Advice on Teaching English in Poland

which particular programmes?

and are you noticing english language schools breaking away from teaching english and branching out into a broader range of (vocational) subjects - secretarial skills, IT etc etc

sorry for the barrage of questions but they relate to a conversation i had earlier in the day which sparked an interest - i hope you dont mind

thinking of teaching BW?

not if i can possibly help it

They haven't specified the exact nature or outline of the course but I expressed my willingness last May when I was interviewed for the job. I did Management at Uni for 4 years so it would be nice to apply some of the things I learned. Language teaching is becoming more functional/practical but the branching out process has been tentative. I find there to be a nice blend between grammatical aspects and vocational topics, they are often interspersed and not so mutually exclusive. Secretarial skills hasn't popped up so far, it could be a topic of conversation. I taught IT but at such a basic level. It was one of my stronger subjects in my undergrad. I have to coordinate the workload with my co-teacher so there is limited latitude really, mild deviations from the book so far but that may change. Any other questions? I have to hit the sack soon

and how exactly do they manage that when you have to register then wait on a waiting list they dont get readily handed out you know ... i have been on a council housing list 5 years .... and nothing ... so to say polish people get free council house is incorrect!

lol - not now, no... and i wouldnt want to keep you up

thanks :-)

Be sure about securing a place first and read up on ur rights as a foreigner here. There have been numerous cases of jobs being offered, the paperwork apparently finalised, and the plugged being pulled very late into proceedings, i.e when the teacher has moved country. There was a thread about it. The teaching itself is quite straightforward if u r used to it. I've learned to use my discretion more, e.g the book prescribes pairwork but I do small groupwork etc. What more can I say?

Will,
In regards to "I'm in the US, finishing my last year of graduate school, and I am thinking about going to Prague for a TEFL certificate and then to Poland. Is it true that English teachers are paid so little? I had thought that they make a good salary by local standards." Native English teachers make on average 3x more money than a local teacher. I to Canada returned from Poland from vacation not too long ago. I sat in on classes at a private school and really enjoyed it. The PAY is very good compared to the standard of living. Poland is the highest paid TESOL teachers in Eastern Europe. Also, the usual ratio is that you make 3x+ than the cost of living.

Michal is the only poster on this thread who knows what he's talking about. Wages are terrible. I had to pay my school to hire me and I pay them every month for the privilege of teaching there. I ran out of my savings so I've been sleeping in the streets. Right.

I did my CELTA last summer at Bell in Warsaw and found a job with them in Gdansk. It was cheaper to do the CELTA in Poland than in the US, including airfare, so that was a no brainer and I wanted to take the course in the country where I wanted to work. As a first year teacher I make 2400 zl a month (that's on a contract-I teach 22-24 hours a week)) and another 125 zl for every Saturday I teach. Saturday class is three hours-I included that in my total weekly hours. I live in a small flat about five minutes from school and Old Town. Rent is 700 zl plus utilities, phone, internet, etc. It comes to about 1100 or so every month. I got a good deal on the rent because while the location is primo the school has had a contract with the owner for some time so he doesn't raise the rent, and that's happening everywhere in Old Town. The school also helped me with my application for a residency card-invaluable. The salary increases as you get more experience. Seems fair to me.

I have met teachers at other schools in Gdansk who make more than I do without any qualifications. It's possible. I've gotten calls from other schools asking me to teach various classes such as business English-I already do that through my school-but there's always been a time conflict. I'm a whole lot older than the rest of you good folks here and my experience in sales and sales management has led to a couple of fun in-company jobs teaching management-all through my school. I love teaching and I love being in Poland, especially here in Gdansk.

That's my experience so far. Just my 2 gz.





The school also helped me with the application for my residency card.

This is a very sad number. When I taught in Gdansk a decade ago, Bell were paying newly qualified teachers GBP105 a week (I was jealous because I was only on GBP 95 a week for the same number of hours at a different school). Back then GBP105 a week was about 2400zl a month and a reasonable wage, more than double the average national wage. But now it is a hell of a lot less money and about 75% of the average national wage.

Do you think that Bell has put its prices up in the last ten years? By how much? Any ideas why they still pay teachers exactly the same?

I figured I'd hear from you about this Harry. The reason I posted this is because no one else has mentioned how much they make and I thought the OP deserved at least one real life example.

I don't know about Bell ten years ago so I can;t address either the salary issues or whether Bell has raised its prices. As I mentioned, i know teachers at other schools who make more money, most by working at two schools. That's fine. I chose Bell because of their excellent resources and incredible support in every area I've neded. When my young American friend left for Thailand a couple of weks ago-before his contract ended-the DOS (who had taught in Thailand helped him locate a school and let him use school facilities to fax some necessary documents. He also paid him for his end of contract bonus.

BTW, I'm on a contract so I'm not paid by the hour. When we had a two week Christmas break followed by a two week semester break in January, I still got my base monthly salary, and because I taught some in-company classes durong the semester break I earned extra money. As I said, base is 2400, actual with Saturdays is about 3000 zl.

I've read some pretty negative comments about Bell both here on and eslcafe. Maybe they were true then, but not now, except for the relatively low salary which will invrease in time. It's better than some schools, worse than others. I guess we all have to choose what it is we're looking for in a school.

Harry, if you personally know of other schools in Gdansk which pay more, would you name them?

Hi Scottie

I take it your having a good experience teaching then?

My advice for teaching english in Poland is get paid before the lesson no matter what otherwise you will never get paid, polish people are more interested in getting drunk or getting a new pair of shoes than paying you fro your lessons.

Yes, I love it. I have great students, all highly motivated. We just finished the first semester and critiques from my students indicate they like me. I had a review with my DOS on Friday-he does too and told me there's probably be going to be some in-company work here in the summer. Good news because except for a short vacation I want to stay here during the summer. He also wants me to return next fall, and no, Harry, it's not because he doesn't have to pay me much. I'll actually get more money next year.

lowfunk99, if you'd like to ask more questions feel free to email. Adress is in profile.

Maybe that was just you they didnt want to pay, who would want to pay for a lesson that consisted of "oh deeeery me"

The salary does not increase in time: it exactly the same as it was more than a decade ago. Prices (in general and of the lessons at Bell specifically) however have greatly increased. The salary now is worth half what it was a decade ago.

You want to name the schools which are paying more than Bell? The only one I know of which pays less is Berlitz and that's famed for paying terrible wages.


Sure: English Unlimited, Empik, Stanley's School, Distinction Language Centre, and those are only the ones which I know for a fact pay more because I know people who work or have worked for them!

Thanks for the info, Harry. When I said the salary will go up I meant mine next year. My DOS and I have already discussed it.

You mean they pay experienced teachers more than inexperienced teachers? Well there's an innovative approach. I wonder if it will catch on. Pity they pay inexperienced teachers the same amount of zloty (i.e. less in real terms) that they did more than a decade ago.

You want to name the schools which are paying less than Bell?

Sound advice would be to know ur contract, people have been tripped up on those niggling little provisions which have cost them. I've been a teacher for 3.5 years here, although I'm not at liberty to discuss my contracts.

does anyone teaching actually consider their contract to be worth the paper its written on...?

Are you kidding? I always used to keep my contracts in the bathroom and more than once they proved worth their weight in gold (when the toilet paper had run out).

Still, they can sting u legally if u r not careful, it can happen

as i've noticed over the last lil while, Harry is usually right more often than not when he chimes in.

if anyone wants to know specifics of contracts then send me a message on this thing but if i were you i'd go to Harry first, dude's on the ball.

Thanks for the kind words. It's not that I'm an all-seeing omniscient guru (I'm certainly not that, half the time I need both hands to find my arse even if I'm given a map), it's just that I spent more than a decade teaching English here and learned the hard way (although I had friends who learned in much harder ways) that law means little when it comes to contracts for teaching English here. Even if you have an absolutely cast-iron case (i.e. your contract says you get $x thousand if y happens and it does happen), because your contract will almost certainly not be a labour contract but instead a commercial contract (i.e. you are not an employee but instead contracted for a specific task), you'll be waiting four or five years for the case to come to court and before it does, the other side can usually convince a judge to make you deposit the amount they'll be claiming in costs if you lose. Generally speaking, the legal route is not one you'll ever be taking.

Especially not given that there are so many other ways to get even with a boss who doesn't pay you. Last boss who didn't pay me was told that he might see me in court sometime but I really did want my tax paperwork and a copy of my work/residency permit application because I'd be needing those for my next job. "You can't have them" the Swede replied (mainly because I'd always been paid in used Dollar notes). "OK. I'll just write to the tax office and labour office and explain it to them. I'm sure they will understand." "Ah, OK, you can have the paperwork." "And it will reflect that I have actually been paid the one month's pay in lieu of notice and the $500 travel allowance we're in dispute over, won't it? Otherwise I'd be saying that I earned money which I didn't earn and that would a lie." "F*cker. Here's the cash. Do you want the paperwork?" "Not right now. You hang on to it. I might need to come back and get it if the reference from here doesn't get me another job very soon." (At the time of having that chat I'd already secured a full-time job which would start the next day).

you must have some sized ass then mate ... :) if you require a map ..!

What I've learned is that the students expect the native speakers to be entertaining. They don't have to be 'all that' as teachers, just capable of being light-hearted and approachable. It's getting the balance right that's the niggly part. I'm quite comfortable teaching any grammar but there is a need to get involved. Maybe it's a question of giving them a distraction from a humdrum existence. Keeping interest is also important. Many students already know the material b4 I teach it so u have to 'doll it up' and give it some spice. It's a game.

The stakes are raised when passing an exam based course is at issue. The Cambridge complet or LCCI for example. I feel the need to be professional to a high level as they pay good money for these courses and don't want to feel cheated.

Me bestist techir in hole Pooland me get much much money me very happy.

me get much money and no speak english me very happy to

Me speaks Scottish, howz bout that? LOL

Does anyone have advise on the current best TESOL or EL certification programs for someone to become certified to teach English in Poland?