So you have a university or college degree and a Teaching English as a Second or Other Language --TESOL-- certification and you are ready for work and adventure in Kazakhstan. Actually, not quite yet. Working in Kazakhstan requires a visa and visas are only given to employees and tourists. This means that if you want a paid teaching position, you need to have a job arranged before setting foot in Kazakhstan, otherwise you will be traveling there on a tourist visa. The company that is going to employ you needs to send a letter of invitation for you to the nearest Kazakhstan embassy before your visa can be issued. There are many international schools in Kazakhstan that teach English as a Second Language, including the state-funded Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.
The culture of Kazakhstan is wildly diverse. Almost everyone in Kazakhstan speaks Russian, although Kazakh is the official language. The population is composed of approximately 42 percent Kazakh and 37 percent Russian, with the remainder a mix of Germans, Ukrainians, Koreans and other central Asian races. Religiously, Kazakhstan is roughly 47 percent Muslim and 44 percent Russian Orthodox Christian. When living in Kazakhstan, keep your passport with you at all times. Failing to produce your passport when required can result in a sizable fine. As for the weather, prepare yourself for extremes. In the long winter season, temperatures can regularly drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius, while in the short summer season, it can reach as high as 40 degrees Celsius.
Almaty, in the south of Kazakhstan, is the former capital city. Astana, to the north, has been the capital since 1997. Both cities offer plenty of pubs and discos, restaurants and shopping centers, as well as most of the English-language teaching positions available in Kazakhstan. Almaty is the older of the two cities and does not have the contemporary feel of Astana. It is a product of 1930s Soviet planning -- tree-lined streets arranged in a grid. Almaty is also where your plane will land. Astana, on the other hand, can be characterized by its incredibly modern, innovative buildings and the fact that it is also the second-coldest capital city in the world, with only Ulan Bator in Mongolia being colder.
There are three types of schools for teaching English in Kazakhstan -- language centers, British Council schools and local universities and international schools.
Currently, language centers typically pay between $1,500 to $1,800 U.S. dollars per month. British Council schools and local universities pay anywhere from $1,800 to $2,200 per month, and international school salaries typically start at $2,000 per month and go up from there. Remember, no matter which type of school you work at in Kazakhstan, you will get paid more if you have a master's degree and prior English-language teaching experience than if you have an undergraduate degree and no prior experience.