Legal framework for native English teachers

The demand for native teachers of English, German and other foreign languages is still high in Russia. While the majority of young expat teachers opt for a warmer place to teach (Spain comes top), there are still enough candidates looking for a teaching position in Russia.

A couple of things native foreign language teachers need to know:

• They need to apply for a special teacher’s visa, sponsored by a teaching organisation inside Russia. There are no quotas involved, and there is little paperwork for the inviting organisation. That is the good news.
• Teachers on a teacher’s visa are allowed to work only for the organisation inviting the teacher.
• The teacher needs to sign a regular working contract with his employer.
• Income taxes are 30% for the first 183 days, then the usual 13% flat rate applies.

What will happen if a foreign national on a business or student visa starts to teach for a salary?

• Both the teacher and the organisation for which he teaches face fines. In the case of the organisation, up to RUB 1 Million.
• The teacher’s visa will be cancelled and he might be barred from re-entering Russia for a number of years.

So how high is this risk in real life? As so often in Russia, controls usually happen when the working relationship takes a bad turn. In our view, it is simply not worth the risk, not for the teacher, neither for the employer.

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