Job Discussion Forums

[Khrystene]

[Khrystene]

[Blasphemer]

[Blasphemer]

[quote="Khrystene"]

[dynow]

[simon_porter00]

There's something I'm not quite getting with all of this talk. Last year i worked about 25 hours a week and was earning close to 10-11k a month. I wasn't busting y balls and I didn't get the 'plum' jobs. I used my noggin a bit and answered two questions:

1)what do i want to do?
2)how can I make money doing it?

Obviously the first thing was teaching related, I have a company and can only teach. Teaching is VAT exempt and so I can;t do anything else under my business. The second comes from a little bit of inspiration. Ideas. Direction. How you get this is up to you. I read books. You may laugh but they were books like:
How to be a millionaire
How to think Big
Rich dad, poor dad etc
Why? They're written by people who have made money with ideas. As each book that you read won't fail to point out
you won't make lots of money working for anyone else
you won't make money if you surround yourself with negativity & negative people
you won't make money if you don't take an educated risk.

This year, I've got three projects lined up. They should take off because they're based on a simple basic premise and a market that is full of hungry students who want to learn. What am I doing? Teaching. How am I going to succeed, by taking an educated risk, but I'll be covering my back through regular income streams leaving myself money at the end of the month.

I'm sure every teacher that posts on here has spotted a potential niche in Poland. Poland is under-utilised in every single area of market activity. Absolutely every one. Even thought there are about 500 language providers in Warsaw and I'll be 501 I still plan to make a success out of what I've got planned.

[TwinCentre]

Good on you Simon!

It is nice to hear someone showing initiative and a 'can do' attitude!

Refreshing.

I would like to add, to make real money, you have to get away from 'selling your time', as there is always a ceiling on how much your time is worth in EFL. You need to sell 'products', even if that is someone elses time.

Good luck with everything, wish more people were as upfront and open about the need to think positively as you.

[simon_porter00]

Thanks for replying in sucha positive fashion. I thought that I was going to get slated (and I probably still am going to be) but it really isn't difficult to be your own boss and make a tidy sum just by teaching.

Everyone has ideas, but not everyone acts on them, as you said TC to create a product.

An example. If you live in a small city/town people often say there's no money in the town. It takes ages to integrate, the only school is rubbish etc etc.
Alternatively you SHOULD think, wow, I'm one of few, or perhaps the only native speaker in town. Let's fully utilise that. Start a company, start working for a school and invoice them, and then slowly over the course of the year start adding your own clientele.
Teaching isn't a risky business if you start small and build on that. Taking out 300k from the bank of course will drop you in deep doo-dah. probably.

[dynow]

mr. porter......11k a month......do you do all your work in Poland...........?................just wondering..........

with that said, I'm sure that if i were to stay in Poland for years and years to come, i'd be making serious cash as well. I'm just simply not willing to stick it out that long. I simply don't see the point.

[simon_porter00]

All my work is done from within 10km's of Warsaw city centre. You can continue to cast aspersions, but the true fact of the matter is that I teach English, in Warsaw and earn money. Just like many others, only a surprising few make above 4-5k because they can't 'see' other ways to teach. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but that's up to them.

If it's left up to me, I could gather 60 teachers in a room and tell them how to earn a good 30% more then they're actually making but I'm not going to go out there on some altruistic joy-ride to make others money. Those who want to make cash, will. Those who work for me, will. Those who want to ask questions, will. Those who think - wow, he must be working 50 hours per week/have no social life/be chained to his job/work abroad/etc/etc are wrong and surround themselves in negativity and don't take a little bit of that word no-one wants to know about - risk.

[Blasphemer]

I must agree with Simon, I've only been here for about 6 months now and I definitely see the untapped potential. Even outside of Warsaw, believe it or not.

If you consider the possibilities - we live in a country where everyone wants to speak English yet hardly anyone actually can. Place where schools still pound the grammar style lesson plans. Some of my students have been studying English for 5 - 7 or more years, yet they can hardly put a cohesive sentence together.

I think making 10k - 12k / month is definitely something that anyone with a head on their shoulders can achieve.

As, Simon said - sell.. not only products but also yourself, [I saw you registered on the native site] but that's the way to succeed in any environment.

There's always the in-company training [which if I may take a stab, is where Simon dwells].
25hrs of in-company will definitely get you a nice chunk of change. If you work that angle right, you can easily make 12k with just Business Eng.

[dynow]

For the most part, I agree with him as well..........but I'll start by saying this: look at any profession, and compare the salaries of people who have been in the field for 2 years vs. say 10 years.

Mr. Porter, if my memory serves me correctly, you've been in Poland and the ESL gig for a long long time.

Nearly every day I think about how I could do this or that better than the next guy in Poland. There are a lot of things in Poland that are simply either done poorly, or not done at all.

The problem though is forcing yourself to stay in this country for that long. I have this conversation with my fiance all the time......."If we stayed in this country for another 10 years, we'd be making serious cash. There are so many things I could see myself doing, ESL and beyond, that could get me way more money than I'm earning now. I just refuse to spend that much more time in Poland."

with that said, all the power to you, glad you are successful.......but i'm curious.......how much longer will you stick it out in Poland?

[TwinCentre]

[simon_porter00]

I've been teaching in Poland (and in total) for 3 years, this being my fourth. As regards future plans they are to stay in Poland, the main reason being if I go back to the UK I've no 'real' saleable skills. This isn't because I'm stupid (although sometimes everyone has their moments) it's because I studied a degree for no other reason then it was interesting and then found out that the degree had no vocational worth for me (as I said, everyone has their moments ). So if I go back the UK tomorrow, then it'll be office admin to start with and then something in the building industry based on the knowledge I learnt post university. In other words, back to nowt.

I daresay in 5 years, I could go back with a whole host of skills assuming and hoping that my projects take off this year. But then again in 5 years I'll really be enjoying what I'm doing in Poland, with a family, and hopefully have enough passive income coming in to do what I want and open that cattery. (One of many other crazy ideas.)

I meet people with ideas like yourself Dynow, that say "I can see scope for improvement here, but y'know I don't really know if I want to do that." As I say to my students and everyone else collaborating with me at the moment, the idea WILL work, the only weakpoint is the person running it. If my project doesn't come to fruition - it'll be my fault and I can except that.

At the end of the day everything - services, products etc were just an idea at some point that was put into action. Not all succeeded, but a lot did. I'm sure if we sat down together Dynow (and if you're in Warsaw, send me a PM and I'll happily meet up with you) you've got all the basics done. Business set up tick, learning to speak Polish tick, idea tick, you probably just need if you pardon the expression my size 11 up your backside. For every concern you give me I'm sure I can give you a positive.

The other important thing to remember is, if you're looking for the right time, the perfect conditions you'll be waiting forever. Development is being able to deal with the difficulties as they arise. Right now the European economy has turned the corner, Poland is buoyant. Now, I'd humbly suggest, is exactly the right time to get a project off the ground.

I've gone on for long enough, TC send me a PM with your ideas and let's get it going.

[dynow]