Advice on Teaching English in Poland

CELTA is the best by a long way. The Trinity cert TESOL is also accepted widely.

Those are the only two courses worth doing if you want to teach in Poland.

celta graduates like to think thay have the best course

trinity is widely known and respected

tefl international graduates more per year than trinity

none of them are cheap

plenty of work in smaller cities for unqualified native speakers - just turn up at your local callan if you dont want the expense of a cert

I'm a Trinity graduate myself and think that the Trinoty course itself is superior but CELTA is more widely known.


Entirely agree.


But it's not well-known here is it? More of an Asian course.

I don't think much about my CELTA, it was one month and then all over. What matters is teamwork here, whether it be with a co-teacher like in Profi, or informing others of ur progress in Callan. I have slightly more freedom at Britam. The CELTA is just like my LLM, letters on a piece of paper, whoopdeedoo. 2 a penny these days TEFL qualifications

that's for the feedback - excuse my early novice knowledge here....

1)
What is callan?

2)
what do you mean by 2 a penny....?

Thanks!

Callan is a teaching method, Speed is the name of the company that does it here in Gliwice. I trained others in the method for a while.

2 a penny means there are so many that have that qualification that those that have it aren't that unique

me too - but that doesnt stop celta grads thinking theirs is the best ;-)



good question - they have at least 8 centres in europe pumping out grads every month and have been doing so for a good few years now. they also have a different approach to conducting 'business' than the other 2 major providers which has helped them build a solid brand quickly. they are, and will continue to be, major players

the ceo is american and the company as teflintl targeted americans to begin with - hence the popularity of their asian centre locations



as seanus says, callan is a teaching method. callan as a brand has done phenominally well in the polish market... for a number of reasons. avalon is the latest method to appear - produced by ex-callan teachers with an updated set of materials but not much else - they will be agressively marketing in poland and infact have a training sessions for new avalon schools in warszawa tomorrow

the great thing about these direct methodologies for potential teachers is that you probably wont be asked for any sort of teaching qualification - you will be trained up in the method and then be good to go

Just thought I'd revive this b4 it gets deleted.

Any students have any questions?

Where does one take the Trinity course?

Many places

I was one of the writers of the new method but it has been put on the back burner for the time being. Avalon is not that popular I've heard. A nice name but devoid of content is the word on the street.

As for the Trinity, it's globally recognised so can be taken in so many places.

Right now I am planning on taking the CELTA course in Wrocław in July. Will this leave me enough time to find a position for the fall?

It's a 1-month course so u'll be done in August sometime. It depends on the school u apply to. The starting times aren't streamlined. Oct is common although most schools offer summer work

Everyone you can make decent to great money teaching English in Poland provided that:
You know how to teach
Stay long enough to build up your private clients.weekly
I worked 30 hrs. for a school and about 10 hrs weekly private.
I averaged about 1200pln to 1500pln weekly.
But it took two years to build my private clients.
I loved teaching in Poland I was well respected and enjoyed my time so much I may go back.
Prague is great wonderful city too many tourists though. My advice if you are confident about your english abilities is get your TEFL online for about $250. Then go to Prague and have fun. I recommend the Prolog school in Krakow for basic Polish lessons they are great. http://www.polishcourses.com/
anyone wishing candid real advice without the meddling of the uninformed feel free to e-mail my account and I will answer you as soon as I can.

I'm highly sceptical of online courses as there is no substitute for real contact and classroom exp. I am assessed by 42 different criteria and the great majority must be demonstrated in a classroom setting. Teaching is an art and its essence shouldn't be diluted by doing online courses.

Online courses should be seen as gathering info but should not be taken too seriously.

Online courses serve their purpose which, as you say, is nothing more than info gathering introduction to the world of ELT. That said, a full 120 hr cert with a whopping 6 hrs of observed TP is not considered as anything more than an initiation into the art of teaching English, if indeed it is an art.

I agree, the CELTA or Trinity courses are far from ideal but they are entry level courses b4 embarking on a DELTA or MSc. To be frank, in my experience in 4 different schools, observations are not that regular anyway.

CELTA gave me a further schooling but I wouldn't say it was worth 950 quid. Especially given the hugely varied nature of teaching. They are just letters when u secure employment. I've had to change tack so many times in teaching. Any course that indoctrinates u in one way of teaching isn't giving u a full picture. U almost inevitably have to retrain anyway.

I have spent very little time at the ELT chalk face over the last ten years or so, which I am grateful for. If I do decide to go back into the classroom at some point in the future, I really think I would rather just teach Callan or some other Method than fart around with whatever the latest approach in ELT is. I just cant be bothered with all the crap that comes with it. It's not worth the effort. Perhaps its best if I leave the teaching to others ;)

It's ur call but choose wisely if u do put ur teaching boots back on. Choosing the right method is key

hi,
I see that you have a DELTA. Did you find the course very intensive? I am thinking about taking such a course, but i am afraid it would be too hard to study for a DELTA and teach at the same time. Would you recommend it?

Alessandra

this is my address

sweetmanalessandra@yahoo.co.uk

Who has a DELTA?

I like Delta too, but lately I am more inclined towards Ridgid and DeWalt.

That's because you are a tool.

Harry, how do u imagine ur typical Polish student to be?

Upper management in a medium to large-sized company. But then I specialise in that.

I don't mean that. Sorry, I was ambiguous. I mean as a language learner.

Do you have to have a university degree to teach English in Poland? What if you are currently studying but you have some sort of TESOL/TEFL/TESL certification?

Go for it. You might not walk into a job as quickly as someone who has a degree, or have as many options open to you. Then again, it might make no difference at all. There are plenty of schools desperate for a native speaker on their teaching staff

Cool, thanks VaFunkoolo. Any specific advise for would-be english teachers without college/university diplomas would be welcome.

Probably easiest to find a job once you're 'on-the-ground'. Present yourself well, up-date your CV (resume) and do the rounds of schools in the area. You are more likely to find work at certain time of the year than others - start of the academic year is best.