SLI Instructor Of Russian And Riga Program Assistant

The Slavic, East European, and Near Eastern Summer Language Institute (SLI) at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures seeks an Instructor of Russian and Riga Program Assistant for its new Pittsburgh Riga Russian language program for the summer of 2026.

The instructor/program assistant will teach 6 weeks of intensive Russian during SLI's summer session, which begins on June 1, 2026. After the conclusion of the sixth instructional week, the instructor/program assistant will travel to Riga, Latvia, to facilitate the abroad program, which concludes on August 7, 2026.

During the six weeks of teaching in the domestic program in Pittsburgh, classes will meet five days a week from 9 am to 2:50 pm. In addition to classroom teaching, instructors are expected to help plan and facilitate the cultural programming for the language program. Instructors will be asked to team teach.

Duties associated with the four weeks in Riga do not include teaching but do include: conducting pre-program and in-country orientations; facilitating proficiency testing; coordinating with the Riga-based language school faculty and staff on language instruction and cultural activities; academic mentoring and program participation monitoring; and providing 24/7 student support in Latvia on matters of health, safety, and compliance with program policies. The program assistant will be the primary liaison between the students, staff in Riga, and the SLI management at the University of Pittsburgh. The program assistant will be the program's liaison with the US Embassy in Riga in case of emergency.

Applicants should have a master's degree in Russian or a related field and experience teaching in a college or university setting using the communicative approach or other proficiency-based methods.

A minimum of advanced mid proficiency in Russian is required for the position. Experience with the Latvian language and/or culture is a plus.

The successful candidate must hold a passport/citizenship that allows for visa-free entry into Latvia and the Schengen Area.

Applicants should submit a CV and, if available, representative student evaluations and a cover letter. Finalists will be asked to provide references at a later stage in the search.

The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is committed to building and fostering a culturally diverse environment. Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of individuals and constituencies in support of a diverse community are required.

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