Job Discussion Forums

[newtoefl2011]

Hi guys,

My girlfriend and I are shortly-to-be-qualified EFL teachers in the UK. We're heading to Europe in September and were thinking of focusing on Italy for our first year then maybe moving on to Poland after that. I understand that EFL is big business in the major Polish cities, but the two cities which appeal to us in particular are Wroclaw and Gdansk. Could anyone teaching in either of these places give us any advice on working conditions, availability of jobs etc.?

Thanks!

[delphian-domine]

Working conditions? In general, expect to be fired at any moment. Polish employers generally know that they've got the upper hand over native teachers (especially those dependent on the school) and will treat you accordingly - dynow will back me up here, when I say that you really have to be a freelancer in order to get any respect from school owners.

Really, if you want to come here, then you have to come here and experience it for yourself. However, one thing to bear in mind - Polish school owners are ruthless, and they won't have any problems with cutting your contract halfway through the year if they can replace you with someone cheaper/better.

[spiral78]

On the topic of moving around in general:

Of course it's an option - but keep in mind that, in your first year in any city, you are establishing a reputation and making local contacts. Moving after one year means you give up the potential benefits of this. It's usually in one's second year somewhere they 'you' get the better schedules, may find better housing, have more friends, better-paid classes.

By moving every year, you condemn yourself to entry-level positions indefinitely - the worst schedules, housing hassles (they can obviously occur at any point, but are most common in year 1), bottom-level pay.

The thing is that all the job market across Europe is fairly competitive. Walking into any city as a newbie to the city kinda guarantees you the bottom of the barrel, barring unusual luck.

[lundjstuart]

[eurobound]