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TwinCentre
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 273
Location: Mokotow
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 Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 1:22 pm Post subject: Why don't Native Speaker teachers work together???? |
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Can you imagine if there were as many Poles teaching Polish in UK as there are Brits and others teaching English here????
AND, imagine that most of the Polish language schools were run by Brits (just as most of the English language schools are run by Poles here)...
They would have formed an unofficial union or group before too long and would have set minimum prices for private lessons and would know the workings of every school inside out, thus presenting a force to be reckoned with to employers and therefore improving employment conditions.
In Thailand, there is a very popular site for TEFL teachers (ajarn.com), and I believe regular users of that site have formed a social group to booze and stuff. BUT, through their comrad-ship they have actually helped to push up salaries in Bangkok, just by being in the know and obviously knowing which schools to avoid.
And Warsaw? Nothing. Not a sausage.
Why?
If the 40 or so of the active Brit and American teachers, offering private lessons and working free-lance in schools in this city got together just once a month, or even just tried...think what good it could do! Just vaguely agreeing on a minimum price for private students would help, even if not everyone stuck to it.... |
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justflyingin
Joined: 30 Apr 2009
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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So are you going to organize it?  When are we coming to your house for a grill? |
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sparks
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 632
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| Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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The problem, as I see it, is that it is hard to tell who is a "teacher" in Warsaw. I often see foreign students from UW advertising native speaker conversation for 30 or so zl/hr. Many students see no difference. 40 or so teachers? I'd say it's well in the hundreds and constantly changing. There'd have to be some kind of union with native speaker licensing and so on--like a real teaching job.
Wasn't Ewa Szabatin's boyfriend from America also teaching English to get by?
It is a good idea though, some kind of organisation. |
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simon_porter00
Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 505
Location: Warsaw, Poland
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| Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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the organisation of it would be difficult, but not impossible. Advertising the idea would largely have to be done by word of mouth and even then I doubt you'd catch everyone.
And in any case, since i'm the bestest I'd have to earn the mostest. |
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TwinCentre
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 273
Location: Mokotow
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| Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| sparks wrote: |
| 40 or so teachers? I'd say it's well in the hundreds and constantly changing. |
I said '40 or so of....' |
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justflyingin
Joined: 30 Apr 2009
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| sparks wrote: |
| I often see foreign students from UW advertising native speaker conversation for 30 or so zl/hr. |
Sorry to ask...but what is UW? |
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lundjstuart
Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 211
Location: Warsaw, Poland
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| Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 5:24 pm Post subject: |
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[/quote]Sorry to ask...but what is UW?[/quote]
University of Warsaw |
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justflyingin
Joined: 30 Apr 2009
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2009 6:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks. |
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dynow
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080
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| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 5:16 am Post subject: |
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twincentre wrote:
| Quote: |
Can you imagine if there were as many Poles teaching Polish in UK as there are Brits and others teaching English here????
AND, imagine that most of the Polish language schools were run by Brits (just as most of the English language schools are run by Poles here)...
They would have formed an unofficial union or group before too long and would have set minimum prices for private lessons and would know the workings of every school inside out, thus presenting a force to be reckoned with to employers and therefore improving employment conditions.
In Thailand, there is a very popular site for TEFL teachers (ajarn.com), and I believe regular users of that site have formed a social group to booze and stuff. BUT, through their comrad-ship they have actually helped to push up salaries in Bangkok, just by being in the know and obviously knowing which schools to avoid.
And Warsaw? Nothing. Not a sausage.
Why?
If the 40 or so of the active Brit and American teachers, offering private lessons and working free-lance in schools in this city got together just once a month, or even just tried...think what good it could do! Just vaguely agreeing on a minimum price for private students would help, even if not everyone stuck to it.... |
i must say, i gotta be missing something here, because i just don't really get this post in general.
pushing up salaries? most of us here earn double or triple what the avg. pole is taking home......how much more can we make? i'm not happy with my salary or what my salary can buy me here in Poland, but i've accepted the fact that it's partly because i'm american, partly because i'm used to a much higher standard of living, and mostly because i live in Poland. most poles would be happier than a pig in $hit to be making 3000-4000 a month.
the problem with salaries and what money can buy you in Poland is because Poland is Poland. people drive tiny cars, live in tiny apts. with noisy neighbors, stay in poland for vacation, eat a lot of ice cream and bread.........a union of teachers cannot change a country. if you want more than that, a few extra zloties per month isn't going to give it to you.
minimum price for private students??? how much more do you expect Poles to pay for private lessons? it's already 60zl-70zl per hour in Wroclaw, Warsaw even more.......how much more do you think you can get from people earning 1500 a month?
for argument's sake, what would really change in this country with a teacher union? what could it potentially change? this is an honest question, maybe i just don't see it. |
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hrvatski
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 270
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| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 9:11 am Post subject: |
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| I think Polish language school owners would first laugh, then start ignoring anyone in the union and recruiting natives from abroad. Jesteśmy przecież w kraju kombinowania |
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TwinCentre
Joined: 22 Mar 2007
Posts: 273
Location: Mokotow
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| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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| hrvatski wrote: |
| I think Polish language school owners would first laugh, then start ignoring anyone in the union and recruiting natives from abroad. Jesteśmy przecież w kraju kombinowania |
I wasn't talking about a union of such, just a network whereby teachers know what are good offers and what are bad ones. That is what happend in Thailand.
And, I disagree, Polish school owners would not laugh in Warsaw, at least. They cannot afford to hire teachers from abroad and pay their ZUS on full-time contracts. And, teachers fresh off their CELTA courses simply don't wanna come to Warsaw when they can go to Krakow or even better, Italy or Spain.
Regarding private rates. There are native teachers charging 50 per 60 minutes. Why? I know two Polish teachers who work full-time from home and charge 80zt.
How can anyone in Warsaw be satisfied earning 3000-4000. The British Council pays around 11,000 for full-time teachers (gross). |
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justflyingin
Joined: 30 Apr 2009
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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| TwinCentre wrote: |
[
Regarding private rates. There are native teachers charging 50 per 60 minutes. Why? I know two Polish teachers who work full-time from home and charge 80zt.
How can anyone in Warsaw be satisfied earning 3000-4000. The British Council pays around 11,000 for full-time teachers (gross). |
The going rate around here is not that high. I'm on the outskirts of Warsaw. I'm already unsure how come Polish people are willing to pay 30 zl for 45 min. for a child. Certainly you know how many hours it takes for a child to learn a language?? Hours and hours. They learn almost nothing in one 45 min. session a week.
I don't charge that much. I ask 40 zl for 60 min. The school I teach in charges 80 zl and gives a faktura for that much. They pay me 40 zl, so they keep half but pay the electricity, secretary, clean the building, etc. When I do it at my home, I still ask only 40 zl for 60 min. There are big advantages to going somewhere else to teach. One is, you don't have to have anyone come into your home. 
I also believe that enough is enough. If you are actually worth 11,000 zl, so be it. It is hard for me to believe that anyone, except maybe a specialist would be worth that much money.
There are only "so many" very wealthy people in this area. I don't happen to know that many of them. I think the price is already high for most of the population. |
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dynow
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080
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| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Regarding private rates. There are native teachers charging 50 per 60 minutes. Why? I know two Polish teachers who work full-time from home and charge 80zt. |
dostajesz to za co placisz.
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| And, teachers fresh off their CELTA courses simply don't wanna come to Warsaw when they can go to Krakow or even better, Italy or Spain. |
sure, but those reasons go far beyond a slight, even substantial difference in pay. quite simply, places like Spain and Italy are more attractive countries to live in for any number of reasons, regardless of pay. |
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maniak
Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 194
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| Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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| dynow wrote: |
sure, but those reasons go far beyond a slight, even substantial difference in pay. quite simply, places like Spain and Italy are more attractive countries to live in for any number of reasons, regardless of pay. |
Pretty much... probably like most of you Ive gotten so many 'Co ty kurwa chory jestes, dlaczego tutaj??', and Id seriously question the psychological standing of any person coming to poland to teach teach. Sure, booze and cruise for a semester or two, but to live and teach here?
Just thinking about teaching somewhere near the Alps, making 20e an hour, the standard of living, etc etc... mmmmm |
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dynow
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080
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| Posted: Wed Sep 02, 2009 7:58 am Post subject: |
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Pretty much... probably like most of you Ive gotten so many 'Co ty kurwa chory jestes, dlaczego tutaj??', and Id seriously question the psychological standing of any person coming to poland to teach teach. Sure, booze and cruise for a semester or two, but to live and teach here?
Just thinking about teaching somewhere near the Alps, making 20e an hour, the standard of living, etc etc... mmmmm |
this post should be on Poland's main page. it would answer a lot of the "questions" we routinely get from the newbies. |
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