Job Discussion Forums

joscothewalrus · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Posts: 37

Hey, i arrive in Krakow tommorrow.
I need a job asap, as money is not plentiful.
Does anyone know of a vacancy? Or would anyone be able to email me a list of schools??

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

Oh dear...

I'm assuming you haven't taught English before, as you would know that you've missed the boat by two months. You're also going to the worst city in Poland to find work, because Krakow is crawling with foreigners. Must you stay in Krakow, or would you be content with another city in Poland? Do you have a teaching cert of some kind? To be honest, it doesn't seem like you planned this move out very well.

You can go to google.pl and type "szkola jezykow obcych" (that means "foreign lang. schools") or "szkola angielskiego" (Eng school). That'll give you a base to start looking for schools. Really though, others should correct me if I'm wrong, but at this point, you're just adding your CV to a pile of CVs of other teachers who didn't get a job offer.

Don't mean to appear pessimistic, because you can always find something somewhere, but you have to provide more details if you want people on this forum to help you.

Good luck

gregoryfromcali · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 1:42 am Post subject:

Pound the pavement.

Get a list of schools and go to all of them with your resume (CV) in hand.

If you can talk to the DOS.

Also get a cell phone (mobile) so that a school can call you at a moment's notice.

Good luck.

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

Yeah, sure, pound the pavement. But if you're low on cash and you'd like to stay in Poland, I'd suggest searching for work in a lesser town. You'd get your feet wet in Poland, and you'll have a much better chance of finding a job. One way to do this is to seach for language schools and email them. Another option is working for a Callan school because they can usually fit you into the schedule, because it's not fixed with regard to classes. Another option is to hop on a train to Katowice, Warsaw, etc. and hand out CVs to schools there as well. If you find something in Krakow, great, but coming in Nov and needing a job asap is not very good planning. Again, there are plenty of schools in smaller towns who will not attract many Native Speakers but would like to have one. If you're interested in Poland, you might want to consider this option.

joscothewalrus · Joined: 10 Nov 2006 Posts: 37

okay then, where would you alll reccomend?
Where would there be lots of vacancies?? ive been told to go to Wrocklaw or Gdansk. Will the wages be the same there?

gregoryfromcali · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 9:09 am Post subject:

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

I never told him not to look for work in Krakow. I simply said that he should keep his options open, and if possible, not limit himself to one place. Krakow is swarming with Native Speakers, and I promise you that every school worth a damn has dozens of CVs on file. Krakow is the last place that I would ever look for work in Poland.

Your optimism is refreshing, but the guy's low on money, so being overly optimistic might be doing him a disservice. By all means, pound the pavement in Krakow, but realize that the odds are somewhat stacked against you. The OP still hasn't given us any details about himself, so I'm assuming he hasn't taught before. So I think my advice of at least sending out CVs to schools in less-travelled spots is sound.

Get a map of Poland, sit down at a computer, and search "szkola jezykow obcych TOWN X" or "szkola angielskiego TOWN X." Attach your CV, and paste the text as well in case folks can't open the attachment, send it out to 400 schools. You'll get something.

Also, try sending to schools on the outskirts of Krakow. The minibuses provide good transportation, and they'd probably love to have a NS.

gregoryfromcali · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 9:49 am Post subject:

redsoxfan · Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 178 Location: Dystopia

OK, go to ang.pl and click on szkoly at the top, then you'll see a list of all the areas of Poland. Click on each one and you'll have a list of schools with email addresses. There's a good 1500 schools on there. Happy emailing.

PS. Poles are very formal in their business emails, annoyingly so. Don't say "Hi, this is John..." Lay the formality on thick: "Dear Sir or Madam." It's tempting to ignore this advice because it's so stupid, but a lot of people will think you're uneducated, unprofessional, etc if you talk like a human being.

gregoryfromcali · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:46 am Post subject:

Good advice.

I'll add this to the "Steps" thread.