Some cold, hard facts about teaching in Poland for newbies

That's true! I had a scenario whereby a guy's company paid him through but they naturally insisted on the issuing of an invoice. Most private students don't but it's standard courtesy to ask them first.

On Wednesday I taught five, back-to-back sixty-minute one-to-one lessons in-company. Tomorrow I'll have six (unless someone cancels at the last minute). Preparation is everything.

It's horses for courses; I found teaching one-to-one lessons much easier and less work than teaching groups.

I prefer groups.
I have let a quite a few 1-1 students go for the following reasons: they come completely unprepared and expect I'll just push their "talk" button; they don't take corrections; they cancel short-notice 2 times in a row more than twice.

I have gone so far as to put my 1-1 students together in pairs (halving my income) and charge them half.

Prepare for your lessons folks. It makes them interesting, motivating and far far easier in the end.

I have combined classes like that before. I have charged between 50-70PLN in so doing.

My rule is that they must cough up if they cancel on the same day. Teachers need a safety net too.

They don't take corrections, For4? You mean don't take them well or plainly blank you out when you try it?

if under 18's are doing this it means they are spending mums money elsewhere.

some folk really do have to be somewhere else, business meetings etc. arrange your timetable so that if they don't turn up it causes little inconvenience to you.

over the years u might find that you're teaching the kids or friends of such people.

some people have just gone with : ya; uh-huh or rozumiem. I make corrections if and when the meaning is lost through mistakes. If they don't correct their speaking that's fine by me but no way in hell am I going to just have a chat with them and listen to that- it's too tiring


Thanks but I like how I do things- more kids for you to teach I guess

Chatting is too tiring for you, For4? I know what you mean. I need to assign tasks which serve as a breather. I had a 2-hr translation session where a student talked endlessly and I also had to translate on top of that. Couple that with the weather being muggy and it's pretty clear how I felt. Teaching is draining which makes planning your time all the more important.

Chatting is ok if I and the person I am chatting with are both genuinely interested in the topic at hand.

That's the key! Keeping records of what I've done and with whom has assumed paramount importance. You need to keep them happy and part of that involves you showing that you are organised. I don't teach with any alcohol now and that works two ways.

^What? You mean that was ever an option?
Keeping a file can be tiresome in that, ime, I end up trying to recreate what a course book does except it's more tailored. I think I'm just going to go back to course books.