Language Schools In Wroclaw.

I'm new to the forum and would appreciate some advice on this. Feel free to Pitch in.

I'm currently finishing the full tefl course online at the moment. I've had some teaching experience but not with language learners and in a completley different subject matter.

Needing a change of scene. I have some friends in Glasgow originally from Wroclaw and some who've returned to the city.

I've visited Wroclaw many times and would like to spend some time there. As I'm far from fluent in polish, working for one of the computer firms over there would be out of the question. I would like to take an active interest in learning Polish while I'm there. And no doubt my friends would help me to integrate, much to their amusement at times ;-)

I've seen some of the schools websites and have been advised not to contact them until I already have the certificate, my Polish friend has also advised that an email only goes so far and I'm due to visit Wroclaw in a couple of months time. He says I should make up some CV's and try to arrange meetings while I'm over there.

Can anyone advise on schools they may have worked for or recommend, from reading the forums I've seen a name come up a few times of a school/company that has a bit of a bad rap.

If anyone has a list of schools other than the main ones I've located on the web already that would be helpful and what is the average kind of salary being banded around.

Cheers guys.
Tony.

Just my two cents...


Oh why oh why did you waste your money doing this? It's very unlikely that most schools will recognise it - and while it gives you a good grounding in English grammar, it's pretty much seen as useless. I'm not one who thinks that qualifications are the be-all and end-all of teaching (they're not) - but this really is worthless if you're applying to any school which demands qualifications from their teachers.


This is good - the skills are transferable. The fact that you've done it in a 'real world' setting as opposed to a classroom setting is also good.


Yup, go straight in and be forceful about arranging meetings.


You can aim for 50zl per teaching hour if you're preparing lessons - though it's by no means certain, especially as Wroclaw isn't lacking in foreigners who can teach. It can go as low as 30zl - though personally, I'd steer clear of such a low offer. Realistically, if you aim for 40zl an hour, you've got a good chance of finding employment.

However - hours are a different beast. Do not believe any promises - judge schools by what they actually give you.

That's more like it, the nice Delph is back :-)

What qualifications exactly? I'm curious to know.

CELTA. Possibly a Trinity Cert TESOL. Nothing else will do.

CELTA or the Trinity TESOL is the usual expectation - or of course, any proper teaching qualification like a PGCE.

It's not the be all and end all, there are plenty of schools that will hire someone reliable and professional with previous teaching experience - of course, the best jobs won't be open to you, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for a newbie in Poland.

You should also be warned - February is about as late as most schools will actually hire people, as the teaching 'season' runs roughly until June - after this, you can expect most schools to not bother recruiting anyone until August or early September. It does depend, but generally speaking, most schools are most interested in people who are "here, now" and can work starting tomorrow.

Nothing is certain of course, but to maximise your chances, I would recommend being in Wroclaw in the 3rd week of August or so. Forget about anything from April/May - unless you can find yourself a nice in-company teaching job. But these are likely to be well sought after by anyone wanting to stay there over the summer - and they have a head start on you.