Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Thank you for the informative post, chromium. And thanks also to Wroclaw, Lady in red, and Michal for your input. I'm in the US, and from the little research I've done so far, Poland sounds like the best destination in Europe as far as demand and pay--relative to cost of living, of course.

I made a mistake after finishing college, in that I didn't even KNOW about TEFL/English teaching opportunities back then. I went straight into grad school when I should have done my travelling in between. Now I'm older and wiser, but also deeper in debt!

I'd be curious to know, from chromium or any other English teachers who might be reading this thread, if it is common for schools/employers to provide housing for teachers? Also, I'd imagine that rents are substantially lower outside of Warsaw and Crakow, and perhaps it is easier to save at least some money working in the smaller cities?

Also, I'd be grateful if anyone can give me an estimate of how much things like utilities, DSL/Internet, and taxes and insurance might cost per month. Assuming a reasonable monthly salary for native-English-speaking teachers is 3.000 zl, how much of this goes toward taxes and insurance, then utilities and incidental costs, and what (if anything) is left?

Anyway, I don't want to clog up the forum with too many boring questions, but if anyone can give even a little insight on these topics, please share.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Hey, thanks for the added info., chromium. I have an EU passport/dual citizenship via my father, who was born in Europe, so all of the paperwork and red tape shouldn't be nearly as bad for me as it would for someone with American citizenship only. Of course, that leaves pretty much all of Europe open to me, but from what I've read so far, Poland is the best TEFL market as far as demand, readiness to hire new teachers, and pay vis-a-vis cost of living.

As far as the CELTA certificate being the best bet, I've heard that as well. Would you recommend getting it in Warsaw or Prague? I'm guessing Warsaw would be cheaper.

I appreciate the specific numbers on utilities and basic costs you provided. That will help me to calculate expenses. Do you know anything about rents outside of the major cities? I'd be curious to know how much a single room costs in the smaller cities and towns, where prices are probably much lower than in Warsaw and Crakow. Thanks again, and take care.