Job Discussion Forums

[ramef1]

I have interviewed with a few places and most seem interested in giving me some kind of work. I wanted to see if any of you on the forum have had any contact with these companies and good or bad experiences, or if there is a general concensus that these are good or bad schools within Warsaw. The last thing I need is to sign a contract for some place in which I will be miserable for whatever duration.

Also, I wanted to bring up the pay question. I am American, have no official English teaching experience (although a lot of other stateside tutoring and teaching experience) except for one person I'm tutoring here, and no work permit, visa, etc. So I feel like if someone is willing to help me get started and a work permit, I shouldn't be overly picky about pay (as long as I can live off it), as the more I'm here, it seems I'm a dime a dozen. Is there a minimum (per month) I should expect for 20-25 hrs a week?

The first school is Choice Lang. Center. They offered me close to a full teaching schedule, full support in getting a work permit, free Polish lessons, and for a 1 yr. contract, an avg. of 3000 PLN per month (more if I freelanced and "started my own business"), with the opportunity to pick up hours and make more with overtime. Any word on this school?

The second was an in-company job with Comtech. I might have up to 6 one-to-one students, and one additional conversational student. She wasn't clear, but it sounded like maybe 14 hrs. a week? Pay was discussed, but when I proposed 40 PLN an hour (average for 45 min in Warsaw, right??), she said that was too much with taxes and having to get me a work permit, and I would have to charge less. She seemed very uncomfortable with this proposal...They also didn't seem too knowledgeable about getting permits, although she said she had experience in the past with this. Any thoughts?

The third was with ACT- Advanced Corporate Training. This school seemed to have more resources and a bigger client base (and more teachers) and it was a much more rigorous interview. However, when I asked about hours, they said they didn't know how many they'd have for January and they'd have to get back to me. (35-40 PLN/hr seemed ok to them as a proposed rate.) When I posed the work permit question, they said they'd help me get it, if I was working enough hours for them, but not if I was only working part-time (leaving me with what I feel is the implication that were I to only work part-time, I'd have to pay for the work permit myself, which I know is not my responsibility!). This last statement bothered me sincerely, although in all other aspects, the school seemed good. Any word on this school?

Any info on any of these schools or their reputations? Any info ASAP would be most appreciated, as I have to give some sort of answer tomorrow!

Thanks!

[Alex Shulgin]

Your best choice is most certainly ACT. They won't help you with the work permit if you're part-time simply because it isn't worth them going thru the process for a teacher who only does a couple of hours a week for them. I know the owners of the school myself and would certainly trust them, I've never heard a bad word said about them by anybody who has worked for them or with them. All the staff I've known from ACT liked the school.

With that said Choice is fine. Alex is nice enough, altho' she left a friend of mine hanging for some work (she said it would be starting so he turned down other work for other schools and then she gave the work to a teacher who wanted a lower hourly rate). But my friend never had any problems with the school while he was working there.

40PLN per 45 minutes after tax is what you should be getting minimum for in-company work. If they can offer you blocks of classes (say two 90 minute classes back to back) then drop the rate by a couple of zlots.

[ramef1]

Alex, thanks very much for the reply.

I think my biggest problem is that I have yet to hear back from ACT about hours, and probably won't until I have to make decisions about the other schools. I understand that it's not worth ACT's time to give me a work permit if I'm not teaching enough for them, but it seems that is not quite my choice, as they are the ones determining the hours. And if I cannot get help in the area of a work permit, I'm not legally working, which I refuse to do. I'm rather frustrated with this catch-22...

I also liked Choice, and my intuition has said for some time that it is my preference, but I also have in the back of my mind stories like you mentioned about getting passed over at the last minute. So I wonder if the lack of hours and possible lack of help with the work permit is worth it with ACT, if they are willing to give me any at all. They made it sound as if there were some available, but she did not commit to anything, so I don't feel like I can bank on anything (and intuitively feel they might not offer me more than a few horus, if any at all).

Making a commitment to one place or another (especially while relying on the promises made in interviews) and throwing other current offers out the window scares me, yet I have to do something. Was the 3000 PLN at Choice (which was not suggested by me but offered as the avg. monthly rate when a work permit was required) reasonable? And Alex, whatever happened to your friend? Did he work there at all?

One final question...the lady I spoke with at Comtech mentioned something about a gentleman wanting an American to work with, and I mentioned the possibility of just working one-on-one with him if I took another job, and she said this was possible. If I chose to do that, how would taxes and work permits work? Isn't it that both companies have to jointly get me a work permit? Or can I do some sort of freelance thing (even though I don't have my own "business" per se)?

Thanks for the help and replies!

[cezarek]

ACT are well thought of - I've never heard a bad word about them, and believe me, there are few schools about which I would say that. About the work permit; if you have two jobs (even part time) then you need two work permits. One for each job, unfortunately. That is the responsibility of the school/s, and they are liable for the cost. The residence permit is yours.