General Information:

For an excellent look at the Mongolian EFL scene, see the following asian efl journal.com article.

I. Country Background

A landlocked country located between China and Russian Siberia, Mongolia was for many years unknown to the outside world. With a population of less than three million in an area almost the size of Alaska, (CIA World Factbook, 2000) Mongolia was for centuries a land of nomadic herders and itinerant traders. Indeed, "their location in North Asia, with its extremes in temperatures and resultant short growing season, precludes intensive agriculture. Grasslands in the central part of the country have traditionally sustained most of the Mongol population, who tended sheep, goats, yaks, horses, and camels" (Rossabi, 1998). From before the time of Christ, separate clans and tribes occasionally clashed; however, the bulk of the inhabitants remained intertwined through the commonalities of the Mongolian language (a member of the Ural-Altaic family), an observance of Shamanism and sky-god worship (known in Mongolian as Tenger) and the traditional nomadic responsibilities of hospitality and cooperation. Continue

The World Fact Book. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mg.html

Some issues to consider on your future contract

If you are applying from within the country of employment, you have the advantage of meeting the school/institution owner and discussing any provisions of the contract you have been presented. Determine that the person you are negotiating with does in fact have authority to represent the institution and that contractual arrangements will be binding; (e.g. some universities leave the interview to western teachers on their staff. Though they may make promises, they are not in a position to legally bind their employer.) The key areas you will be discussing are:-
(a) monthly wage
(b) hours worked and when and what constitutes an 'hour'
(c) holiday and annual leave provisions
(d) health insurance and deductions
(e) accommodation
(f) contract length
(g) any other salary deductions
(h) pension contribution and return of said pension contribution at the end of contract,
(i) accommodation.

As noted above, some institutions have fixed non negotiable contracts. If you do nevertheless, negotiate a change, confirm it is written into both English and local language versions of the contract. Oral agreements can be forgotten or explained as a miscommunication. Then do check the local version mirrors the English version.