Job Discussion Forums

[Eager2teach]

Hi,

I'm thinking of visiting Poland very soon. I'd like to teach there. I have a CELTA certificate and a B.A. degree, but no teaching experience.

Would it be worth my while to go around to schools presenting myself and my resume with the hope of getting future employment? Is this a reasonable expectation this time of year, or is my timing bad?

Thanks!

[Grrrmachine]

Can you give us some more information? Where are you from, what part of Poland are you planning to move to, what are your expectations? Do you want experience or cash?

Depending on your answer, this forum can help you. November is not the best time of year to look for work, but it isnt the worst.

[Eager2teach]

I'm very open to different cities, although I've been told southern Poland is nicer. I'm in it for the experience and enough cash to live on. Ideally, I'd like to be close to one of the major cities for weekend trips. Smaller cities are ok.

I'm an American, stuck in the midwest, and looking to start an adventure.

thanks,
John

[Grrrmachine]

Considering you have qualifications, finding work in itself won't be a problem. Go on eBay and find yourself copies of English File and Headway (for example) to familiarise yourself with the books.

As an American, however, the legalities of working here could prove frustrating. Plenty of non-EU peeps have asked about comingt o Poland - have a search through the posts for information. You may want to call your local Polish Embassy to get an idea of how long it will take to get your work permit.

Im in Warsaw myself, and recommend it for the experience (and the cash) but Krakow and the 3-City area (Gdynia-Gdansk) are also ranked as the best by their residents.

[redsoxfan]

Well, you have a CELTA, so that's good. Coming in November to look for work is not very good timing, as you really ought to start looking in September. That said, there are still schools which will hire you. You have less of a chance of getting an ideal job, of course. Most likely, you will have to either work for a less desirable school in a city, or a school in a smaller town. I have never lived in a small town in Poland, but having travelled across the country a few times, I would STRONGLY discourage it. The towns I have passed through/visited are not quaint like some towns in our own countries. There truly is not much going on, and if you don't speak Polish quite well, I suspect you will be a miserable, vodka chugging wreck. If you are trying to get out of the Midwest because you find it boring, do not go to a small town in Poland. Now, you can try schools like Berlitz in the big cities. They pay obnoxiously low wages, so no one wants to work there, thus, they will hire you. I was told I would recieve 18 zl/lesson. Cute. Maybe a Callan Method school will hire you, as the teachers are interchangeable, and thus, you could theoretically join the force at any time.

Another tip: don't apply over the web. From my experience it doesn't work. Type "szkola jezykow obcych + (city)" in a Google search, then click on the "Did you mean...?" when it gives you the correct spelling with Polish characters. You will find tons of language schools. Visit them.

Finally, if you design a reasonable looking flyer and post it around a given city, you will receive many responses for private lessons. Charge a lot of money. Understand that many people will cancel, so you might want to ask for a month's fee at the beginning of each month, and be firm: if a student wants to cancel, he must give 24 hours notice, and he must make up the lesson at some other time. I should rather say "she" as most of your students will be women. Beyond that, search this message board for more info, because everything you need to know is on here somewhere. Good luck.