Horror Story - The Truth About BKC Moscow

There was a lady who began a contract with BKC Moscow in September 2009. She is no longer with the company, since BKC Moscow (apparently) fired her illegally. According to the blogosphere, she is taking her case to Russian court.

Read the incredible story here, on ESLCafe.com.

The Truth About BKC Moscow

The Russian Government is Now Throwing Teachers Out (it wasn't the government after all - BKC Moscow threw her out).

As promised, here is a true-to-life field story about the type of health care BKC Moscow offers you. This is from the teacher's personal blog:

A Teacher's Story of What Happened When She Got Sick and What BKC Moscow Did About It (close to nothing, it seems)

Take a moment to look at your payslip to see the money that is going into your "insurance" fund. It is, as you may have already guessed, a joke.

We also regret to inform you that part of our crew of contributors to this blog  no longer work for BKC Moscow. This happens every year. In January or February of every year, there is a mass exodus of teachers. Half-way through the contract, many teachers finally decide that enough is enough and they take leave.

As the author of this particular blog post, I wish to congratulate you on finding this blog. If you are planning to come to Russia to teach English - please do not choose BKC Moscow. They promise the moon and they hand you a pile of rocks. Then they take the rocks back and throw them at you.

If you insist on coming to Moscow, and BKC Moscow is the only job you can find -- take the visa. .Get into the country. And then run to another school. Run and do it quickly.

Bad things happen to teachers who come to work with BKC Moscow. That is why you will almost never find a teacher who has been here long-term.

Teachers are harassed, threatened, and intimidated by BKC Moscow. They quite literally do not care if you live or die.

If you would like to become a contributor to this blog, we will withhold your name. Just leave a comment and we will do the rest.

Teachers get kidnapped here. (This did happen to three new teachers last year, and BKC Moscow treated it as a joke although it was quite scary to the teachers involved, though they later developed a sense of humor about the situation -- we will post that story in an upcoming post). Teachers get sick here. They develop alcoholism and drug addiction. In some unfortunate cases, BKC Moscow teachers quite literally go crazy. It has happened.All of it. This is what they do not tell you when you are first hired. This is what they do not tell you when you are in Orientation.

Good luck to us all.

Sprain, Broken Leg, Who Cares? BKC Moscow Strikes Again!

Exciting news. We just got word from a BKC Moscow teacher. In her words:

Dr Emin? I've had him and thought he was kind of vague... He diagnosed my friend with a sprain when in fact she'd broken her ankle!

We are not surprised. We like this doctor only because we can get unpaid holiday whenever we want!

We don't like this doctor because he doesn't know what he's doing.

The BKC Moscow Doctor

So you've been in Moscow for a few weeks or for a few months by now. There are a few things you probably already know about what will happen if you get sick.

• If you break your leg or require surgery, you will probably be terminated and sent home. BKC Moscow may or may not pay for your airline ticket for you to go home to your country.
• If you get sick, you will not be paid for any time off. You cannot use your holiday time for your sick days. You will receive a portion of your pay after the fourth day of illness.
• The Doctor BKC Moscow will send you is not a fluent English speaker. BKC Moscow will not provide you a translator.
• No matter what your symptoms are, the Doctor will almost always tell you that you have the flu and that you will recover in three days.

BKC Moscow teachers who have been around for awhile know that if they want an unpaid holiday, they just need to call BKC and say, "I'm sick." BKC may or may not send the doctor to your flat. No matter what you tell the Doctor, he will always say that you have the flu.

If you really are sick, then BKC will arrange for you to go to one of the state-run clinics in Russia. Field stories of the state-fun hospitals and clinics are horrific. We will be posting more first-hand accounts of these stories.

BKC Moscow, despite what they may want you to believe, does not offer you any type of insurance. The health care you receive is sub-standard, state-run facilities and treatment.

This is unfortunate, because there are actually several private hospitals, doctors and clinics that serve English speakers.

BKC Moscow will not pay for Western standard care for you, as a BKC teacher.

Stories from the field will be posted soon.