Job Discussion Forums

[Johnny_C_NYC]

Coming over in June to basically scout out where I might want to teach English in Poland or the Ukraine after I finish up my CELTA course. I don't actually start the one-month program until September, but wanted to get a decent lay of the land before I decide on where I might want to ultimately teach. I am a single-male in my late 30s (that means 39!!) undergoing a career change. I have visited Poland twice before and explored Warsaw, Gdansk, Krakow, Wroclaw and Zakopane, so I have done many of the touristy things already.

My initial preferences are Krakow and Gdansk. Krakow mostly due to the beautiful old town and proximity to the mountains; Gdansk because I just liked it a lot and thought it was a fascinating city. I can only assume anywhere in Poland will be pretty cold in the winter, but maybe Krakow is a little more temperate? (at least it is closer to skiing!) Is it true that Gdansk might actually be a bit cheaper than Krakow or Warsaw, or is most of the country fairly expensive for tourists these days?

My other thought is to find a smaller, mid-sized town which will be cheaper and less touristy and perhaps try to work there.

Thanks for any comments or suggestions you might be able to provide me!

[Rusty77]

Johnny C.,
Nice to hear you're planning well ahead. Very astute, I think. You're choice of locations, of course, will depend on your aims and what you're accustomed to, but here's my low-down:
I lived in Poland for 3 years--different cities during that time (as recently as 2007). You mentioned your concern about the cold weather: it's ironic: but the further SOUTH you go, the COLDER it gets (no kidding). This is because of the decreasing proximity to the sea and increasing elevation.
Therefore, Krakow is actually one of the coldest cities in Poland in the winter time. Usually, snow is on the ground for 2-3 months (and sometimes those months are not January and February, but rather March and April!). But, yes, it's a good location for skiing and the atmosphere there is really charming. Zakopane is one of the most beautiful places--if not THE most beautiful--scenery wise, in all of Poland. Well worth the visit, but very, very difficult to find an ESL job there. Krakow is a 2-hr ride, or drive, away.
Gdansk too is awesome. Although in a different way. Relatively quiet, beautiful architecture and nice people, urbane, and I found that it sometimes has this sleepy, edge-of-the-earth type of feeling which can be good or bad depending on one's mood (possibly due to its location by the Baltic?). It's milder there in the winter than any other city in Poland (with the exception of Szczecin). It's a bit cheaper (rent-wise, that is) than Krakow, with equal job opp's.
Warsaw, although it often gets a bad rap on this site, I found it to be very likeable--but I'm from a big city in Canada, and didn't mind the cosmopolitan feel to Warsaw. I found the people there to be very friendly, well-educated, open, etc. (much more so than other, smaller Polish cities. The major downside, of course, is the price of rent or buying a flat (almost twice as much as any other city in Poland) They say that higher wages compensate for this increase, but I don't think that they actually off-set it enough. You won't save much money (if any) as an ESL teacher in Warsaw.
Poznan, no longer a "hidden gem". A bit of trash can, actually. OK, I'm exaggerating, but it's not cheap anymore; it won't set you back as much as Krakow or Warsaw for rent but it has virtually no "soul" like the other Polish cities, and it's not nearly as pretty. Known for it's beautiful women, but eventually you get over that. On the other hand, Poznan has a very well-educated population, home to many universities (it has its charms, I did live there for quite some time). One advantage if you're worried about the cold weather: it has a relatively mild climate comparatively, being in the northwest of the country, and it's not far from Berlin, which can make for a REALLY nice weekend getaway when you simply need a break from Poland--and trust me on this one, from time to time, you will need a break
If you're open to the possibility of living in one of the smaller cities or towns, I might suggest one of the smaller burgs listed below as a cheaper (and more truly culturally-rich) alternative. Of course, the hours in one of these places will be sketchy and you won't save a dime--er--a grosz. My suggestions: Koszalin (by the sea), Zielona Gora (close to Germany and warm climate, it's in a wine-growing region!), and Jelenia Gora (really, really, isolated, but in the middle of beautiful mountains and totally pristine, uncrowded skiing). Each of these towns have about 100,000 population and you'd be a big fish in a small pond. Opp's for private students to supplement the regular paid work.
Keep your head up and salary-wise don't settle for anything less than 40zloties per hour (about 3500zl / month)--even in a smaller city.
Good luck. Let me know if I can give you any other tips.

[Sgt Bilko]

Just to add a couple more ideas

Torun - beautiful and not too big (200,000?) but not too small. I have no idea what opportunities there are there apart from IH (but check the threads for wage details before signing up with them)

Opole - 130,000. A lot of people who come to Opole like it - others think it far too small. Close enough to Wroclaw (an hour on the train) for a night out. Quite a few language schools none of which pay very well as far as I know.

June's a good time to get interviewed but the problem will be that, as you don't take your CELTA until September, even if schools like you they may be reluctant to keep a place open for you as, if you were to fail the CELTA, they'd be a teacher down with the school year just about to start. (Not that I'm saying it's likely or anything...)

All the best anyway.

[dynow]

regarding climate, i live in Wroclaw and can say that it is one of the warmest parts of poland. from what I see on the weather channels every day including traveling to other cities and noticing climate differences, Wroclaw has been constistently the warmest part of Poland in my experience.

anyway, if you are in fact from NYC, PM me, i could probably give you some good insight on what to expect regarding small town/big town.

I lived just on the other side of the Hudson when I made the move to Poland, I'm sure we have several living requirements in common.

[Rusty77]

Yeah Dynow,
I forgot all about Wroclaw! Johnny C might want to consider it as well. I visited the city many times and found it to be quite dynamic. Fairly close to the Sudety--but have the skiing conditions improved at all at Sklarska Poreba in the past 2-3 years? And it does have a pretty decent climate, by Polish standards at least... I hear it ain't cheap anymore, either, though. However, don't I think it's a bit more difficult "to break in" as a new ESL teacher there? --per capita seems to have few quality ESL schools and the number of qualified natives there is quite high vs. the amount of jobs available (certainly compared to smaller and less desirable cities).
Is there a CELTA course offered in Wroclaw before the fall that Johnny C could consider taking?

[Johnny_C_NYC]

Thanks guys! Dynow I'm in Manhattan but will take you up on your offer once I come up with some more questions. After watching the Rangers take down the Devils on MSG HD on a 50-inch TV I am sure that will be one of my main requirements. That and full access to the internet, which I assume will be nightmare-ishly expensive. I just spent a month in Brazil and got along ok using the internet cafe scene, Skype and occasional $10 phonecalls, but after awhile that gets old. After endless hours of watching the Copa Libertadores in Brazil it will be nice to get back to European soccer....

Also, did anyone take a non-CELTA course and is it at all recommended? I am thinking that since a CELTA qualification seems to be the highest end option I would pursue it, but am wondering what the job situation is for other schools.

[dynow]

rusty,

couldn't tell you about the skiiing, i'm not a skiier.

regarding breaking in, no, it's not difficult at all. there's a ton of schools here, and basically the whole town is native hungry. the first 7 months at my school had 1 native speaker......me. the two natives we have now are completely unexperienced, no teaching certificate whatsoever, and were easily hired.

wroclaw has endless work. there are so many foreign investments going on in Wroclaw, a new office building popping up every week, not to mention 130,000 college students in Wroclaw. of course private lessons with students means low pay, but if you want privates, you got them.

i couldn't tell you whether there's a CELTA course in wroclaw or not, i never went that route.

Johnny,

internet will be easy to get in your apt., and no, it's not expensive. i pay 95 PLN for a basic cable package and DSL.

[Johnny_C_NYC]