Olga Senina
If you intend to work in Russia as a chef, there shouldn’t be any problems, according to Natalya Abtseshko, an associate with the International Projects Group at VEGAS LEX law firm. Under Russian law, you don’t need a certificate of your secondary education as a prerequisite for working in Russia. According to the law “On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation,” foreigners must obtain a work permit. The procedure requires the employer to submit to the Federal Migration Service (FMS) a copy of the certificate of vocational education received by the foreign employee in his or her home country, or a formal certificate stating the Russian education equivalent of the employee’s qualifications. There is no specific requirement regarding the type of education certificates.
Neither is any secondary education certificate stipulated by the Labor Code as a necessary condition for working in Russia. However, notes Abtseshko, additional requirements for specific skills can be imposed by statutory regulations, labor contracts or job descriptions. For instance, requirements for medical staff and pharmacists are listed in a separate article of the Russian framework law on health care. As for chefs, there are no regulations in Russia governing their professional activity, said Yevgenia Ivanova, a lawyer with Yukov, Khrenov and Partners.
In general, chefs, along with designers and construction workers, are in high demand in the Russian market. According to a survey conducted in the spring of 2009 by SuperJob recruiting agency, a chef’s salary in Russia at the time of the survey was about $2,000 per month in Moscow, $1,700 in St Petersburg, and approximately $1,000 in central Russia. Based on the same survey, the principal candidate requirements include no less than two years of professional experience, knowledge of meal pricing and costing rules, sanitary compliance, and good command of specialist software (R-Keeper, Store House). Experience catering banquets and formal receptions is also a plus. Notably, employers are not too particular about candidates' educational background, welcoming graduates who took up cooking programs at colleges and vocational schools, as well as those from major culinary institutes.
When you are able to start your job in Russia depends on when your employer initiates the permitting procedure, which, according to Ivanova, may take up to a year unless you are a high-paid expat. First, your employer must secure a quota for inviting a foreign specialist, and all such quotas have to be approved by the Federal government. Applications for work permits for the next year should be submitted from January to May of the current year. So if you want to come to Russia in 2012, encourage your employer to move fast.
Federal Migration Service:
Ministry of Health and Social Development:
http://www.minzdravsoc.ru/labour
SuperJob recruiting agency research:
