Job Discussion Forums

gerryd · Joined: 18 Nov 2011 Posts: 7 Location: Uk

I am thinking of going to next jan/feb
what are the best cities for jobs?
please any info would be great
I have a BA and tefl cert from ICAL

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I think that ICAL is online, right?
If that's the case, it's below what most job seekers on the European market have. Not that you absolutely cannot find a job with this, but you will be at a definite disadvantage against the other newbie teachers with CELTA and equivalent on-site certifications. This will be true across most of continental Europe, not just Poland.

sharter · Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place

Avoid the big cities like Poznan, Wroclaw, Gdansk, Krakow and Warsaw. Try a place like Bydgoszcz as it's near Gdansk and Poznan ie 2 hours by train, there are a few schools there and it's not so popular with job seekers. Some truly great bars there like Mosg (the Brain) and a pleasant place to live all in all. Bell and IH have gigs there although the money is appaplling. There was also a place called Greenwich Language Services. That certificate ain't worth much mate.

iknowwhatiamtalkingabout · Joined: 02 Sep 2011 Posts: 97

Please cease this misinformation and scaremongering. The money in Bydgoszcz is not appalling, it's fine. It's not a lot of money, but the 2 high profile Bydgoszcz schools provide accomodation for teachers and pay their bills.

As someone who has worked there very recently, I can tell anybody thinking about it that Bydgoszcz is a good option.

I went out 2-3 times a week (I do big nights out) ate out as regularly as I do at home, shopped as often as I do at home, and I was left with roughly 4-500 zl every month. Hardly the stuff of millionaires, but definitely not appalling. I had a very active social life and never ran out of money. That is not appalling, so please don't pretend it is.

Why people pretend the money on offer is so bad is beyond me. I lived there, I did it, and it was great.

sparks · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 632

What you describe seems to be the life of a single guy or gal. I don't think many people on here would disagree that most anywhere in Poland can be fun for such a person depending on your tastes. I think that much of the gripe comes from people who in some way become tied to the country (usually in the form of a significant other) and then feel trapped into a life of teaching ESL in the same place for many years with little chance for advancement (maybe because of a lack of creativity or the nature of the work).

Master Shake · Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA

dynow · Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1080

mastershake wrote:

sharter · Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place

Spill the beans...what did IH/Bell Bydgoszcz pay you a month?....I know what they advertise.

It's about 500 quid a month in EUROPE!!

gerryd · Joined: 18 Nov 2011 Posts: 7 Location: Uk

I am thinking of going to poland sometime in the future but I am thinking somewhere in asia would be better to gain experience and save some money but will not rule out poland/spain in the future. The only thing with asia is that visa headache. anyway thanks for all the info. still trying to decide but where to start on my first job in tefl.

iknowwhatiamtalkingabout · Joined: 02 Sep 2011 Posts: 97

I think it's fairly clear that this Poland is a place for people of a certain age/status. If you've got a family or debt to pay off, then look elsewhere. If you're single and looking to teach good students and have a good lifestyle, the Poland is pretty good.

I knew a lot of teachers in a lot of cities when I was in Poland, and the general attitude was MUCH more positive than on this forum. The people I knew were enjoying their lives in Poland and having a good time. It's easy to do.

sharter · Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place

Poland is a good place to cut your teeth. The students are great and aren't mugs, so you'll have to be well prepared.

If your girlfriend works and you live together, you'll manage.

Salaries have been decreasing in real terms for years. It will get harder.

As you get older you want different things......it's simple. In my 20's, living on 20 quid a day was ok....I'd drink in pissholes and eat kebabs regularly. I'd take a bus on a long journey and stay in a hostel.........at 40, I just don't wanna live that way.

Kids will financially put the cuffs on you.

Poland's a good short-term gig I'd say.

iknowwhatiamtalkingabout · Joined: 02 Sep 2011 Posts: 97

I ate and drank just as well in Poland as I did before I moved to Poland. I don't understand this idea that you have to drink in ropey bars and eat kebabs. It's simply not true.

I can't get my head around it. The salary is fine to have a normal life.

lundjstuart · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 211 Location: Warsaw, Poland

sharter · Joined: 25 Jun 2008 Posts: 878 Location: All over the place

It's all relative and depends on what you are used to. If you live in a brown paper bag, a cardboard box in middle of road is a step up.

Outside of dear old Polska I never eat hotdogs, zapiekanka (cheese on toast) or kebabs; there I eat them a lot.

You still haven't spilled the beans on what you earn........probably because it ain't much. Certainly not enough to give you a bright future. For those who have an Opel and can go to Berlin I applaud you....you couldn't do that as a single teacher paying for a girlfriend or if you're paying child support. The few teachers I know who bought 5-6 years ago bought cheap flats, often helped by mum, dad or other family members. Some even had or have Polish women who 'look after' them.

I can only speak for the people I know who teach in Poznan and I can only base my opinions on what I've seen progressing over the past 16 years. I admit, I haven't been to Poland for 12 weeks, so my info might be out of date. However, when I lived in Bydgoszcz all the teachers were skint and Warsaw...well...I won't even go into that dump although I did have a flat next to Zamek for a while.

Don't get me wrong... I love Poz and my mates there but it's a hard life in many ways if you don't have the family network to support you. We also don't have that Polish sense of kombinowanie.

TwinCentre · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 273 Location: Mokotow

I'd like to chip in on earnings in Poland, specifically Warsaw. I know the rest of the county is cheaper.

So, I went to Warsaw with the British Council a few years ago now, earned something like 11k gross per month, rent was 1500zt, and found it all okay, could go out and have fun and save too, even though I lost a fair whack of that through tax and zus.

Sometime later I went back sans the cushy British Council gig, I struggled to make 5-6k a month freelance, I could still get by, but had to be frugal.

When people talk about earning anything less than 5k in Warsaw, I think they must be living a semi-student lifestyle (and why not? Can be fun if you are single).

But what I am really aware of is how the cost of living has shot up in Poland, and how the EFL rates have stayed the same or dropped. For me, the party is over. If I am going to earn such little money, then I might as well go to Spain, where you earn pittance too but....well....it's Spain.