Education and Volunteer Programms in Novosibirsk

On this page i'm going to describe Higher Educational System of Novosibirsk in general and then focus on programs for foreigners: Intership, Russian Language Courses, Volunteer and other exchange programs.

Russian Higher Educational System and Specifics of Novosibirsk

Russian Education system is inherited from USSR. Young people enter universities after finishing 8 years of school (that is obligatory) and 2 more years in school or college (that is not obligatory, but is required to enter university). Then, they study for 5 years and get diploma of specialist or 4 years to get Bachelor's degree and 2 more years to get Master's degree. Specialist diploma is a part of Soviet Higher Education System. Now the process of changing systems is almost done, but still in some universities students get "soviet" diplomas. Foreign universities recognize specialist diplomas as Bachelor's.

In USSR there was very strickly differentiation: universities (traditional wide curriculum), academies (more narrow specialisations) and institutes (most narrow specialisation). However, in modern Russia almost all Higher Educational Institutions became "universities". But most of senior citizens and experts consider only USSR-universities as real ones. In Novosibirsk such university is well-known Novosibirsk State University (nsu.ru, established in 1959), that is located in Akademgorodok. Also, Novosibirsk State Technical University and Architecture Academy is quite honorable in their fields. 

63% of young people enters universities or other Higher Education Institutions. In cities this ration is even bigger. In many other minor universities and institutes of Russia bribes are common.

International Schools

QSI International School of Novosibirsk (website), a non-profit institution that opening in August 2008 offering high quality education in English for students from five (5) years of age through thirteen (13) years of age. This is a new school located in Akademgorodok. The school's educational philosophy includes a performance-based personalized approach to instruction leading to mastery learning. The primary purpose of the school is to meet the needs of children with foreign passports in Novosibirsk who require this type of education with a view to continuing their education in their home countries with a minimum of adjustment problems. In addition to its scholastic goals, the school endeavors to provide its students with knowledge of Russian.

Volunteer And Exchange Programs

AISEC NSU
AIESEC is an international leadership organization ruled by students independantly. All over the world AIESEC members make projects, which are aimed to develop youth, give students opportunity to develop leadership skills. Future Leaders of Siberia (FLoS) is one of such projects. Three years on end the organization AIESEC in NSU (Novosibirsk State University) makes this project, which involves working with children summer camps of Novosibirsk region. The project is aimed at increasing the level of cross-cultural development of children and youth. 25 foreign interns from about 8 countries participate in the project. The purpose of the project is to give children primary image and knowledge about traditions and culture of other countries. The earlier a child realizes the whole diversity of the world we live in, the earlier he starts to use all opportunities it offers. As well as this, the project helps its participants understand the distinctive cultural features of their own country by contrasting it with others. 

• More information about FLoS is avaiable on AISEC NSU webpage.
• Read Interview with AISEC fireign student Johanna (Poland)

CIEP NSU (Center for International Educational Programs)
CIEP is a program within the NSU Foreign Languages Department that offers foreign students the opportunity to study Russian Language, including Cultural Studies and Business Russian. Visit CIEP webpage for more information.

Language Schools in Novosibirsk

Studying Russian (as Foreign Language)
All major language schools in Novosibirsk offer Russian courses for foreigners. For example, Inetrlang, Speaking Planet, Unicity and others - see full list on that website (in Russian).

Working as a tutor in language school
A great possibility to communicate with young Russians and make some money is to start working as a tutor for some time. 90% of language schools of Novosibirsk offer English courses and there are always a lack of English-speaking tutors. So you will be welcomed! This job does not require you to know teching techincs, because usually foreigners are asked tщ host speaking clubs. If you are a native speaker of other language - you will be welcomed twice!
So, choose any one of language school (check Novosibirsk language courses guide) - and I'm sure they will be happy to hire you.