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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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 Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 7:15 pm Post subject: erm |
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The good jobs aren't on the jobs boards.
And I'd rather do Poland rich than poor. Horses for courses I guess. |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA
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| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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| salamiandbacon wrote: |
What do you think, dragonpiwo?
Can we get to the bit when we say that you can earn well north of a dollar a minute tax free, plus free accommodation, utilities, flights and huge holidays if you're willing to put in some time in the sandpit?
Anyone dismayed by Polish salaries can change their reality by looking at the job boards and getting on a plane to Saudi. Poland is still there in the holidays. |
Jeeze, I wouldn't be surprised if this was paid for by one of the oil companies. The Middle East forum is THAT way, bud.
Why live life counting the days until your next holidays to Europe in a sterile sandpit when you can instead enjoy a reasonable standard of living living in Europe?
It's just common sense. There are plenty of gigs which pay decent hourly rates. And Krakow isn't the be all end all of Poland
Dragonpiwo, among your friends who are struggling for work in Poz, how many of them have DELTA or an MA? How many have exp. teaching YL's or ESP? How many have sought out opportunities to become Cambridge examiners or gain management or teacher training experience or create materials? |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:57 am Post subject: erm |
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Most have been there between 10 and 15 years and have reasonable/good Polish in addition to their 10+ years teaching experience. All of them have a degrees and CELTAs, some have MAs but I'm not sure about DELTAs as they were always a bit of a waste of time paywise in Poland. Quite a few work at the uni and the others do the language school thing but nearly all of them are doing other things to make ends meet, whether it's editing or writing or playing gigs in bands and so on.
More native speakers, very good Polish teachers, fewer students equals a worsening EFL situation. Add a financial crisis and Bob's your uncle for the perfect storm.
Love Poland tho'....minus the paperwork of course. |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:16 am Post subject: and.... |
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| I live in Poland and get home very regularly and it works for me. The Middle East is not for everyone but like anywhere gets better the more you invest in the place. Not everywhere is a sandpit and if you're by the sea and like beaches and water sports, you can really land on your feet recreationally; I have. However, I have a kid and fiancee and alimony to pay, so my situation may be unlike most of yours. A merchant banker mate of mine recently spent a year living in Poland, got back to London and said 'I feel like I'm back in civilization now.' after his year in Poz. Made me chuckle as the TEFL lifestyle is a bit 'studenty' if you ask me. |
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salamiandbacon
Joined: 13 Apr 2012
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:34 am Post subject: |
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mastershake wrote
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Jeeze, I wouldn't be surprised if this was paid for by one of the oil companies. The Middle East forum is THAT way, bud.
Why live life counting the days until your next holidays to Europe in a sterile sandpit when you can instead enjoy a reasonable standard of living living in Europe?
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The Middle East forum people already know there is a place to make a bit more coin. Perhaps unhappy people on the Poland site don't, and that bothers me.
I came to Poland in 1995 and stayed 6 years. I didn't know if I could have a normal life (ie live like a grownup with a wife, car and 4 walls to call my own) on a DoS salary in Wroclaw, also with all the FCE,CAE,CPE examining I could handle. That was in 2001 when most people agree things were easier for us.
I still call Poland my home, but I can do it in the knowledge that my future is secure financially. No mortgage, investments that can cover a basic standard of living for the rest of my life, and just working on the college fund for the nipper. Job done, I can idle away my days in Poland not worrying about wages at PL, IH or learning to play the banjolele in a pub to pay the rent.
Unfortunately I'm not paid by anyone to say that if you want to put some cash in the bank and make your future in Poland more secure, try something different. I know it's not for everyone, but it is worth considering.
25 ZL in the hand an hour sucks, and I think the situation will get worse. Teachers are getting squeezed and might need to think strategically. |
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dynow
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Master Shake"]
| salamiandbacon wrote: |
What do you think, dragonpiwo?
Why live life counting the days until your next holidays to Europe in a sterile sandpit when you can instead enjoy a reasonable standard of living living in Europe?
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I get it, but when you get older and big boy life starts (wife, mortgage, children) things like money and stability are trump cards life will inevitably play on you.
It's why my wife and I got outta Dodge. Our circumstances are ours just like anyone else, but when we looked at what we could have in Poland in due time vs. what we knew we would have immediately somewhere else, the decision was easy. |
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delphian-domine
Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674
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| Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 4:45 pm Post subject: |
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| dynow wrote: |
| I get it, but when you get older and big boy life starts (wife, mortgage, children) things like money and stability are trump cards life will inevitably play on you. |
Both of which can be obtained in Poland provided you're willing to forego the heavy beer nights and spend time working on yourself instead. I still manage to have a social life here, but the heavy nights have come to an end - and 'hungover' time is now spent on professional development instead.
Listening to tedious university professors drone on about how they get offended by students addressing e-mails in an informal manner might not be fun, but the contact made with the tedious professor certainly will last a lifetime.
The last conference I attended was very very useful - I managed to have a great discussion about self assessment methods with children with two professors - which I put into practice throughout my entire school, not just in my classes. These small things do wonders in the long run, especially when looking at the next step up.
With specific regards to the university, at least in Poznan - if you're approaching 40, then a PhD is absolutely necessary if you want to ever have any future there. Having an MA simply isn't good enough when your colleagues are pursuing titles such as a D.Litt there. |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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| Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 9:04 am Post subject: erm |
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Even with the PhD you'll still earn naff all. In 18 years I've been teaching, I've never met a PhD qualified TEFL teacher, even in the Gulf where people are very well qualified.
I'm off down the beach during which time I'm still getting paid. Enjoy the winter  |
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delphian-domine
Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674
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| Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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You've never met one because people with PhD's tend to go on to bigger and better things. It's pretty obvious that someone with a PhD isn't going to teach PNJA Grammar - he's going to be doing research and teaching a serious academic subject.
Certainly no serious PhD is going to waste his time drinking in Murna. |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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| Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 5:36 pm Post subject: yep |
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How is the new Murna bar? not been in since the weird couch surfing brigade hijacked it weekly.
Anyhow those you refer to are doing things like making video blogs for the city council and lots of translation work. Some, the lucky, even have pretty well-off girlfriends.
And before you jump to conclusions about where I've worked other than Poznan University UAM...please let me tell you that the Gulf bunch are usually very highly qualified. The quals don't make them any better, just get them through the door.
Tell me how much these PhD holders earn in Poznan as I have done work for several and we'd like a chuckle. |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 9:26 pm Post subject: Re: erm |
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| dragonpiwo wrote: |
Most have been there between 10 and 15 years and have reasonable/good Polish in addition to their 10+ years teaching experience. All of them have a degrees and CELTAs, some have MAs but I'm not sure about DELTAs as they were always a bit of a waste of time paywise in Poland. Quite a few work at the uni and the others do the language school thing but nearly all of them are doing other things to make ends meet, whether it's editing or writing or playing gigs in bands and so on.
More native speakers, very good Polish teachers, fewer students equals a worsening EFL situation. Add a financial crisis and Bob's your uncle for the perfect storm. |
Your friends sure don't sound like the most ambitious lot, having lived in a country for 10-15 years and still teaching Eng. as their bread and butter. Do you really think they've done all they can to find more lucrative, reliable work? Or is the pub more of a priority?
Warsaw's a bit of a different animal, work wise. Demand for teachers of kids and teenagers continues to increase. I can't say I know single teacher who's struggling to fill up their timetable with work that pays 60zl/60 min. net (or more).
I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the next big opportunity, be it in Poland or likely elsewhere. But I can't bring myself to give the M.E. serious thought. Not when there are so many safer, less conservative, more interesting places (for me) out there. You can save $ and finance a 'big boy life' almost anywhere if you find the right job. |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:41 am Post subject: that's the thing..... |
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| This is a TEFL forum and people on it are generally teachers. Teaching, proofreading, writing, translation are the kind of things we generally do to make ends meet. Where are these other opps? I've had mates who have opened bars and been stiffed by rent hikes and pals who have organized dental tourism and things like that and none of them have a 'big boy' lifestyle. FGS I know loads of highly qualified Poles who earn less than 5k a month. Outside Warsaw and maybe 1 or 2 other cities the situation is dire. The only expats I know who 'own' anything are not teachers. |
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Janek
Joined: 25 Sep 2006
Posts: 79
Location: Krakow, Poland
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 11:35 am Post subject: Re: that's the thing..... |
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xxx
Last edited by Janek on Mon Feb 02, 2015 9:56 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA
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| Posted: Sun Oct 13, 2013 9:40 pm Post subject: Re: that's the thing..... |
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| Janek wrote: |
| How much do companies pay for one hour? 100-150 PLN. This means, providing a 25-hour-week, 10.000-15.000 PLN brutto. I do proofreading, writing, translation etc. for several other reasons. Being independent from just one payer, bridging gaps, fun and variety. |
Exactly. If you diversify your income, suddenly it doesn't hurt your you so badly if the general English adult lessons dry up for a few months or so. But some people choose to battle on doing the same exact thing, year after year, and end up with little to show for it.
This doesn't mean Poland is a waste of time. Only that you should choose your location carefully and seek out places where there is adequate work. |
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sparks
Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 632
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| Posted: Mon Oct 14, 2013 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| A merchant banker mate of mine recently spent a year living in Poland, got back to London and said 'I feel like I'm back in civilization now.' after his year in Poz. Made me chuckle as the TEFL lifestyle is a bit 'studenty' if you ask me. |
That's funny. We just got back from a holiday in a far-off Eastern land, and were joking that our perceptions of that place may be similar to Westerner's perception of Poland. On the other hand, I had a student (non-Polish) this Summer who claimed that Poland is nice but is too civilized for him, he prefers the jungles of South America as being in Warsaw is too comfortable. |
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