To be or not to be ?

[Rene75]

Hello Guys!
I do need an advise from you, experienced expats !
Here is my story: I 'm a German, married Russian girl. We met in England (worked together) and 10 months later we got married in Russia. Couple of month later we went to U.S. to work for 1.5 year. Here comes the point. 1.5 year is over and time to make a decision what we actually gonna do. And here is a problem. She wants us to live in Moscow in spite of our earlier agreement to live in Germany once we've done with our contract in US. On one hand I don't mind on the other hand come questions: what it is like to live there ? how difficult to find a job ? (I'm a chef), would I be able to make friends without speaking Russian? and so on ...
Just tell me, guys , do you think it's worth going there or I just have to put my foot down and make her forget about the whole idea.

[moscowmail]

As a chef, if you are good, the money and perks can be great, some chefs here earn anything from $8,000 to $35,000 per month, it is rumored some earn more...

Choice between here and Germany, in my opinion, no contest, this place is de best....

Not speaking Russian isn't a major problem, you could still get a job, and on a social level, the expat communitiy is probably closer now than it has ever been...

[trebor]

Rene75
i am a chef here in Russia (previously in Moscow).
While what MM says is true, it would be very unrealistic of you to think you could come to Moscow without an introduction and get that kind of money. Those salaries are few and far between and are getting scarce as more and more foriegn chefs come here, driving up competition.
I will send you a PM with some info and contacts.
Best of luck
trebor

[moscowmail]

You are very right Trebor, I didn't want to give the wrong impression, I suppose it is like any biz really, there are the lucky guys who get great pay, then the rest of us who have to work for normal dosh.

It is still a great place to live, and I think Trebor maybe be able to help you search for a good position

[Jet]

MM, Trebor are u guys serious?? $35 k a months?? Damn, i picked the wrong profession!!

Moscow is a great place but don't forget the air pollution

[Jet]

MM, "then the rest of us"? well, I think u r doing better that the rest of us

[moscowmail]

Originally posted by Jet Li
MM, "then the rest of us"? well, I think u r doing better that the rest of us

I wouldn't know about that, today is a holiday, I have a broken toe, I got a newborn child and I am working.....hmmm, money isn't always a key issue

But I am going on Hols in May somewhere hot with me girl and me boy

Re the salary thing for chefs, i will qualify that a bit...

Some of the places I have dined in are very posh, not really my style but clients take me, and on chatting to the owners they often say one of their biggest investments (besides property) is the chef, they come across as almost proud to pay sums in excess of $20,000 per month, wierd heh? I think Trebor is far better qualified to talk about this industry than I.

Going back to the original message, I think a regular salary for a chef in a half decent place could be between $2,000 - $6,000 per month.

[stefania2003]

I disagree; I think he should settle in Germany.
Why?
Apart from the usual and ever increasing hassle with registration etc, money IS everything in this town and if you haven't got it you are no-one. Fact. I'm talking about the male species and particularly those who have families really but even as a woman here it's very tough sometimes and I'm still far from being out of the woods here. It's a lonely, aggressive and polluted city; they're not exactly delirious about foreigners and this guy's wife should let him take her where the standard of living for them would be best.

[moscowmail]

Wow, Stef, I am sorry you feel this way, can only speak from my side

I personally don't consider a person who is on a 'low' income here to be happy or unhappy because of their income, more to the way they enjoy themselves, make the most of things I suppose.

A great example of this is the boozers, and more recently the Ghost/DPG mob who go out often together and seem to have a good time, this creates friendships that previoulsy would not have happend, my life is better here and part of that is due to the friends I have found from this site....

I hope your situation gets better Stef and you become a little happier here

[Jet]

Stef, it is the 8th of march!! what is this mood?? Just relax, fly away from ur troubles, life can be hard everywhere. Of course, there are bad sides to the life in Moscow, but don't let it cloud ur day!!!! U do love russian language and russians, right?? U can speak it every day, besides u always have a chance to leave, many people don't have it

Moscowmail, boozers can make u an alchogolic, it will surely make me one

[ReturnOfBroadmoor]

There is one thing to watch out for if you are looking for work as a chef or anything else connected to the restaurant and club sector - and that is SLEAZEBALLS! Said species seems to proliferate in the club and restaurant sector here - places open up and close very quickly (bad plans, the spoiled brat kid of some official who is behind the whole thing gets bored, clubs and restaurants set up as money laundries, you name it), and the bosses go on to the next (intended?) failure, whereas the chefs, managers etc get screwed over.

That is not to say that there are not some fine players in the industry - it is just that a lot of expat employees have fallen victim to the sleazy operators, and frankly some of the better operators prefer Russian chefs at this point. Unfortunately, save for giving you the names and types of restaurants operated by some reputable chains here, and passing on the names of one or two known sleazeballs via PM, I can't help you too much.

[Jet]

BB, those sleaze balls are in fact the capitalists as they were described by the soviet propaganda

[trebor]

I have to disagree with ReturnOfBroadmoor

The restaurant business in Moscow is far more sophisticated than it once was a few years back.

restaurants DON"T generaly open and close here over night. Thats one of the absurdities about it.

Its far more common for it to happen in London than it is here. Why? Because people get involved in the business there for different reasons and without doing their sums and go bust in a few months?

Sounds like Moscow, i hear you say!
But no, not in my experience.

Here, especialy at the middle to top end (and this sector is the only one i can only realy comment on and be seriously be called the restaurant business) the reasons for starting a restaurant, on the whole, are different.

Owners are looking for respectability, their tired of people thinking of them as gangsters, thats passe now and also to massage their over developed egos.

What could be more rewarding than entertaining friends, family, mistresses and business aquaintances in your own place!
Often they have aquired the money to invest in a restaurant dubiously or quite often have earnt large sums in industries that are definately "unsexy" Like the guy i know who is part owner in a very well know Moscow restaurant who owns a cleaning business.
Now, instead of telling people he sells toilet brushes he can boast partnership in one of the most successful establishments in town.

And to return to my first point. The crazy thing is they don't care if they loose money. The venture is bankrolled from other income.
i do agree however with ReturnOfBroadmoor other point about money laundering and the doddgy nature of the club world here in Moscow

Money laundering is a big problem here but not one that suffers from the "here today gone tomorrow" syndrome for obvious reasons

trebor

[Jet]

trebor, can u communicate with those guys easily? I have some not very good experiences with those people, they can be well-dressed but still essentially be the red-necks

[trebor]

Jet Li
i wasn't trying to portray these people as easy to communicate with but your unlikely to be staring down the barrell of a gun, as before.
That's gotta be progress!