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chbern23
Joined: 11 Apr 2013 Posts: 3
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Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 6:43 pm Post subject: TEFL in Poland for American |
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I'm looking into teaching English in Europe and picked out Poland and CR as locations (due to EU visa laws). Im an American with a B.S., and no prior teaching experience. What are my chances of getting a TEFL job in January 2014? I'd do my cert in Poland around Nov-Dec, and wanted to get a good idea if I'd be able to land a job in Jant. I realize Krakow's pretty difficult due to high-competition, but would Warsaw or another larger city be a possibility? Or would I almost be limited to smaller cities/towns? Ive seen a lot of other posts about this but some are a year or two old and wanted to get a better idea of current job prospects. Thanks for any help!
(also posted a similar question about CR in that forum, hopefully thats not overkill) |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA
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Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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Hi chbern23,
Jan is the 2nd best time of year to find work (the best being September). You won't have much trouble finding work in Warsaw if you go and pound the pavement, though you might have to take hours from different schools and commute a lot to fill your schedule that first semester.
Other cities might be a little trickier, and Krakow is notoriously competitive.
Smaller towns can have higher demand for native speakers, but you'd best be prepared for a quiet lifestyle and know how to entertain yourself.
As an American, you'll have to find a school to sponsor you for a visa. Most schools are reluctant to do this so it's best to start looking for a sponsor school before you arrive.
Best of luck,
-Shake |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland
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Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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Accidentally posted in wrong thread. |
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chbern23
Joined: 11 Apr 2013 Posts: 3
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Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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Shake-
Appreciate the help. Would you say I'd still have a pretty good shot at finding a sponsor once arrived Warsaw? I'm planning on taking my TEFL cert in Poland so I doubt I'd be able to find a willing sponsor before I leave the US. I'm a little hesitant since I don't want to get stranded without a job.
Thanks again! |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA
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Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 7:09 am Post subject: |
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chbern23 wrote: |
Shake-
Appreciate the help. Would you say I'd still have a pretty good shot at finding a sponsor once arrived Warsaw? I'm planning on taking my TEFL cert in Poland so I doubt I'd be able to find a willing sponsor before I leave the US. I'm a little hesitant since I don't want to get stranded without a job.
Thanks again! |
Yes, you should be able to find something. Just look for schools that have other Americans working for them. There are some in Warsaw that prefer Americans.
I recommend trying to obtain a longer-term visa before you arrive in PL. You will be given 90 days on arrival, but the work permit/visa paperwork needs to be started fairly soon after your arrival or you'll have to do a visa run to a non-Schengen country to buy more time. |
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wojbrian
Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 178
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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Far as I know the VISA run is a myth.
It is my understanding that you must have your work papers before you arrive in Poland for work.
The alternative is to start your own business. An American is allowed to start a business in Poland. |
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zcpet
Joined: 13 Apr 2013 Posts: 9 Location: USA
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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In lieu of clogging up the forums with a very similar thread, I'll post my own query here (if that is allowed)--
(x-post from General Europe)
I'm an American student with about 1.5 years left until I graduate with a BA (Liberal Arts). I'm aware that a non-EU passport holder has about zero chance of getting work in Europe by filling out job applications while sitting behind his computer desk.
Would you have a better chance if you were to get your CELTA at a certified school in country? I can't speak any Polish (just some German) but would hopefully be able to get up to at least a passable A2 level from now until I leave.
Is the a feasible idea?
Thanks! |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA
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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:58 am Post subject: |
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zcpet wrote: |
In lieu of clogging up the forums with a very similar thread, I'll post my own query here (if that is allowed)--
(x-post from General Europe)
I'm an American student with about 1.5 years left until I graduate with a BA (Liberal Arts). I'm aware that a non-EU passport holder has about zero chance of getting work in Europe by filling out job applications while sitting behind his computer desk.
Would you have a better chance if you were to get your CELTA at a certified school in country? I can't speak any Polish (just some German) but would hopefully be able to get up to at least a passable A2 level from now until I leave.
Is the a feasible idea? |
You'd really better have your heart set on Poland if you're going to invest the time to learn this challenging, counter-intuitive language. Remember that that Polish is essentially useless outside of Poland.
As a native speaker, employers are not going to care much whether you speak Polish or not. There are plenty of qualified Polish teachers of English already in PL. Your students would be impressed, tho!
Doing your CELTA in-country is a good idea because it will probably be cheaper here and you'll get valuable experience with Polish learners. You probably can't get this back home.
wojbrian wrote: |
Far as I know the VISA run is a myth. |
Where did you get this information?
I've done visa runs before in PL because Polish immigration told me to do them. I know several others who have done them with success.
ecocks posted recently about how the Polish/Schengen rules are different for Americans and VISA runs should still work.
wojbrian, you ran afoul of immigration because you were working with no work permit, and I'll bet you didn't have a company set up. How does this mean visa runs don't work? |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:18 am Post subject: |
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I would also add that doing your CELTA in-country and preferably in the city you will be working in but even being in the region could have benefits. You'll meet some teachers. teacher-trainers, fellow students, school staffers, etc. during your stay and develop a few leads from there. Of course, this only will work for your first city/country but should give you a leg up and good start on your first time out.
As best as Delphian and I are able to make out from the material I was given, the American visa situation is governed by a pre-existing agreement from 2003. My passport was inspected last visit to be sure I had left the country and re-started my clock with a new photo-copy made of my exit and entry pages showing the date my new period started.
Last edited by ecocks on Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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dynow
Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 1080
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Master Shake"]
zcpet wrote: |
wojbrian wrote: |
Far as I know the VISA run is a myth. |
Where did you get this information?
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most likely from what's on the books, the 90/180 rule. if you've already been in the schengen zone for 90 days, going anywhere for 2 days and returning supposedly won't make a difference, it's still 90 over the course of 180 days. |
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scottie1113
Joined: 25 Oct 2004 Posts: 375 Location: Gdansk
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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dynow, didn't you read what ecocks wrote? He recently went back to the US and when he reentered Poland, his 90 day clock started for the second time, but only in Poland, not in Schengen. |
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wojbrian
Joined: 13 Aug 2009 Posts: 178
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Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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I have been looking for it.
I haven't found anything that states it isn't true though.
It still goes back to how the office you are going though understands the rule. |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006 Posts: 1202 Location: Colorado, USA
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:36 am Post subject: |
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ecocks wrote: |
As best as Delphian and I are able to make out from the material I was given, the American visa situation is governed by a pre-existing agreement from 2003. My passport was inspected last visit to be sure I had left the country and re-started my clock with a new photo-copy made of my exit and entry pages showing the date my new period started. |
Any idea where this 2003 agreement can be found? Would be great to have something concrete with which to put this '90 days in - 180 out' debate to rest once and for all.
Clearly, several immigration offices do not enforce the 180 out rule. |
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ecocks
Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:40 am Post subject: |
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I have info on it. As I said, I tried to type in for Deplh what the office here gave me. He found references to it. It [the agreement] is dated 2003 and is as I described in numerous posts elsewhere. |
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delphian-domine
Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 674
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Posted: Mon May 06, 2013 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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The mysterious thing about all of this is that there are references to an agreement, but it seems to be based on a diplomatic note that isn't publicly available.
It may be that this second clock only comes into consideration if you've already got an application for residency underway. |
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