Job Discussion Forums

echidna_of_doom · Posted: Tue May 26, 2009 6:59 pm Post subject: International House Krakow

I'm thinking about getting my CELTA at the International House in Krakow. Has anyone else gotten their certification here? I've heard good things about IH in general, but am not sure if there are any individual differences (some IH's run differently than others).

hrvatski · Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 270

Is good two thumbs up!

katers · Joined: 19 Jun 2008 Posts: 31

I did my CELTA at IH Krakow lastsummer. I recommend it wholeheartedly!

Tutors are great, Krakow is a lovely place to be (note: in the spring and summer), the accommodation they provide is lovely, and it's cheaper than most places!

topas · Joined: 10 Jan 2010 Posts: 2

I did my CELTA there recently and absolutely do not recommend it. The place was pretty disorganized and unprofessional. A lot of important information (due dates, time off, etc) was only passed around by word of mouth.

The IH classes we had to observe were just awful and I was not impressed with most of the teachers there. The administrative staff could be pretty rude, too, and often provided wrong information, did not answer questions, etc.

The facilities at the centre were in pretty bad shape, too. The computers were really, really ancient. They broke down constantly and caused a lot of aggravation, especially considering the deadlines we were working with. Same deal with the photocopier and overhead projectors. No possiblity of doing a ppt presentation or similar, which is the norm in many schools these days.

The appliances and furniture in the apartment were all broken, too. Some of them were never fixed. The whole place was furnished with whatever they had rescued from the trash, it seemed. When I arrived, the place had obviously not been very well cleaned and the bedding was full of dust. Couldn't wash it because the washing machine was broken!

gibon · Joined: 22 Feb 2010 Posts: 40 Location: Warsaw

There are a few IH franchises in Poland. Some are well thought of, some are not.

The one in SW Poland (Bielsko, Śląsk etc) seem to be the best.

NilSatis82 · Joined: 03 May 2009 Posts: 110

It seems IH World didn't think much of the one in Krakow, or more likely, they didn't pay their affiliation fees.

http://www.ihworld.com/schooldirectory/index.asp

Quatermass · Joined: 04 Aug 2009 Posts: 7

JanDobrodumow · Joined: 18 May 2010 Posts: 5

The place itself has some affiliation issues, but that is nothing to do with the actual quality of the teaching on the course, which from my experience was absolutely excellent. First class tutors, very well organised and executed course. I find it hard to believe the person above who listed all those gripes. There was a minor problem with the computers - some were prone to not print, which meant shuffling between them in order to get stuff printed - a minor annoyance really.
There were 2 photocopiers that always worked. The accomodation (I saw other people's too) was excellent. The building itself is a bit old and the traffic is heavy and noisy, but apart from that, it's a great place to do celta.

Quatermass · Joined: 04 Aug 2009 Posts: 7

I found out the other day that all my tutors from last year - Magda, Declan and Basia - have jumped ship and got jobs with the British Council, which is running its own Celta course in Krakow now.

hrvatski · Joined: 16 Nov 2008 Posts: 270

Good on them, better pay for sure.

nickienines · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 17

no matter where you do your Celta, do not work there, they pay terribly