Job Discussion Forums

[krozy24]

I'm an American citizen looking to go to Poland to teach English. Some questions I have for people who have been in my situation are:

1. Should I take the CELTA course in Krakow so that it is easier to find a job on-site in Poland?

2. Is it possible to find a job in a language school (that is not in the middle of nowhere) that will provide visa assistance?

3. WORK VISA: I called the Polish Embassy in the US and they said I would definitely have to go back to the states with a job offer to apply for a work visa, but my Polish friend who called the Home Office (work office) in Poland said they told him I could apply for the visa from Poland and I would not have to leave and go back and forth to the US (although it would be a process).

SO, has anyone does this? AND what documents did you have to bring with you? My goal is to take the course, find a job, and be able to stay in Poland while applying for the work visa. Please tell me that someone has accomplished this!!!

ALSO, if you are looking for funny banter or to tell me how cute the guys/girls are, I'm really not interested. I would just like to connect with other Americans or friends of Americans who have done what I would like to do and who can shed some light on this very confusing, multi-faceted subject!

Thanks and I look forward to your response!

[Master Shake]

Do a search on this forum for "visa." Someone asks similar questions to yours at least once a week.

1. Definitely do the CELTA in Krakow if it's not more expensive than back home. It will give you a good opportunity to see what real Polish ESL students are like. You can also find a lot of jobs by applying in person that are not posted online.

2. Yes, it is very possible to find a school in a major (and interesting!) city that will take care of your visa paperwork for you (I did).

3. Believe your Polish friend about not having to leave Poland to get a visa. You shouldn't have to. Just bring the ORIGINAL copies of your birth cert, university diploma, statement of no criminal record from the police, tax statement and anything else I forgot to mention with you when you arrive in Poland.

Hope this helps, and enjoy all the cute Polish guys and girls!

[cezarek]

I understand they've relaxed the rules for non-EU native speaker teachers. There's some information further down this message board about it.

[Ernst]

I know the consulate says you have to go home, but they say so much, and know so little, are so generally useless . . .

It should be possible for your school to begin your paperwork process while you are a "tourist". As certain deadlines approach, you will need to set foot outside Poland, or outside the EU (we have heard, and done, both. The latest word is that it's only necessary to go outside Poland to renew your tourist visa.) So Slovakia or Czech works out well for that, and Ukraine is handy if you need to be out of the EU.

Other than that, it takes lots of patience and trips to offices and signing and general red-tape hassle, and in a few months you can be legal.

[chromium]

Every agency seems to say something different and no one knows all the requirements, since they keep changing them. I had to get my first visa in Washington DC. My second one, I could stay in Poland, but I got it before my first visa ran out. Now, I'm here without a visa and don't know yet if I'll have to go back to DC or if I can stay here and do it. You get 3 months on your tourist visa, and I've had to go to Germany and Slovakia to re-new the tourist one.

Any credible school will help, if not completely take care of, with the visa. It will take about 3 months to get, if you're lucky. It is faster to get in the US provided your school sends all the correct documents.

Also, you will most likely need to get a residency permit from a completely separate gov't agency.

the school gets your work permit, then you need the residency permit, then you wait for the visa. With all the red tape, I seriously would not even consider working for a school that did not take care of this for you.

It does cost them (the school) 900 zl and a large headache for them, so don't be surprised if some schools don't want the hassle. Linguarama, for example, will not even consider someone without an EU passport.

PM me if you have any specific questions. If I stay in Poland, I'll be going through the same exact thing as you in a few weeks.

Where you do the CELTA makes little difference in getting a job in Poland, other than being able to appear in person. But, it has nothing to do with the visa situation. I just did the DELTA in Wroclaw, so it does help living in the country where you're applying, but not essential

Hope this helps

[triaroi3]

Hey there:

I just finished going through the whole tourist visa renewal ordeal. Initially, I crossed the Czech border at Cesky Tesin, but upon returning the border guard told me that I had to set foot outside the EU to renew the visa. Something about a Schengen treaty or some such.

This was confirmed by the American consulate here in Krakow after he furrowed his brow, looked puzzled and frustrated, and finally called a place in Katowice that doubly confirmed the procedure, or at least this latest interpretation of it. He stated the law is crazy.

So I ended up crossing the Ukrainian border on foot outside of Medyka.
It was kind of like this: http://igoto.eu/lviv/
But not that bad. Just grungy.

Your better bet is as suggested, make sure the school that hires you will do the work visa (which can be iffy), confirm all the corresponding documents you need for the process, and bring those so the school starts on it asap when you arrive. The folks at my school say the process takes about three months, but I'm told that once the process is going, you can stay legally no problem.

It's a pain but Poland is worth it!

[Harry from NWE]

[the new guy]

3 weeks ago, I popped into Germany for an hour for a bike ride, and then back into PL. No questions/problems.

Just showed them my passport, (non EU), got my stamps, good for another 90 days.

Just here as a tourist. No visas, work permits....

Been doing it every 90 days for the last 12 months now.