Azerbaijan
From the ICAL TEFL wiki
The Country
Since independence from Russia Azerbaijan is keen to assert its own identity and anxious to learn English to engage with the West. In addition, the recent oil boom means that the country has moved a long way in a short space of time. Which is not necessarily a good thing.
The capital city is Baku. It is generally considered to be dirty and has its fair share of Soviet style tenements, shanty areas and slum districts. However, there are good areas and outside the city some fantastic scenery, towns and villages.
The people are friendly and nice. It is a predominantly Muslim country although not hardline. Women, for example, venture out alone and wear modern clothes (although more conservative than the West in general) however they do not go to bars. If a woman is in a bar at night then she is usually either an expat or a prostitute.
With the oil boom has come technology. WiFi is reasonable in the cities however there are still problems with the electricity supply. Prices have risen, too with a high rate of inflation. Clothes are expensive and, for foreigners, there is a major problem in being ripped off with taxi drivers being particularly prone to do this.
The country is generally safe although the road network is known for its dangerous driving!
Teaching
The education system in Azerbaijan, though somewhat reviewed and improved during the Soviet era, is still a far cry from the modern systems we are used to in the West.
The preferred teaching technique in a language class is that of translating into the student's MT. The teacher will say something in English, and then repeat it into Azerbaijani. The students are expected to respond in Azerbaijani for the teacher to subsequently translate their response into English.
Despite this challenging learning environment, students are motivated to learn English and eager to experiment with new techniques. So there is ground for improvement and educational associations like the British Council have collaborated with the Ministry of Education to train their teachers and provide ELT resources.
Teaching in rural areas can be more challenging than working for a school in Baku or Ganja, the former capital. You may be lucky and end up in a traditional school complete with traditional plumbing or, more often than not, you can find yourself standing in a room with dirt floors, no desks, and no plumbing!
The workload in a public school is around 15 hrs per week. Lessons last the standard 45 minutes. Often you will be teamed up with an Azerbaijani English teacher and co-teach.
A decent enough salary will be about $2,000 (€1,200 or £1,000) and from this just over a quarter will go on renting a small one-bed flat. After the usual bills and expenses you may be able to save about $500 (€600 or £250) per month. This is partly due to the paucity of places to spend money: nightlife is scanty and most bars close around 10 in the evening. Restaurants serve reasonable food (but there is a McDonalds in Baku if you have to).
Teaching qualifications requried are usually a Degree and TESL/TEFL Certificate. Work is Monday to Saturday often starting and 9 and can finish late in the evening.
One way to experience teaching English in this completely different and, in many ways, fascinating environment is by volunteering with the Peace Corps.
The Peace Corps provides volunteer teachers on 27-month contracts to many countries in Eastern Europe, including Azerbaijan. Applicants with at least three months of teaching experience in English or ESL training are recruited to teach at both secondary and university level and to become involved with teacher training and curriculum development. The Peace Corps recruits only US citizen, over 18 and in good health.
