Chemistry degree - what are my chances of finding work in Poland?

what i would really like to do is maybe work for a year in poland. i can speak polish but its not great. i have a 2,1 degree in chemistry, and also a masters. i dont have any teaching qualifications, but is it essential to have an english degree in order to work at a school? would having a tefl suffice? i now have a new postman who worked in krakow for 4 years teaching, and he didnt have a university education. however post is delivered early so havent had chance to interrogate him yet..lol!! any help gratefully appreciated!

Do you mean at a public school? For that you'll need to have full teaching credentials, and then the salary will be abysmal. Most good private schools require a CELTA and then, depending on location, you still won't make much money in your first year. Are you sure that you want to do this? Ask your postman about his experiences and you'll get more answers.

what i want is to work for a year in poland, to see if firstly i would like living there. having a holiday is totally different. all i have is 2 university degrees, which probably dont count for much . i dont know what a CELTA is? all i know from friends is that having a TEFL qualification, gives you the chance to teach english as a foreign language. i know it is accepted in some countries, but not sure if poland is one of them?

I don't want to pour oil on troubled waters, but if you are trying to advertise yourself as a teacher, first thing you MUST remember when posting on public fora is that people will be looking at the way you present your case.

Your posts are full of mistakes
Find out about CELTA, (don't ever admit that you, as a prospective teacher don't know what this is) get qualified and then start knocking on doors.

Poland is full of people who have 2 or 3 degrees and Master's plus a stack of teaching qualifications - what makes you so special that a private school might consider you as a 'good bet'.

I also assume that you are from the EEC and that your English is of a acceptable standard, the same standard you would expect from a teacher of English teaching you.

i dont think you understand what i am trying to say at all, and now i feel angry. i am certainly not trying to advertise myself as a teacher, far from it. i would just like the chance to maybe one day work in poland, and merely posted message to try and find out how difficult this would be for me, and what qualifications are accepted in poland as regards teaching. some countries accept TEFL,others dont. my post was just general enquiry, nothing more than that. i dont have a teaching qualification, but TEFL is taught in my local college and i just wondered if signing up for the course would give me a better chance of work or not.

Not in a good private school, which is where you'd want to teach. CELTA (google it) is an internationally accepted document while TEFL isn't. U nderstand what you're saying, and I'm just trying to help, not rain on your parade.

For more information, go to the Poland forum.

i dont consider myself to be special, or that any school in poland might be willing to employ me. however trying to find out my options as regarding employment obviously seems to have touched a raw nerve with you for some reason...this is the first time i have had a negative reply from a poster, and to be honest i feel it is unwarranted

Poland is a real slog to find and keep a place. That's just how it is.

thanks scottie. other option i have as regards teaching is to do a pgce course. this is a course for people who have a degree. it takes between 6 or 9 months, but in uk, you are then ( hopefully having passed it) qualified to work as a teacher.. will google CELTA so i can understand what it is. thanks for your help

In my opinion, you should pursue a career in this field in the UK (or some other western country). Teaching english is a nice option but you'll be better off working in your field of study. A career in science is much more lucrative/stable than ESL work in a foreign land. Sometimes when you leave your area of expertise for too long, you may not be able to get back into it. Think about your long term future, not just the next 12 months.

Unless of course you are looking to get out of that line of work or just want a break (and can take a break) from chemistry then disregard the above:)

cheers!


Oh shutup you grammar nazi, this is an internet forum not a job interview.

thanks for uplifting message BBman. you have cheered me up. i definitely want break, and just want to try out living in poland for a while. my problem is the location i live in is not great job wise. i would not have a problem finding work in s e england, but accommodation would be just too expensive. i have a flat, and mortgage, so its possible i could rent it out, but would obviously need to have work in poland. would just love the chance to spend time there...moze jeden dzien !!

Pam, don't put much pass on the people on this forum. I moved here about 3 years ago, got offered 4 jobs after 3 interviews. Do the CELTA and move to one of the smaller, less well-known cities and you'll find a decent paying teaching job no bother. I took two of the jobs that were offered and I'm still working for one of them and left the other coz the first one paid more.

Best of luck.

I am sure it would Pam, yes.
The CELTA is a four or five week course, you could do it in a Polish city.
Just be a bit careful that the course you choose offers a certificate that is accredited by RSA/cambridge or Trinity.
Don't listen to naysayers.

Disregard the naysayers here. If you want to try living in Poland for a year and work here while you're doing it, teaching is one of the few options open to you. At my school there is a teacher who has a degree in math. Sorry. That's American English for maths. It doesn't matter what your degree is in, only that you have one. Mine is in French, which turned out to be a plus when it comes to teaching another language. You wouldn't believe the number of people who come here and think that because they're native speakers they can find a job teaching English.

Get a CELTA. You'll find a job. It isn't always easy, but it's possible.

Where in Poland would you like to live?

are YOU really an English teacher, Terri?
You obviously do not know what that particular saying means.
Get off your high horse. Maybe you are worried that Pammie will steal your job?
Oh and BTW there's a fair few mistakes in your post too if you want to get picky.

HI Pam,

Living in Poland is very cheap versus the UK. If you want to try it you could live for under 250 pounds per month in a small city.

You could well get work as an English teacher but beware. They are often the least trustworthy people to deal with. If they pay you on contract you have to pay your taxes separately. Most Polish wages are quoted after tax and so you expenses like medical are covered. Often these companies quote you gross wages and then leave you unemployed for the summer. Get everything in writing.

Good Luck

i just have to have the last word on this one. yes i have made mistakes as to not understanding qualifications i might need to find work in poland. this is true. however, you presume my english should be of an acceptable standard. look at your post. your punctuation is sh*t. maybe i should employ you so as to ensure i have an acceptable standard of english? LOL!!

pam, if you want an objective and realistic assessment of working in Poland as a teacher without all the flak that people get on this thread, send me a pm.

thanks smurf, its nice to have nice messages..


not sure yet as have only been to poland 3 times. twice to krakow ( beautiful city, but too expensive ) and once to koszary, malopolska. would need lots more information first, as obviously location would be dependant on work. if i was wealthy, i would just travel around for a while and then make a decision...

Hi Pam, what did you do in Krakow and Koszary. How long did you spend there?

I would love to go and live in Poland also but I would be afraid that life is very hard there, so many people have left to make a better life for themselves elsewhere, this is only my own fear and not 100% good advise as I have never lived in Poland(I have only been there as a tourist). I would do a 2 or 3 week Polish course during the summer or winter though, have the best of both worlds, enjoy Poland, the language and the people etc. but not have the problems of living there(although there are problems in any country that you choose to live in).

Why would you like to go to Poland? You may have answered this already but I didn't read it. What would you like to do in Poland that you cannot do here?

Sorry if I am stating the obvious and being patronising, it is a bad habit of mine.

Pam on a positive note, its not that expensive to live in Poland if you have little expectations and want to enjoy the Polish way of life....a lot of comments on this topic are from people who think that you need to earn 10000zl a month to survive, this is utter rubbish, a lot of people earn 1500zl a month and get on with life.. Poland is full of surprises especially if you have a pleasant nature.. Good Luck and give it a go...

i am too tired to explain, as i need to go to sleep now, but was only tourist in krakow.explain about koszary jutro. ide spac..


aah , now i do have to go to bed!! yes , life is hard in poland, i know exactly how hard it is. have been there done that and got t shirt. 7 of my polish friends are going back to poland from uk. have just booked ticket for mariusz , my lokator. am driving him to bristol airport on sunday. we are not happy..

You have to have teaching qualifiactions to work as a teacher.
Why do you think you can work without it?

We've already established that she needs some credentials to work in Poland. Now it's only a matter of her deciding which one.

I have some British friends who work here without any other qualification than being a native speaker. They work for lower tier schools, but they do work, some more than others.

This is the reason for all of the flak Pam is receiving. More english teachers = more competition.

There is competition at the bottom end of the market, but most EFL teachers in poland are male, so a woman can usually find work more easily.

Having said that, the market in Poland has been declining for some time.

maybe i am ever so slightly dim, but did you not actually bother reading my posts? BOZE!


hi catsoldier, apart from the obvious ( improving my polish ) i would just like the chance to experience everyday life there...and i know its not easy. however i do like a challenge. i spend more time now talking to polish friends than my english ones. i learned the language ( very very badly) out of necessity. think i am addicted now to all things polish!!maybe you should take the bull by the horns and go for it yourself....thanks for all your positive messages

I don't think most EFL teachers in Poland are male. Maybe in lower tier schools, as I've already posted, but in better schools women outnumber men, and most of the women who teach Polish are Polish, and they're very good.

I'm not sure that the market has declined much, but it's certainly not growing. Part of that is because of the massive infusion of EU money for English programs. If a school gets a contract it's gravy. Otherwise the students go to another school because usually the courses are free. Which would you choose? Paying tuition at a school or getting a similar course for free? It's a no-brainer.

These funds will dry up next year. Good schools will still get students. The others will drop like flies. We'll see what happens.

I'm comparing now with ten years ago. When I moved to PL, I worked for an in-company training provider and at any one time they had 150 hours per week waiting in a queue because they couldn't get teachers fast enough. And most of the lessons were pre-Int or Elementary groups.

Now I hear from an ex-colleague that her company has just lost a very big contract to a language school who claim to provde native speakers (plus coursebooks etc) for 30zl per hour. God knows what miserable amount they pay the teacher out of that. In Warsaw too.


Do you mean native speakers or non-natives?