STEPPE WITH CONFIDENCE
The 5-month programme for students who want to speak real Russian.
Prepare for real life abroad by building practical Russian, cultural understanding, and genuine confidence through a structured live programme designed around the situations, decisions, and interactions that shape your experience once you arrive.
PERHAPS THIS IS YOU...
You’ve spent months or even years studying Russian: memorising grammar rules, translating texts, and preparing for assessments. However, you know that producing real-life Russian on a daily basis will be a very different challenge.
Your year abroad is approaching, and you know that knowing Russian on paper is not the same as using it in everyday situations. You are not just thinking about the first week or two; you are thinking about the wider experience of living abroad, handling things independently, and making the most of the opportunities this year could open up.
You do not want to arrive underprepared, spend months stuck in your own head, or stay in an English-speaking bubble while your confidence slowly drops.
You want to build practical Russian, understand the cultural context you are stepping into, and feel ready to participate more fully once you arrive.
You are not alone.
That is exactly what Steppe with Confidence is designed to help with...
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Almaty, Kazakhstan: Esentai River.
Photo taken by Matthew Hale
WHY THIS MATTERS
Your year abroad isn't a holiday, it's living...
... it is a year of living independently, adapting and growing in a very different cultural and linguistic environment.
When students imagine a year abroad, they often focus on the exciting parts: new places, new people, new opportunities, and the chance to finally use their Russian in real life.
But the reality is more demanding than that.
It involves handling everyday situations, making decisions under pressure, responding to things you do not fully understand, and trying to keep your confidence steady while everything around you feels unfamiliar.
For many students, this takes much more out of them than they expect.
That is not because they are weak, lazy, or bad at Russian. It is because academic study and real life abroad are not the same thing. A student can do well in class and still feel disoriented, hesitant, or overwhelmed when Russian becomes part of everyday life.
Students in that position often retreat into English-speaking bubbles. When this happens, progress becomes slower, confidence often drops, and the year abroad can become smaller, narrower, and less rewarding than it could have been.
They then wonder at the end of their year abroad as to why they hadn't improved as much as they'd hoped...
That is why preparation matters.
When you arrive with practical language, cultural understanding, and a clearer sense of how to handle real-life situations, you are much more likely to engage early, build momentum, and make the most of what the year abroad can offer.
A solid start helps, but a strong foundation helps even more...
THE SOLUTION
Steppe with Confidence is designed to give you that foundation, so that you are not just reacting to life abroad, but participating in it more fully from the beginning.
Over five months, the programme helps you build a stronger foundation for the realities of life abroad: practical speaking skills, clearer cultural understanding, and the confidence to handle a much wider range of situations than you are likely to meet in your current university classroom.
Instead of hoping everything will click once you arrive, you will build that preparation in advance through a structured programme that develops:
practical Russian for real-life situations
cultural awareness for the environment you are stepping into
the confidence to take part more actively once you are there
Through a steady structure of modules, live sessions, bonus materials, and cultural preparation, Steppe with Confidence supports you not just in getting ready for arrival, but in preparing for the wider experience of living and communicating across the Post-Soviet space.
By the end of the programme, you should feel more confident in your Russian, more aware of the cultural context you are entering, and more capable of approaching your year abroad with purpose rather than uncertainty.
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Almaty, Kazakhstan: Residential Area.
Photo taken by Matthew Hale
IS THIS PROGRAMME FOR YOU?
You’ll likely find this a good fit if:
You want a clear, realistic plan for improving your speaking and listening outside university classes.
You’re heading to the Post-Soviet space and want to make the most of your year abroad, not just get through it for the sake of it.
You’ve studied Russian for a while, but using it in real conversations still feels challenging.
Culturally, you are not fully sure what to expect
You care about integrating locally and building genuine connections, rather than staying in an English-speaking bubble
You’re willing to show up consistently, even when things feel imperfect.
You do not need to be fluent at this stage, feel confident all the time, or have everything figured out before you start.
However, you do need:
A basic foundation in Russian (solid A1 or low A2)
The willingness to practise regularly
Openness to guidance, feedback, trying things out, and occasionally sounding silly in a judgement-free zone.
If you recognise yourself here, Steppe with Confidence was designed with you in mind.
This programme is not the right fit for:
Complete beginners (A0)
Heritage speakers who already feel comfortable speaking and navigating Russian in real life
Those who want a short crash course
Those who want to just “get fluent” (i.e. high C1 or C2) before they go abroad.
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Turkestan, Kazakhstan: Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi.
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WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE COURSE?
Over the course of 5 months, you will work through a structured sequence of modules covering the practical, cultural, and linguistic realities of life across the Post-Soviet space.
This is broken down into the following:
A weekly video with essential language and cultural material with small tasks that you can work through in your own time
Short tasks which build fluency and confidence, preparing you for real conversations related to the week's scenarios
Live small-group sessions where you can practice scenarios relevant to that week, ask questions, and consolidate what you have learned (group sizes are capped at 4 students)
Native-speaker recap sessions at the end of each module. We build your revision into the course, and it always feels good to know to you can do it with a native speaker 😉
Bonus cultural sessions designed to help everyday life abroad make more sense
A private student/alumni community space where you can stay connected, ask questions, and learn alongside others
A 1:1 transition session with Matt to help you go abroad with confidence and a plan on how to integrate into society and have a community waiting for you before you even get there
The programme begins by building a strong foundation for arrival and early adjustment, then continues into the wider realities of living abroad: handling accommodation, transport, money, social situations, health, emergencies, and more.
Rather than trying to piece everything together on your own, you will follow a clear progression that helps you keep building confidence over time.
By the end of the programme, you will not just have covered a wide range of useful situations.
You will also have had the structure, support, and repeated exposure needed to feel much more prepared for life abroad as a whole.
All of this for £28 per week.†
Emily L.W., Russian Studies Student
“Steppe with Confidence gave me the know-how to tackle practical situations in Russian as a student on their year abroad in Central Asia.
The course focuses on teaching students the necessary information to get through day-to-day life in Russian and equips students with the ability and confidence to become embedded in Central Asian life. This is not something that universities offer up-coming year abroad students and yet has proved vital to me for a safe and fruitful year in Kyrgyzstan. I feel now that I have the confidence to put myself in an array of social situations and have come out of it with my Russian greatly improved and a strong respect and understanding for the culture and people.
Matt’s meticulous research and experience in Central Asia forms the basis of each lesson. Each week has its own theme with a video outlining a practical experience, delving into cultural differences, social norms and even laws, and introduces specific vocabulary and skills to apply in the future. Weekly homework reinforces the skills and vocabulary from the video. Finally, weekly online lessons are designed to combine all the knowledge and skills in the video and the homework and offers efficient and useful speaking practice and most importantly time to discuss concerns and queries.
All in all, Matt’s enthusiasm and rigorous teaching style helped me avoid many an awkward situation and navigate the interactions of daily life in Central Asia with confidence.”
HOW IT WORKS
DATES & COHORTS
WEEKLY TIME COMMITMENT
On average you will spend around 4 hours per week, including:
A Weekly video lesson
A 20- to 50-minute video of the course content and short activities. Expect 1 to 2 hours in total to watch, pause, take notes and complete the tasks.
Homework
Short, targeted tasks (around 30 minutes) that build skills in comprehension and fluency.
A live small-group session
A weekly 90-minute lesson in a group of up to 6, with up to an extra 30 minutes at the end if you have questions or concerns in every session.
Monthly Module recaps with a native speaker
5 lots of two-hour sessions across the programme, to revisit each module once it finishes, test your skills, and boost your confidence in communicating with native speakers.
Across a month, this works out at roughly 17 hours, which includes self study. If you think about it, it only works out to an average of around half an hour a day!
ONBOARDING ITINERARY
Free call with Matt
This is a free initial call with Matt (in English, but we can switch to Russian if you'd like 😉)
We will discuss:
your year abroad plans
where you're at with your Russian
whether the course is your next step. There is no pressure to decide there and then
You can book this call (for free) through the "Apply now" page on the website, or through the "Apply Now" button at the bottom of this page
Confirm your place.
If you decide that either programme is right for you, you’ll send me a confirmation message or email.
Contract & deposit. I’ll then send you:
A contract to sign (so we’re both clear on expectations and protected), and
A link to pay your deposit and secure your place on the course.
Choose your payment option. At this stage, you’ll choose one of the following:
Pay in full: £1099
OR
A 10-month payment plan: £109.90 per month (0% interest)
† This works out to £28 per week.
Payment plan details (if applicable)
A deposit of £109.90 is required before the course starts in order to secure your place.
You will then receive the monthly direct debit option of £109.90, which will then run for 9 months after the initial payment, totalling to £1099.00 (via www.gocardless.com)
External funding / Bursaries (if relevant)
If you’re receiving full or partial funding from an external source (e.g. your university or another third party), please let me know before signing the contract so everything can be arranged correctly and you’re not overbilled.
Get started on the content for the intro week
You will be given access to the learning platform
There will be an additional folder of grammar topics I assume you’ve already covered at university. Browse these as much as you need to in the first two weeks of the course (or from when you sign up) so that you're up to scratch before the language teaching begins.
Confirm your weekly lesson availability
Timeslot options for your weekly live sessions will be released to you once you’ve been accepted onto the course. They will either fall on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday.
The rest will be covered on the programme.
ARE YOU READY?
If Steppe with Confidence sounds like the support you have been looking for, the next step is to fill in a short application form so we can check that this programme is the right fit for you.
Once you submit the form, I will read your answers and invite you to that free 30-minute call.
Most applicants are nervous before this call. Remember, the call is not a Russian test!
The discussion is exactly for those who are unsure as to whether they should take the course or not; it’s a conversation between you and me to see if it’s your right call.
There is no pressure to decide on the spot, and you can ask questions you might have pertaining to the course and more generic year abroad advice.
