Well, this goes to show you the general situation of ex-communist and presently communist countries and the lack of moral integrity that they left behind. It's going to take a very very long time for these places to actually develop honesty and a decent line of communication. I hope this is a wake up call for people who think that they will find trustworthy people in these places.

Hi there, I have been accepted onto the programme recently for an intake later in 2011. I have received the contract which has different 'terms and conditons' than when I applied i.e. the programme was advertised with 'free accommodation' and now we have to pay 100 lari from our 500 lari salary to the family (which was not a condition when I applied and was accepted). We were not told about this change until we were sent the contract so this was quite a surprise. When I suggested that TLG honour the original conditions which I applied under, they were not willing to do that.

Hi, I would most like to hear more from you via email about this issue. It is included, along with this posting.

I too have noticed the same item recently during their advertising of said programme. Has this come from the georgian ministry of education/TLG, as a new policy for 2011?

Either way, it now makes the already low stipend, even less attractive, doesn't it?

cheers
EL

Hi there, I have been accepted onto the programme recently for an intake later in 2011. I have received the contract which has different 'terms and conditons' than when I applied i.e. the programme was advertised with 'free accommodation' and now we have to pay 100 lari from our 500 lari salary to the family (which was not a condition when I applied and was accepted). We were not told about this change until we were sent the contract so this was quite a surprise. When I suggested that TLG honour the original conditions which I applied under, they were not willing to do that.

The contract has changed considerably for the new intakes in 2011. I have seen a copy of the original contract and I have been having trouble getting my head around this new one as there have been alot of changes that are not in favour of us volunteer teachers. It doesn't offer much protection and is hugely lop-sided towards the Georgian Govt who are running the Teach and Learn program. If you put 'one foot out of place' while you are on the program it is covered in the contract and you are put on a plane and asked to pay back the whole airfare within a month. And believe me you don't have to do much to do that according to the contract.

I have been keeping an eye on the blogs from the volunteers that are in Georgia and I have noticed that the guys seem to be enjoying the experience more than the girls, but I would say it has a huge amount to do with if you have a 'good' homestay family or not. There seems to be big gaps in cultural differences that are not easy to bridge. I have also observed that many of the teachers have moved homestays since they have been in Georgia and many of them have asked to be placed in Tbilisi. So I guess living in the Regions with the power and water shortages is taking it's toll on the young things who are not used to roughing it!

From what I can see, the majority of the volunteers are from the USA and in the 18 - 25 age bracket who may not have evolved good 'coping' skills as yet. That said, I have been left with the overall impression that its not much fun up there. Is it worth going all that way up there, to get paid very little and not enjoy the experience? Also, once you are there how do we know they won't make other changes that will not be in our favour...unfortunately we will be the ones that will be left in a vunerable situation!

P. S. I am fairly sure that the money for the TLG program is coming from the United Nations.

Hope that this feedback helps you make an informed decision. Goodluck!
ilivetheday@gmail.com

Teaching in Georgia is definitely a great opportunity for adventure seekers.

Georgia has just opened its ESL market to foreign teachers and gives venturesome teachers a chance to be pioneers and gain experience. Because it is such a new market, however, there aren't many people who can provide feedback about their time there. Being on the ground floor of this new ESL market means you could influence the development of English education in Georgia.

As contracts generally include pre-paid airfare, home-stay housing and a tax-free salary of 500 GEL, the position may offer more financial benefits than working in some regions which don't offer flight reimbursement or accommodations. Foreign English as a Second Language teachers work alongside domestic ones teaching small classes, which also may be a good experience for first time teachers looking to get some ESL teaching experience.

You can see the typical teaching conditions and requirements to teach English as a Second Language in other countries as well by visiting our website at:

http://www.oxfordseminars.com/esl-country-information/index.php

Enjoy your teaching adventure, wherever it may take you!