| Legal Status and Earning a Living | Evidently there is Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) resolution that supports foreigners to teach their native languages in Ukraine and take pleasure in a tax-free status. The idea is that teachers have a "volunteer" status and have their living expenses paid for by the school they work for. What qualifies as living expenses is extremely wide and basically comprises any pay you are given from language teaching. According to this resolution your school is supposed to sign a work contract with you and write a letter stating that you are teaching at their school are your living needs are being taken care of.
This letter is essential if the government ever asks them about your legal status. The government pretty much ignores foreigners working in Ukraine unless they work in state institutions. It is recommended that you come on a business visa. If you are in Ukraine on a private visa and begin teaching English, just keep in mind to get a business visa when your present visa expires. Earnings unrelated to teaching foreign languages are taxable.
Another option is to register as a private entrepreneur and pay a fixed monthly tax on all your earnings. You may also apply for permanent residency, which is essentially the equivalent of a U.S. "green card," allowing you to work and live on the same grounds as Ukrainian citizens.
You can make a living teaching English in Ukraine. The practice of bringing over foreigners to teach foreign languages just has not been institutionalized yet. Starting pay at private language schools and firms is on the whole around $10-13 USD per hour in Kiev and somewhat less in other large cities. Specialized courses such as TOEFL that require special qualifications may pay quite a bit more. With Ukraine's lower cost of living this money can go a long way.
Pay is by the classroom hour and does not comprise preparation time or transportation costs. Teaching 40 hours a week is rather complicated in the beginning because of needed preparation time. On the other hand, if you teach the same classes a second semester, your preparation time will quickly cut and 30-40 hours becomes more realistic. Even if you are teaching mere ly 20 hours a week, you can take pleasure in a nice lifestyle by Ukrainian standards. Frequently serious language teachers teach at several different language schools and have private students too.
A widespread additional benefit of teaching English is that some schools will propose you free Russian or Ukrainian lessons in response for you teaching for them.
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