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Posts by PADDYTR  

Joined: 25 May 2011 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: -
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 2
Posts: Total: 19 / In This Archive: 19 		From: cork/ireland
Speaks Polish?: no but learning
Interests: reading/music/football/history

Displayed posts: 21
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PADDYTR   
25 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

Cześć,
Im a 30 year old Irish guy who will be moving to Krakow to be with my girlfriend of 4 years, who recently returned to Poland.I will arrive in mid august and hope to stay for a few years at least ,if not more.I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course an would hope to gain employment in this field, but after doing much research i have come to the conclusion that most language schools are looking for 2 years teaching experience and a university degree (both of which i unfortunately do not have), is it possible to gain employment as a native speaker in this field without those requirements and if not what prospects as an English speaker with a limited (but progressing slowly)knowledge of the Polish language are? I wont be looking for employers to give me accommodation or pay for air line tickets or anything like that, would that make a difference with potential employers i dont know.

Also i would like to add that i am not moving to Poland just to go crazy and work for beer money, i intend to start a new life and hopefully a family so it is real important that i get as much honest feedback from this weather it is negative or positive.
PADDYTR   
25 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

Thanks for the speedy reply Harry, first of all i am aware of the CELTA course but im afraid due to my work commitments in ireland and the price i was unable to commit to 4 weeks intense course that would of cost 1500+ euro and the price of accommodation to stay 4 weeks in dublin i opted for the TEFL online, it was also advised to me that the TEFL starts you at a more basic level and that i should consider a CELTA after maybe 1 years experience ( but its a case of the old CATCH 22)

have you any other advice for an english speaker in Krakow, in terms of employment opportunities
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

thanks for the feed back guys, its appreciated even as negative as most of it is,i would like to state that me moving to krakow is not a thought it is something that is happening in august so staying in ireland will not be an option for the near future my girlfriend spent almost 6 years in ireland and she wants to take some time to be near her family,and also i would like to experience the real poland not just a week here and there every few months,im not worried about getting a job im very confident in my abilities and i have a very determined attitude i dont give up on anything in life that easily, i was just looking for advice and opinion on the "teaching " topic

,

If you need some advice about Krakow don't hesitate to contact me ;)

i would love to take you up on that offer , i do know krarow pretty good, well the city area any way,but any information that could benefit us would be greatly appreciated , may i ask where you are from and where in poland you reside ?

thanks
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

Are you sure teaching English is for you?

well i guess there is only one way to find that out.

if i got paid a survivable wage for the 6months to a year it wouldnt really bother me as long as i got the relevant experience and class time, i have put a lot of hours and study into this so i would like to try and make a go of it,but the only way of knowing do i suit this line of work or does this line of work suit me is by giving it a go. i dont have a family yet and dont really intend to start one without being somewhat financially stable, and like i said before i am a very determined person and if i put my mind to something i can usually come out on top, my down fall is that i dont really have an extensive knowledge in this area

on another point what is the chances of getting work in the hospitality sector in poland(i am a chef for the past 7 years)or in the construction industry (i come from a construction backround and worked for a while in this area/also a hobby of mine) if i do not speak or have a broad knowledge of polish language??
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

Should you want more information I would look up the thread "Some cold, hard facts about teaching in Poland for newbies"

i have read that thread and many others like it, and i know i will not just waltz into a top paid job, im starting at the bottom in this industry and know there is a lot of more qualified teachers out there , but as i said i am determined to make it in poland,and while i do acknowledge that krakow is probably not the best place to start,it happens to be where i will arrive and where i have to start, i has been suggested to me me that commuting to tarnów or rybnik from krakow is an option

can i ask of those who posted to my thread how many of you live or have lived in krakow?and are you polish? and if not when and where did you arrive in poland?

thanks.
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

the special reason is a special woman....mmwahh : )
i initially wanted to move to krakow because it is a beautiful city and i kind of fell in love with it(that love is quickly dying at the moment)

my girlfriend recently got a job there marketing for a catering company so we kind of have a tie to the place now but im not stuck on staying in krakow for good i would love to head to the north-east for a while (she is from mazuri) but i didnt think there would be much prospects of work for the both of us
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

Dude, i started at the bottom and lived in a small town with only one native speaker, me! It is a good way to get a years experience but is frustrating and can leave you unsure why you even bothered! You said your determined so you will manage to find something or other!

so maybe that is something to consider,but for the moment my destination is krakow, but if i got a live in position where i could return to krakow on weekends while i got experience i could live with that

i've always had the theory that if you look hard enough for work you will find it
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

I can tell you that accepting accomodation from a Polish employer is equal to putting a gun to your head.

duly noted!!

i do intend to do a CELTA,and have also thought about volunteering my self to some school for a month just to have in my cv, and starting in two weeks i do 1 or 2 days sit in at an english language camp for kids near my city,weather that will be seen as experience i dont know
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

it is something we have discussed, but alas we dont have the collateral , kind of been traveling around the last few years son have'nt got a whole lot of savings, we are however looking into these eu grants, but a guy i spoke to today said something that got me thinking, if you start up something it will have to be something original,if i were to follow other successful business' i would be already chasing other better known more reputable business'..............so if i were to do something like that i would need 1/an original idea 2/ money 3/a lot more time to think about it

but yes that would be an ideal scenario , thanks
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

nice idea but again a fair bit of money involved id say,transportation costs be it freight or whatever, import taxes, if it were brittish or irish food products there would be the worry of not selling and ending up with spent product = losses

i remember when i lived in amsterdam there was a shop that sold such products and it didnt last too long even though there was a massive irish/english community .......good idea though
PADDYTR   
26 May 2011
Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

Well the teaching thing is something i wanted to do as opposed to an only choice when moving to poland, as a chef you are a constant teacher its not all burgers and peeling carrots,so many people pass through kitchens guidance and direction is a must for senior staff, also i consider myself to have a helpful nature and it is probably a job i could get a good sense of self satisfaction from.I plan on sending out CV's to schools and language centre's within the next few weeks and will do the rounds in August, I have enough money to tide me over for a bit but obviously i would prefer to be working.

As for the irish bars they have always been in the back of my mind but as i said i would love to give the teaching a go regardless of the wage.

I would appreciate a chat and a bit of advice from you and will pm my skype to you, but it will have to be at a later date as the laptop im using at the moment has a faulty mic.

Thanks.
PADDYTR   
27 May 2011
Life / Moving to Poland - Checklist / Things to Consider [33]

That kinda depends on what you want to do here....?

live work and a bit more living after that

life experience i have ....believe me a lot packed into my 30 short years
PADDYTR   
27 May 2011
Life / Moving to Poland - Checklist / Things to Consider [33]

what about birth cert, tax documentation from ireland,i guess basically what im asking is do i need anything that one wouldnt think of .... any unusual requests from the various offices ill be spending endless hours at, besides a fully charged i-pod, a good book and a packed lunch : )
PADDYTR   
28 May 2011
Life / Moving to Poland - Checklist / Things to Consider [33]

why register in the first place, stay of the radar.

but if i want proof of address do i not need to register?
and does not registering mean no tax???
off the radar to me is no tax no known address etc.
PADDYTR   
29 May 2011
Law / What requirements are needed to set up a street trading business in Poland [5]

What requirements are needed to set up a street trading business in poland

1/ licence fees- can they be obtained yearly ,quarterly etc. (is there a licence needed at all, i know in holland it is free as long as its not food)?

2/what costs are involved?

3/ is there a difference in obtaining a licence for food products as opposed to non food products?

4/ can your business be mobile(if i have a food stall and business is slow in one place can i move it to a more lucrative spot) without paying extra costs?

5/ is there any tax incentives/differences for a street trader compared to what is classed as a small business, or are they in the same classification?

All opinions/advice/information/experiences appreciated .