Advice on Teaching English in Poland

I've recently moved to Poland and run an internet business from home but it is pretty much automated and rarely takes me more than a few hours a day.

To make use of my time I've emailed a couple of English schools in the area to see if I can be of help. They seem quite keen to employ me as a teacher even with my limited Polish and lack of experience.

Financially I don't need to teach so I'm not too worried about the salary level but it's more about getting me out of the house, social interaction and the rewards of helping students.

I do live in a city where hardly any native English speakers people live (Gorzow).

Would I be throwing myself to the wolves by taking a teaching job? I'd like to hear of some experiences both good and bad, is there a lot of preperation work involved? are students willing to participate etc?

Thanks

well it all depends in what sort of school are you going to work.

As long as these would be : private language school, universities and highschools
you will be ok. But if you're going to work somewhere else then you might find your new job quite stressful.

They are private languague schools.

Where would I find stressful? teaching younger than highschool age?

If you're going to work in private language schools then you will be alright.

You might be better off with Conversational English. That way you learn as well as your students/pupils.

Find people who are aiming to pass the 'Matura' [A level], First Certificate.

Make sure that you know how to explain grammar.

If you don't need regular hours. Work at home or visit people in their homes.

You were certainly earn almost no money as teacher's pay in Poland is almost zero.

Thanks for your pointless and worthless contribution.

crawl back to your cave please and work on your english while you're at it.

sad but true!

Yes, you are.

Is your English good?

is yours?

No and I know what I am talking about. I was once on holiday and was spending a few nights in Warsaw. I was bored so decided to go for an interview for a position as an English Language teacher in a private school in Warsaw. I can not tell you the name of the school for obvious reasons but I think it was called Angloschool on Popieluszki 9! A nice drive out and a nice chat over a cup of coffee. That evening on my return I went out with the husband of the Polish lady who is out mutual friend. Towards his car he asks me "what did you do today" My answer, "I went for a job interview at Angloschool". He asks "and how much did they offer you in return for your services?". I can not remember the rate of pay, it was about six years ago now but when I told him he laughed and said, "you know what, my mobile phone bill is more than that per month. You will just be sitting at home drinking beer and eating peanuts!" I think that being an English Language teacher must be the most degrading jobs there is, besides being a security guard, that is.

I could quote your post and point out where I dont agree with you but I cant be asked to do that to be honest so I'll just sumorize it in the best way possible: BS.

You do not have to read it or agree with it and in fact you were not there at the same time anyway. In fact Gospodin Pole at university who thinks he knows everything, I was a student in Krakow even before you were born during the communist era and to tell you the truth, it may be a famous university because it is one of Europe's oldest but in fact I was not very impressed with the Polish education which I received. Mind you, this is years and years ago so maybe it has improved a little. And yes B.S. I too can translate in to Polish!

As always much about nothing!!


Seeing as you don't visit Poland now on your own admission how long ago was this? 5 years, 10 years ago, then your post is not really relevant to today is it!!


I am astounded at the sweeping generalisations that you make in your limited knowledge of modern Poland, where do you base your facts on, or are they just swimming around in your head and falling out as bull. For god's sake Michal STOP IT!!!! We are all just too bored of your antiquated posts that have nothing to do with anything that resembles a modern Poland.

Addmitadly, it was probably at least five or six years ago now but the school still exists. I do not know the latest pay rates but it is still my advice to anybody searching such work to simply steer clear.

Well my advice to anyone who is listening to your advice is to don't listen to this dinosaur who knows nothing about Poland. By the way don't contradict other people on their spelling when you cant spell yourself Addmitadly=Admittedly

Yes, I know. It did not look right when I saw it but you will have to excuse me, partly my spelling in English is never and has never been the best, and partly as I start work at 5.30a.m. each morning by Friday afternoon I am beginning to sag a little.

Anyway, as a person with no education like myself, who can hardly spell-that is why I trained to be a quailified TESOL teacher!

I worked in Wroclaw as an English teacher in 2002-2003. The pay at that time was about 4 times the national average for a native speaker. Poland is a great place for English teachers. There are very many young, talented people building a great life in Poland, or moving abroad for a short while to return in the future to make a great life. People in Poland who have positive attitudes are the ones who will get the furthest and enjoy their lives the most.

Michal, your English skills are very good. Keep up the good work, but you might want to examine your perspective on Poland. I am an American, and I think Poland has a lot of great things to offer people.

I think that is probably true of everybody all around the World.


I think that it would be a very good idea and why would you be 'throwing yourself at the wolves?' It would be a great way to meet local people and you would learn something for yourself and maybe gain some useful experiences on the way. As you have a job it is not the 'end of the World' for you in any case'? However, I will say one thing from the outset to put your mind at rest. In Poland human life has no value whatsoever and there is no such thing as 'friendship'. There is simply no such expression in the Polish vocabulary if you get my drift. You are a member of their tightly knit family or you are just an acquaintance and nothing more. If you are invited out to dinner at a Poles house and especally if there is a white table cloth-beware! Their son wants to marry your daughter, their daughter wants to marry your son or the man of the house has been out of work for two years and it so happens that you will shortly be going back to the U.K. and you live near Gatwick Airport and the unemployed man of the house who has no job just so happened to be an airplane fitter during National Service thirty years ago!! It just happens that there is an advertisement in yesterdays local paper for engine fitters in Gatwick, does the penny finally drop! help them if you must but do not allow yourself to be used. I have seen it all in my time.

*No one liked me in Poland, In fact anywhere I've been.


*I didn't make any friends, pehaps me telling everyone "how it is" all the time had something to do with it


*I'm a socially inept


*I'm 40 years old, single, have never been to Poland and get kicks from making up crap on a message board

LOL! That sounds like a pretty good translation, Czestochowa. Poland sounds like a very grim place, according to you, Michal. Is what you say true, or do you not like foreigners coming to Poland?

I'm in the US, finishing my last year of graduate school, and I am thinking about going to Prague for a TEFL certificate and then to Poland. Is it true that English teachers are paid so little? I had thought that they make a good salary by local standards.

Will, take one posters comments with a big pinch of salt and just listen to other posters. then you shall get balanced comments and be able to form your own views on the subject :)

Hope your plans work out for you <s>

It was always the case but I am not sure of today's rates. I have not been to Poland for many years so it is unfair of me to judge. Certainly the rates in private schools were always traditionally more than in the state schools. If you want to earn money then I have heard that South Korea is the place to go, mind you, they only earn a thousand pound a month which still very very little indeed compared to U.K. rates. South Korea isnowhere near to Prague or Poland though!

All I can say is that you might be lucky and get a good job, or you might have to work for your money. Send a few e-mails to check the opportunities.

I would not want to try and influence you but I notice you say yhat you are going to Prague to do your training. You may find the Czech republic a good place to find a job. I know nothing about pay rates in the Czech Republic and I have never worked as a TESOL teacher but in class, I found the Czechs to be hard working and conscientious students who took everything very seriously indeed. I had many Czech students in my English Language classes and I always found those from Slovakia and the Czech Republic to be very well adjusted and polite. It might be worth you staying on the Czech Republic than moving on.

There is some truth in this. And it is just over the border.

This is my first post to Polish Forums, but I had to jump in on this discussion. I have been a teacher in Poland for 3 years. I did my CELTA in England and just finished the DELTA in Wroclaw, but I'm an American.

I can only say that teaching in Poland is great. The pay is at least 2 times the national average and most teachers can well afford to live on their own, go out pretty much whenever they want, and go out to dinner whenever they want. Obvioulsy, some prudence is needed, but the teachers' standard of living is well above the average, at least for Native English speakers working in private language schools who have either the Trinity Cert TESOL or the CELTA. Higher qualifications and at least 3 years experience affords even higher rates.

Compared to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Rep, and the Ukraine, the Polish wage is about twice in USD what is offerred by language schools in the aforementioned countries. I know, I have been offerred jobs in most of those countries and decided to stay in Poland for a 4th year after looking at the pay, etc. (I'll be moving to Sopot in 2 weeks). In Tallinn, I was offerred 8400 EEKs and Czech about 13000. Slovakia, the Ukraine, Hungary, and Lithuania was even less.

For an inexperienced teacher WITH qualifications, one can expect to earn between 2500 - 3500 zl per month. This does depend, though, on the city and if accomodation is provided by the school. The larger cities, like Krakow, actually pay less than the smaller cities because everyone wants to live there. Also, some schools simply pay less than others because of their reputation and financial stability. The more well-known schools have more teacher resources, better libraries, and usually better teachers.

As far as teaching in public schools: they'd never hire you (they have thousands of Polish teachers for that) and the pay is about 1000 zl per month, not even enough to live on by yourself.

If anyone has any specific questions, please post them or send me a private message.

Hope this helps

OMG - is this really true??