Job Discussion Forums

[sharter]

No matter what we think of ourselves, we are perceived as unskilled labour throughout the world.

[iknowwhatiamtalkingabout]

I've known loads of people who worked at IH Bydgoszcz over the last few years and most of them stay for at least 2 years. Plenty stay for longer. I know that currently on the staff they have a number of native speakers who have been there for ages. I also know that last summer they hardly did any hiring because of the number of returning teachers they had.

I don't think anybody sees it as a place to live for ever. I'm glad I worked there. I have a much better job making better money now, but I'm a better teacher for my time there. Also, it was great fun. I'd do it again given a time machine and the option to change.

But no, I'm wrong. The guy from 1996 knows best. It must be a rubbish place to work.

[dynow]

[sharter]

Could be the crappy money!!

And why do some do a second year there? Usually a woman's involved or they've been daft enough to sign their life away for the DELTA.

Notknowhatyourtalkingabout read my post! I've been there since. I was in Poland 13 weeks ago, where I have a son who I see regularly. 1,850Zl...you could earn more begging and Greggie was there at IH last year!!

Did the experience you gained improve your reading skills? Clearly not.

Newbie for sure.

[sharter]

Where did you eat? Share a kurczak z piec smakow at Lotus once a week?
That's living.................not!

[iknowwhatiamtalkingabout]

I didn't see Bydgoszcz as a place to stay forever mainly because it's not the most lovely place in the world. But it is fine for a few years.

As for the newbie comments, that's just silly.

The arrogance of many on here is actually quite funny. I worked in Bydgoszcz for a number of years, I know plenty of others who did and quite a few who still do. The assertions of poverty are ridiculous and IH Bydgoszcz is a good school.

The hysterical rantings of some people on here could well put a new teacher off and make them miss out on a good experience in Bydgoszcz.

Best way to sum it up is that apart from me, pretty much everyone I know who moves on says they miss the school. They appreciate it after they leave. I was lucky that my experience allowed me to get a really good job after Bydgoszcz. I know plenty of former Bydgoszcz people who have moved on to other schools and been let down.

Anyone (especially new teachers) looking for a job that'll give them a good start in the business should consider IH Bydgoszcz. It's a good place to work.

[sparks]

[iknowwhatiamtalkingabout]

It's 1875 ish (can't exactly remember) plus a free flat. Which is actually a pretty good deal.

If this poster who claims to have worked there last year really did, then he or she will know that the school is still made up mainly of returning teachers. This speaks volumes.

I'm certainly not new to the job. I wouldn't go back to IH Bydgoszcz as I see it as an entry level job which would now be a backward step. But it's a good place for anybody to begin their career. Loads of support, loads of materials etc and the money is fine.

All the drama queens on here make me laugh.

[dynow]

[sparks]

I don't think that many on here really disagrees about the fundamentals of life in EFL Poland, some just choose to focus on the good or bad parts more. As far as the Bydgoszcz/IH question: Yeah 1800 zl a month or whatever is not a good salary, but for a 20 something year old guy it would do. You could probably offer him a box to live in and a bottle of vodka for pay and he would be happy just for the chicks and booze (as is often pointed out). In the long run though, it sucks of course.

[sharter]

Give him enough rope.........

1,850Zl is an insult. I was making 6k in Poznan in 98 with free accommodation.

They give a cruddy work shop every Wednesday and you call that development? They have a few bookshelves and that's a library? Plenty of schools have that; it's not a USP! It's a great place to go for a newb to get rooked that's for sure. They could go to Lodz and start on 140Zl per day with free accommodation as was advertised recently on a rival website.

MOST STAY BECAUSE OF PARTNERS THEY'VE FOUND.

And btw...I'm not hysterical or arrogant, just truthful. You say yourself Bydgoszcz ain't a place to stay; it's a fact it ain't on the tourist trail; the money is cruddy; it's a fact they bamboozle you with the pay through Glenrex and there are much better entry deals around.

End of.

[dynow]

[sharter]

I totally agree with that.

It's an aside, but I've lost count of the number of Polish girls I know who have married foreigners and got out.

The scenery, the history, the home cooking and of course, the girls....all great. None of these put food on your kid's table or pay for his dentist, playstation, school trips or clothes. It's always a bad idea to generalise about people but Poles are not the the most fun nation I've ever met either...very dour, ignorant and unconcerned about everything except the price of rolls in Carrefour....and then there's the fake pseudo-intellect you encounter everywhere, who usually doesn't get past Bregovic.

All of Europe is crap moneywise. Anything more than subsistence seems to be rare. But 400 quid a month...actually it's less at the current Zloty rate....well this 1,850Zl is truly atrocious in modern Europe. Poland isn't some quaint little place full of people who turn hay on long forks and go folk dancing on Fridays; it's a modern European country with European prices.

[delphian-domine]

[dynow]