Advice on Teaching English in Poland

Which one are you, pawian? ;)

:):):):) Good.

None. I am not a troublemaker.

The Polish KKK are still not quite there yet.

Hi I recently moved to Poland and have now started teaching English in a language school, I was wondering if anyone knew the rate (gross/nett) for corporate work? is it higher that teaching teens in a language school? Any help/info would be great, thanks in advance for the replies.

Eddie

It's pretty much what they are prepared to pay. Corporate work should pay much more than regular teens classes.

Charge them double and see what they say, no harm in trying like. If they baulk at it ask them what kind of price did they expect and then negotiate from there.

It depends on the factors. Where are you in Poland, are you working legally, and do you know what you're doing?

If you're still scuffing around the city in a pair of Converse with three days' stubble growth thinking Business gigs will pay, then sorry. But if you can put on an ironed shirt and are prepared to read the Economist to know what's going on in the world, then you can get three-figure hourly rates.

Business classes demand a certain level of teaching and language skill, so although they might pay more they'll make you work for it. Compare that to mummy's darling who doesn't care what you do in the classroom as long as her little brat gets a Native Speaker, and you'll learn for yourself whether the 100PLN you'll get for going to an office at 7am is really worth it.

Also depends on just who - I found IT types were an incredible pain - they'd always turn up late, they'd be completely uninterested and would not bother showing up half the time. I used to teach the two IT directors for a very well known Polish company - and even they had a poor opinion of them. Almost exclusively, they were people with a few years experience, and they had developed the chip on the shoulder but not the professional attitude.

Conversely, I always found that directors of companies were far more laid back - and professional, despite being far higher in the food chain.


It can depend wildly. But as a rule, no language school is going to send a native to a company for less than 65PLN an hour unless they're utter cowboys.

One company director was once kind enough to tell me how much he paid for classes - which was very helpful in negotiating a price. One trick - always a good idea to have the first class *before* negotiating the price - as you'll know what they expect.

first off, I am not an English teacher however there is a real demand for English-English translation

you would never be able to find enough work to offer this service alone but it is a valuable string to your
bow and sets you apart from non native speakers

One of my business partners had received an offer from a Romanian company - it was very well written
but was not in perfect English. He wanted me to explain it to him in simple language.

this is where native speakers really come into their own as I could tell him where the Romanian had not
been clear, or where he had used the wrong word, or some idiom taken out of a Victorian novel that
no one has used in the last 100 years.

It is this service that makes a native speaker English teacher invaluable as you can focus on real business
problems and give advice. this is more important than reading The Economist and being able to comment
on the market for bauxite in South America, particularly when your client lives in Lublin and works
in a sausage factory

you would be amazed at the number of English teachers who never have the sense to ask if their
client could show them a letter that they wrote.
some clients get a bit pompous and talk about confidentiality and that is the time to offer to whip out an NDA
it really puts them in their place self important bastards

The smartest students I've ever had have always had me check things for them - one of them used to get me to check/correct all important communications between him and the German President, who apparently spoke English absolutely perfectly and demanded the same from the lower staff.

Rates are negotiable. Quote at least 100 PLN and don't come down more than 10%. See if you can get them to agree to pay you for cancelled classes. This happens a lot in company teaching: quickly arranged meetings, too busy, etc. Dress at least as well as the clients. Get them to fill in a needs analysis form. It makes you look professional and is helpful. Be fully prepared every time. Make sure you establish payment dates (big companies often pay late). Be prepared to work hard. They know they are paying you for a value-added service, so provide one. Ensure your classes are a balance of heavy and light work. These people work hard in jobs they may hate. Make your class something to look forward to.

That pretty much sums it up :D

I'd add that while it can benefit you at the beginning to be flexible with times, it can definitely come back to bite you should you become busier later on.

Yup, I'll second that

I can third that.

Hi, I'm an English native speaker who has been living in Poland since January and teaching since September. I will start arranging private lessons soon, but am unsure of what to charge. My employer who is Polish charges 40zl per 45 mins and has suggested that I should charge more because I'm a native speaker. However, I would like to offer 40zl per 45 mins because I feel a higher price for my services at this time is unjustified. I would be grateful for some advice on what other English native speakers think about my situation. I am working in a small town and for now I am just working 2 days a week, so choosing the right price to offer is important. Too expensive and there is a chance I could drive people away. My employer has suggested that I charge more because in the future it will be difficult to change which I understand, but I'm still not sure what to do.

I'd say go with your first idea. At the beginning of September, if you're still doing this, you can increase your price by what you have gaged people will pay. Good luck.

I also agree, though I charge 50zl for 60 minutes. That's just me.

Go with your instincts and what you're happy to charge.

But I'd recommend going to 50zl/60 minutes - it's psychologically easy for people to hand over a 50zl note, for instance.

Part of me would like to hand back a 5PLN coin from a 50PLN note but they know they are getting a qualified teacher and not just an ear which can't explain much. 50PLN isn't that much for a well-thought-out lesson.

That's how i see it as well.

People were charging 50PLN in smaller cities a few years ago and inflation has shot up. There is no reason to start reversing course. 50PLN is an easy handover and they are happy to pay it. The moment you start twittering on like a fool or showing up drunk is when they will lose confidence in you.

Between 50pln to 120pln. Depending on what exactly is being taught.

Exactly. ESP or EAP classes can easily attract 100PLN, 120 or more in bigger cities.

Yup.
I always demanded that my students paid a month's fee up front. I never missed a lesson, changed the timings of a couple (in 6 years) when other things cropped up. With Polmos and a few other companies and clients I had it in my contract that I would be paid a "bonus" after their passing of the FCE.

Quite right! Everything stems from sober agreement and honour. Scots usually have one of the two, lol

So another bump in the road has appeared it seems. I will have my first private lesson soon and the student will have one hour with my boss and the second hour with me, so the lessons will be at the school. I had already given the price as 40zł for 45 mins and was told yesterday by my boss that the student will pay 50zł - 40 for me and then 10 "for the room". I was previously thinking to offer 50zl, but now that is going to be too expensive because in actual fact the student would pay 60zl. Travelling to their homes is an option, but I was wondering if anyone else has been in a similar situation and what they think about it. She is my boss and if she wants to charge for the room when nobody is using them anyway (She rents three rooms for the month) there is nothing I can do about it. Or should I try to talk to her about it and find out if she is also charging extra for the room with her private lessons or just mine?

I'd really advise against travelling to a student's home. It does seem convenient at first and when you have only a few (2-3) students a week it's quite practical and even enjoyable. Do you drive? If so that might make it considerably easier. If not, then like me, you will probably become very tired of it very quickly. I have around 10-15 private classes a week scattered throughout the city (Poznań) and some even outside the city. I would be extremely happy if my students came to me or my lessons were consecutively ordered. I could save from that around 25-30 hours a week or more on just travel alone. Think how many extra lessons, language study, etc. that you could fit into that time?

I agree. All my private students come to me, except one who picks me up at my flat and takes me to his. After a two hour lesson, his wife cooks dinner for us. It helps that they're both good friends.