What should I study for easy job in Poland?

Hello. I am looking at recommendations on something simple I can study to be able to find work quick in Poland. I have no formal qualifications or industry experience, besides Childcare and looking after people with disabilities (in my country). I am an English speaker from Australia, and can speak/read/write basic Polish. Looking at spending some time in Poland soon. Any suggestions welcome. Am I able to teach English without a teaching degree? What qualifications would I need and how hard is it to get a job? I understand that over all, getting a job isn't easy. What would I need to study here or in Poland in order to work at a Childcare centre? What jobs aren't heard to get but pay a wage you can survive on?

Ewa how long do you plan to spend in Poland? You say you're Australian so you can't work in Poland legally unless you have the right kind of visa. However, if you have some experience in childcare, maybe a job as an aupair would suit you. That would provide live-in accommodation. Otherwise I can't imagine what kind of job you could find, on which you could survive. Salaries for unqualified, unskilled people are really low. Yes you can teach English without a teaching degree. You could take a TEFL training course before you leave Australia which would give you a basic qualification in teaching English as a foreign language, but the competition is fierce as there are plenty of well qualified and experienced native speakers in the larger cities and the work at language schools is often not especially well paid.

@Ewa23

You could try getting a job in a call center. There might be one that needs native speakers with an Australian accent, which, face it, seems to be the only thing you have that might be saleable on the Polish job market. Without qualifications, you would probably start out in low-level sales (leads generation) or market research (phone surveys) or low-level debt collection. Neither job is particularly pleasant, and neither pays well, but if you are disciplined, you could survive on the meager wage.

You could try the language schools as well, but don't expect to find a good full-time job without being qualified in something. Again, the competition is fierce, especially in the larger cities. This isn't an easy field for a newbie to break into anymore. Without a certificate, you would probably find work only in a Callan, Avalon, Direct Method or Berlitz school. Lousy work for lousy pay. And I'm hesitant to tell you to sink 4000 PLN into getting a CELTA certificate because I'm not sure it would pay off in your case.

Forget about child and elder care. You won't be able to survive on that wage, as the competition for unskilled labor like this is enormous because unskilled workers are as common as cockroaches, and the pay is peanuts.

As for studying, well, there's nothing fast and easy that will help you. You really need to have a serious talk with your parents, and then find a competent education and career advisor who can give you concrete and practical guidance. I take it you are not university material, but there may be trades you could learn that are in demand and pay a decent wage, like plumbing or air conditioning, or dental hygiene or phlebotomy. Or you could go for something more ambitious in the healthcare field like x-ray tech, pharmacy tech or even nursing. You really have to discuss this with someone qualified who can assess your aptitude and temperament, and help you find placement in a good program that will actually help you embark on a useful career.

Here's a good rule of thumb to keep in mind. Whatever problems you have in Australia with education and career will be ten times worse in Poland. If you can't make it in Australia, then you won't be able to make it in Poland, which is a much harsher environment, especially for the unskilled and the unqualified.

It will be a lot easier for you to get qualifications and relevant work experience, and help doing so, in Australia than in Poland, and that is what I would advise you to do.

Hello Atch, thank you for your response. Both my parents were Polish, although no longer live there. If life in Poland is somewhat sustainable, I will look into the citizenship route (which can be a rather long process as I have no contact with my father and my mother doesn't have any Polish documents). I'm not sure how long I would stay, it would depend on some factors. Thank you for the insight, that doesn't seem too great haha.

@Ewa,

You unfortunately might well find a teaching position as an English-native speaker in Poland without a "degree", but surely not without at least some basic Polish under your belt!

:-)

She says she has basic Polish Lyzko.

@Ewa, Dominic B generally gives very good advice so you'd do well to think over what he says. It's generally not a good idea to go to a foreign country (and that's basically what Poland is for you despite your dual nationality) without some decent qualifications under your belt. There is no quick way to get a qualification that is going to result in employment with long term prospects for making a good living. It would be much easier for you to take up whatever study options are open to you in Australia and go to Poland after you've qualified. If you want to get a qualification in childcare, the most basic one that's worth the paper it's written on will take you a full academic year. If you enjoy the work, then go for a two year course such as Nursery Nurse with a management module in the second year, which would qualify you to lead a room in a playschool and eventually perhaps manage a creche when you have some experience under your belt. Make sure it's internationally accredited. It probably won't matter in Poland but if you're investing two years of your life in studying you want a qualification that will take you anywhere in the world. Don't discount places like Dubai or Japan where they pay well for English speaking childcare workers with a proper qualification.

I could be wrong, but I think a degree is the minimum required to lead classes in a nursery in Poland, isn't it?

There are some jobs out there in nurseries where you don't need qualifications, but to say that they are exploitative is an understatement.

Ah the English speakers from outside Europe. The laziest of all English speakers.

Learn a European language, get a skill or a degree or else you won't find any job here at all.

At best you might get a part time teaching job. No bar will hire you. No play school wants an Ignoramus.

Seriously, go back to college, maybe in Europe, but do not come here expecting a job if you have nothing to offer.

Polish or Ukrainian or Belarsuian people can do all the ordinary or even menial jobs easily enough because it just requires common sense and fluent Polish.

Similarly I do not know of one corporation who would give an English speaker without any qualifications and who doesn't speak any other language a job.

Even a Hostel won't hire you.

Fair point Delph. Actually in Poland, there are plenty of people with degrees in everything ranging from science to law teaching in kindergartens, but not qualified in early childhood education/care. Some of them do a few courses in child related stuff so their qualifications look a bit better on paper. Anyway, I meant a 'playschool' as in a 'free' play room in a creche as opposed to guided/structured play. Yes I know what you mean about the unqualified roles.However there are professional qualifications for nannies such as the NNEB diploma (I'm sure they have similar in Oz) which are suitable for people who aren't academic but want to work with children, perfect for a posh nursery in Kensington, Lady Di style :)) And it would impress a silly, snobby parent who wants to engage a nanny for her children 'she's a fully qualified nanny you know'. Mind you, who'd want to work for someone like that.......


Not quite true. It depends on the role they're hiring for. If you're just going to be in the baby room in a childcare centre changing nappies, feeding and playing with babies under a year old, then being warm and affectionate, vigilant and having a hefty dose of common sense is the most important thing. Plenty of unqualified women who have been mothers themselves are very capable in that role. But such work doesn't generally pay enough to live on.