Job Discussion Forums

[beatakozlowski]

I understand I "showed up" a smig late for the hiring season, as the Polish language school year begins in September. However, I'm still Stateside pondering my options- to do the TEFL or not to do the TEFL? I'm a Polish National who is a native English speaker, perhaps this will help me land a job?

Given my delay, what are the odds of me landing a job mid-year, say after the holidays? Thanks in advance. Beata

[scottie1113]

Your chances without a CELTA are very slim, especially mid-year. You might find work teaching at a Callan school, but few reputable schools will want to talk with you. There are always a few, and I emphasize few, opportunities available because of the turnover here, but without qualifications your chances are very slim.

[sparks]

In a larger city, Warsaw especially, you could piece together a schedule with classes from a bunch of different schools. Since you're Polish you could just work as a freelancer, pay very little in taxes and ZUS and take care of things yourself. The Tower school in Warsaw, for example, always has new classes starting. I would recommend bringing plenty of start-up cash if you choose this root as it may take a little time to build your schedule.

[hrvatski]

[beatakozlowski]

Thank you all for your responses. I held my horses, and am awaiting August of 2012 to take the CELTA with the British Council in Krakow.

Hopefully, with a cert. gaining decent employment might be more viable.

[grzesiek.rogala]

Good decision. CELTA is now an absolute must-have in TEFL anywhere in the world. The only thing I would suggest is taking your CELTA a few months earlier, let's say over the summer, so in July/August you are ready with your certificate to apply for jobs. A lot of school start advertising over the summer time and even earlier. If you wait until August/September you practically face a tougher competition.

Another advice is to go for bigger cities such as Warszawa, Krak�w, Wrocław, Poznań etc. The working conditions and salaries are way better there. I wouldn't suggest freelancing as it's extremely unstable and usually requires your own car and a lot of travelling. TEFL in Poland has now passed its heyday so now only big cities have plenty of work.

Finally, make sure you negotiate a good contract with the school. There are a lot of dishonest schools here so be careful. I'm in a similar situation like you. I have a native speaker proficiency, a CELTA, CPE, BEC and an MA TESOL but don't have a British/American passport and still face a lot of competition from less qualified natives. The schools here generally prefer natives not Poles.

Hope that helps

[grzesiek.rogala]

Good decision. CELTA is now an absolute must-have in TEFL anywhere in the world. The only thing I would suggest is taking your CELTA a few months earlier, let's say over the summer, so in July/August you are ready with your certificate to apply for jobs. A lot of school start advertising over the summer time and even earlier. If you wait until August/September you practically face a tougher competition.

Another advice is to go for bigger cities such as Warszawa, Krak�w, Wrocław, Poznań etc. The working conditions and salaries are way better there. I wouldn't suggest freelancing as it's extremely unstable and usually requires your own car and a lot of travelling. TEFL in Poland has now passed its heyday so now only big cities have plenty of work.

Finally, make sure you negotiate a good contract with the school. There are a lot of dishonest schools here so be careful. I'm in a similar situation like you. I have a native speaker proficiency, a CELTA, CPE, BEC and an MA TESOL but don't have a British/American passport and still face a lot of competition from less qualified natives. The schools here generally prefer natives not Poles.

Hope that helps

[simon_porter00]

I largely concur.
CELTA is a must have.
Schools that advertise on the internet are *generally* rubbish or in small towns. There are few exceptions but bear in mind that none of the schools I've worked for nor any of the good schools in Warsaw/Krakow have the need to advertise on the net - teachers find the good schools not the other way round.
As you're probably an EU native, doing the CELTA in August is perfect timing as the hiring season starts in the last week of August through to the beginning of October. Seeing as you'll be in situ (assuming of course you want to work in Krakow), on your days off you should be scouting schools instead of drinking beers in the rynek. If you want to work in any other town then you can always call/arrange face to face meetings.
Schools in bigger cities pay more, Warsaw most of all.
Freelancing isn't an option from the off as it'll take you a year or two to develop contacts before it becomes viable. Krakow doesn't really have a business centre, whereas other cities do which means business one-to-ones/your own clients are less likely than say in Warsaw.
Negotiating contracts - good luck with that. The only thing I would worry about in the contract are the following (assuming of course you can change them).
Money
Blocks of hours.
Expected travelling off site, time of travelling and money for travelling
what happens when you're sick
photocopier / computer equipment that's available to you
if you can get a copy of the textbook you're working on for free or that there's plenty of copies in the library.
Schools (in Krakow) have plenty of applicants to choose from, so you won't be able to get everything that you want, but there's nothing wrong with playing a little hardball.

I'd concentrate on getting a B or an A on your CELTA, that'll set you apart from the crowd and help you with the above.

Examples of good schools - Lincoln.
Examples of schools to avoid (based on my experience) - York or anyone still hiring in the middle of October.