Russia's Declining ESOL Industry Should Blame IELTS - And Consider Alternatives

IELTS is not the be all and end all Russian schools sold it to be.

In June 2025, the British Council was declared an undesirable organisation by the Russian state. Russia’s Prosecutor General accused the British Council (BC) of advancing British foreign policy “under the guise of teaching English” and of promoting the “LGBT movement,” which the Russian government designated as “extremist.”

Under Russian law, participation in the activities of an “undesirable organization” can result in individual fines of up to 15,000 rubles ($189) for first-time offenses. Payment for its services may also be treated as financial support of such organizations, a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.

BC wound down their English teaching operations long before 2025, acting instead as a British cultural centre. Attendees at its events were often harassed by anti-western media outlets.

I taught English in Russia for eight happy years (never at BC). I still work with Russian schools and students, and have an academic paper on the Russian ESOL industry in the works. Spoiler: it is in the shits.

I knew people who worked for BC in Moscow. Some were great teachers, but many were smirking obnoxious types, who thought God blessed the ground they walked on. Most did not care about Russia or their students. It was also common knowledge that spies were among BC’s workforce, as they had been in the Soviet era.

BC’s new designation exposed the biggest probems ESOL has in Russia. The first concern of many was IELTS (the International English Language Testing System). BC is one of its main organisers and many immediately panicked that IELTS was no longer an option.

IELTS officially froze all exams in Russia in 2022 after the war started, as did Cambridge English. The big school names withdrew too, and those companies cannot legally use their names and likeness (but still do). Yet, many Russian citizens continue to take the exam abroad.

The IELTS panic shows how Russia’s ESOL industry failed to keep up with the industry changes and realities of immigration. Lots of places run IELTS, which has not been the gold standard or even necessary for some time now. It is being phased out at a breakneck pace by other (better) exams. Further, it was always and only ever an expensive placement test. It was never designed to teach people English. Why then, did Russian ESOL not keep up with the times?


'I’m Pre-Intermediate’

ESOL in Russia became utterly fixated around IELTS and Cambridge exams. It did so as a marketing ploy. They were money makers and status symbols for schools and teachers alike. Cambridge University has accredited us to ‘prove’ your language level. Just pay up and eventually you will get a piece of paper with Cambridge’s name on it. Perhaps even two. Heck, if you try real hard, the IELTS certificate might get you a western visa and you can leave.

Even so, Russia’s ESOL industry has been struggling since the annexation of Crimea. Company bosses and management at schools across Russia made a string of terrible decisions in response to new economic realities that only made things worse. There was never any real attempt to teach English as it is actually spoken, written and used, much less get students acquainted with the cultures of the English speaking world. The latter, it has been proven, really helps fastrack language learning.

Instead, students with low language skills simply pay the schools to go up a level. There is no long term, big picture thinking. The illusion of progress is what makes them money. But the same old materials and methods continued and even regressed.

In pedagogic terms, Moscow schools reverted to the old ways: old textbooks centred lessons, dictation, doing grammar to death and artificial language. Less resources are available due to the sanctions and no new thinking is allowed. Survival is now the goal for language schools and austerity measures win the day.

Why not let students continue their course with a different curriculum until they are ready to move up? Why not learn the same language from different topics and viewpoints to aid language consolidation? Maybe offer different types of courses at each level to suit people better? Maybe then students would learn more and the teachers would actually have to up their game instead of reusing the same tired old materials. Would more money not be made, saved and reputations salvaged by keeping students on for longer and giving them an extra purpose to study English?

Language learning is not, nor has it ever been, just about the certificate or level. It gives you agency, and a cultural and intellectual capital that most subjects cannot. It also does not have to be restricted to language learning. You can learn other things in another language. But that closed minded thinking of ‘exams make money’ has robbed Russians of a proper language learning experience and the opportunities that come with it.


The Failing Business Model

Churning students through the different language levels clearly did not work. Student numbers have collapsed. Russia today has more English teachers than it does students. Many teachers used to work for the same schools that established a name for themselves. When a new school opens, you can bet it is run by a disgruntled former employee merely copying their competitors (and ironically thinking they know better).

Many teachers are modern-day false prophets, particularly the very online ones. They have vibrant social media pages where they sell themselves as the answer to everyone’s problems. Follow me and you will succeed. Here are 50 activities you can do, some useless vocab you will never use, and a clip of my students having fun.

Business wise, teacher salaries never kept up with inflation and the quality of teaching dropped; but prices soared. The market of potential students dwindled as studying English is often a luxury most cannot afford. People who lived local to the schools were often priced out and saw no USP. Why spend time and more money going to a dingey school when I could hire a tutor that fits around me and my needs from home?

Native speakers stopped coming after COVID and the war. The ones who did generally had limited qualifications and experience. Some native speakers came from countries most would not expect.

Following demographic trends, Russian teachers began moving into the cities from the regions for better pay and living standards. Yet many had never seen foreigners, much less ever spoken to native English speakers.

Back in the regions, English is often taught by poorly trained graduates whose language skills often leave much to be desired (and they freely admit this). Regional schools use obscure poor quality textbooks from 2003 and the teacher does all the talking before handing out a few worksheets. It is rare to see any discussion in regional classrooms and the teachers speak Russian a lot.

Further, ESOL lacks prestige in Russia — as it does in much of the world to be fair. It is seen by many as a job for bored housewives and those who have long given up on their dreams. That is not my opinion, by the way. ESOL is an honest way to make a living and feed your family. It is often a thankless task, but a very rewarding one. It is one reason why I always kept a foot in the ESOL world.

But that negative image often detracts from efforts to improve things or take the industry seriously. Russians really want to better their English but lack the means, proper teaching methods and business approach for that to happen. Studying grammar to death was never enough. That is why hundreds on social media claim their worksheets, witty Telegram posts and lame videos fix everything.

In some ways, it is nothing short of remarkable that many of Russia’s biggest schools did not close their doors earlier. The largest, BKC, is clinging on. It operates mostly online now but once had 30 satellite schools around the city. Today it has just 6. It once boasted 300 teachers but now has less than 100 and 50% of them teach just one class a week. A current ADOS tells me they will literally take anyone.

I lost count of the number of conversations where genuinely good suggestions were made. The solutions and answers were always hiding in plain sight. Schools and companies could have done more to shield themselves from the pain of sanctions and develop into good language learning facilities. That often required financial investments and implementing unfamiliar ideas that no other schools were willing to try.

Instead, so many schools turned into corrupt cesspits run by philistines, with no business acumen, understanding of the ESOL industry or what it takes to learn a language. Many of Russia’s language schools are nothing but someone’s vanity project and personal play thing. They all copy each other’s failed recycled approaches and are doing different degrees of the same thing. On top of that are the overhead and rainy day costs and minimal profit margins during peak seasons — never mind summer, when most schools close.

I am not saying, by the way, that all schools and English teachers in Russia are bad. They are not. Most work exceptionally hard and like their jobs. And indeed, there are a number of language schools still making decent money. But even good schools run by capable people struggle.

A few close friends have had to close their schools in the past few years, or move online. They made less money running a school than teaching. The market was there, but time and circumstances worked against the business. Getting a good location matters a lot. Maintaining a solid and loyal client base is essential because it provides a steady stream of income. Expansion is practically impossible unless you are raking it in or take a bank loan. But if a smaller school offers the same as more established places, the battle is already lost.

As for the good teachers, who are not seeking online fame but just trying to do the job, they can only do so much. Where is the incentive to improve? Other qualifications are expensive, time consuming and do not always lead to better careers. Decisions made above by management and student expectations restrict what is realistic and achievable. Going the extra mile literally does not pay more. Why, then, waste energy doing a better job when you are already doing a good job and getting by just fine?

Russia’s ESOL market has hit a point where standing out is difficult because most schools and language centres essentially offer the same things. How does one find a niche and be good at it in a saturated market? You follow the industry trends and implement them in ways most won’t and can’t. That takes a lot of effort, though, trials and errors. But the alternative is ‘same old’ and hoping the people come.


Why IELTS?

Most Russians are unaware of the IELTS alternatives that will be required of them at some point in the future anyway, particularly if they emigrate. Having worked at universities on three continents, been involved in the enrollment process and taught ESOL extensively, IELTS will not last. It is not practical. The UK government has put its weight behind several alternatives that not only prove one’s English level, but count as official qualifications in their own right.

The fact is that nobody in the UK, US, Canada or Australia cares about Cambridge exams anymore. All have their own ESOL exams and language level systems that actually do require a decent standard of English, particularly written English. These exams line up with those countries’ qualification structures, meaning when you pass an exam it actually matters.

In the UK, that means these exams are something employers, universities and The Home Office care about. The Home Office not only prefers other ESOL exams, it actively funds these and pays colleges to run them. And the best part? Most people do those courses and exams for free (you read that right).

Employers expect to see them and will throw your IELTS certificate in the bin the moment your visa is issued. I will be more blunt: nobody is impressed by a 7.5 or CAE in Britain. They do not know what it means or care to find out because CAE does not get you anything.

Before finally telling you about these others exams, I must dispel some IELTS myths:

-IELTS is not valid for three years; it is valid forever.

Most people retake IELTS because visas are valid for no longer than that length of time and the requirements often demand that you show an improvement in your English language level. That is perfectly reasonable. If you want to do a Master’s of PhD after your undergraduate degree (which takes three years), you should have a higher level of English. If you wish to stay and make your life in the UK, even more reason.


-IELTS is not a qualification in its own right.

I repeat, IELTS is a very expensive placement test. It has no practical value other than for visa applications. You cannot put it on your CV/resume and expect to trade it as a qualification or as proof of your level (oh, we will get to that).


-IELTS is a rip off.

Most teachers rip students off when setting their prices. It is easy enough to prep an IELTS lesson. All you need to know is the exam format and a few tricks. Most teachers teach the exam, not English. Because of that, it is extremely boring and repetitive to teach. The topics are mundane and not at all natural. Nothing that comes up on an IELTS exam comes up on your degree, at work or in casual conversation. Also, the students themselves are placing a high price IELTS. If it really is somebody’s ticket to a better life and career elsewhere, then what do they expect?


-IELTS does not prove your level.

You get an average score of the four skills and it is very easy to game that system. Every university I have worked at had students (predominately from China and the Middle East) whose English writing and speaking skills were not up to par. They were not university ready and a large number failed their courses only to receive a certificate of attendance. But they nailed the reading and listening and did just OK enough on the others. Or their parents made donations to the universities, paid the fees up front and all was forgiven. That attendance certificate looked impressive in their home countries upon returning because nobody bothered to check it was a real diploma.

Those last two points should make you want to explore other options. After all, getting an official qualification from the UK does look good on your resume — especially if you obtained an English language qualification in England. But do you not actually want a decent level of English? Is having an actual qualification not better — especially if it is free?


The IELTS Alternatives

I should immediately stress that these exams are not available in Russia at present, but that does not mean you should not know about them, teach them or aspire to their standards as an English learner. If what is on these exams is what is expected of foreigners living in Britain, surely that is better? If you and your students end up taking these exams anyway, then get ahead of the game.

The alternatives are LanguageCert, Trinity and Pearson. Trinity runs its own versions of CELTA and DELTA, which are actually better in terms of equipping teachers for the job. More to the point, 100% of all UK employers and universities accept these three exams. You could count on one hand the employers who accept Cambridge.

LanguageCert offers exams for General (to determine level), Academic (for studying), Young Learners, International (other countries), USAL (the US) and SELT (UK). You can take LanguageCert exams in 110 countries and use it for emigrating to the UK, US, Australia, EU and Canada.

LanguageCert run emigration specific exams for each countries’ visa types and require a certain level. The specific exams are catered to specific professions, study programmes and their required langauge levels for each particular visa. In other words, there is nowhere to hide. You must be at that level to pass and demonstrate that your language ability is suited to the job or study programme. There is no getting lucky, especially because it is pass/fail — and the pass mark is high.

Trinity and Pearson are UK based, but EU countries are now adopting Pearson, which also offers SELT exams. Trinity focuses on the transferable skills that languages offer. That is why employers love it. It is closely pegged to adult literacy needs, meaning writing does not get neglected any longer. The writing and reading is only concerned with things you might actually read and write in real life. More to the point, these exams can often be done for free.

The Trinity and Pearson levels are different to the beginner-advanced mode. In the UK, language levels are ranked from Entry 1 (lowest) to Level 2 (highest). Level 2 is the equivalent of GCSEs. Level 1 is considered good enough when applying for citizenship and Level 2 for university study. Having Entry 3 and Level 1 ESOL certificates will also allow you to study other subjects at British colleges before going onto university. But again, these exams are pass/fail with high bars to clear.

One other big difference is that these 3 exams pair Speaking and Listening together. It is purely conversation based. No more tapes and CDs with cringey dialogue that never mirrors real life. You are expected to hold your own.


The Bottom Line

Should you take IELTS anyway? If you absolutely have to and if you cannot find somewhere to do LanguageCert (which neither should be the case). The LanguageCert Academic exam is actually better than IELTS because you must be B1 level to take the exam. Any idiot can take IELTS, there are no restrictions. You also do not need to take IELTS at BC. Consider the other locations that run it.

At the very least, consider the other exams. Try learning and teaching English a different way. Update your methodology and practices. Expand your learning horizons. Their exam materials are available online, as are tutors who can prepare you for these and set realistic expectations for emigrating. It will be pricey, but a much better investment. When you pass these exams, you will have an official qualification, not just a piece of paper that might as well be a Chinese takeout menu. You will have to travel abroad to take these exams too, so why not make your trip more worthwhile?

If you are emigrating to the UK, look for your local adult and community education college when you arrive. They will run free ESOL courses with mandatory exams (that are also free). They will be better than anything you ever had in Russia. In America, there are also ESOL night classes, both free and of minimal cost.

If you insist on taking IELTS, prepare with authentic materials. Watch actual videos and films, not teachers’ YouTube videos where they pose for their own vanity. Read newspapers online. Study the grammar and vocabulary from different perspectives and topics. Repeat it plenty of times. And try to join online speaking clubs with people from other countries — not other Russians and their teachers who fell in love with their own reflections.

Finally, avoid the false prophets online. They are not teachers, they are posers who want to be famous. They do not have your best interests at heart or much care about ESOL. They are in it for themselves. They should be in it for you.