Diary of a Teacher in Poland

It's a normal internet post, in standard educated English - formal enough for purpose. When writing online, (including in threads like this about teaching and education, where professionals have to be very aware of the register they use) it's important to be careful. Over-formal can come across as pompous - you often fall into this trap. There's also the issue of use of standard English, v. other variants like American English where there is a wide disparity in register between the formal and the informal.

I spend a lot of time with my postgraduate students undoing the damage caused by 'academic writing' courses that they've suffered.

I'm sure Delph has this issue, where kids' parents have odd ideas from courses they've taken.

I've found though in my many years of teaching that a majority of twenty-somethings well on up through late thirties are often clueless as to the irony as well the subtlety which is as natural to my lower-middle class US inner-city schooling/upbringing as drinking a glass of water!

Groucho Marx, the snappy patter of 60's TV detective shows, thrillers etc. truly seem to fall with a resounding thud on the deaf ears of both my native-born as well as even "advanced" ESLers, causing yours truly often to reduce our in-class conversations to a steady stream of baby talk, interrupted solely by the questions of those in the class who've somehow managed to remain awake:-) lol And I frequently hear the same from my department colleagues.

No question that the paucity of our English vocabulary, both here and abroad, is shockingly apparent. One only hopes that the dissemination of quality viewing and reading material can reverse this dismaying, indeed, dangerous trend.

It's standard educated colloquial English, precisely as is appropriate for an internet post. And essentially the same as the way you speak everyday in similar situations. But not in the least formal. Formal English diverges significantly from standard educated colloquial English in every part of the English-speaking world. So much so that, as you said, if used in the wrong setting, it would sound stilted or pompous.

"Albeit" and "hitherto" are words that are seldom seen outside of formal English. "Seldom" is a common and unremarkable element of standard educated colloquial English. It's very far from archaic or dated.

Maybe this is a national difference with 'seldom' being more common in the US than in other varieties? It certainly seems like an unremarkable word to me.

I say 'albeit' pretty normally and don't think of it as especially rarified (hitherto is another kettle of fish and would be weird in everyday usage).

It isn't colloquial in mainstream UK English. As I say, check CELEX for the frequency - you'll find it's quite lower than the alternatives


This is possible. In the UK it would come across as older, posher, whiter and more likely to be written than spoken.


Same here, Albeit is OK, hitherto is a bit like seldom.

And yet you yourself used it in a mainstream colloquial UK English post.

I have far broader lexical control than most people - hence a more nuanced choice of low frequency words.

@jon357

Your language is bog-standard educated colloquial English. Your vocabulary is mid-range for same. Nothing out of the ordinary, at all. Certainly nothing indicating that you have "far broader lexical control than most people - hence a more nuanced choice of low frequency words".

Actually, it's a very broad vocabulary. We linguists are in an optimal position to assess this.

Interesting that you're trying to go off topic just to argue with your betters.

Are you familiar with CELEX (or its English-language source COBUILD)? A very meet and commodious resource for those of us who write textbooks.

I have two doctorates, and a degree in classical languages and another in German. And more than thirty years experience as a translator and editor. I highly doubt that your vocabulary is "better" than mine, even if I don't count scientific and medical terminology.

Oooh, touchy. Nice that your account above entirely conflicts with the resume you sent me by PM, last time you were called out.

No, it doesn't. They are entirely consistent.

Ditto this! I was in a middling French class at school where we went through textbooks and grammar tables while the teacher tried to explain the grammar rules in English. Really didn't sink in, I got bored, and to this day my French is limited to telling people I have a brother and I play football. The uppermost class had a teacher who was French and didn't speak English in class, all of them went on to pass highers and some went to University to study language. Not saying I would have done better in French if the teacher only spoke French, however when I have been put in situations in other languages where I have no English "Safety Net" I have picked things up really quite quickly.

for goodness sake Jon get a grip. You are an English language teacher, like many others here, not some linguistic genius or expert.
Also, why would Dominic lie?

Attention maybe.

I think he may have been terminated again Z.

Do you? No news from him for the last couple of months or so, so there exists now a very big gap in his "Diary of a Teacher in Poland".

Interesting article, An elementary school teacher at the top of their pay grade in Poland earns only $26K a year, thats frigging peanuts!

businessinsider.com/teacher-salaries-by-country-2017-5#elementary-school-teachers-best-and-worst-1

One would only wonder why someone wouldn't want to take a teaching job in the UK making double the amount of money, unless they're under qualified of course.

Maybe because living in the Uk costs twice as much ?

Unless, of course, you work in an international school teaching the English curriculum for an English salary... :)

Teachers in international schools are well paid in Poland.

that would be your answer.
To teach English as a second language, all you need is a four week certificate course. Most people that do this are graduates, but not all by any means.

To teach English as a school subject, one would need a degree, a year training course, plus a probationary year to get qualified.

Or in my case, a first degree, a PGCE (one year training), plus a two year MA that included two years of practical and theoretical training, plus the Polish induction year / ongoing training to get promoted further (I'm a "nominated teacher", working towards being a diploma teacher) . And I've got QTS in England, and I didn't have to do the induction because I'm fully qualified in Poland.

Certainly beats working in a warehouse like some jealous Americans here.

What would a warehouse worker in America be jealous of ?
There certainly is no comparison in wages compared to a daytrip organizer for children in Poland.
My guess is that a warehouse worker makes double if not triple what you do.
But then again a warehouse workers job consists of more then stapling coloring book pages together.

it's a bit sad though isn't it, to get all those qualifications and then work for a company that seems incapable of stringing an English sentence together...

Anyway Delph - stop pretending you are a high earner, you obviously are not. What happened with the PGCE? did you **** up the probationary year and leave the country?;;)

So you admit your not a real teacher yet? LOL

I knew you wouldn't be accepted to teach in the UK because of your underachieving skills. Im surprised they let you teach in Poland by the way you conduct yourself on the internet. Normal teachers don't behave like you and I find it very hard to believe they would let someone with your character and lack of judgement around little children.

Poor "Joker", unable to comprehend that the translation of "nauczyciel mianowany" is "nominated teacher".

If you're going to comment, at least try and know something about Poland first. By the way, isn't it too early to be taking breaks, lumper? Get back to those trucks, they won't unload themselves!

The PGCE? Passed it. It's only a pass / fail anyway, nothing more.

Too funny! Lets compare salaries and see who does the laughing? Hahaha

I know why you cant travel anywhere and why you're on the internet 24/7. You simply cant afford it. Your whole life is what you see through google.


Im the boss and dont have to answer to anyone, especially you!

I will earn $1000 or more today, what about you?

The "teacher status" issue clearly overrides that of a perhaps far better paying, yet less culturally illustrious, profession. It's all a question of societal perception. A published art historian, for example, earns a pittance, and probably always will, compared with a hedge-fund manager, top broker, or certainly any contemporary rap star or major athlete whose salaries in the latter case often far exceed their talent. I call it representative vs. actual value:-)

Today's garbage men are highly unionized and can earn quite nicely. All this for merely handling trash all day, and what with no more required than at most a ninth grade education. Far more cultivated, educated and skilled workers in professions such as academia often earn far less for doing far more work which is scarcely replaceable in contrast with a man or woman whose repetitive task could really be done by anybody.

Dude, we saw his linkedin...totally full of crap....Has a 2-year degree from a college in the UK, and a 4-year degree in English Literature from a Polish university in Poznan, but not in teaching, and not in linguistics. So basically, a fine arts degree. His timeline and education would have never qualified him to be eligible for a PGCE because he would need a 4 year degree, which he was incapable of earning in the UK apparently, then studies in a Polish uni, in their notoriously lesser quality programs that are instructed entirely in English, and got a fluff degree to boot. Didn't see one thing on his linkedIn that suggested he held any teacher qualification at all.


If you want to talk about unions, look up how much a teacher makes in Chicago. Cha-ching$$ These are accredited professional teachers though, not make believe.

This thread is a farce!

That's not totally truw though lyzko. English teachers in gulf countries can easily make 100k plus the tax rate is only 10%. Korea japan and china pay well too. Theres a few elite schools out in russia kazakhstan and a few c asian countries where a teacher makes 80k plus. Theyll save almost all that money as their food and rent is basically paid for. It's a great job for a young person who wants to take off a year to replenish their savings account.

In my suburb teachers average salary is 120k at the local public school. You can live an upper middle class existence but unfortunately in Europe its different teachers dont get paid their worth esp in poland... such is poland though where uneducated coal miners are paid more than doctors and professors.

I actually hope to become a teacher later in life as I get closer to retirement/semi retirement. I want to teach business, economics, trading, etc. If i can get even 1 kid to be interested and use what I taught him or her and end up with enough money where they and their spouses, kids, family, etc can be financially secure ill feel I have contributed back at least something