Job Discussion Forums

scottie1113 · Joined: 25 Oct 2004 Posts: 375 Location: Gdansk

I can only add a little to this thread. I'm not yet a teacher but will take the CELTA course at Bell in Warsaw next August then it's off to Gdansk on a job search.

I visited Warsaw and Gdansk in August and fell in love with the tri cities: Gdansk, Sopot and Gdynia. I have an American friend in Gdansk-he doesn't post on this site-who is married to a wonderful Polish woman. He has been teaching without a CELTA in Gdansk-he doesn't want to take the time or spend the money for one- for 3 1/2 years and is doing very well.

From time to time he interviews during the off season with schools who always tell him that if he had a CELTA they'd hire him on the spot. He's done that three times since May.

This fall he has 50 privates and two companies-DHL and a Norwegian company-in addition to the school he works for. Yes, he's got a heavy load but it will enable them to spend a month with his family in the US during the holidays. Not bad.

Like everyone else who has responded to your original post I think 2000zl is too low. Is that 2000zl and housing or just 2000zl?

Either way I think you could survive. From what my friend in Gdansk tells me there are always other possibilities.

Good luck.

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

"I think you will survive".
Why do some people accept so little?This is Europe not Bangladesh.2000zl is very bloody difficult to live on my friend ,so hold out for something better. I rented a kawalerka in Poznan,(I also had a free flat in Warsaw),and with the bills that came to about 1000zl a month.You will live in poverty.
I blame those people in black jackets and white shirts...you know those blokes who wear the name tags and advertise 'free English lessons'.I also blame the Polish schools,who just want a native speaker regardless of teaching ability or qualifications.....there's an over supply and that coupled with the fact that the private schools in Poland lie like hell to you has created this sorry mess in which people talk about "survival".

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

Hope this helps:

I just talked with a friend who was down in Poznan for the weekend. He teaches at Bell in Gdansk and said that they pay him a regular salary throughout the year--that is, he gets checks over the summer as well. So maybe this 2000 zl/month thing seems low because they're going to pay you for the 1/3 of the year when you're not actually working.

In that case, it might be a perfectly regular contract.

Check it out with the director. If they plan on paying you in the same way, then we're talking about a totally different scenario here.

He also mentioned that he's heard that Bell is trying to cut costs...

I assume you've hammered out the details of the contract to a tee.

Powodzenia.

(Don't worry dude, you'll be fine.)

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

So against the (better?) advice of several on this forum, I took the job. I arrive in Gdansk on Dec 9.

Some reasons for this decision:

1) Bell is a good, reputatible school and I think it is worth earning a bit less in order to work for them. They are also not scared away by the fact that I am a yank and need a visa Cool

2) The location. I've heard many good things about this city - the historical old town, the nightlife, etc. - and I've seen very few people here or anywhere else slam Gdansk. Can't say the same for Warsaw or Katowice.

3) I am sick and tired of chasing down dead ends on the job boards. (Most jobs posted on tefl.com offer only around 2000zl a month anyway.)

4) I can work Saturdays and teach private lessons for extra cash.

Wish me luck!

redsoxfan, getting 2000zl checks over the summer was never mentioned to me. It just sounds way too good to be true...at least in my case. I'm sure I can ask your teacher friend in person in a couple weeks!

YakTamer · Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 86 Location: Warszawa, Polska

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

That's less than 70 zl a day...good luck mate.I hope you don't have to pay rent.
Cinema ticket=20zl
1 Jack Daniels =20zl
A meal in Sphinx(cheap restaurant)=20zl
Rent a dvd=10zl
Cigarettes=6zl
Taxi av=10zl
A roast chicken=18zl
Shoes=250zl av
DVD player=300zl (av brand)
Electricity bill =150zl/month
Mobile phone=300zl
Phone bill=extortionate.
And you haven't even started dating yet.
My advice:eat vegetables...they're cheap.

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

Those prices may be accurate, but there are other ways of looking at it:

If you eat out, yes, you'll spend 20 zl. But if you cook at home, you can eat whatever you want for not much money. If you don't know how to cook, just go to cooks.com and look up recipes. I do it all the time. For instance, you could pay 20 zl for some pasta alfredo with spinach, or you could cook the same thing in about 20 minutes for almost nothing. You could pay 5-6 zl for a not-so-good coffee in a cafe, or you could buy the best coffee you can find at Tesco and pay 15 groszy per cup at home. Look up a recipe for beans and rice, buy the spices (paprika ostry, cumin, etc.) and have a healthy lunch for pennies. Buy a jar of Patak's Indian food paste for 20 zl, and make 4 large pots of chicken curry--it's impossible to mess up, and it'll taste like proper Indian food. I only eat out here when I have to, otherwise I cook at home.

Phone bills are indeed extortionate, but can be mitigated if you take advantage of special offers. I have Orange, and I pay very little for calls to my girlfriend and best friend because of some promotion they always have. Make quick calls and send SMSs for free via the internet, if you have it.

I've never rented a DVD here. In Krakow anyway, you can buy used DVDs for 5 zl at many open markets. I just share DVDs with my friends, and I always have a constant supply. You can get them for cheap if you buy certain magazines.

A Jack Daniels might be 20 zl, but a beer is 5 or so. So one could get a decent buzz on for 20 zl. Of course, I rarely spend only 20 zl, but that's my choice!...

The point being that while certain things are indeed overpriced in Poland, many things are quite cheap. It takes a bit of searching around, but you don't need to spend a ton of money to have a good time here.

Still, you'll need to make more than 2000 zl/month to enjoy yourself. Pick up private students, and maybe work Saturdays at another school.

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

The director said I could teach Saturdays and that doing this I could make closer to 2500zl/mo. I kno, still not great, but thankfully I like cheap beer, don't smoke, and don't watch too many movies. That roast chicken sounds pretty good tho Razz

... so does dating.

Orange for cell phones, huh? I'll have to check that out. Can you get by with just a cell phone? I have no problem doing so here.

How expensive and well equiped are Polish gyms? Here I pay $20/month which is pretty cheap by US standards. Don't know if I can afford that over there...

I'm going to bring as many clothes as I can with me...shoes too.

Last question: Do you have bank accounts set up in Poland, and if so what bank do you use?

joshsweigart · Joined: 27 Feb 2005 Posts: 66

Hey,

Gyms vary in price according to quality and I guess from city to city. In Lodz you can join a gym with everything, new equipment, treadmills and sauna for 100 zl. a month. This allows you to go any time from early morning to late in the evening--not bad. I'd have to agree with your plan to bring lots of clothes. I personally like American clothes better than most things here. There is also a bit of a mark-up (actually it's a ridiculous mark-up if you're used to outlet shopping) on things like Adidas sneakers and other name brands.

You can get by with just a cell phone unless you like to talk a lot, in which case, you could easily spend your entire pay check on phone bills. Send text messages whenever you can.

Setting up a bank account is easy. I think that I needed a work permit though. Citibanks are everywhere though so you could probably just open an account in the U.S. Also online banking is popular. Check out M-Bank.

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

You'll only need a cell phone, don't worry about a land line.

Bring all the clothes you'll need because the clothes here are of poor quality, or expensive imports. Expect to pay double the American prices for a pair of jeans, for instance. And they're all European style jeans, which means that they're pre-torn, faded, etc. Ugh. If you want a hooded sweatshit for the gym, take it with you, unless you like dumb slogans in English and pictures of pitbulls on yours.

Alex Shulgin · Joined: 20 Jul 2003 Posts: 553

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

I'm not sure why my previous post has a *beep* inserted--apparently "sweat shirt" is a curse word now.

joshsweigart · Joined: 27 Feb 2005 Posts: 66

Of course banks rip you off on the exchange but are there any other reasons why opening an account in the U.S. wouldn't work? Direct deposit problems for example?

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

1.)For ok/reasonably priced clothes try a shop called 'Reserved'...it's a bit like 'Gap' ,but cheaper.
2.)Don't buy expensive shoes as they'll get wrecked in the winter with all the salt on the roads.
3.)Beer costs between 6 and 12 zl a pint.....just depends on the venue.
4.)Girls will expect you to pay.
5.)Polish banks charge you for everything.
6.)After your rent you'll have about 35 zl to spend a day...that's 11$....or 5 beers and no food.Being poor aint fun so all the best.
7.)Bell is soem sort of franchise by the way and has nothing really to do with Bell UK, based in Cambridge.
8.)Shop in the street markets as they're cheaper than places like 'Piotr i Pawel'.
9.)You won't earn enough to travel and stay in hotels.The cheapest hotel I found in Poznan was 100zl/night.The average seems to be about 150-200zl.
10.)Don't rely on privates.

Alex Shulgin · Joined: 20 Jul 2003 Posts: 553