I am an American with teaching experience and an English degree, though no formal teaching degree. Presently, I am a journalist. I am planning on moving to Poland for a while because my best friend is from Warsaw and lives there, and I decided it was time for me to experience life in Poland.
She says it would be no problem for me to go there and find a job. Is this really the case? or should I have a job secured before I leave?
Yes. The regulations as I understand them are still that your first job in Poland _must_ be obtained (along with a visa with permission to work) while still in your home country. You cannot legalize your stay in Poland if you come without a job and find one here. If you can afford it, you could come to Poland, find a job and then go back to the states to get the visa but that's not easy or quick or cheap.
As for finding a job, use the internet send your resume to every school you can find and see if your friend can dig up something too.
IINM (don't take my word for it!) EU citizens are free to live and work in Poland and need no visas (though they have to register with the immigration office). I have no idea bout EU residents (permanent or temporary) who aren't EU citizens.
EU citizens are free to live and work in Poland and need no visas (though they have to register with the immigration office). I have no idea bout EU residents (permanent or temporary) who aren't EU citizens.
lbright, you should have no trouble finding a job here, although you'll find it easier if you have a CELTA. And you don't need to have a job before you come here. I didn't but found one in Gdansk shortly after finishing my CELTA in Warsaw. There are more job opportunities in Warsaw and the salaries are higher, but so is the cost of living. Still, even though you won't live high on the hog, you'll do all right.
As an American like me, when you arrive in Poland you'll have 90 days on your tourist visa. We're not citizens of an EU country. To stay longer you'll have to apply for a residency card, and you need 45 or more days left on your visa to do that. Good schools will help you with this and on your own it's a nightmare of a process. Poland signed the Schengen zone treaty in December limiting the time non EU citizens can stay here and I knew a couple of Amreicans who had long overstayed their visas. The subsequent hassles with the authorities weren't pleasant but at least they weren't banned from reentering the country which has happened to some people.
To get a residency card you'll have to provide a copy of your birth certificate, university degree, rental agreement, work contract, a statement from the IRS that says you don't owe any taxes, and a police report from your city to prove that you're not a criminal. I didn't have the last two, but this is Poland and they accecpted my statement that I wasn't an axe murderer and didn't owe any taxes. Oh, they wanted a copy of my CELTA also. Anyway, I got the card even though it took five months for them to process the paperwork. Again, this is Poland and that's not unusual.
Good luck and welcome to Poland in advance. It's a wonderful country and SO different from the US. I love it here.
google CELTA. It's a certificate for teaching English, and I've forgotten exactly what it stands for, but think of it as your worldwide passport to teaching jobs. Give me a couple of minutes while I did up my certificate and i'll have a more complete answer for you.
CELTA. Certificate in English language teaching to adults. It's offered worldwide and is under the aegis of Cambridge university so no matter where you do it you get the same piece of paper.
Simply out of curiosity. Thanks for the replies, and if you guys are ever in Gdansk I'll take you to the best pus, which we call a bar in the US, and buy you a beer.
Poor Edward, I'm outgoing by nature and am only truly extroverted in the classroom. Strangely enough my students like it and I've made some good friends there.
would CTLLs/Cert Ed be any use in Poland? I am new to teaching (Nov.2009) but teach literacy level 1 to 15-17 year olds. I am planning to do some ESOL classes as this is my ultimate aim. My wife is from Wroclaw and i sspeak some Polish and plan to settle there in a year or so. any advice most welcome. I visit Wroclaw 2-3 times a year and will be there in easter.
i'm an american looking for english schools that will hire an american, non eu with so far, no work visa. does anyone have any suggestions?
Connecitons, connections, connections. Try to get to know Polish people in the US with connections back in Poland and work them shamelessly. It's standard operating procedure in Poland so they shouldn't mind (they just might find it odd coming from an American....).
Alternatively, if you can afford it, sign up for a Polish course in Poland (not Krakow - saturated market) and cultivate connections and drop your cv everywhere you go. If someone in a hiring position knows you personally and likes you they'll be more willing to go through the extra paperwork a non-EU employee requires. Again, being upfront and assertive (and good at social banter) will help you a lot in Poland.
There are very many threads on that here so I suggest you read those and also put on a tin hat and prepare for some abuse. Your best bet is to get a TEFL qualification and do that.
Krakow is not a saturated market as someone wrote! I look for native English speakers for my private school almost every year and have trouble with that...
