Life / Grass is always greener? Poland experience. [69]


There you go then!

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Your adventure begins.

Life / Grass is always greener? Poland experience. [69]

I am enjoying the winter up here. Looking forward to a mild summer and cooler Spring and Fall seasons.

Something for most everyone here, except maybe a dessert.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Agreed. CELTA, DELTA, TESOL and TEFL are major components of the alphabet soup of the ESL industry.

They all work for different people. I chose the TEFL and haven't had a problem finding work when I wanted it. II am well aware that there are a couple of places which use it as a qualifier but don't think I have ever cared about working at a place like that for one reason or another. In a similar fashion, I have seen ads specifying age, sex, nationality (not for legal reasons) and other qualifiers as conditions of employment and consideration.

You can work with any of them in most situations although it's always possible you'll miss a screening due to others in the stack having one or another preferred qualifications in the eye of the hiring manager or owner.

As long as there was some student contact (usually 10 hours or more) and 100+ hours of classroom instruction that should get you into most applicant pools.

All that said, I'm thinking about a CELTA this summer. The paper is irrelevant but I enjoy meeting a new group of teachers and trainers. If I was in a place where TEFL classes were common (like Prague) then doing another TEFL would be fine as well. If I was 15 years younger I would go back and complete another BA in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Social Studies and combine it with my other education then work the International Schools circuit.

So, a good TEFL or CELTA work fine. The MA-TESOL and DELTA are great for those making a life-long career out of this as well. Other combinations work based on the individual.

As for Korea, the base qualification I am aware of are a valid BA. I am sure there are some schools which have requirements but if you want to teach kids you can work in Asian public schools easily enough without anything more. CELTA and TEFL classes are taught in Korea and in Japan if you decide you want to upgrade your skills and add some paper to your CV.

Good luck.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]


Because you asked for advice and information it is a critical concern. If you have been inside the Schengen Zone for 18 months illegally you have a whole different set of issues which you will have to face when you attempt to go to work or take on students.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Ally, hindsight and what you wanted are sort of spinning your wheels now. Try to focus on a workable plan.

With training background and a decent TEFL (what sort of course was it?), get some CV's out to the schools and get a job to build up the experience. IIf I were you I would also consider Ukraine. Although the economy is a bit off there these days and you need to be sure to get your visa/work permit committed. YOu might also try the chain schools over in Poland. Empik, Speak-Up, etc. Work a year, get some experience and then go for the Business English posts if you are sure you want to stay with it.

Life / Polish pretense - what's the deal? [72]

Agreed. "Middle Class Markers"? Definitely creepy......

Life / Polish pretense - what's the deal? [72]

I don't have this sense of Poland at all.

History / The Humble Beginnings of Empik in Poland [14]

This will affect business in as fundamental fashion as the transition from peonage to free-holdings in agriculture and merchant fleets venturing over the horizon in search of markets.

Losing that sense of aggressiveness and entrepreneurial outlook is one of the major factors which kill businesses.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]

The biggest culture "shock" (BUT in a GOOD way) was the ability to live without an automobile.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]


Well, as someone pointed out earlier, just because an area can or has produced good recipes, doesn't mean there aren't those out there making poor food choices. Whether you are in Provence, Gdansk or Seattle, there is cuisine, good or bad according to taste. I enjoy a couple of restaurants here but have seen little that is new or different from elsewhere and that has been less than inspiring.

From an economic viewpoint, Poland may be making a good decision to supply halal meats to the growing Muslim segment of the European population. From the standpoint of cuisine though, halal meats never bowled me over. While I had a couple of excellent food dishes in the Middle East, the only meat that impressed me was the lamb. A couple of folks have told me the lamb here s excellent as well but we shall see.

I'm still looking for a Polish kitchen which will impress me but.........

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]


True, southern pork barbeque, biscuits and breakfast foods in dozens of varieties; Texas beef and beans along with the Tex-Mex blended dishes such as chili, various tortilla-wrapped entrees; New England chowders; Virginia hams; roasted corn' grilled salmon from the Pacific Northwest.........the choices abound.

Language / Word clarification (Polish): the word for axle stands. [9]

When a person has a flat tire on their car they use a lug wrench to loosen the nuts on the wheel bolts, a jack to raise the car, get the spare from the trunk or other storage position and then you change the flat (Amer).

Hope that helps.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]


Ah, if I only had a smoker..........the things we could do.

History / The Humble Beginnings of Empik in Poland [14]

As well as the largest, wholly-owned chain of language schools. Over-aggressive acquisition and expansion seems to have given them a lot to chew and swallow in the last 5-6 years.

Food / Poland's favorite hard-to-find American snacks? [18]


Ah, Zebra's and the Banana Swiss-style roll cakes.....I'm slipping into a diabetic coma just thinking about 'em.

Study / British Council for Celta, Warsaw [8]

There are a few reasons to get your CELTA one place instead of another (in no particular order):

Price - You're on a budget and absolutely don't have any more than a set amount to spend on your training.While you may not get the best possible program you got the best you could afford and that was it. Sometimes, of course, you get what you pay for.

Quality - Some schools have a better teaching staff than another school. The problem is that not many people take the course more than once so who can say one is better than another. Maybe reviews from staffers who have worked at more than one might be relevant or possibly a place might become "known" as having particularly poor teachers over another place.

Location - You can have a strategy that getting your CELTA in the first city you wish to work in or possibly even at that particular school might affect your decision of where to take the class. Some people may believe (and possibly even be correct in that belief) that a CELTA from an IH or BC school gives you an edge when applying to work at another location with the same name.

Associated Expenses of a School - A combination of Location and Price could be that you cannot afford to travel to take the class in a particular location no matter how good it is reputed to be due to the cost of travel and the living expenses associated with the area. A trusted friend might tell you that Honk Kong has a top-notch CELTA program but the air fare and living expenses in HK may be prohibitive.

In the end though, the CELTA is supposed to be a defined program with standards adhered to across the board from locations authorized to grant the certificate. For better or worse, some employers will only hire CELTA cert holders and they may, or may not, value oit enough to offer a pay differential.

BC has a good reputation but so do Bell and IH and many other porgrams. There may be variations based upon the franchise owner or the staff.

Life / DUI first time in Poland [13]


So, uh...what would he do if ordered to serve jail-time then?

UK, Ireland / 1,701 people apply for 8 UK jobs to work in a coffee shop serving customers [11]


Probably the Polish guy was the one offering the job........

UK, Ireland / 1,701 people apply for 8 UK jobs to work in a coffee shop serving customers [11]

This is the reality over in much of the world today Those headlines about Spanish and Greek unemployment are just the leading edge. Un- and under- employment are spreading and becoming the norm. Things are going to get worse before they get better.

USA, Canada / What do Polish people think of the USA [287]

....and West, excepting California.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]


No, my GF made about 80 or so when she was here last month and froze them up for me. Boil them for 7-8 minutes and they are fantastic.

She made up the dough, cut the circles and then filled them in the kitchen. No frame was used, what does it look like? If it makes it easier I'll certainly buy one for her to use next time. Anything to speed up production.

She promised next round will be some different ones with both pork and chicken fillings, potato and mushroom fillings.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]

No frame involved. I cooked them, drained them, then I ate them.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]

Hmmm, I would guess not since I did exactly what I said, fixed pelmeni, melted butter on them and then spooned a big gob of smetana on top. No more, no less.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]

Well, got my pelmeni fixed, melted the butter, dumped smetana on it and all. No deruny but will survive I guess.

There is a place about 60m or so away that says they are a Russian kitchen but I am hesitant to try them without someone to split the food with if it doesn't go well.

Ah well, I didn't move here for the cuisine and I can make my own when I put my mind to it. At least there is smetana!

Good, marbled steak and hamburger meat would be welcome but will eventually find a place for those as well. I enjoy eating out but cooking with friends is okay after I get a good group going.

But, Provence.....uh-uh.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]


This pretty much sums me up too.

Now I am thinking how much I miss the Ukrainian kitchen.......deruny (with mushrooms, onions and garlic) and vernikiy with meat, served in butter and smetana are in my mind now.

May have to do some pelmeni tonight as the next best thing.

History / What do nations of the world owe to Poland and Polish people? [58]

Why would you generalize that they are "more" patriotic?

Certainly they could be, but they could just as easily be "less" patriotic or even the same.

Of course, if they take citizenship in their new country of residence it is sort of hard to accept that they have the same feelings for their ancestral home as the one they have just sworn to uphold.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]


I haven't had any really good soups yet. There is a mushroom soup I find okay but the others have all been much too thin fo my taste, especially in the wintertime. Maybe in summer a couple of them might be better.

Cakes and the other sweets are all predictable so far and haven't offered up anything unique but maybe there's something out there still to be discovered.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]

I had a couple of Georgian wines that were pleasant. Gotta' get to a good Georgian place sometime since several people have told me Georgian food is different and quite delicious.

Food / "Poland - it's the new Provence of food" [56]

I'm not a big fan of French food, don't exactly dislike it but would not go out of my way to visit a French restaurant over say a Mexican one, but have not found any Polish food that really bowls me over.

Kolbasa was the only remotely Polish thing I had eaten regularly before coming into Eastern Europe and it remains as good but not particularly better than what I tasted back home. I was looking at some different types of perogi(s) this weekend and there may be a couple of things there worth a shot. Their version of apple pie is okay but I've had as good and better elsewhere. Maybe there is a bit more to the Polish kitchen but so far it hasn't really excited my palate.

In contrast, Ukraine left me with a love of varenikiy, potato pancakes, Napolean cake, Mednovik, Smetanik and black breads. Azerbaijan served up some incredible lamb dishes and some variations on baklava which were impressive. The Czech Republic delivered some damn fine beer (I enjoyed a microbrew Amber in Torun though). Austria deserves their reputation for cream-based pastries.

It's still early yet, maybe Poland will put something "magical" in front of me eventually.