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Grzes
Joined: 08 Nov 2014
Posts: 6
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 Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 3:12 pm Post subject: Best chance for an American to find a job in Poland |
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Sorry if this is repetitive, but I'd like to confirm the understanding I've cobbled together from the other threads on this forum.
I'm an American and a TEFL newbie. For various reasons (mostly personal, I admit), I have my heart set on Poland. As far I understand, the plan of action that gives me the best chance of finding a job in Poland is:
1 - Contact schools in advance, when possible
2 - Go to Poland (well in advance of when I hope to start working) and pound the pavement
3 - Find an employer who will acquire a work permit for me (If I get two part-time jobs, do I need two work permits?)
4 - Work permit in hand, apply for a residence permit, hoping to get a bureaucrat on his good day
All the while going to Ukraine every 90 days, if necessary, until I've applied for a residence permit. (I know about the 90/180 rule for the Schengen Area, and also know that it is almost never enforced.)
I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or feedback! Bardzo dziekuje! |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 3:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Go at the peak hiring period (September) to maximize your chances of finding something. There's some work starting year round, but it's bits and pieces. |
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Grzes
Joined: 08 Nov 2014
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 3:36 pm Post subject: |
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Go at the peak hiring period (September) to maximize your chances of finding something. There's some work starting year round, but it's bits and pieces.
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Sadly I don't have that option. But I figure that I'll still be able to find something starting in January, even if it isn't optimal/particularly well-paid. I'm more concerned with getting my foot in the door and getting a residence permit, at this point. Or am I wrong? |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Hopefully, you'll get lucky and find something adequate! Good luck. It's not impossible, it's just not the best time. |
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delphian-domine
Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674
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| Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Which city are you talking about? More importantly, do you have the minimum standards of a CELTA and a degree? |
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Grzes
Joined: 08 Nov 2014
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 3:18 am Post subject: |
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| Which city are you talking about? More importantly, do you have the minimum standards of a CELTA and a degree? |
I have a (120 hour) TEFL certificate and a degree (in Slavic Languages and European Studies.) I wanted to go for a CELTA, but I don't live near any institutions that offer it. |
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Master Shake
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 11:55 am Post subject: Re: Best chance for an American to find a job in Poland |
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Hi Grzes. It's a welcome surprise to see you've done some research on this forum before posting; most people just post the same questions which have already been answered dozens of times...
Your 4-step-plan sounds reasonable. As for step 3, I think officially you do need a work permit for each job, but in reality you only need the work permit in order to get residency. So once you have residency, you can work pretty much wherever you like without much worry - I've know many who did this.
The spring semester starts in February. This is the 2nd best time of year to find work in Poland. So if you can sit tight until then it would be to your advantage.
Which city are you planning to try? Warsaw is by far the easiest place to find work. Things don't look quite so rosy in many of the smaller cities. Krakow is flooded with teachers.
Anyway, good luck! Feel free to post any specific questions.
-Shake |
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Louisdf
Joined: 05 Feb 2013
Posts: 60
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Grzes wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Which city are you talking about? More importantly, do you have the minimum standards of a CELTA and a degree? |
I have a (120 hour) TEFL certificate and a degree (in Slavic Languages and European Studies.) I wanted to go for a CELTA, but I don't live near any institutions that offer it. |
Firstly, what certificate do you have? Many schools only recognise the CELTA and Trinity courses, online courses are not taken seriously. Of course, there are many natives 'teaching' here without any certificates, but they usually take classes from the lower paying/amateurish schools. Also, do you have any experience? Outside of small towns, the better schools generally do not consider people with less than a year's experience of teaching European students.
Secondly, no school offers you a 'job' with a guaranteed salary. You will be a freelancer and you will only get paid for the actual hours you teach. Schools will offer you classes dotted around and outside of the city. Most of them will be very early between 7-9 and later in the day from 4-6. It would be virtually impossible to get a 9-5 schedule as many people refuse to have classes within the working day. You will be paid a set fee per 45 minutes of teaching and that's it. You will not be paid for travel expenses or waiting time so you need to choose classes wisely. Otherwise you will spend all day on trams/buses not making any money. Schools will have a no-show policy of either 5/6pm previous business day or 24 hours. If it's cancelled after this you are paid in full but if it's before you get nothing. So whenever individual students are on holiday/have a business trip/are ill etc. you won't be making any money. Also, there are several public holidays (e.g. on November 11th) when classes will not take place and you won't be paid. So your income will vary from month to month depending on how many cancellations you get. In the summer and around Christmas/New Year most teachers expect to have significantly less hours.
Another thing, if students are dissatisfied they can ask for a replacement teacher immediately. Many students will have had qualified teachers with years of experience and a proven track record. As a result, they have high expectations, expect you to address their particular needs and will expect to see visible improvement after a few classes. Poland is not like Asia where you will be respected simply because you are a Native speaker. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Thu Nov 13, 2014 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I have a (120 hour) TEFL certificate |
If your cert is CELTA-equivalent - meaning that it included at least six hours of supervised teaching practice with real students and that all 120 hours were on-site (not online), then make sure you highlight that on your CV.
If it's less than this (not on-site, or lacking the supervised teaching practice) then go for a CELTA in Poland - or in Prague, or somewhere close. There are some advantages to taking the course in the region where you want to work anyway (students will be better representative and training centres can hook you up with reputable schools for interviews - they don't do job placement, but at least can give you good contacts). |
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