Why Learn Russian

Russian has always been one of the widely spoken languages in the world, and, according to recent research, with more than 500 million Russian-language speakers, it is the world’s third most commonly spoken language after Chinese (more than 1 billion speakers) and English (750 million). It is one of the official or working languages in many international organizations (e.g. UN, UNESCO, IAEA, WHO, etc).

The number of specialized Russian classes and Russian schools is constantly increasing in Europe. More and more students learn Russian as their second foreign language. More and more economists, managers, lawyers, people in the arts, and those who take part in different international projects and have international contacts are interested in Russian culture and language.

The students at Derzhavin Institute range from their teens to 70s and come from around the world. They include undergraduate and graduate university students who study Russian language at their home institutions, business people, expatriates, and others who simply love Russian language and culture. Derzhavin Institute welcomes students of different cultural backgrounds, thereby creating a vibrant and multicultural atmosphere. For over five years we have accepted students from more than 15 countries, including European countries, Japan and the USA.

Situated in the historic center of Saint Petersburg, the Institute exclusively occupies the top floor of the newly reconstructed, former private residence of G.R. Derzhavin, Pushkin’s mentor, and one of the most influential and popular Russian poets of the 18th century. From 1791 to 1816 this building was the cultural and literary center of Saint Petersburg. Today, the Derzhavin Literary Museum occupies the central wing.

Description of our Russian Courses

Standard Course: The Standard Course focuses on integrating all the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The emphasis is on communication skills, increasing students’ vocabulary, improving fluency and boosting confidence in speaking Russian. Teachers make use of the course book, but also supplement lessons with authentic audio and video materials, texts and articles from newspapers and magazines. With 4 lessons a day, students have plenty of time for self-study, afternoon individual courses or extracurricular activities.

Intensive course: This is the Standard Course of 20 hours per week plus 2 additional group lessons every day. In the extra lessons students focus on a particular area of Russian that has been identified as a student’s need: grammar, vocabulary, speaking, etc. The Intensive Course caters to those whose goal is to make quick progress, especially students staying in Russia for a short period of time. Compared to the travel expenses that are relatively high for short-term courses, this course is really the most value for the money.

Academic and exam preparatory course: For those students who wish to stay in Russia for an extended period and master the language through immersion into Russian culture and contemporary life, we offer a long-term Academic Course. It is the Standard Group Course but due to its duration the tuition fee is much lower. Students are free to choose either the Standard or Intensive programme. Students can provide proof of their acquired level of proficiency by taking the TORFL (Test of Russian as a Foreign Language), the standard national test of Russian as a foreign language, certified by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. The test is required for university entry and in certain professional realms. If a student enrolled in a long-term programme aims at passing the exam, he/she has the option to take a block of individual lessons specifically designed to cover the structure of the exam, psychological aspects, most confusing and problematic points in Russian grammar, vocabulary, listening and comprehension, and writing strategies, etc. The minimum block is of 10 individual lessons and can be taken in combination with the Standard or Intensive Academic Course. The exact number of individual classes required to pass the exam is determined by the teacher and the student at the start of the Academic Course. Please see the Levels Scheme on the previous page for the approximate number of hours and exam-level correspondence.

Other Courses:

• Individual course
• Evening course
• Business Russian
• In combination with the Standard Group Course. 20 hours of the Standard Group Course in the morning combined with 10 individual business lessons in the afternoon.
• One-on-one business course. This option is designed for businessmen who have very specific requirements and needs in terms of the timetable as well as the content and aims of the course (e.g. Russian language for commerce, finance, management, tourism, etc.)

Accommodations Available

• Host Family Accommodation
• Guest House
• Shared Flat
• Museum's Guest Hotel
• Rented Flat
• Hotels

Derzhavin's Awards

We are officially recognized by the Russian Association of Teachers for Russian Language and Literature (ROPRYAL), which aims to disseminate Russian language abroad through seminars and conferences organized in different European universities. The quality of teaching and Russian language programmes are accredited by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. In 2008, we were accredited by the Swedish organization CSN.