American native English speaker seeking employment in Warsaw

♂

Aug 7, 11, 19:32 #1

I am currently looking for employment in Warsaw starting in September. Also open to southern Poland around Katowice. In January, I completed a TEFL course in Prague before moving to Budapest. I am originally from California. I have a broad range of experience both in teaching, government, and non-profit work. I have experience teaching in a business and professional environments. I have also created original course material for use in my training courses. Most recently I have been teaching English at various businesses in Budapest along with private students mostly at the intermediate and advanced levels. I have also worked in Austria and Slovakia conducting an intensive English Language courses in the public schools.

I am available to teach from beginner to advanced levels in grammar, conversation, and business English. I am outgoing and enjoy getting the students to laugh as well as think in new creative ways. Additionally I am looking for a school that would be willing to help me process the proper work visa application. I will be able to meet in person starting August 25th. Will send CV upon request.

Thank you
Lon

Dommie B.

Aug 7, 11, 22:45 #2

The problem is that your school will have to apply for work permission for you before you can apply for a work visa, and very few schools are willing to take on the hassle and cost of doing so, especially in Warsaw and the bigger, popular cities. That is, unless you have a lot of experience, which you don't.

Your best bet is to check out who is advertising jobs and apply for them. They will be mostly in small towns, or in cities that are not so popular. You might find one in the Katowice area, perhaps. If you see someone advertising a job in a big popular city like Warsaw, Cracow, Wrocław, Poznań or Gdańsk, beware. Reputable schools in these cities have no need to advertise because of the abundance of native speakers available. If a school in a popular city has to advertise, there's something wrong.

Go where the jobs are, and don't expect to find a job where you would like to go. The market in the bigger popular cities is saturated with teachers far more educated and experienced than you, so avoid the competition and look for jobs in the less well-known towns where native speakers are desperately needed enough to justify going through the rigamarole of getting a work permit for you. You can actually earn more quality-of-life wise in a small town, too. City life in Poland is much more expensive than in the small towns.

A good rule of thumb is that, if you've heard of a city, so has everybody else.

Never work for a Callan method, Avalon or "Direct Method" school. If you hear these words, run, don't walk, away. They are mostly shoddy outfits.

♂

Edited by: JonnyM Aug 7, 11, 23:34 #3

f you see someone advertising a job in a big popular city like Warsaw, Cracow, Wrocław, Poznań or Gdańsk, beware. Reputable schools in these cities have no need to advertise because of the abundance of native speakers available. If a school in a popular city has to advertise, there's something wrong.

Mostly very good advice except for this bit. A lot of schools in big cities specialise in in-company work, and can land a contract at any time and often at short notice. All schools have a list of preferred freelancers but the best ones fill their timetables quickly and corporate clients often want lessons at peak hours only - when most teachers are busy.

So an in-company training provider doesn't work on the semester system and sometimes finds it has to advertise urgently for teachers.

LonmanThreads: 5 Posts: 75 Joined: Sep 13, 07 ♂	Aug 8, 11, 03:17 #4
Thanks for the advice. Thats why splitting the market search between Warsaw and Katowice. I am on the positive side of there being work in Warsaw if you look hard enough and catch at right moment. Thanks

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Aug 8, 11, 09:10 #5

Hi there. I'm a New Yorker and I lived in Poland for a year and a half teaching english in Warsaw. I showed up with no prior experience and no proper visa. I found a lot of work teaching "business english" until most of those lessons got slashed after christmas break 08/09 because of the financial crisis, after which I switched to private lessons. I wound up teaching at Cisco Systems, one-on-one lessons with the CFO of Nordea (who then had me give lessons to his wife as well) Bank Pekao, Real estate companies, ad agencies, and even at some government ministry.

I don't remember the schools I worked for that well but look up "NavyBlue" school. It's primary method is Callan method. Its boring but they find students and you teach them there, also they always try to find corporate clients and while I was there they gave me all of their corporate clients. Also seek out the Greenwhich School, although that one seemed to be going out of business because they primarily focused on corporate clients and they got dropped by most of them once the crisis hit. My favorite was the denisschool http://www.denisschool.com/ they hooked me up with work at Bank Pekao and the government ministry.

Then another good idea is to try to get a good private student or two. My then girlfriend in Poland hooked me up with giving lessons to her cousin who was fairly rich and through her I landed two other students with parents willing to pay 80zl a lesson.

I hope this helps, considering that I had ZERO qualifications you should do pretty well with the background you're boasting. Command high fees as they are willing to pay them, and if you can impress them enough during the interview process they will hire you regardless of your papers and pay you under the table because American teachers are scarce and you might be the difference between them gaining or losing a major corporate client. Dress sharp too this impresses them a lot.

masks98Threads: 32 Posts: 374 Joined: Apr 10, 08 ♂	Aug 8, 11, 09:20 #6
Oh here's another lead, I had a great time teaching at this summer camp in Augustow and it was a nice change working with children as most of my students in Warsaw were adults. This camp was a breeze, it paid decent and I even got a nice bonus at the end the people were great. http://www.letnioboz.com.pl/

♂

Aug 10, 11, 07:51 #7

Mask
Thanks for the good positive information on your experiences in Warsaw. My background and experience are rather unique and I am not a post college person looking for first job I have been out in the world. I have a place to live so for me just going to be knocking on doors and yes dressing well and talking up my gifts. I have been using this really good resource https://www.znajdejezyk.pl/index.html to contact schools though most are still on break for another couple of weeks.

Could not find an email address on the school page you mentioned? Camps are done for season.

Where are you now... back in US?

masks98Threads: 32 Posts: 374 Joined: Apr 10, 08 ♂	Nov 21, 11, 10:50 #8
Hey Lonman how did your job hunt go? Forgot to check back so I didnt see your last post. Have you found work? was it easy and has it been everything you had hoped?

b8hovenThreads: - Posts: 6 Joined: Sep 25, 09 ♂	Dec 9, 11, 04:46 #9
I must agree with all that masks98 has said here. I taught english for the same school, and it sounds like you took my old classes :) Hopefully I'll be coming back in April next year, but after teaching English for four years I am definitely sick of it and I'll be looking for other jobs.

masks98Threads: 32 Posts: 374 Joined: Apr 10, 08 ♂	Dec 16, 11, 06:39 #10
hey b8hoven, what school are you referring to? I remember hearing about an American at the Greenwich school that I was replacing who was having visa troubles. I also grew extremely sick of teaching english. at first it was new and interesting, and even seemed like a potential career choice(it paid well) but it quickly got boring and I began to loath it.

Długi Język	Feb 29, 12, 09:44 #11
Lon, Długi Język, Warsaw-based language school is currently looking for ELT native-speakers. Should you be interested please send us your CV (with consent for us to process your personal data) to: hr@dlugijezyk.pl Jack Sosnowski Długi Język Centrum Języków Obcych

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