Demand for Chinese language teachers surges in Russia – report
Demand for Chinese language teachers in Russia has nearly quadrupled over the past year, according to leading job posting site Avito Rabota. Salaries have also risen considerably for such positions, statistics have shown.
In analysis published on Tuesday, Avito said the overall demand for foreign language teachers in Russia has grown by 67% since last November. Chinese language educators topped the list, with the number of job openings increasing by 3.6 times in the period covered.
The trend has driven a 64% year-on-year increase in average salaries for Chinese teachers, while one Moscow language center was offering up to 80,000 rubles ($871) per month for their services. Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said the median salary for Russians stood at 70,300 rubles as of August.
Commenting on the figures, the managing director for Avito jobs, Artem Kumpel, said the “immense” interest in learning Chinese is due to the “growing demand for employees speaking this language in the labor market.” He added that Russia is “actively cooperating with China, developing cultural and trade interactions.”
On Saturday, business outlet RBK reported that sales of Chinese language textbooks had risen by 4% during the first six months of 2023, based on figures provided by the Chitay-Gorod – Bukvoyed bookstore chain.
By contrast, the number of English language textbooks sold in Russia over the same period dropped by a third, with other major European languages also displaying a downward trend.
However, English language textbooks still make up the majority of learning materials of this type sold in Russia at Chitay-Gorod stores, followed by Chinese and Korean.
Russia has been steadily deepening ties with neighboring China in recent years, a trend which was given fresh impetus by Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. In 2022, trade between Russia and China hit a record $190 billion, marking a 29% annual increase, as Moscow redirected trade flows eastwards.
Citing data provided by recruiting service HeadHunter, RBK reported last year that demand for Chinese-speaking workers had grown by 40% during the first three months of 2022. In August, Kremlin education and science adviser Andrey Fursenko announced that more Chinese classes would be included in the curriculum of top universities.
