Job Discussion Forums

[studmuffin_jake]

A fellow Canadian accepted a job where I had worked previously (TOWER School in Zory, Poland) and I see the school is advertising again.

While our experiences were different, I felt obligated to post a translation of what certain terms and phrases mean to this employer.

In the job posting, the school promises:

- assistance in obtaining visas and work permits
The school gets those permits it must get; the teacher has to get his own work visa- the school isn't up to date on visa rules. You also have to pay for your own visa- there isn't any financial assistance.

- assistance in finding accommodation
The school finds a flat and puts the teacher in it, witholding lease papers, billing information, etc. Payments go through the owner of the school. I don't know if he takes a cut of the 'rent'.

- competitive rates of pay with guaranteed minimum weekly workload
The hourly rate is competitive, but there are almost as many unpaid hours as paid hours. He contracts to pay 'teaching hours' and 'guarantees a minimum of 22 teaching hours per week'. You don't get paid for 'consulations' (2 hours per week), travel time, prep time, staff mtgs., etc. It boils down to this: if you don't have paying students in a scheduled class, you don't get paid for that time.

- excellent, friendly atmosphere and career opportunities
He was plenty friendly to me, but maybe he liked my girlfriends. As for 'career opportunities', teachers enter the career ladder at the top- the only other positions are 'secretary' and 'owner'. The '4-5 teachers' promised in the intro letter never materialised- at most there were three teachers.
My colleague reports that the owner would promise anything and deliver when it suited him, if ever. He also treated each teacher differently: some were put in cheaper apartments than others; one was even put in a flat wheich he was subletting for his sister. Multiple requests for getting a Polish tutor (very few people speak English in Zory) were brushed off.
Some of the staff speak relatively good English; others don't.

- free intensive teacher training

Free to you and free to him. However, since you are in training and don't have any classes to teach, you don't get paid for that time. His training consists of reading out of an instructor's manual which is not made available to the instructors being trained. His training isn't recognized by anyone outside his tiny school.

- holiday bonus of 300USD
This is in lieu of salary, as you have no paying students (see above).

- free internet access
This is only available through the office located in a different city (satellite campus) during business hours and when they aren't using it. If you want to use it on weekends, after work, etc., keep dreaming.

- airport pick-up
My colleague reports that he phoned from the airport and was instructed to take a bus and would be reimbursed. He speaks no Polish, so the 3 hours on the bus were less than fun.
The classes are small, since there are only 12 chairs- the teacher has to stand all day. 'Teenagers' are anybody under 20, including eleven year-olds.
While the location is close to many places, the times quoted in the adv. (e.g. Cracow (1,5 hrs)) are times for travel by personal car. The bus to Cracow actually takes 3 hours and the owner confidently provides incorrect rate and time information (because that's when the bus ran 5 years ago!)
Personally, I decided to screw the school- one student at a time. I find it hard to believe that he's going to have a school after his entire teaching staff left last month after a staff meeting discussing salaries and schedules (the staff wanted more than 24 hours notice before radical schedule changes).

He may have changed his tune, but if you decide to work for him, go in with both eyes open and be prepared to walk. His interpretation of your contract is, of course, in his best interests. He likes to believe that you will be just like the people before and that things will happen for him like they did for other schools.

Aside from the school, it's a nice, quiet town, if sleepy during the week. Good luck.

[Frater]

The school doesn't sound too bad - apart from the teachers.

[bec_hoult]

studmuffin_jake; i was just wondering: you say you and "A fellow Canadian" have worked at this school, and "our experiences were different"... I was just wondering what this meant; was it just you that didn't like it there or...?

[Alex Shulgin]

Sounds like the school is doing everything they legally have to and slightly more. You have nothing to complain about.