Teaching English in Krakow - where to start looking and the process?

I am looking for a job teaching english in krakow, anywhere from 6 months to a year.
I have a teaching certificate from the state of Illinois, have worked as a private tutor, an english native speaker and fluent in Polish.
Not sure where to begin looking and how the whole process works, any advice?

check all the similar threads. some will give hope, some not. however, most of them show the reality of teaching in Poland.

You and ten million others are also looking.

If you want to work in Poland, go elsewhere. If you want to want to work in Krakow because "it's pretty" - then prepare for a life of unemployment.


Go to the small towns where they'll treat you like a princess. Seriously.

It's English not english.

And "It's English, not english", not "It's English not english". Don't initiate Muphry's Law.

" any advice?"

Yes: forget about teaching in Krakow. You'll earn more money and see it go much further in other places. Plus you may even get a boss who treats you well (you won't in Krakow, you're to replaceable there).

I'd suggest Lublin: it's an utterly cracking place.

but a very dull place to live with a pretty sh1t nightlife and crap pubs.

" pretty sh1t nightlife and crap pubs."
Are you insane? Grodzka 15 is very possibly the best bar in Poland!!! And there are numerous places with Perla on tap. As for nightlife, it's admittedly a bit studenty but still very decent.

You have to be joking - with nearly 100,000 students there it is hardly a dull place to live and I should know as I lived there for seven years.

It certainly doesn't look dull - I spotted several good bars when I was there!

And Lublin isn't exactly far from Warsaw as well.

" And Lublin isn't exactly far from Warsaw as well."
Two hours by train. And I'm told it can be only 20zl by bus (personally, as it's TLK, I pay the 50 zl for a first class train ticket).

I was chatting to a Canadian guy last night, who's looking for work in Krakow. He's got some kind of TEFL, no teaching experience, but has had three interviews. I don't think he's been here very long. So there is work out there, but I wonder when or if he'll actually be taken on by a school.

From what I've read it seems to be a tough market here. There are loads of schools, so I do wonder how much quality is compromised with the vast quantity we have here.

If you can go somewhere else, do.

There have been some real horror stories about this place on the internet (whether it's true or now, who knows, we teachers LOVE to complain, but then - no smoke without fire), and I'm slightly worried about having to find work here. I'm going to start doing that this week and let you all know how I get on.

I'm sure the attitude here is pretty similar to that in London where CELTA qualified people are two a penny, and where most have teachers been doing it for years, so I'm kind of prepared for the massive let down.

I'm in the position that I have to teach in Krakow, but if I could have the same set up elsewhere I'd take it in an instance. There are too many teachers here but too few good ones. "Native" doesn't mean sh1te any more; you have to be good too.

If you are looking for a teaching job in Kraków, let us know. Our school is looking for Native Speakers of English. We offer 20-30 working hours a week. For more information contact us at info.szkolaatgmail

Funny.:):):) But it belongs to bin, anyway.

Notice they don't mention qualifications, experience or salaries!

A joke ;-)

Let alone the address is unavailable.

Yes, someone played a nasty joke on native speakers, who, having read the ad, boarded the first plane to Krakow hoping for teaching land of plenty there.

I am interested in teaching in Krakow. UK/USA dual citizen. I will be coming to Krakow next to week see what is available. Greg ghfess@gmail

There's nothing available. Don't bother.

Agree. The market is super saturated with native speaking wannabe teachers, and this is the wrong time of the year to be looking. The only teaching jobs your likely to find in Kraków are at lousy schools for lousy pay under lousy conditions. The good jobs are already taken. You're about 15 years to late to cash in on the Polish market for English teachers. That ship has long since sailed, and the market has contracted because of the financial crisis.

The same is also true for Warsaw and Wrocław, and to a large extent for the other cities that are attractive to westerners, like Poznań and Gdańsk. There still may be some opportunities out there in small provincial towns, but you're going to have to look really hard for them, especially at this time of year.

Also, Kraków, Warsaw and Wrocław are wonderful cities to live in if you've got cash. They are not much better than £ódź or Katowice if you don't. Unless you're bringing in a guaranteed 4000 PLN a month, including in the summer months, which is difficult, it's probably not worth taking a teaching job in Kraków, Warsaw or Wrocław. You're better off trying your luck in the States.

Even the bad jobs will already be taken in Krakow.

I'm not sure that the market has contracted as such, rather that the market has become so full of schools that students can pick and choose where they study - meaning that schools can no longer offer the guaranteed contracts.

But having said this, schools in places like Krakow don't even need to give a second glance to "teachers" like the poster above.

That e-mail address really inspires confidence.