Job Discussion Forums

[Eugeniusz]

Hello, I'm new to this board and I'll be new to teaching, maybe. I'm a Polish-American living in the United States. I'd like to travel to Poland. But I have lot's of questions.

First, here are my qualifications:
1. If I qualify for Polish Citizenship, I'm afraid that an employer in Poland would offer a lower salary if they would know this verses applying as an expatriate.
2. I have a BA degree but no certification in TFOL or teaching experience.
3. I speak some Polish but can't read or write Polish.

My goals are:
1. To receive an education (college) while supporting myself.
2. To work at some organization that also deals with the Polish culture.
3. To lean how to read and write Polish.
4. To live in a smaller town, but I'm believe this may hinder the opportunity to meet people.

Questions I have are:
1. What is the rate of pay for someone like myself?
2. How long does the application process take?
3. Does anyone include housing with the pay? If so, what are accommodations usually like?
4. Does anyone pay for air fare?
5. Do schools allow you to use their facilities, i.e. computer, internet for personal use?
6. Unfamiliar with Poland (as well as the rest of Europe) and its cities, I would like to stay in each one for a little while, perhaps a month or two so I'm wondering about the contracts. How long do you need to teach for? Months, hours in a week? It seems they usually go for at least 6 months, perhaps there are shorter ones, and it seems some go for as long as 2 years.
8. When do you get paid?
9. Are positions available starting in May or June? I hear schools are closed for the summer therefore difficult to find work then.
10. One thing that stuck out most were some application processes. They want you to send in a scanned image of your diploma. It sounds like a scam. Especially for schools in other Eastern Euopean countries like Ukraine and Russia. Why don't they ask to see your transcripts instead?
11. Do I need to or should I take a local TEFOL course before going?
12. What are my options? Are there other careers opportunities in Poland given my situation that anyone may know of? I hear there are not many.

I know I have a lot of research to do before going. Thanks for any feedback.

[Grrrmachine]

Youve got quite a few questions! Quite a few of them have been answered in more detial than I can copy here, but I'll try and summarise some of these points:

I have no clue how long getting Polish citizenship takes, but it shouldnt affect your wage - it may even benefit you in terms of visas, work permits and liklihood of employment. A girl at my school, despite being born in Poland, lived in London from the age of 3 and is therefore classed as a native Speaker, and gets all the perks thereof.

SOME schools accept teachers without teaching quals, but it is frowned upon so I'd recommend taking a decent, accredited course (and not one of these month-long part-time/ internet scams either.)

Not having decent Polish isn't a problem - Ive been here for a year and a half and Im still struggling with learning it (mainly due to time) but I get by.

As for all your questions about moving around - how are you planning to get a college education AND move town every month? I can't work that in my head. Your chances of earning a living month-to-month in different towns will be EXTREMELY difficult - no school wants to employ a fly-by-night, when there are dedicated teachers out their whose time they can contract (and therefore sell) for the whole 9-month school year. You're more likely to stay in one town for a year and take weekend breaks to the other cities if you want to diversify. Some schools employ in May or June for their summer classes, to cover a native who's gone home for the period, or also to integrate the teacher to the school before the September rush. They might provide a room in a company-owned apartment, or they may pay your rent (as this is tax-deductable for them) but not all schools do this. I doubt they'd pay air fare considering there's plenty of UK and Irish natives much closer to choose from. Asking for copies of qualifications is perfectly legitamate - how else can they check you out? "Transcripts?" please explain.

In terms of your goals, as a newly qualified teacher you'll be getting 40-45zl ph in Warsaw, and 30-35 in the smaller cities (others will correct me here.) Your 25-30 hour working week will give you the time to explore Polish culture, and the Poles will be happy to help you with the language for the price of a few beers.

If you want to study, though, isnt it best to sort out a univeristy place first, and let that decide your location and job prospects? Universities are in the bigger towns, so if you want to live in the smaller places you have to be prepared to commute. And Polish university will really eat into the time you have to work, unless you want to work weekends and sacrifice your travel opportunities....
When you mention other careers, we have no idea of your skills base to make any recommendation, but remember that Poland has an average 20% unemployment problem, so whatever you choose (other than EFL) you're going to have to prove your extreme worthiness for the job.

Have a read around the forums - others have explained most of this far more succinctly than I have, and with more accuracy too. But good luck anyway.

[Szeliczka]

Polish citizenship won't effect you negatively. It's the 'native speaker' factor that will give you the higher pay. You also don't need to change your citizenship, you should be able to find a school who will sponsor you for a work permit.

The average pay can vary from about 30-60 zl an hour, depending on the city/town where you teach (and the school ofcourse). You will probably get paid once a month.

It's very difficult to find a job in the beginning of summer. I tried this myself and was very unsuccessful. Language schools don't do as much business in the summer time, so the hours are cut down and given to the teachers who already work there and want to stick around for the summer.

Your best bet is to start applying now for the September semester.

The job application process can take as little as one day. I went from school to school over here with my resume and had several interviews on the spot. Ofcourse, I then had to go back to USA to get my work permit.

It took my school about 4 weeks to apply for the permit, then I went to the Polish consulate in NYC and it took 2 weeks for them to process the papers. (So 6 weeks all together).

It's not possible to move from town to town. Most contracts are for one year. Breaking a contract is a bad idea. If you read through this forum you will see how dodgy Polish schools can be. Find a good one that WILL pay you in full on time and STICK WITH THEM! There are lots of public holidays in Poland, you will have plenty of vacation time to tour around the rest of the country.

As regards qualifications, it isn't neccessary to know Polish. It is better to have some TEFL qualification, although not always neccessary. And it IS normal for them to want to see a copy of your university diploma. I found that many schools requested this, including the one I have been employed with since September.

Also, if you are as lucky as me, your school will pay for Polish lessons for you so you can polish up on your reading and writing (forgive the pun).

Some schools give an airfare allowance. At my school I get some extra money towards a flight home only if I complete my contract. It also won't cover the price of a ticket to USA, but atleast it's something.

And I don't know about most schools, but atleast mine lets me use the Internet and computer for personal use. But if not, there are Internet cafes everywhere... even in small towns.. so you shouldn't worry.

Hope this was helpful.
Good luck!

[Alex Shulgin]

[Eugeniusz]

[amj]

First learn English before you even try teaching it! Your post is full of grammatical and lexical errors!!!

[Eugeniusz]

Feeling a bit testy today, are we?

[paulmanser]

Eugen, You will always get a few prats on forums so dont worry about the wankers, (naming no names)

In my Opinion Eugen, I would stick to TEFL teacher role. Opening and starting a Private school is too competitive. Unless its a burning desire or your life depends on it then by all means have a bash at it.

If you haven't got a degree then instead of attending a university do it by distance learning online with ICS or open university. Im considerign ICS If I end up leaving canterbury christ church university.

[Grrrmachine]

Eugene, please be aware that Paul has neither qualifications or experience in the EFL world, so his advice may be misleading.
As to the accusation that there are a few "****s" on this board is simply because, like any professionals, we pride ourselves on our skills, and in this case, our skill is the English language. If someone can't be bothered to use it properly on a simple internet forum how can you trust their integrity in the classroom?
Plus, Paul, how about reading the original post? Eugene has a degree already, so you dont need to recommend the Open University.

[paulmanser]

Qualifications wise and experience I will ahve these two qualities in a couple of months time so please save it.

no *grrmachine* (lame), your just a snob whom wears your TEFL badge on your sleeve. Dont take your typical TEFL 600 quid a month polish salary job too seriously now will you?

[paulmanser]

Instead of making pointless childish shit, how about answering a more important question like..................How many ppl have CELTA and how mnay ppl TEFL in the world?

You say how important it is but...............

Yes they are the best to have, just like getting a degree from cambridge/oxford...........

I love to get advice from experienced pro in the TEFL field, maybe like yourself but what makes me pissed is hearing rants and crap how about how good you think you are ect............

[paulmanser]

As for previous bad spelling on a net forum..........erm yeh I dont think I really care!

[Eugeniusz]

I understand that in the world of academia there is a factor of prestige, which I respect. But, please bear in mind, that I should be considered a student among the world of academia. I am not a teacher, but just considering the profession. And despite my errors, I have succeeded in communicating and would never be able to succeed unless I was given the chance, which was granted by me (not to mention this is just a board.) So there is no need to be condescending to those looking to enter the profession by those who hold these positions today. In fact, it shows a display of what kind of teacher you are. Frankly speaking, there are other jobs in the world that correct these situations; they're called editors, which is being replaced by software. One feature this board does not have (probably on purpose).

[paulmanser]

Well said Eugen. Cheers

[Grrrmachine]

Paul, a job is a job. It's not about the money you earn, it's about taking pride in what you do - in appreciating the skills you've developed for yourself, and how you can improve. Whether it's a TEFL teacher, or a musician, or the manager of an estate agents. If you can't appreciate that, then not only wil others in your field not take you seriously, then I doubt your students will either. There is no elitism or snobbishness in this post; some just don't like to have their profession (and it is a profession, as you proudly touted the COT's 1846 charter a few weeks ago) dragged in the mud.
If I wanted to just banter petty insults, I wouldn't have spent my time posting the original and rather lengthy reply at the top of this thread.