[William Windsor]

(12-09-2014 10:50 AM)Vice Wrote:  

^^By the way, check out the app 'Word Lens Translator' for translating labels etc to English. It translates live on the screen:

Thanks for the tip Vice, downloading that now. What a great feature, especially for menus and labels of products at the supermarket.

BTW, I just read this feature is coming to Google Translate as well:

http://bgr.com/2014/12/08/one-of-googles...-features/

[rudebwoy]

PC - I hope you can stay in Moscow, I am always fascinated by people that make the move there.

I feel the situation will turn around.

[Barron]

Really great stuff Prez. I've been to Russia twice in the past two years and am planning to do a permanent move to Moscow or SpB by end of summer 2015, unless the ruble gets really, really bad :|

[Constitution45]

(12-10-2014 03:54 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

Really great stuff Prez. I've been to Russia twice in the past two years and am planning to do a permanent move to Moscow or SpB by end of summer 2015, unless the ruble gets really, really bad :|

Out of interest, what makes you want to live out there ?
Do you have a job lined up or your own business ?

I am curious because most of the expats I know who have lived in Russia seem to be made from a different cloth, compared to the expats I met over in Asia.

On a side note, speaking to friends who are engaged with business over in Moscow, and they all seem to be positive despite the sanctions. Saying that its actually beneficial for the local economy, and harms big multinational companies and banks the most. Hard to make sense of the whole situation.

[Barron]

(12-10-2014 06:44 AM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 03:54 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

Really great stuff Prez. I've been to Russia twice in the past two years and am planning to do a permanent move to Moscow or SpB by end of summer 2015, unless the ruble gets really, really bad :|

Out of interest, what makes you want to live out there ?
Do you have a job lined up or your own business ?

I am curious because most of the expats I know who have lived in Russia seem to be made from a different cloth, compared to the expats I met over in Asia.

On a side note, speaking to friends who are engaged with business over in Moscow, and they all seem to be positive despite the sanctions. Saying that its actually beneficial for the local economy, and harms big multinational companies and banks the most. Hard to make sense of the whole situation.

Before coming to this forum I was blue pill and had many self-limiting beliefs as well as poor life habits: smoking a gram of weed a day, playing 5-6 hours of video games a day, high porn consumer. Fast forward to the present: I haven't touched video games in over a year and I've been completely weed-free since July. The porn thing is still there but nowhere near the level it once was, and I'll finally have my bachelors in May. This forum and other manosphere sites have really empowered me and given me a great deal of confidence once I started putting everything into practice. But here in the US that confidence gets me nowhere because I have to submit to the feminine imperative: be superficial and tolerate women's horseshit while navigating the PC game. Everyday I'd go to work at my office I was depressed and felt like the biggest fucking fake. I was becoming an angry negative person and its just not me to feel defeated by life.

I've never felt at home here and I've never really had good American friends since childhood. I've known something was off since high school when I began distancing myself from participating in all the traditional crap like clubs, dances, proms, even being a good athlete and walking around campus with a letter jacket on I felt ridiculous. I never realized just how much of a stranger I felt in my own homeland until traveling to Europe, and the more east I went, the better life became. The Russian people are grounded in reality and as a man I am most free there to do as I like. I experienced absolutely no judgement from women just pure receptivity. To put it simply, that fear of being ostracized if you fuck up an approach really doesn't exist for me when I'm there.

Russians will size you up and measure your character within moments, there is no bs over there. If you have a weak frame they will expose your phoniness and you'll look like a fool. If they deem you to be genuine then a whole other world opens up. The sincere warmth and interest I experienced from Russian's was shocking to me, everyone talked about how hardcore they were and how mean they could be, and while that's true, I never expected to experience such a feeling of welcome from strangers I'd just met. It was like Russia was choosing me.

I'll be going there to teach English as a native Californian so I'm hoping this will put me in the higher demand as an instructor. Moscow is the greatest city on Earth if you have money to live comfortably and the worst if you don't, life is as good or as bad as you make it. I've been ready to walk away from everything here for a couple years now, and I'm willing to take the risk that life will be hard when I get there. But to me its not really a choice anymore, I know that if I stay in the US that I will never marry, never have a family of my own, and never be happy. This place just isn't for me, doesn't matter how much money I make.

[VolandoVengoVolandoVoy]

(12-10-2014 11:22 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 06:44 AM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 03:54 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

Really great stuff Prez. I've been to Russia twice in the past two years and am planning to do a permanent move to Moscow or SpB by end of summer 2015, unless the ruble gets really, really bad :|

Out of interest, what makes you want to live out there ?
Do you have a job lined up or your own business ?

I am curious because most of the expats I know who have lived in Russia seem to be made from a different cloth, compared to the expats I met over in Asia.

On a side note, speaking to friends who are engaged with business over in Moscow, and they all seem to be positive despite the sanctions. Saying that its actually beneficial for the local economy, and harms big multinational companies and banks the most. Hard to make sense of the whole situation.

Before coming to this forum I was blue pill and had many self-limiting beliefs as well as poor life habits: smoking a gram of weed a day, playing 5-6 hours of video games a day, high porn consumer. Fast forward to the present: I haven't touched video games in over a year and I've been completely weed-free since July. The porn thing is still there but nowhere near the level it once was, and I'll finally have my bachelors in May. This forum and other manosphere sites have really empowered me and given me a great deal of confidence once I started putting everything into practice. But here in the US that confidence gets me nowhere because I have to submit to the feminine imperative: be superficial and tolerate women's horseshit while navigating the PC game. Everyday I'd go to work at my office I was depressed and felt like the biggest fucking fake. I was becoming an angry negative person and its just not me to feel defeated by life.

I've never felt at home here and I've never really had good American friends since childhood. I've known something was off since high school when I began distancing myself from participating in all the traditional crap like clubs, dances, proms, even being a good athlete and walking around campus with a letter jacket on I felt ridiculous. I never realized just how much of a stranger I felt in my own homeland until traveling to Europe, and the more east I went, the better life became. The Russian people are grounded in reality and as a man I am most free there to do as I like. I experienced absolutely no judgement from women just pure receptivity. To put it simply, that fear of being ostracized if you fuck up an approach really doesn't exist for me when I'm there.

Russians will size you up and measure your character within moments, there is no bs over there. If you have a weak frame they will expose your phoniness and you'll look like a fool. If they deem you to be genuine then a whole other world opens up. The sincere warmth and interest I experienced from Russian's was shocking to me, everyone talked about how hardcore they were and how mean they could be, and while that's true, I never expected to experience such a feeling of welcome from strangers I'd just met. It was like Russia was choosing me.

I'll be going there to teach English as a native Californian so I'm hoping this will put me in the higher demand as an instructor. Moscow is the greatest city on Earth if you have money to live comfortably and the worst if you don't, life is as good or as bad as you make it. I've been ready to walk away from everything here for a couple years now, and I'm willing to take the risk that life will be hard when I get there. But to me its not really a choice anymore, I know that if I stay in the US that I will never marry, never have a family of my own, and never be happy. This place just isn't for me, doesn't matter how much money I make.

I wonder how your beliefs will change/evolve as you get fluent in Russian, and live there for a couple years.
Is there enough of social status and respect for an English teacher there to make it a net positive?
I think most people in Moscow would jump at the chance to live in California. Interesting how a place can feel so different for people depending on where they are at in their life.
I don't have much useful to contribute other than that if you can get licensed as a teacher before going, it will enable you to teach at international schools and be several levels up the totem pole.

[Constitution45]

(12-10-2014 11:22 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 06:44 AM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 03:54 AM)NomadofEU Wrote:  

Really great stuff Prez. I've been to Russia twice in the past two years and am planning to do a permanent move to Moscow or SpB by end of summer 2015, unless the ruble gets really, really bad :|

Out of interest, what makes you want to live out there ?
Do you have a job lined up or your own business ?

I am curious because most of the expats I know who have lived in Russia seem to be made from a different cloth, compared to the expats I met over in Asia.

On a side note, speaking to friends who are engaged with business over in Moscow, and they all seem to be positive despite the sanctions. Saying that its actually beneficial for the local economy, and harms big multinational companies and banks the most. Hard to make sense of the whole situation.

Before coming to this forum I was blue pill and had many self-limiting beliefs as well as poor life habits: smoking a gram of weed a day, playing 5-6 hours of video games a day, high porn consumer. Fast forward to the present: I haven't touched video games in over a year and I've been completely weed-free since July. The porn thing is still there but nowhere near the level it once was, and I'll finally have my bachelors in May. This forum and other manosphere sites have really empowered me and given me a great deal of confidence once I started putting everything into practice. But here in the US that confidence gets me nowhere because I have to submit to the feminine imperative: be superficial and tolerate women's horseshit while navigating the PC game. Everyday I'd go to work at my office I was depressed and felt like the biggest fucking fake. I was becoming an angry negative person and its just not me to feel defeated by life.

I've never felt at home here and I've never really had good American friends since childhood. I've known something was off since high school when I began distancing myself from participating in all the traditional crap like clubs, dances, proms, even being a good athlete and walking around campus with a letter jacket on I felt ridiculous. I never realized just how much of a stranger I felt in my own homeland until traveling to Europe, and the more east I went, the better life became. The Russian people are grounded in reality and as a man I am most free there to do as I like. I experienced absolutely no judgement from women just pure receptivity. To put it simply, that fear of being ostracized if you fuck up an approach really doesn't exist for me when I'm there.

Russians will size you up and measure your character within moments, there is no bs over there. If you have a weak frame they will expose your phoniness and you'll look like a fool. If they deem you to be genuine then a whole other world opens up. The sincere warmth and interest I experienced from Russian's was shocking to me, everyone talked about how hardcore they were and how mean they could be, and while that's true, I never expected to experience such a feeling of welcome from strangers I'd just met. It was like Russia was choosing me.

I'll be going there to teach English as a native Californian so I'm hoping this will put me in the higher demand as an instructor. Moscow is the greatest city on Earth if you have money to live comfortably and the worst if you don't, life is as good or as bad as you make it. I've been ready to walk away from everything here for a couple years now, and I'm willing to take the risk that life will be hard when I get there. But to me its not really a choice anymore, I know that if I stay in the US that I will never marry, never have a family of my own, and never be happy. This place just isn't for me, doesn't matter how much money I make.

I will pm you.

[DaveR]

Some things to keep in mind for anyone considering a move to Russia:

- from the 1st of January, those applying for or renewing work and residency permits will need to pass a Russian language test (TRKI base level or higher is required). If your official salary is above two million Roubles per year, the requirement can be waived.

- a crackdown on foreigners is currently underway. The targets are illegal workers and anyone associated with NGOs, foreign political entities and "think tanks", activists, etc. Several universities in St. Petersburg have been flushed out. I would advise keeping political statements off social media as they can be used against you.
Keep in mind that a business visa does not give you permission to work in Russia, despite what many language schools will tell you.

- a new law which entered into force this year is causing many foreigners to be deported for minor offences. Those who have accumulated two or more administrative offences in the previous three-year period are banned from entry for five years. Administrative offences include jaywalking, traffic offences, visa overstays, failure to register a visa, late or incorrect tax filing, etc.

[micha]

Wow,.... thanks for the info.

I really wanted to spend some time as a trainee in Russia soon, but it looks that it won't get any easier as time goes by.

[DaveR]

(12-10-2014 02:02 PM)micha Wrote:  

Wow,.... thanks for the info.

I really wanted to spend some time as a trainee in Russia soon, but it looks that it won't get any easier as time goes by.

It shouldn't be a problem as a trainee as long as you're aware of the law. Make sure you're always registered properly and avoid any illegal working arrangements. Also avoid having a car registered in your name as automatic parking and speeding tickets will count towards your two offences. It's extremely easy to be deported if the tickets are assigned to you. Police officers rarely issue tickets in person - they usually settle any offences at the time in cash.

If you're planning a future in Russia, residency permits are no longer a long-term solution due to the two-strikes law. You should try to apply for citizenship as quickly as possible. If you find a main girl and get married, you can apply three years from the date of the wedding.
The language test for citizenship, residency and work visas is the same ( base level). It isn't very difficult and I would be surprised if anyone couldn't pass it after three years in Russia. It's mainly an issue for those who wish to start learning Russian while they work.
One large caveat: you'll have to renounce your existing citizenship during the process of becoming Russian. It isn't a problem for some who can easily renounce and re-acquire their first nationality (UK, Italy, maybe others). For Americans (and probably Germans too), Russian citizenship will only be an option if you're willing to lose your American citizenship permanently. There isn't an easy option to reacquire American citizenship once you've renounced it.

[presidentcarter]

From what I understand, the new language exam does not apply to teachers. I'll dig around some more to confirm.

Also, I DO know a few people that have been ticketed for jaywalking. As to whether or not it would actually hit the books and possibly result in deportation, I do not know. Seems ridiculous, but just use the crosswalks.

[jimukr104]

(12-10-2014 02:52 PM)DaveR Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 02:02 PM)micha Wrote:  

Wow,.... thanks for the info.

I really wanted to spend some time as a trainee in Russia soon, but it looks that it won't get any easier as time goes by.

It shouldn't be a problem as a trainee as long as you're aware of the law. Make sure you're always registered properly and avoid any illegal working arrangements. Also avoid having a car registered in your name as automatic parking and speeding tickets will count towards your two offences. It's extremely easy to be deported if the tickets are assigned to you. Police officers rarely issue tickets in person - they usually settle any offences at the time in cash.

If you're planning a future in Russia, residency permits are no longer a long-term solution due to the two-strikes law. You should try to apply for citizenship as quickly as possible. If you find a main girl and get married, you can apply three years from the date of the wedding.
The language test for citizenship, residency and work visas is the same ( base level). It isn't very difficult and I would be surprised if anyone couldn't pass it after three years in Russia. It's mainly an issue for those who wish to start learning Russian while they work.
One large caveat: you'll have to renounce your existing citizenship during the process of becoming Russian. It isn't a problem for some who can easily renounce and re-acquire their first nationality (UK, Italy, maybe others). For Americans (and probably Germans too), Russian citizenship will only be an option if you're willing to lose your American citizenship permanently. There isn't an easy option to reacquire American citizenship once you've renounced it.

I thought they allowed dual citizenship?

[DaveR]

(12-10-2014 04:09 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

From what I understand, the new language exam does not apply to teachers. I'll dig around some more to confirm.

The final version of the amendments: http://www.rg.ru/2014/04/23/inostrantsy-dok.html

The main exceptions are for people considered highly-qualified specialists, which means:
- salary more than 2m Roubles (any company)
- salary more than 1m Roubles (universities, state research institutes and schools accredited with the Ministry of Education. This does not include private language 'schools' or even private middle/high schools as the Ministry of Education doesn't recognise them).
- employees of companies registered in the Skolkovo free economic zone

Other exceptions:
- accredited journalists
- oil/gas engineers working on equipment owned by state companies
- graduates of Russian high schools and universities (you'll need the original of your degree or егэ certificate).
- university students who work during their vacation time
- children under 18 years
- women over 60 years old and men over 65
- officially registered disabled


If you're working for one of the larger companies (BKC international house, etc.) they may have some kind of accreditation due to teaching in schools or some other form. But keep in mind that if they get caught, it's still your problem. Whenever a work permit is cancelled, it gets recorded on both the foreigner's and the company's record, regardless of whose fault it is.

(12-10-2014 05:58 PM)jimukr104 Wrote:  

I thought they allowed dual citizenship?

Dual/multiple citizenship is allowed but only after acquiring Russian citizenship. To become a Russian citizen, you would first have to renounce any citizenship that you hold. Once you have your Russian passport in hand, you can then acquire any citizenship you like.
I had to go through the hoops of renouncing and then re-acquiring. It was a major assache, especially Italian because it can only be reacquired in Italy and needs the help of a lawyer and a court filing, otherwise it takes 2-3 years.

[presidentcarter]

I'll check with my employer tomorrow. The entire native speaker teacher industry will collapse if what you posted is true...

Damn. I may be relocating after all. That or start studying my ass off (though I heard it was a C1 level test so...yeah not happening).

[DaveR]

(12-10-2014 08:02 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

I'll check with my employer tomorrow. The entire native speaker teacher industry will collapse if what you posted is true...

Damn. I may be relocating after all.

What I posted is only the law. There will be ways around it. For example, if you have a salary of 1m Roubles, it can be over-declared so you would effectively be paying 26% tax instead of 13%. If the company is relatively profitable, the extra 1m Roubles could also be used as an expense to save some tax on the company's account, so the effective rate may end up being ~20%.

But in general, I think it will lead to a shakeup of unaccredited tutors. FMS has never been positive about that industry as it attracts a lot of undesirables.

A lot of people who have been living in Russia on residency permits will find themselves in trouble too. (retirees, etc.)

[TripleG]

Does the 2M Ruble salary count if you are self-employed, for example an investor in real-estate?

Also, while I love Russia "One large caveat: you'll have to renounce your existing citizenship during the process of becoming Russian. It isn't a problem for some who can easily renounce and re-acquire their first nationality (UK, Italy, maybe others). For Americans (and probably Germans too), Russian citizenship will only be an option if you're willing to lose your American citizenship permanently. There isn't an easy option to reacquire American citizenship once you've renounced it." I don't love it enough to renounce my American citizenship

[Chaos]

(12-10-2014 06:44 AM)Constitution45 Wrote:  

most of the expats I know who have lived in Russia seem to be made from a different cloth, compared to the expats I met over in Asia.

Interesting point and very true.
Never thought about it, but the difference is like day and night.

[DaveR]

(12-10-2014 10:14 PM)TripleG Wrote:  

Does the 2M Ruble salary count if you are self-employed, for example an investor in real-estate?

You could establish a Russian company (LLC) and then arrange for the company to pay you a salary of 2m Roubles per year. It could be a holding company which owns the real estate directly or it could provide some kind of service (finance, maintenance, rent collection and management, etc.) - whatever works best in your situation.

The company will need to be established having a Russian citizen or foreigner with permanent residency (vid na zhitelstvo) as its director. Once established, it can hire you as a director and then hold a board meeting to fire the first director. However, I would recommend always having at least one Russian citizen on the board of directors, because if something happens (laws change or you miss some kind of filing with the migration service) you'll be left with a company that, effectively, can't be represented by anyone.

But it would be extremely risky to invest in real estate given the current anti-foreign climate. If you happen to get caught out because of this two-strikes law, you'll be unable to check on your assets for five years.
Also, if it's residential real estate, the most reliable way to protect an apartment against theft is to have someone permanently registered in it. Without citizenship you would only be entitled to temporary registration. Registering a Russian citizen in a property gives them the right to live there, even if they refuse to pay rent, and it's almost impossible to have them evicted.

[arnoux]

(12-11-2014 01:50 AM)DaveR Wrote:  

(12-10-2014 10:14 PM)TripleG Wrote:  

Does the 2M Ruble salary count if you are self-employed, for example an investor in real-estate?

You could establish a Russian company (LLC) and then arrange for the company to pay you a salary of 2m Roubles per year. It could be a holding company which owns the real estate directly or it could provide some kind of service (finance, maintenance, rent collection and management, etc.) - whatever works best in your situation.

The company will need to be established having a Russian citizen or foreigner with permanent residency (vid na zhitelstvo) as its director. Once established, it can hire you as a director and then hold a board meeting to fire the first director. However, I would recommend always having at least one Russian citizen on the board of directors, because if something happens (laws change or you miss some kind of filing with the migration service) you'll be left with a company that, effectively, can't be represented by anyone.

But it would be extremely risky to invest in real estate given the current anti-foreign climate. If you happen to get caught out because of this two-strikes law, you'll be unable to check on your assets for five years.
Also, if it's residential real estate, the most reliable way to protect an apartment against theft is to have someone permanently registered in it. Without citizenship you would only be entitled to temporary registration. Registering a Russian citizen in a property gives them the right to live there, even if they refuse to pay rent, and it's almost impossible to have them evicted.

You can use you own company and invoice a umbrella company that has subsidiary in Russia (http://www.cjs-solutions.com/ for example) that will give you the 2M roubles and thus a HQS visa and a registration. I ve tested this solution and confirmed that it works. the cost is basically the 13% over the 2M roubles so something like 500 USD per month plus the umbrella management fee around 400 usd.
More or less 1k USD per month and you can do what you want in russia. this is also a good way to have money on your individual account that has been legally taxed at 13% by the way. If you have a limited company in a tax paradise and dont know how to take it back that s a possible way to do it.

[jimukr104]

(12-10-2014 10:14 PM)TripleG Wrote:  

Does the 2M Ruble salary count if you are self-employed, for example an investor in real-estate?

Also, while I love Russia "One large caveat: you'll have to renounce your existing citizenship during the process of becoming Russian. It isn't a problem for some who can easily renounce and re-acquire their first nationality (UK, Italy, maybe others). For Americans (and probably Germans too), Russian citizenship will only be an option if you're willing to lose your American citizenship permanently. There isn't an easy option to reacquire American citizenship once you've renounced it." I don't love it enough to renounce my American citizenship

If I ever did it , it would have to be to avoid US taxes. I would denounce it and get RU passport and then an Israeli one(they pay you to get one lol). This way I would have access to 1st world economy and not have citizenship taxation.

[DaveR]

(12-11-2014 10:03 AM)arnoux Wrote:  

You can use you own company and invoice a umbrella company that has subsidiary in Russia (http://www.cjs-solutions.com/ for example) that will give you the 2M roubles and thus a HQS visa and a registration. I ve tested this solution and confirmed that it works. the cost is basically the 13% over the 2M roubles so something like 500 USD per month plus the umbrella management fee around 400 usd.
More or less 1k USD per month and you can do what you want in russia. this is also a good way to have money on your individual account that has been legally taxed at 13% by the way. If you have a limited company in a tax paradise and dont know how to take it back that s a possible way to do it.

Starting from the 1st of January 2015, representative offices can make use of the "highly qualified specialist" regime. So if you don't really need a legal entity (and associated bookkeeping, tax filing, etc.) in Russia, it will be easier to register a representative office of the umbrella company.

http://www.pwc.ru/en/legal-services/news...evks.jhtml

[presidentcarter]

My employer, who's in regular contact with migration officials, said this will not affect teachers. I believe them. Even if it's not written in the law that it doesn't apply to teachers, there's no way it will be applied to us. It would destroy the industry and be completely insane altogether.

[DaveR]

(12-11-2014 03:14 PM)presidentcarter Wrote:  

My employer, who's in regular contact with migration officials, said this will not affect teachers. I believe them. Even if it's not written in the law that it doesn't apply to teachers, there's no way it will be applied to us. It would destroy the industry and be completely insane altogether.

I assume you mean tutors. But anyway, just keep in mind that things are not always logical in Russia. A lot of people are being deported for having two parking tickets, for example. There have been several incidents whereby entire international schools (of the K-12 variety) have been shut down mid-year due migration law violations.

If the law was implemented to the letter and that made it difficult to find and hire full-time tutors, there are a few ways the companies could adapt:
- increase wages to 2m/year and attract more highly-qualified candidates under the highly-qualified regime.
- obtain proper registration as an educational institutions and/or affiliate with a university, allowing the salary to be reduced to 1m Roubles
- hire foreign university students, who are permitted by law to work part-time (up to 20 hours per week) without work visas.

So what I'm saying is - if you're planning to set up a long-term life in Russia, try to get yourself in a position where you have plenty of options open.

[presidentcarter]

I'm not sure what differentiation you're making between teachers and tutors. All of the organizations here that will give you a work visa require some sort of teaching qualification (TEFL cert, CELTA) and the TEFL industry in general uses "teacher", whether it's private teacher, private school teacher (BKC), public school, or incompany (corporate/business English) teacher.

And there's no way any of us will ever be paid 2m a year. The starting pay for a full-time beginner teacher at a starter school like BKC is about 35k rubles a month (starter schools usually provide housing though so it partially makes up for it). Though, you can definitely make 1-2m/year mixing classroom/incompany work with private lessons, or teaching only private lessons (but then you wouldn't get the work visa and more than half of that would be off the books income anyway).

I'm not saying you're wrong or that setting up for the long term isn't prudent, but there are hundreds if not thousands of native speaker English teachers in Moscow and forcing them to jump through this hoop would collapse the industry and fuck Russians up in the long term (much less will become functional in English). Then again like you said, it's Russia. Anything could happen.