Job Discussion Forums

[delphian-domine]

Might surprise some people, but I agree with dragonpiwo here. 1700zl net in today's Poland when wages are skyrocketing is just an insult. Yes, it might accurately reflect what IH can charge their clients in the face of huge competition, but it's still a dreadful wage.

To give an idea: I was doing some job interviews for a PA because my colleague was sick and someone had to do them. Not a single person quoted less than 3200z net for an entry level position, and even our HR said that they were looking to pay between 3000-3500zł net per month.

All the development/etc in the world won't make up for the fact that this is an awful monthly wage. Food prices are going up very, very quickly, and there's just no way that someone without a support network in Poland could survive on such a wage.

I don't blame IH Bygodszcz here, as a quick look shows that they're only getting around 100zł for group classes an hour, so the wage is 'fair', but it doesn't mean it's a good wage by local standards.

Incidentally, average wage in Poland is now over 2500zł net per month, and wages are rising incredibly rapidly.

[manumany]

2,500 post deductions in the real-world is the national average, but IH's 1700 is also after rent and bills, so it's essentially the same.

I agree it's not a great wage, and I make more since I left, but it's the national average for the country it's in.

[dragonpiwo]

Was making 3 times that in 1998 when Poland was cheap!

[Master Shake]

1,700zl net after rent was about what I made when I first started teaching in '06. I was able to make ends meet, just barely. This involved eating pasta, vegetables and rice at home a lot. I couldn't travel much, even within Poland.

Through working that job, I got my foot in the door, however. I was subsequently able to find better paying work, including at the British Council, which paid much better.

So, taking a job like that is great if you want to start a new life in Poland and need to get some exp..

Working a job like that is pretty bleak in the short term, or if you're clueless enough to be doing the same exact job ten years later.

[juriusz]

Surprise! They are advertising again. Same salary, same conditions. Somehow the person who took the job wasn't too happy and left (well, my guess at least).

Let's bet: when are we going to see them advertising again? My bet is on March.

[dragonpiwo]

Surely someone will bugger off after winter break.

[iknowwhatiamtalkingabout]

I was there much less than 20 years ago and the conditions are slightly different to the above descriptions.

1) IH fully pay the rent and bills. Also, everyone lived in central Bydgoszcz. Nobody was miles from the centre of town and almost everyone had pretty nice places. I walked to work. Most people did.
2) Winter break was paid. I was always paid a full salary regardless of hours worked. Some teachers worked winter break, but they got additional holiday pay for this.
3) The training was great. Highly personalised development and lots of individual attention. You'd have to not want to improve to avoid becoming a decent teacher. Also, this reputation does travel, as I've also been given the 'IH North, eh? You must know your onions' chat on three occasions since leaving.
4) Most people stayed a few years then left to work for the British Council. Everybody I know who worked there was glad that they had worked there.

The money's not amazing, but it's not bad when you consider rent and bills are included. What the deal was like in 1998 is completely irrelevant. The world is different now. I'd still happily point someone in the direction of IH Bydgoszcz for a good start to their teaching career. As first jobs go, it's miles better than most.

[Master Shake]

[dragonpiwo]

My house is in Poland. My wife and son are Polish. I first went there in 95 and was there 2 months ago, so there goes, the info's out of date bit. Let's just go back to the original point:

1.) The wage is appalling in modern Poland and by that I mean Poland 2017.
2.) While Bydgoszcz has improved a bit, it's still a dump.
3.) 22 years into this teaching malarky, noone has ever mentioned IH and actually I leave jobs like that off my CV these days. I even leave the BC job off.

But what do I know?

[iknowwhatiamtalkingabout]

[dragonpiwo]

Build a career. I snorted my coffee when I read that.

Shame on you for defending employers that don't provide a living wage. There are employers who are offering accommodation and 3000.

[juriusz]

This job offer is insulting. People who work at Tesco have better conditions (and Polish Tesco is famous for being horrible). At least they don't have to go to another town twice a week. I don't know why anyone would try to make it look good. Let's get some things straight:
- this salary is a joke. It comes to around 90 PLN a day (excluding weekends). A pair of shoes is at least 100 PLN these days. A pair of decent shoes is 250-400 PLN. That's almost one week of work at IH Bydgoszcz. Even if you go for the cheapest things at Biedronka (not Lidl cos if you are making that little, Lidl becomes a luxurious place), you need ~60 PLN a week to survive. If you teach one private a day, you are looking at 50 PLN or more. At IH Bydgoszcz you probably end up teaching six or eight lessons a day.
- sharing a flat is fine when you are 20 and studying. It is not when you are working full time. Bydgoszcz is not Warsaw, flats are not insanely expensive. And it's been mentioned: the apartment is not central. Whatever, Bydgoszcz is not a town that has a proper city centre anyway.
- I worked for IH, I know how they define workload of 24/30 hours. You end up doing over 40 hours a week. Lessons, lesson planning, creating materials, commuting. 30 hours become 50-60. An hour of your work is around 10 PLN.
- they are advertising over and over again. Because it's become difficult to find an idiot who would like to work for that little. Even people who want to drink their way through Europe don't apply. I haven't seen a job offering that little in years. Leaflets, pizza delivery, toilet cleaning, the list goes on. They all offer better conditions. We are talking about a job that requires some qualifications, dedication, passion, etc. It is insane that you are trying to encourage people to go for it.
- building a career - for the majority there is no career in EFL. Other places don't give a fiddler's fart about your professional development from IH. Be it IH Bydgoszcz, Katowice, Moscow, London or Prague.

You are defending this job offer second time. I am starting to think that you work there and are responsible for this.

[dragonpiwo]

I wish that post had a 'like' button. Biedronka was under my old flat. I'm not sure 60zeez would cut it for a week. More like 150.

[depechemodefan1966]

I sent them my CV, out of curiosity and never heard anything back. Not even a courteous "Thank you for your CV, we'll be in touch".

The fact that they have advertised twice in the space of a few months should tell even the newest of teachers what they are like to work for.

I would have to say with them not replying with a simple email together with their 'new teachers wanted' on such a regular basis, would anyone want to work for them anyway?

[iknowwhatiamtalkingabout]