Job Discussion Forums

[gregoryfromcali]

1. Get a CELTA.

2. Arrive in Poland in September.

3. Look for a job in the city of your choice. The best jobs are not advertised on the net.

4. Find out everything you need to know concerning getting a work visa in Poland. Being from outside the EU will make things a little more complicated, but it shouldn't stop you from coming to Poland.

5. Go to http://www.google.pl

Type in "szkola jezykow obcych" and send out your resume/CV to every school you can find, once every two weeks (a lot of schools eventually throw out old resumes every few weeks, thinking that the teacher has found a job since then).

[afowles]

If you're moving to a bigger city, www.ang.pl can also be quite helpful. Also good for getting private lessons! But the site is in Polish, so you may need a helper.

[gregoryfromcali]

6. Although they may not be very attractive when you first arrive, it's always a good idea to go to expat bars and ask around about English schools.

English teachers like talking about English schools.

So it's an easy way to find out which schools are worth going out of your way for and which aren't even worth a phone call.

It's even possible to find some private students in a bar or maybe a date.

[Alex Shulgin]

[gregoryfromcali]

[darkside1]

I am thinking about teaching in Poland this summer (I am a secondary teacher with tefl cert and experience). As I am currently in full time employment I basically want to work in July, or mid- July to mid- August (ie during my summer holidays). I am not looking for longer term employment.

I was thinking about sending cvs to schools in the Krakow area and coming over in April for a visit to see if there was any interest. I have a fair amount of teaching experience including summer school experience and I can offer extra curricular activities like football coaching and guitar playing. I don't speak Polish but I hope to have learned the very basics by April.

Is this a viable strategy? What sort of pay and conditions would be on offer?

[gregoryfromcali]

Yes, with the cost of flying to Poland being so low these days it is definately worth a try.

There are a number of schools who close for the summer but I think that is slowly changing in Cracow as there is more and more happening in the summer time.

When I first arrived there were only three hostels in Cracow and now there must be over 20.

If you can meet with the directors of the school and they can match your face to your resume then you should be in good hands with your qualifications.

There are over 70 schools in Cracow so you may want to give yourself a whole week (which brings me to my next tip), just be sure it isn't during any Polish holidays.

[gregoryfromcali]

7. Buy a Polish cellphone or simcard and be sure to put the phone number on your resume.

Sometimes a school will need to a teacher that same day to work as a substitute or have an opening and simply take the first teacher they hear from who qualifies for the position because the class starts the next day.

Although the latter may sound unusual I've had a school hire me without an interview to do some incompany (off sight business) courses that started the next day. Yet when I found out how far I had to travel it was no wonder they were willing to take the first person who said yes.

Either way if the school can reach you by simply picking up the phone it may give you just the edge you need to get the job.

At my first job, I was originally a substitute teacher at a small school. But after that first lesson they kept calling me back for more and luckily I was able to make enough money from the hours they gave me to stay in Poland long enough to land a full time job.

[Kymro]

[gregoryfromcali]

[darkside1]

Firstly, thanks for the feedback. Now that there is a direct low cost flight from Glasgow to Crakow I don't feel I will be risking much and I believe Poland is an interesting country to visit even if I draw a blank on the summer jobs front. I basically have a summer job in the Uk if I want it but I would like to expand my horizons a wee bit.

Actually there are quite a few Poles now working in Glasgow and since WW2 there has been a sizeable Polish community here with their own club who have a website: www.sikorskipolishclub.org.uk

[gregoryfromcali]

8. Get a job at school that uses the Communicative method.

Although it may be easier to find a job at schools that do not use this approach and although other approaches may be just as valid for learning English, the communicative method is the most widely recognized method of teaching English in the world.

Therefore once you have completed a year at a school that uses this approach it will very easy to get a job at another school that uses the same approach.

Besides which, after completing your CELTA training it takes about another year to get comfortable with using the methods you have learned as well as being comfortable standing in front of an English class.

After that you can click on any of the ads on Daves and be fairy sure that you can go anywhere in the world and teach English.

Because the Communicative method is not just about what schools use. It's about giving your students a goal so that they use the languauge you are teaching rather than just staring at what is written on the board or repeating after a teacher.

In the Communicative method you make language come to life.

[Khrystene]

[gregoryfromcali]

I often receive questions like this from the board. So with the emailer's permission I'd like to share my answers for others who may have the same questions.

[wojtek_pl]