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Uni job prospects in Poland.
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kevinpcullen



Joined: 07 Feb 2010
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Sat Jan 21, 2012 10:46 pm    Post subject: Uni job prospects in Poland. Reply with quote

I was wondering if anyone could tell me the route to getting uni employment in Poland. I see some people mentioning it from time to time without any real specifics.

I hold an MA in English (literature), an Irish passport, have TEFL'd in Estonia and currently teach for a university (albeit online) in the US. I'd much rather be in a physical classroom.

Thanks for any help!
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 7:23 am    Post subject: My advice Reply with quote

I taught at UAM in Poznan for a couple of years more than a decade ago. I basically live in the city when I'm in Europe and have friends there now. The only way is to be there and apply. Google the 'University Centres for English Teaching' Poland as they are affiliated.

A typical deal, will have a basic, overtime and accommodation in an akademik. You will also earn extra for doing Cambridge exam testing if it's a testing centre.

This time of year is tricky finding work as it's mid year and the winter break is looming. You have to go to Poland either in May/June or August/September....each side of the summer break.

Poland is expensive now, so really think about it.
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Master Shake



Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 10:46 am    Post subject: Re: My advice Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
Poland is expensive now, so really think about it.


Well, this all depends on how much you earn, doesn't it?

Teachers in language schools can earn anywhere from 1500 - 9000+ PLN a month after taxes. This is quite a range, so it pays to find the best contract possible. I think precious few would complain about a salary in the mid/high range of this scale. But I'm not sure you'd comfortably be able to support a family.

I don't know what a unit job like UAM would pays, but perhaps sharter could enlighten us?
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 4:34 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Back in the day it was about 3k a month plus a free hall. Paid during all the hols. Made another 2.5k from recording work and writing for a magazine and about 1k doing extra teaching. 6.5K in 99 was a king's ransome.

No school in Poland will pay you 9k a month outside the BC. Average starting sals are around 3k.

That's a gutter wage.
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kevinpcullen



Joined: 07 Feb 2010
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the advice. I do realize Poland is a bit on the pricey side now (though not as bad as Estonia, actually). I spent 2 months there this summer and was able to gage living costs to an extent. Luckily, I haven't got a family to support, so it's a bit easier for me. I also have a part-time online teaching gig with an online uni in the US which pays a decent monthly salary which is a nice supplement. Actually, if anyone is interested in picking up extra work with this school, provided you have at least a BA in a writing intensive subject, pm me for more details. The student body just seems to be getting bigger and bigger, and as a result, they're always hiring.

Cheers!
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Master Shake



Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 5:22 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
6.5K in 99 was a king's ransome.


I don't doubt it. On the other hand, I'll wager there many more wealthy people in PL now who can afford to pay top dollar for Eng lessons than there were in '99.
sharter wrote:

No school in Poland will pay you 9k a month outside the BC. Average starting sals are around 3k. That's a gutter wage.


3k is not ideal, but it's nothing to sneeze at either, IMO. 3k is about what I made when I first came to PL in '06.

I do know several teachers who earn near 9k teaching at language schools (not BC) - they teach in company and lots of it. Or they have a niche, like preparing students for American university entrance exams. It can be done.
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sparks



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 632

PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2012 8:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
3k is not ideal, but it's nothing to sneeze at either,


Ah.....Ah.....Ah......Choooo! Smile
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:52 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Very few of the rich people I know in Poland are Polish. The majority of Poles earn very little still. What has changed is the availibiity of credit. It appears to be wealthier because many live beyond their means.
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Master Shake



Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 10:57 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
Very few of the rich people I know in Poland are Polish. The majority of Poles earn very little still. What has changed is the availibiity of credit. It appears to be wealthier because many live beyond their means.


Maybe in Poznan. In Warsaw there is no shortage of people with cold hard cash to throw around. A Gucci concept mall just opened right in the center, BMW's everywhere you turn.

And credit is nowhere near as widely available here as it was in the US before the crisis.
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delphian-domine



Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674

PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:52 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

Master Shake wrote:
sharter wrote:
Very few of the rich people I know in Poland are Polish. The majority of Poles earn very little still. What has changed is the availibiity of credit. It appears to be wealthier because many live beyond their means.


Maybe in Poznan. In Warsaw there is no shortage of people with cold hard cash to throw around. A Gucci concept mall just opened right in the center, BMW's everywhere you turn.

And credit is nowhere near as widely available here as it was in the US before the crisis.


There's no shortage of Poles with cash in Poznan just as well. I used to teach some HR types who told me about the kind of salaries on offer - and one example was a minor director (of an insignificant department) who was on 15k + car + allowances. I've also got a very good friend who is an auditor, and her salary is well over 12k a month.

Then there's all the business people out there - I know one guy who runs what seems like a small company employing only 8 people in a small office in a small town. But he drives round in a very nice Merc, has a huge house and is absolutely raking it in.

Considering that junior software developers can demand upwards of 6k a month in Poznan alone, there's no shortage of people with cash. A couple of years ago, I used to teach in one such software company - and they were hiring people on 7k minimum - and that was for graduates straight from university. They also had a hell of a lot of other perks, such as free lunches, free car parking and more.

The vast amount of princesses walking around Stary Browar with bags full of shopping should tell you that there are plenty of people earning considerable amounts of cash.

Considering that the average salary here is well over 4k and climbing, it stands to reason that there are plenty of well off Poles. As for it being on credit - Poland doesn't have particularly high amounts of personal debt.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:13 am    Post subject: erm.... Reply with quote

Depending on which website you look at the average wage in Poland is about 700 quid a month, which is about 4k a month. It'll be less in the provinces and more in Warsaw, Poznan and the like. Painting a picture of wealth is misleading.

There are plenty of rich Poles nominally but as a percentage they are in a small minority.

Credit cards, store cards and instant credit is de rigeur in the western world and Poland is no different. Personal debt including mortgage debt is on the rise.

Quoting the high salaries of people you know is pointless to a TEFL teacher.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:58 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

shake wrote:

[quote]On the other hand, I'll wager there many more wealthy people in PL now who can afford to pay top dollar for Eng lessons than there were in '99.[quote]

I'm not so sure. I'd bet the majority of the wealthy today came from the same wealthy families that existed in 99'.

delphian-domine wrote:

Quote:
and they were hiring people on 7k minimum - and that was for graduates straight from university.


which is completely rare. in wroclaw, most master's degree graduates are lucky to clear 2000zl. I know because i taught them and listened to them complaining about it every evening.

sharter wrote:

Quote:
Quoting the high salaries of people you know is pointless to a TEFL teacher.


If i had a nickel for every time Delphian-domine wrote, "I know a guy who....."
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delphian-domine



Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 4:54 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

dynow wrote:
I'm not so sure. I'd bet the majority of the wealthy today came from the same wealthy families that existed in 99'.


Of course. Wealthy people aren't going to let their children study crap unemployment-factory degrees. They're going to push them into careers where they can be wealthy, too.

At least from what I can see, it tends to be the middle classes that accept their brats studying unemployment degrees.

Quote:
which is completely rare. in wroclaw, most master's degree graduates are lucky to clear 2000zl. I know because i taught them and listened to them complaining about it every evening.


Sure, depends how good you are and where you work. If you graduate from an unemployment factory like history and spend every holiday fooling around the seaside/mountains, of course you're going to earn 2000zl after graduation. But if you spend your time getting experience (one thing in common with those 7k+ guys - they all had significant work experience in a variety of areas during university) and working hard - the great jobs will come your way.

One thing in common - all the high earners I know are incredibly hard working and don't sit around and complain about their lives. If you earn 2000zl with a Masters degree, get off your ass and do something about it instead of whining and bitching to your English teacher.

I'm looking to promote someone at the minute - and one of the things we're looking for is "willingness to work weekends" - because the job demands some weekend work. At least half of the candidates have refused to work weekends - and is it a surprise that they're not going to get promoted?

(and it's a fair job - every Sunday worked gives an extra day off in return)
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 6:01 pm    Post subject: Well Delph Reply with quote

I agree that Poles work bloody hard. However my western business mates say they're quite unproductive at times and constantly full of BS. They love talking big numbers but wait till they have to buy a round.

Poland's heading for shifty times I'm telling ya.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 8:20 pm    Post subject: Re: erm Reply with quote

Sorry, but the quote function gave me major problems so this will be mostly with quotation marks:

Delphian-domine wrote:

Quote:
"If you graduate from an unemployment factory like history and spend every holiday fooling around the seaside/mountains, of course you're going to earn 2000zl after graduation.


Valid. My favorite were the Poles studying "Polish Philology". Even better, Ph D.'s in "Polish Philology".

I think part of the problem is culture. Nobody works till they're in their 20's and they have no concept of what makes money and what wastes money. The state is partially to blame because they're paying for these directionless degrees.

Delphian-domine wrote:

"The great jobs will come your way."

even so, those jobs don't run deep into the job market. a few exist and they end up going to either the insanely bright or the "it's who you know" crowd.

Delphian-domine wrote:

"If you earn 2000zl with a Masters degree, get off your ass and do something about it instead of whining and bitching to your English teacher."

Again, valid, but it's part of their culture. Socialist country, safety nets, not having to work for 20+ years....they're not well equipped for looking for more and many of them won't get the advice they need from their parents. Once the communist generations die out, things may change.

Delphian-domine wrote:

[/quote]I'm looking to promote someone at the minute - and one of the things we're looking for is "willingness to work weekends" - because the job demands some weekend work. At least half of the candidates have refused to work weekends - and is it a surprise that they're not going to get promoted? [quote]

You mean NOT riding the train for 4 hours so that they can get home and eat mommy's home made pierogi and barszcz? THAT is just asking too much, Delph. Sitting in a room staring at each other every weekend is far more important than self empowerment and betterment Confused
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