State, community and profession

Teachers in Russia 4

Ben Eklof and Scott Seregny

Throughout much of the history of public (in particular primary) schooling teachers have been the classic "insider-outsiders". Teachers could be perceived as valued members of the community, but at other times as bearers of non-traditional values and as agents of an interventionist state.

How do teachers make do at present? A survey by sociologist Frants Sheregi addresses this question. According to his survey, one half of all teachers work on the side "to make life tolerable". First, many teach more than a full-time load (18 hours per week); another study concludes that the average teacher works a 150 per cent load. In addition, teachers receive supplementary payments for teaching-related tasks such as supervising a homeroom, correcting student notebooks, and maintaining classroom facilities. Others teach in more than one institution; some moonlight in commercial enterprises. More than 30 per cent regularly tutor students outside the classroom. Many teachers regard their salaries not as a living wage but as a contribution to the family budget.

Because wages are so dismal, then, most teachers are forced to spend extraordinarily long hours working; undoubtedly this diminishes the quality of their labours. It also makes many look for work elsewhere; according to Russian sociologist Sheregi, 48 per cent of teachers surveyed said they had thought of changing careers in the past year. The feminization of the profession, already well advanced, has accelerated since 1998. Finally, the considerable sums the state invests in training teachers at pedagogical institutions are partially squandered, for fewer than half of all graduates of such institutions take up careers in teaching and of those who do, many leave within the first three years. In the Sheregi survey, the proportion of those contemplating changing careers was much higher in the age cohort under thirty.

Given these conditions, we would expect there to be a large shortfall of teachers in the schools. In many areas, language, Russian literature, and computer teachers are in short supply. Yet most regions are experiencing no overall shortage of teachers, nor can one speak of turmoil stemming from exceptional turnover in the schools; more than one-third of all teachers have been in the classroom for twenty years or more. An explanation for this continued stability is elusive. Personal dedication plays a role, as do high unemployment levels in many provincial cities and in the villages; one-third of teachers explicitly say they stay on the job only for this reason.

Still, teaching is a vocation. We should take off our academic caps and pay homage to a profession, nearly 2 million strong, which has endured great hardship, and demonstrated great courage and intelligence in the service of Russia’s next generation.

Task 1

Answer the questions:

How does the author of the article characterise teachers in Russia?

What is people’s attitude to teachers?

What do the authors say about present-day situation in school education?

This article was written by foreign authors. Do you share their point of view?

What does it take to be a Good Translator?

It is pretty clear that one should devote his/her body and soul full time to the profession to begin with – like in any other trade – however that is not enough. Based on my 10+ years’ experience in recruiting and searching for talents in translation, I have drawn the list below, which I believe contains the fundamental features of a good translator:

Дата добавления: 2014-12-16