bit more). We were paid 30. A teacher with a salary of 1000 USD was paid 30,000 rubles a month instead of 33,000 rubles.
During 5 months the school didn't pay him 15,000 rubles he should have got.
But as I said, we can understand that.
What I don't understand is BKC's decision, since the rate felt under 30, to pay us again on the basis of the official rate. The teacher with his 1000 USD salary "lost" at least 15,000 rubles this winter-spring, and more up to october. Now that the situation is getting easier, he is still losing money. As if the school wants to save its money, no matter what the situation is.
I was really disappointed when I looked at my pay slip this week. Couldn't they wait a little bit? We were paid less this winter, because the students didn't pay more. Maybe we could be paid a bit more, now that students don't pay less... It would be fair to maintain the rate for some time. Or to rise up the salaries. Just to show us, that we are really important.
We don't work better or worse when we are paid more or less. But I think that nobody wants to see the soviet workers joke become true. (The State does as if it is paying us. We do as if we are working).
Response to Angry BKC Teacher
At least you are getting a pay-slip! Don't you realise what a monumental shift this is for the incompetent accountancy staff.
But in answer to your question - they don't care if you live or die.
Fully agree with the sentiment in your post, though. But it's wasted on them.
