"I lasted two months": A St. Petersburg resident described the difficult conditions and low wages at a kindergarten.
St. Petersburg resident Anastasia shared her experience of working as a nanny. It turned out that working in a kindergarten not only brings the joy of interacting with children, but also the meager pay and heavy workload. Her story, published on her Instagram account, anisya_aniska, sparked a strong response from educators in other regions of Russia.
A month of medical examinations at your own expense and “childhood hell”
Anastasia from St. Petersburg described in detail how she got a job as a nanny at a kindergarten. Specifically, she paid for her medical examination entirely at her own expense. In the end, it took her almost a month to go through all the necessary procedures, and no one ever reimbursed her for the 6 rubles she spent.
"My first days at work were filled with the euphoria of cute children and manual labor."
However, the euphoria quickly gave way to harsh reality. In her first month on the job, the young woman suffered three viral infections. She estimates that 80% of the time, parents bring their children to kindergarten with acute respiratory viral infections.
Heavy Duty for 27 Rubles
Moreover, the nanny's responsibilities were vast. Her duties included not only supervising and caring for the children but also regularly washing dishes and floors. For this demanding workload, Anastasia earned only 27 rubles a month, working five days a week.
"You could take several groups, but then you'd barely make it on 55. And most of the money would go towards treatment. When I went, I thought the hardest part would be finding common ground with the kids, but in the end, I only lasted two months in this children's hell."
What is the situation in other regions of Russia?
Consequently, the problem of low wages is relevant throughout the country. Teachers from other regions actively responded in the comments section. For example, in Cheboksary, the average kindergarten salary is approximately 27 rubles before taxes. Meanwhile, in the Rostov Region, it's only 20 rubles, and in Vladikavkaz, 25 rubles.
Unfortunately, life is even more difficult for educators in retirement. Former employees are forced to survive on meager payments for their many years of service.
"I worked as a teacher for over 30 years for pennies. My pension was 7,48 rubles 28 kopecks. For this hellish work. In 10 years, my pension has grown to 18,000. How can I live on that?"
Context: Government initiatives and reality
It's worth noting that the independent media outlet NeMoskva has repeatedly reported on the catastrophically low salaries of kindergarten staff in Russia's regions. However, instead of addressing the financial issue, authorities are proposing questionable measures.
In particular, officials had previously proposed extending kindergarten hours as a measure to boost the birth rate. However, there was no mention of raising salaries. Naturally, teachers reacted extremely negatively to this initiative and suggested that officials should work for the same salary themselves.
