Job Discussion Forums

[chiquitita]

hi,

i'm interested in going to poland to teach. what are the prospects for someone with a tesol certificate but little esl teaching experience. also, what is the cost of living like in the cities and country areas (any examples)? what kind of salary can i expect in the city and in smaller towns? and is are accommodation/flights generally included in the package. any answers or extra info are much appreciated!

thanks.

[minnie]

hi chiquitita,

I am in the same position as you, I have the qualification but little experience. Poland wasn't my first choice but I found them to be the best option for those with little experience (if you want to work in Europe, which is what I wanted to do)

Where are you from? The cost of living in Poland looks cheap from what I've read, and the GBP goes a long way. I don't think the money you earn will be particularly good so don't expect to take savings home.

I have been given accommodation and my flight is being paid for but every school is going to be different. You will need to ask them these sort of questions before you sign your contract.

Sorry I can't be of any more help but I'm venturing on my first job abroad in a few weeks! All I can say is that I've heard lots of positive things about working in Poland.

[Gerhard E. Jene]

Check one of the other forums. I forget which one at the moment. There was a reference in regards to the dreaded residency permit and another about visas.
At least that might give you some idea about the paperwork. I am not sure if any of that has changed or not yet. As for actual schools, I have to check what I have printed off. I can let you know next time I am here which ones I have hard copies of their ad placed on the ESLCafe.

Gerhard Jene

[Alex Shulgin]

The first thing to remember is that accommodation and flights are never 'free'. If you get either or both then the school will decrease your salary to cover those costs. They only have so much money to spend paying their teachers, how that money is spent often depends on what you want. Flight and apartment paid for means less money per class taught. Holiday pay is another thing to think about. Schools don't just give you that money. They work out how many hours you'll teach and then look at the ways to pay you.

You're often better off not taking any holiday pay, just get paid per lesson taught every month. That's 'cause all the holiday time comes in the first half of the year so if you do a runner after the semester break you had all your holiday pay but worked less than half the number of hours the school calculated you'd work. So they lower the salary to cover that risk. Makes sense from their point of view.

Here in Warsaw the going rate for a 45 minute class is anything from 40 to 50 zloty before tax. There are some places which pay more but they only hire locally and only teachers with experience. Outside Warsaw pay is lower but the cost of living is also lower.

[spence]

Does anyone know any reputable agencies that help native English speakers land jobs in Poland. I have heard there is one called "millennium" but I can't find them on the net.

[Alex Shulgin]

You don't need recruiters. Just go straight to the schools. Much easier and you don't have to pay the recruiter's fees (which are typically half to a whole month's salary).

Millenium are a bunch of jokers who are happy to break the law and lie to people. Avoid them if you know what's good for you. There is a whole thread about them already at http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=4533&highlight=millenium

[Jolly]