Country info and advice - Mongolia
The following comments are from teachers who have taught, or are currently teaching, in Mongolia. If you are a teacher and have some advice to share, please add it here.
There are lots of schools in
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital city, unfortunately not many of them advertise
on the Internet. The best way to find work in Mongolia, which I've learned
through experience is to get a tourist visa, for Brits you can get a 30 day
tourist visa (ENTRY EXIT), for US you can get a 90 day visa free. If you find a
job, the school organize the visa for you - this is advice I was given by a few
ex-pats living in Mongolia and it worked out fine. They had a good time working
and teaching in Ulaanbaatar. The schools are screaming out for English teachers
and they will welcome you with open arms.
BEWARE of schools that offer you employment and send you a LETTER OF INVITATION
for your visa, these schools often only provide you with a one-way entry only
visa and because you travelled on their invitation you can't leave the country
again without their permission, which means possible hefty fees, that shouldn't
exist. Or they ask for money you don't need to part with.
The English Pub which you can find in the Lonely Planet is a good place to ask about teaching jobs and Dave the owner
is generally quite helpful and if he doesn't know of any jobs, he'll definitely
know someone who does!
Some schools:
No. 3 Joint Russian Mongolian School (state school) recommended by most people
that have taught there, most of whom stay so jobs can be tough to get. $1000.
Success School of English - a new private school, the director is very friendly
and helpful and can offer part time positions. Varies according to hours.
The American school of Ulaanbaatar (Canadian Curriculum!) - good and bad reviews
regarding hours of work. $2000.
Hartford Institute (from Singapore) - same as above $2000.
Santis - I was warned about by a lot of people, Brits, Americans and Canadians,
as the hours are not dissimilar to Hartford if more but pays less than half as
much.
It's a bit of a culture shock and even though it is a 'developing country' it is
non the less Third World.
Be aware that Ulan Bator is
the most impatient city in the world! Mongolians have no hesitation in jumping
queues, will sound their car horns incessantly if their way is blocked (they
don't brake for pedestrians even on a zebra crossing), and will push you in a
crowd if it isn't moving fast enough. They will also just rush onto a bus
without waiting for disembarking passengers to get off. Hazards include open
manholes (where on earth do the covers go?), drunks, drunks, drunks, stray dogs,
pickpockets and muggers. Many of the pickpockets are surprisingly well-dressed.
Don't stroll alone at night. Perhaps the nomadic history of the people has
resulted in a culture that seems unaware of pollution by trash - rubbish is just
thrown outside, the city streams are sewers, and vodka bottles litter the
countryside even. There are no gardens as other countries know them, and trees
are regarded as almost a nuisance. I lived here half a year and never saw a
flower. Indoors, Mongolians are hospitable, kind, and friendly - just don't
expect smiles and courtesy in public places.
I am currently living and
teaching English in Mongolia, but not in Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar is not the
place to work in Mongolia - it has all of the usual big city problems - lack of
safety and 100% pollution. Just 3 or 4 days in this city will affect anyone's
eyes, sinuses, breathing etc. However, other cities and even small towns in
Mongolia desperately need English teachers, and these towns are safe, friendly
and although not clean, they are tolerable. I currently teach in the second
largest city and it is totally safe. The people are friendly, and although third
world, I am able to find most of what I need here.
Most English teachers need a
visa renewal after 6 months, and this requires a few days in Ulaanbaatar with
this sh**** foreign office. What do they think - there's no social insurance to
rip off. Ulaanbaatar is terrible in the winter, people seem to burn rubber from
car tyres and rubbish... The best place to stay and teach seems to be Suhbataar,
or even Darhan. Erdenet has some open-earth copper mines, and a lot of dirt from
mining. Deep in the west, Khovd is a nice city to stay - green and rather clean.
Bayan Olgii is also nice, mostly a marketplace and as cold as Lhasa.
More English schools in
Mongolia have websites now. I work for Talk Talk English
(http://www.talktalkenglish.mn) now and I've been very happy working here--but
your mileage may vary. I think talk talk is a good compromise between schedule
and salary. The American school is probably the best employer if you're only
interested in how much you can save. They provide a pretty good salary and
accommodation.
If you come to Mongolia, teach
outside Ulaanbaatar. You won't make as much money but you will spend much less
and have a better time seeing what Mongolia is really about.
I was in UB last winter for a week and the air pollution was the worst i
have seen anywhere and i woke up every morning with a sore throat. But since my girlfriend lives just north across the border
in Russia, i wanted to give it a try. I met a Mongolian on the plane who recommended Selenge, Mongolia but i can't even find
it on the map. Can anyone recommend a better place to live and teach English in Mongolia than in UB? It has to be large enough
to have a vegan restaurant. Thanks!
I am currently working in Mongolia. I have been in THREE different schools
and you must know that coming to TEACH here is mainly wasting your time.
Mongolia is a very corrupted country. Students DON'T attend classes at the university, but if they pay the fees they'll get a
diploma (although they are not fluent, they will be "English Teachers", so you can imagine the English they are going to teach...)
In the schools, children will not do any work (except, like in every place, a minority) but by the end of each term they will
literally bore you with "teacher (sic), give me extra-points", or "what can I do for getting extra-points?". When
the answer is: "Study harder for the next term", they will go to the principal/director etc. and he/she will come to you to say
that you cannot give any F, because parents, prestige of the school etc. Finally they will receive a nice diploma saying that
they have graduated with 98% (although they cannot say in which country Rome is)
Classes are kind of HELL. Children do not respect foreign teachers (although not violent, Mongolians are very racist and extremely
nationalistic), -you just have to compare your class with those of the Mongolian teachers. It is impossible to have them in silence.
When you tell them to sit down, they'll ask "why?", when you say that class is not over they'll ask "why?", when you say that
'because it's 10:20' they'll ask "why?", if they ask you: "where do you come from" and you answer "from Europe", what is the
next question? Yes, believe it or not: "Why?" (it looks that is the only word they all know, however don't expect them to
listen to your explanation. They just want to speak.
So, if you receive any offer from Mongolia, this is what you are going to find. Don't say that you didn't know ;-)
If your advice is about a specific school, please post it in our forum
English language schools in Mongolia
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