Job Discussion Forums

[pepper11]

hi, does any know owt about the company English Pro and the town of Bydgoszcz. looking for an independent view if anyone has one.

cheers all

[returner]

Hi there

I worked for them in 2005. Small private school, owned by two Poles, Beata and Tomek, thought I think Tomek isn't involved any more. The DOS was a Scottish guy called Brian.

Plus points for me were
- Friendly colleagues (all other teachers were Polish by the way)
- Friendly generally well-behaved kids (and adults)
- Not too taxing working week - about 22 real hours teaching and no split shifts
- I was always paid correctly and on time
- Nice quiet flat (with psychedelic decor) 15 mins tram ride from the city centre and school

Negative points
- No computer access for teachers - some v. old Macs in one classroom
- No staff development seminars and the like that you'd get at IH etc.

So generally a positive experience for me. Bydgoszcz isn't to everyone's liking but I felt quite at home there and on days off I found it easy to get to Torun, Poznan, Gdansk, even Warsaw and Wroclaw by train.

Feel free to PM me.

[philyyy]

I know someone who worked for them last year. I get the impression that it was very laid back, bordering on the horizontal. If you want to teach with minimum assistance/supervision then i think it's the place to go. If you're not that confident however or new to the game you might not fancy floundering in front of 20 odd children or adults for that matter.

Bydgoszcz is decent. I wouldn't get too excited as it is relatively small, especially in terms of mentality, most of my students disliked the place and talked more about Torun and "the mountains" wherever they are. I enjoyed my time there. I know a few people who are returning to I.H. there this year, so if you go for the job I could put you in touch with some people who enjoy a beer.

[pepper11]

cheers guys, city sounds chilled but the idea of being dropped in front of a class with no back up is a bit off putting

[not_too_shabby]

I don't know anything about the school but I moved to Bydgoszcz about two weeks ago to work for IH and it seems an ok place to me.

Friendly people, safe town and lots of nice places to eat and drink!

[caramel]

Yeah if you're coming to Bydgoszcz and looking for people to hang out with then give us IH crew a bell.

[philyyy]

Caramel you work for I.H. now you don't have to mention your old school in every post.