Job Discussion Forums

[Alex Shulgin]

[gregoryfromcali]

[redsoxfan]

I've offered two pieces of positive advice. I'll repeat them again:

1. If it's possible for you to come to Poland a bit earlier in order to look for a job in person, that would be a good idea. You'll have a much better chance of finding a decent job if you meet the director in person. A couple years ago, I sent out a bunch of CVs by email, and when I went to schools to do a follow-up, most of them had no printout of my CV anywhere. That was my first clue that trying to get a job without meeting the DOS is not the best way to go about it.

The OP hasn't responded as to whether he absolutely can't come here a couple weeks earlier to look for work. Just because he's planning to find a job from abroad doesn't mean that his plans are set in stone.

2. If it simply isn't in the cards to come here first, go to ang.pl and click on szkoly. You'll find a long list of schools and their email addresses. Send out a formal cover letter and your CV. One thing to add: be sure to include your picture on your CV.

Try TEFL.com, maybe there are job openings. Basically, I'd just send out your CV to 1500 schools and see what happens. To be honest, I have no idea what you'll get. If you get a couple offers that look decent, by all means post them and folks will give you advice about the school, town, salary, etc.

I'll repeat another piece of advice: I wouldn't recommend relying on private students, because you probably won't make enough money to have a decent life here in Poland. While you may not starve, you will doubtfully have enough money to go out at night and meet people, travel around Poland and Central Europe, fly back to the States, hold yourself over financially during the many vacations and holidays, buy decent clothes, take your girlfriend out to dinner, make your flat comfortable, go bowling, play pool, pick up the tab at a pub, save money for the summer. Privates can certainly pad your income, but you'll want a solid chuck of guaranteed hours from a school.

This is not "negative" advice, it's positive advice, because I'm trying to help the fellow by explaining the reality of teaching English in Poland.

That's my two cents, anyone is free to take it or leave it. Maybe Alex can post the names of schools advertising on the internet which he thinks are reputable. Don't pay any recruiter to give you a job.

[gregoryfromcali]

[tompetrie]

wow....tit for tat, tit for tat....

ok, ok. i have read all your responses, and would first like to thank you guys for your time and help thus far.

so....I can answer some of your questions to clarify some stuff, maybe give you a more accurate picture.

As far as flying out to Poland with no job, no apt., just my luggage....I just don't see that happening. I understand that a school would love to see somebody in person, rather than a phone conversation or a fuzzy interview over skype, but the whole idea seems a bit over the top at the moment. It would be one thing if I had somewhere to stay once I arrived or atleast to be fluent in Polish so I could get around, but getting off the plane and doing this blind.....I'll take my chances with an offer from the internet.

Regarding finances, as I mentioned before, it's not of concern. I'm selling my car, I have savings, dumping employee stock options before I quit....I'll be just fine. With that said, I don't want to get out there with no income, either! I have plenty of money for rainy days, but I want to be getting off that plane, work contract in hand. Even if my pay isn't that great, that's fine, as long as it is a trustworthy school, I have a decent apt. to live in (i'm not traveling to sit around in my apt. all day, so as long as it's clean and all the amenities are functional, i.e. hot water and a working stove top, i'll be just fine) and a nice town/city to live in, I'll be perfectly content.

Regarding private work/tutoring, I certainly plan on doing that as well, I am currently taking a 60 hour course on Tutoring English, but I don't want that to be my only source of income.

Who knows, maybe beggers can't be choosers, but what I ultimately want is a contract signed before I get on that plane out to Poland. If drastic times call for drastic measures, so be it, I'm getting out there this coming semester one way or another, but for now, this is my ideal scenerio.

[BindairDundat GotdaTshirt]

I've been reading your posts with some attention. It strikes me as funny, from what I gather in your last post, that you are not really looking for advice, the way I read it. It seems that you have already made up your mind and you just like to think aloud, and post these thoughts looking for the seasoned experts' nod. I'll be brief. I'll lay that you might have other issues to worry about in your life. At the send-off, the idea of teaching ESL in Poland might sound fine and exciting. Is this why you went to school? To become a teacher? Are you quitting a good job with good benefits for, what exactly?
You also sound a bit desperate to land in Poland. This much NEED to get a job... And while I can appreciate how a guy like you, dealing with the fear of getting around in a foreign country, might find comfort in the unknown, the truth is that you aren't ready for this. Or better yet, you are ready but you need some reassurance or the self-opinionated pushover...As if we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a job. We'd never have a cause. We'd never go into business, because we'd be cynical. Well, that's nonsense. You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

[tompetrie]

Quite off the mark Bindair, but maybe that's my fault.

I guess I'll take this step by step:

For one, you should look at my earlier posts, for alot of my responses lately have been in response and answer some questions from other people giving me advice, they needed clarification, and I gave it to them as accurately as possible, especially in my last post.

Regarding me not looking for advice, that's partially true. It is true in the sense that I know what country I am heading to, an idea of what my ideal city/living situation would be, and that I just don't think I can jump on a plane blindly and go out looking for work. Part of that reason is that the school I received my TESOL certification %110 reassured me when I first mentioned going to Poland, that getting work would be a snap. I recently emailed them regarding my current situation, and received a similar response. Maybe I need to wipe those thoughts out of my head, old cobwebs....

As for having issues in my life, that depends on what you mean....issues like, deep rooted issues, such as depression, family trouble, mentally confused, recently divorced, mid-life crisis-type stuff, etc.....not even close. I actually have a great life here in the states, but one man's gold is another man's garbage. I'm a very happy guy, healthy, have a good job....but it's not what I want right now, and not what I will want 5 years from now. My issues are no different than anyone else who was living a life in the US they didn't want, atleast not at that particular time in their life, so they changed it, and that is just what I plan to do.

My first year of college I was a secondary education major with a Biology concentration, I planned on teaching science at the high school level. I transferred to another school, and was convinced by my advisor that I should just finish up my degree as a biology major and get a teaching certification after I graduate, for doing both through the university would be an insane amount of credits, and I didn't want to be on the 6 year plan for a measely bachelor's, so I agreed. After graduation, I worked a manual labor job till i finally landed my first "real job" working in a bioprocess development laboratory for a corporation. You know, needed the salary and benefits to pay the bills and live on my own, and I've been working there ever since, unhappy.

If I come off as "desperate", it's only because I'm so sure of my decision to come to Poland and teach. The only real "desperate" detail of my urgency to go would be my apt. lease. It runs out the end of February, and after that, I certainly do not want to sign another 1 year lease if I plan to come out to Poland in September (where I live, you can't get a decent apt. without signing a minimum of a 1 year lease). I already will be wasting away 1 months' rent to finish off my lease if I leave in January, but I have been saving money accordingly to do so.

I don't need a push, I don't need reassurance, and I'm no more scared than anyone else was when they first got off that plane and heard, "dzien dobry!" and then couldn't understand any words thereafter, I'm just trying to do everything I can to make sure my plans work out, and would be greatly disappointed if they didn't.

You shouldn't mistaken me for a number, and if my previous emails suggested so, I apologize. I'm sure of what I want, I just wanted to ask for help from others that have "been there, done that" for advice.

One too many times I have read that the time to come to Poland is september for a good job, but that's not my situation, and the fact that I have no actual teaching experience yet raised some concern for me and brought me to start this thread.

Oh yeah, and if you're thinking "why Poland then?", I can answer that as well. For starters, I'm Polish. Not purebred, but my entire mother's side is. I was raised by my Polish mother and grandmother, both of which are amazing people, and I have probably 30 other family members living in Poland today that I have never even met before. I've always heard of how beautiful Poland is with all the mountains and other landscapes, and being I am a distance runner and love to trail run, along with all the other reasons for my choice of country, Poland was just a no-brainer.

Bindair, I've "listened to my intellect" before and certainly have "jumped off cliffs" as well, but I got into my current job while "listening to my intellect." I guess you could say I've decided to jump off another cliff.

Anyway, thanks for the post.

[Ernst]

Everybody wants reassurance when they are looking at leaving the life they know, and jumping into no job/no apt./dunno the lingo/dunno how much money I need/new set-up fees etc. You would have to be utterly stupid not to be nervous.

In short, my experience is that if you go, you will find what you need. It is not easy, by any means, but in the end you can make it. Whereas, if you sit in your home-patria and think about it, you end up with a lot of "boy, I wish I had" syndrome.

My experience, for what it is worth, was and is this: Went to Spain with no job, limited lingo, a bit of savings. In one month was working some hours, in 3 months stopped living off of savings. In 1 year was "ok" with the lingo. In 3 years was saving some money, comfy enough with the lingo to have long political arguments at 3 a.m. while either sober or inebriated, and felt right at home. Then I moved to Poland.

After 3 months here, I am no longer living off of savings, although I am still pretty tight on cash. I am taking a free Polish course at local Uni, and recognizing some words in conversations, able to say simple things like "I don't have/I want xx/I like xx/etc. I am able to go out occasionally with students for a beer.

I am working my butt off, but am also in the Framingham MA prog, which takes some of my dough. Hopefully I will soon find a better way to manage my time, class-prep and finances, so that life gets easier.

peace to you,

Ernst