Work

Since one reason I’ve come here (and need to do to make some money to live off of) is to get a job, I feel it’s worth sharing some of the differences in getting a job here in Macedonia that I’ve come across so far. Given my past experience in the country, education, and knowledge of the language, I’ve had a pretty good week of getting my resume out and even interviewing for a job, Macedonian style. I shot my resume off to some places, met with a few school secretaries, and used the Peace Corps network to discuss other opportunities.

Yesterday, though, I went to a new office-like building that I knew to house the relatively new American College Skopje (ACS). Well, I got there a little late in the day for Macedonians—3pm or so—and so found only a few people lingering to speak with. Having sent it over email a few weeks ago, I left my resume and information and parted with a smile and thanks. On my way out though, I started speaking to another guy who said I should talk to a certain gal. Now, being in the building, I thought I was about to speak with someone from ACS, and gladly went to talk with her. Lo and behold, after telling her who I was, being served coffee, and engaging in a conversation that immediately jumped into politics and history, I discovered that this woman was from another school, rather amusingly called MIT!

Now the school has no affiliation with the MIT stateside, though it does offer IT courses (in addition to culinary and environmental science type stuff). The gal, Biljana, was very kind and sharp, but an hour into the chat and after she’d smoked several cigarettes, I was wondering where this was all going and how I fit in. We discussed my visa situation and pay, and in the end she said if I got her a plan for how I could teach for them than I was in. I should’ve been enthusiastic, right? But knowing what was confirmed right after by meeting up with an old Peace Corps volunteer who’s been in the country 12 years, I sighed and laughed at the insanity that is modern Macedonia. That is, the situation here is a cocktail of a South European/Balkan patronage system mixed with post-Socialist apathy mixed with free-market greed. What I wrote about last week is what’s making for a huge discrepancy between rich and poor here. And by poor, I mean people who don’t have enough money to eat and cover their most basic needs.

As evidenced by the educational system (which I’m getting to), Skopje and all the country are in a real mess. If one is lucky enough to get work they might not even get paid for it. But this comes about through pure proprietary greed. Owners of stores, restaurants, and in my case, new “colleges” and schools, are just withholding salaries from employees and pocketing them. In the case of the Berlitz language school franchise that opened, I was told that the owners were making their teachers put down a thousand euro “deposit” to ensure that they wouldn’t steal the Berlitz technique and run off and start their own language school. So not only did some of those teachers not get a salary after working a couple of months, they were swindled out of a grand too.

Apparently ACS and MIT are actually both decent programs for the time being, but these schools (many, for what it’s worth, claiming to be the “first private university in Macedonia”) are sprouting like weeds. They’re all across the city and generally charge €2,000-3,000 ($3,000-4,500) tuition. They’re comprised of some well educated faculty by Yugoslav standards, but the problem is that everyone’s gotten greedy and education’s become a business. (No doubt we’re seeing this somewhat in the US, but because of our laws and, most of all, incredibly bureaucratic universities, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.)

So, what will happen with me? I’ll have to play the game and get used to nothing like direct deposit, but I fortunately had dinner with a very sharp Peace Corps friend last night who’s stuck around Macedonia (there’re a few of us) and worked for ACS among other schools. He gave me some salary demands to make for these so called universities and colleges (€15-20/hour), and at least €10/hour for the numerous private language schools around. Fortunately, I arrived at the right time, as most schools don’t begin for a couple of weeks (and many in early October), so I should be finding out in the next week or two what will work out. Fingers crossed, an old partnership between IU and a EU backed university that’s opening a branch in Skopje could yield a position, and one with a secure pay check. I’ll need that in no time, as with rising costs and a weak dollar, I’m counting my dollars more closely than I used to. Speaking of that, stay tuned for a list of prices and how they differ. A gallon of gas, for example? About $7…