Work / Some cold, hard facts about teaching in Poland for newbies [101]

I've had enough of seeing all the nonsense posted on here, so I'm going to post some things that might be of interest to any budding teachers here. This isn't relevant to Warsaw, but relevant to everywhere else for a newbie teacher.

1) The most important - salaries.

There is so much rubbish written about this online. Everywhere I turn, people are quoting incredibly unrealistic figures - both too low and too high. The reality?

An inexperienced teacher should bank on getting around 30zl an hour net. That's from a school which offers a stable amount of hours, with a contract that's actually worth something and with good working conditions. Of course, more is possible - but a pragmatic, realistic wage to aim for is to get 30zl an hour net in the very beginning. It's poor, I know - but if you're coming to Poland with no life experience, just a degree and some sort of teaching certificate, then it's about what you can hope for. At the end of the month, you should be aiming to have worked at least 80 hours. That's 2400zl net.

It is possible that you can be offered a fixed contract for less money - I've seen one for 2000zl a month guaranteed, regardless of holidays. Such a thing is a good choice for a new teacher - the money isn't great, but it will be stable and reliable. Again though - these are mostly seen in small towns where attracting a native is difficult.

Final thing : don't expect any sort of return airfare included. You might, in a small town, be able to convince the school to pay for some sort of accomodation - but this is generally not advisable.

2) Working hours.

These can either be heaven or hell, depending on your perspective. A new teacher probably won't have the clout to demand great hours, but working 2 hours in the morning and 4 in the evening Monday-Thursday is realistic. Any reputable school should be able to offer you at least 20 hours a week - though expect it to be more like 30 hours in the beginning and then down to 15 at the end of the year. Either way, you should be able to average at least 20 hours a week between September and June.

Depending on the school, you might be asked to sign a non-compete clause. These are quite common in small towns, but these should only be agreed to if you're guaranteed a stable income. Do not, under any circumstance, sign a non-compete clause if the hours aren't guaranteed in the contract.

3) Private classes.

These can either be easy to obtain or exceptionally difficult. I don't know the magic formula myself - but the golden rule is advertising, advertising and more advertising. As for what you can earn - my advice is never to go lower than 40zl an hour. Anything less, and people simply will not respect you for what you are - a serious professional. Equally so, there is no higher limit - you should charge what you feel you can get away with.

4) Cost of living.

This can be as high or as low as you want it. Generally speaking, for a newbie teacher in a city, I'd recommend sharing a flat with others. For this, you'll be looking at somewhere between 400-800zl a month, depending on location. If you want your own apartment, then it's possible to get somewhere for about 1000zl a month. Expect however, that any such flat won't be particularly big.

As for living costs - food is cheap if you can cook and prepare meals from scratch. If I was so inclined, I could probably feed two people for as little as 10zl a day. Likewise, public transportation is cheap - between 70-100zl for a monthly pass. Even for a newbie teacher, drinking can be cheap - 5/6zl beer is about normal if you avoid the "nice" places and drink in studentish bars. Generally speaking, if you live as if you would back home as someone living in a new city on one salary, then Poland is affordable.

There is a but. A big but. The price of many things are actually higher in Poland than elsewhere. For instance, clothes and electronics are more expensive in Poland than in the UK or USA.

5) Social life.

In a university cities, you'll find friends easily if you try. A lot of young people speak English and will be more than happy to take a foreigner under their wing - you can use websites such as couchsurfing to find new people to hang out with.

Outside of the university cities, it might be more difficult. Don't be surprised if your fellow teachers aren't interested in socialising - the mentality in small towns is rather different. But of course, you can always try and create a social life for yourself. But - be warned - it can be very mind-numbingly lonely if you aren't extroverted enough to find company.

6) After the first year?

Expect that work will dry up in about late May, early June. So, you'll probably want to go home for a few months. If you do, plan wisely, use your experience and your salary can go up dramatically. Someone motivated enough to do so can easily take home well over 3000zl net in their second year. Being pragmatic, outside of Warsaw, you can make 4000zl a month net with a bit of effort.

Any questions? :)