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Advice needed: Question about salary/compensation
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m27



Joined: 22 Mar 2009
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:31 pm    Post subject: Advice needed: Question about salary/compensation Reply with quote

Hello all! I've received an offer from a language school near Radon, and I want to make sure that what I'm being offered is appropriate to the "going rate" for my level and experience. Never having lived in Poland before, I don't want to be taken advantage of.

I have a master's degree in TESOL and a few years teaching experience under my belt. What this company is offering is 18000 - 22500 PLN for 9 months teaching, appx. 2000 - 2500 PLN a month. A furnished flat for 800PLN per month, not including utilities. And 400 EUROS reimbursed for travel costs. Also transportation to and from the school each day are covered. My husband will be coming with me and I will be supporting him until he finds employment. I have no illusions of making lots of money teaching, we just need to be able to live reasonably, and do a bit of traveling on the side. I want to check on the fairness of this offer, because I have a feeling it's on the low side.

Those experienced expats in Poland, please give me some feedback!

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Glenlivet



Joined: 21 Mar 2009
Posts: 179
Location: Poland

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How many hours will you be working? Is this amount net or gross? I assume that the flat is included? What size is it and how many rooms? I couldn't live on 2500 minus utilities (180-250pcm) on my own, let alone supporting 2 people. 500GBP per month? I'd think again if I were you. Also be aware that furnished here can mean to squatter standard!
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simon_porter00



Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 505
Location: Warsaw, Poland

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By Radon, do you mean Radom?
If so and it's proximity to Warsaw, they're having a laugh.
I'd be extremely sceptical about anything 'laid on' as it will be at best unreliable.
Also, if your husband isn't a teacher/isn't Polish he's going to find things extremely hard going.
Best to expect the worst possible scenario to be safe.
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m27



Joined: 22 Mar 2009
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, forgive me, I did mean Radom.

How much salary would you think is a reasonable amount for a teacher of my experience to expect in that area?
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maniak



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 194

PostPosted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I dont know what the Warsaw rates are but 1zl/1min net should be what your shooting for..

just to give you an example, I work about 15 hours a week and pull in about 800-900zl a week and Im a relatively fresh teacher.
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Toad



Joined: 10 Nov 2008
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 6:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm a little shocked. I got 2500 working just 15 hours/week with Speak Up in Gdansk. i am a fresh CELTA teacher so a lot less qualified than yourself.

I see that they also offer you a flat but you must pay 800/month for it. This isn't bad, I pay 1600 including bills for my flat but this is in central Gdansk and it's a very very nice flat. I did see flats for about 1200 but they were very poor and no bigger than a rabbit hutch. Being on the 6th floor, maybe I should say pigeon loft?

Also, bear in mind that with a flat that is supplied by your work means that if you lose your job, you lose your flat, possibly even the same day.

So, 2500 - 800 flat, - bills (easy 300) leaves you 1300 zloty.
That's pretty much pocket money. You'll just be able to feed 2 people on that if you eat cheap food but don't expect to buy clothes, newpapers, cinema tickets or toilet paper.

However, full times jobs will only usually pay about 3000/month so if you're 2500 is after taxes, it might not be that bad.

Before I moved to Poland, lots of people told me that private students are 'easy to find' and you can 'charge at least 60/hour'. This is partly true, however, the full time teaching jobs were all in the evenings and all the private students wanted to attend in the evenings. Also, some cancel with very little notice so when you expect an income of 240/month per student, some months this may simply not happen so don't rely on it!
Of course, you can work your weekends if you like, but I must rest.


If anybody gets must more than this after tax in Poland, please do tell.

If you have the name of this school, maybe you could tell us and see if anybody has had any experiences with them?

T

(mistakes and typos are all my own work... )
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Harry from NWE



Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Posts: 283

PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

m27 wrote:
Yes, forgive me, I did mean Radom.

How much salary would you think is a reasonable amount for a teacher of my experience to expect in that area?
Radom is probably the worst city in Poland: a truly horrible place. The money that school is offering is a disgrace. I do not suggest you walk away from the job, I suggest you run!

Here in Warsaw you'd be expecting to earn in the region of 5,000zl per month after all taxes, assuming you work about 26 hours per week. Is that figure you quote net or gross?
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scottie1113



Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Gdansk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Toad. I'm in Stare Miasto in Gdansk. Have you ever been to Absinthe?
[/quote]
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m27



Joined: 22 Mar 2009
Posts: 19

PostPosted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:02 pm    Post subject: Update!!! Now what do you all think? Reply with quote

I appreciate the info I've gotten so far- thank you:) But now I've got updated information! Alright- I spoke with someone from the school and got an updated bit of information...what do you all think?

I'd be teaching from 3 - 8 Monday thru Friday at centers in and around Radom. Salary of 2500 zlotys gross per month- plus a furnished flat and a driver to the school are covered by the school. They also cover half the cost of my health insurance.

Does this seem like a reasonable offer? Would I be able to eat, travel a little and save a little?

Please give me feedback!
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Mike_2007



Joined: 24 Apr 2007
Posts: 349
Location: Bucharest, Romania

PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't speak specifically for Poland, but it seems a little low to me. If we say the accommodation is worth 800z (assuming it's everything they promise) that gives you a gross of 3300z, or probably around 2500z net. You'll be doing about 100 hours a month, so that means 25z an hour, or 0.4z a minute. From what people have said that's less than half the going rate.

Also, by finishing at 8pm every night you are going to find it hard to suppliment your income with private classes, I would imagine.
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simon_porter00



Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 505
Location: Warsaw, Poland

PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 4:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know whay you're continuing to pursue this. Let me sum it up for you:
Radom is a dump. An absolute dump.
100 km's away in warsaw, you can earn 2/3x that salary.
The salary is pathetically small.

There you go. If this is your first job in Poland you might appreciate the security that having a job waiting for you will bring. The problem with this is, almost ALL of these jobs will underpay. The best way to get work, as mentioned a gazillion times before in this forum, is to hit the streets looking for it. If you want to teach with the academic year you have to be here at the right time. If you want to teach in company you can find work all year round in a number of towns in Poland. Please search under my name for a thread "looking for work" or somesuch I wrote yonks ago.

Some of that job offer is really daft - whay do you need a driver? Are you a VIP or will you be living 60km's away? I suspect the second, in which case you're going to be wasting 2 hours of your day commuting to work.
A school providing a flat - if that job goes wrong, you will be homeless.
teaching in and around Radom - hmm, the worst case scenario and most likely is that you won't be teaching 5 hours straight, but be travelling between centres. These centres are likely to be miles apart in surrounding satellite districts/towns.
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Harry from NWE



Joined: 13 Sep 2007
Posts: 283

PostPosted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

simon_porter00 wrote:
I don't know whay you're continuing to pursue this. Let me sum it up for you:
Radom is a dump. An absolute dump.
100 km's away in warsaw, you can earn 2/3x that salary.
The salary is pathetically small.

There you go. If this is your first job in Poland you might appreciate the security that having a job waiting for you will bring. The problem with this is, almost ALL of these jobs will underpay. The best way to get work, as mentioned a gazillion times before in this forum, is to hit the streets looking for it. If you want to teach with the academic year you have to be here at the right time. If you want to teach in company you can find work all year round in a number of towns in Poland. Please search under my name for a thread "looking for work" or somesuch I wrote yonks ago.

Some of that job offer is really daft - whay do you need a driver? Are you a VIP or will you be living 60km's away? I suspect the second, in which case you're going to be wasting 2 hours of your day commuting to work.
A school providing a flat - if that job goes wrong, you will be homeless.
teaching in and around Radom - hmm, the worst case scenario and most likely is that you won't be teaching 5 hours straight, but be travelling between centres. These centres are likely to be miles apart in surrounding satellite districts/towns.


What he said.
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Tracer



Joined: 22 Oct 2008
Posts: 65
Location: Warszawa, PL

PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 9:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shoot for over 1zl./minute (like 1.75zl./min), but don't accept any less than 1zl./min. Treat this like a business or get taken to the cleaners. The choice is yours. Time is money.
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Sgt Bilko



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 136
Location: POLAND

PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Shoot for over 1zl./minute (like 1.75zl./min), but don't accept any less than 1zl./min.


I'm always interested in replies like this because I came through the IH sort of school where salaries were laid out in some great big school policy document and were completely non-negotiable. Even really good teachers with YL experience who we really needed were told to take it or leave it. (and of course they invariably left leaving yet another CELTA graduate with a bunch of 7 year olds). A new teacher would probably not have even received a response had they had the temerity to ask for more. (Same sort of shock as when Oliver asked for more gruel in the workhouse)

Just wondering how many of you work for the 'negotiate your hourly rate' type places and how many for the 'this is what we offer' types.
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lundjstuart



Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 211
Location: Warsaw, Poland

PostPosted: Fri Apr 03, 2009 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Sgt Bilko"]
Quote:
Just wondering how many of you work for the 'negotiate your hourly rate' type places and how many for the 'this is what we offer' types.


Since I only have 2 classes total with two different schools, I told them my price and they agreed to it. All of my classes are either private or I bill them directly.

Why work for a school and be treated like nothing when you can work for yourself and work on your own terms?
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