English Teaching Positions, Maymester, Intensive Russian Courses and Spring Break Study (American Home, Russia)

Deadline: Varies

On behalf of the American Home in Vladimir, Russia – which is celebrating its 29th anniversary this year – I would like to remind you about several program opportunities and deadlines.

1) American English Program Teaching Positions – Application Deadline March 1, 2021 (www.serendipity-russia.com/teach.html)

The American English Program has been helping Vladimir residents to learn English since 1992 and currently has more than 600 students each semester who are taught by 10 American and 4 Russian teachers.

PROGRAM BENEFITS: monthly stipend, room and board with a Russian family, three hours per week of one-to-one Russian lessons with experienced instructors, thorough teacher orientation and ongoing teaching support from 2 full-time teacher supervisors, textbooks customized specifically for our program, a pleasant and well-equipped teaching environment, full Russian visa application support, complete on-site administrative support from an excellent Russian staff, and much more.

TEACHER OBLIGATIONS: Plan and teach four (possibly 5) 1½ hour classes that meet twice a week, hold office hours, present a brief “Saturday lecture” on any aspect of American culture, airfare to and from Moscow, visa fee, obtain TESOL certification.

Gain an enormous amount of real-world experience that can translate into future opportunities that would otherwise not be available. Some teachers stay for more than one year. For many, the experience is life-changing.

The program’s Face Book page shows some of the activities and people at the American Home: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanHome/.

2Vanderbilt University’s Maymester in Russia – Application Deadline January 31, 2022 (PROGRAM CANCELLED FOR 2021)(https://www.vanderbilt.edu/geo/maymesters/)

The program includes community service, lectures on topics being explored by student-participants (politics, economics, sociology, culture, history, art, etc.), Russian language lessons, interaction with Russian university students, excursions to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and provincial towns, home stays, and opportunities for reflection.

any expectations I could possibly have had were surpassed. …I participated in a culture without being a tourist…and spent [time] outside of my carefully constructed comfort zone. The experience was nothing short of changing my worldview.” (Vanderbilt University student)

3) Intensive Russian Program – Applications Accepted All Year (www.serendipity-russia.com/studyrussian.html)

Approximate program fee: one-to-one instruction             group instruction (2-5+ people, 15-35% discount)

Four weeks                                       $3,651                                                                 $2,994 – 2,254

Six weeks                                          $5,009                                                                 $4,133 – 3,044

Eight weeks                                      $6,367                                                                 $5,272 – 3,834

Longer and shorter programs, from one week to a year, are also possible.

The benefits of the American Home’s long-standing Intensive Russian Program – the main program offers one-to-one instruction to each participant – are provided to group participants:

+ experienced faculty specializing in teaching Russian to non-native speakers;

+ program and schedule customized to the needs of each group of students;

+ study from one week to one year;

+ individual home-stay with a Russian family;

+ “Russian friend-conversation partner” program;

+ on-site administrative support;

+ well-equipped classrooms in a comfortable, home-like, atmosphere;

+ excursions in Vladimir and to Suzdal (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and Bogoliubovo;

+ opportunities to meet and socialize with some of the more than 400 Russians participating in the American Home English Program and others;

+ opportunities to participate in a variety of activities—for example, volunteering at an orphanage

4) Alternative Spring Break Programs – Application Deadline December 1, 2021 (www.serendipity-russia.com/edex.html).

VLADIMIR (first week in March): Help several community organizations, including the Youth Health and Education Center, Karl Liebnicht Orphanage, Russian Orthodox Church, Handicapped Children’s Association “Light”, Vladimir Regional Veterans’ Home and others, while interacting with Russian university students and experiencing the delight and wonder of provincial Russia.

MUROM (second week in March): Help university students at the Murom Institute (an affiliate of Vladimir State University) to improve their English language skills; prepare audio and video materials for their English language program. During the Soviet period Murom was a closed city. Today it remains isolated from traditional tourist routes. Foreign language faculty and students are eager for contact with native English speakers.