Advice on Teaching English in Poland

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Jun 3, 08, 09:59 #151

VaFunkoolo:

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.

When does the academic year start in Poland? I think I'm going to try a two-pronged approach:

1. Apply to various language schools et al
2. Advertise as a private tutor for individual tutoring, group tutoring, conversation, etc.

PolskaLaskaThreads: 2 Posts: 6 Joined: Jun 23, 08 ♀	Edited by: PolskaLaska Jul 7, 08, 03:29 #152
Thread attached on merging: Teaching English in Poland Hi everyone... i'm from Canada and i've been thinkin about traveling overseas to Poland and teaching English. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about this topic, such as the pay and opportunities....

ukpolskaThreads: 51 Posts: 2,238 Joined: Oct 23, 06 MEMBER ♂	Jul 7, 08, 04:12 #153
Hi with respect this topic has been covered over and over again. If you do a search in the top left hand corner you will be able to find all the info you need :)

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Edited by: PolskaLaska Jul 8, 08, 00:56 #154

there are a lot people on here that don't spell English words correctly... i'm curious how someone can teach English while they need much improvement themselves. i'm curious because i'm from Canada and am interested in teaching English in Poland but if they accept any kind of teacher, whether they know the language perfectly or not, than i don't think it is worth any of my time..

and thank you uk i'll look into it! :)

MEMBER ♂

Jul 8, 08, 01:02 #155

PolskaLaska:

there are a lof people on here that don't spell English words correctly... i'm curious how someone can teach English while they need much improvement themselves.

I guess it's the intarnet hun, and people don't bodher so mich one they are writting and it's a diffarent kettle of fish when it's your jib. I am a proofreader here in Poland and I make mistikes from time to time, but I changed hats when it came to writting on the net lol :)

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂	Jul 8, 08, 02:56 #156
PolskaLaska: there are a lot people on here that don't spell English words correctly... i'm curious You are, are you? I'm curious about people who don't use capital letters correctly. Drop the 'tude, it's unbecoming.

VaFunkooloThreads: 7 Posts: 823 Joined: Mar 24, 08 ♂	Jul 8, 08, 03:12 #157
PolskaLaska: there are a lot people on here that don't spell English words correctly... i'm curious how someone can teach English while they need much improvement themselves. To which the reply is Do I look like a fukin dictionary?

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Jul 8, 08, 06:03 #158
PolskaLaska: than i don't think it is worth any of my time.. My emphasis. Easy to make a mistake, innit.

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Jul 8, 08, 06:05 #159

PolskaLaska:

there are a lot people on here that don't spell English words correctly... i'm curious how someone can teach English while they need much improvement themselves. i'm curious because i'm from Canada and am interested in teaching English in Poland but if they accept any kind of teacher, whether they know the language perfectly or not, than i don't think it is worth any of my time..

and thank you uk i'll look into it! :)

i totally agree, i can't stand people who teach english that don't speak the language properly themselves. I have always been interested in teaching english abroad, Poland would be one of my first choices as i already teach a number of people basic everyday (what i would call usefull) english. I've always thought you have to be a teacher lik Seamus??? am i wrong??

WroclawThreads: 77 Posts: 7,404 Joined: Apr 1, 06 ♂ [Moderator]	Jul 8, 08, 06:15 #160
tornado2007: I've always thought you have to be a teacher lik Seamus??? am i wrong?? If you set up on your own then the answer would be not neccessarily. Private teaching work is down to reputation. I've been headhunted twice and have no qualifications.

ukpolskaThreads: 51 Posts: 2,238 Joined: Oct 23, 06 MEMBER ♂	Jul 8, 08, 06:51 #161
Wroclaw: Private teaching work is down to reputation. This is so true, as I have never advertised for a job in Poland, not blowing my own trumpet (well perhaps a little). :) Once you start having private conversation lessons and if you don't bore them to death, it just snowballs, and in the end you have to start turning people away.

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Edited by: lowfunk99 Jul 8, 08, 07:04 #162

I have a question. This sounds like a great way to do it. However, how does a Non-EU person come there for any length of time? If I come there in a month and a half to look it would only be on a visitor visa. How can I come and job hunt and stay with out having to fly back to the US?

percy:

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.

ukpolskaThreads: 51 Posts: 2,238 Joined: Oct 23, 06 MEMBER ♂	Edited by: ukpolska Jul 8, 08, 07:21 #163
lowfunk99, the person to speak to on here is Harry, and although I have had one or two run ins with him, he knows his stuff and he is a OK guy really. If you do a search through his messages on his profile or do a search in the top right hand corner, you should be able to find all the info you need, or send him a PM and he may help. LINK TO HIS PROFILE

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Apr 4, 09, 13:50 #164
Harry is alright. He excels in some threads but he's come up a little short in teaching discussions. Still, a nice bloke who reasons and argues well.

DazzaThreads: 2 Posts: 33 Joined: Sep 13, 08 ♂	Apr 4, 09, 14:58 #165
I have taught in Poznan, Warsaw and Krakow.... Hourly wages start at 40zl-70zl in my experience I know of teachers without CELTA but have a degree(not in English) and teach in reputable schools. I don't know anyone teaching without either of these qualifications. Without either of these qualifications you can get work in Callan schools so long as your accent isn't too strong.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Apr 4, 09, 17:52 #166
Callan does admit people in more cheaply. Still, it is a decent experience for starting out in Poland. It's important to see quals as opening doors. I was well 'overqualified' for Callan but still I enjoyed my contact with some ss there. Anyone who matches quals to jobs TOO closely is being a bit robotic.

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Apr 4, 09, 23:25 #167

See, I'd say that a Callan school is a good way to start out - if you find the right school. The 'method' is dreadful, but it does let you loose on real, paying students who have expectations and demands. The great thing about it is that if you find the right school, you can experiment on people - with the benefit of being able to say 'right, that's enough, back to the book'.

One huge problem I've discovered is that a fair few people see themselves as being at a certain 'standard' just because they've completed six stages of Callan. Of course, they actually suck in reality - and you have the problem of dealing with their inabilities without being horrifically rude.

Seanus - question for you, out of curiosity. When you did the CELTA, was the whole thing focused on teaching you to teach the kind of English that Cambridge examiners would like to hear, or were they more realistic in terms of accepting how diverse English is?

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Apr 4, 09, 23:34 #168

I did the CELTA in Apr-May 2004 in Basil Paterson College, Edinburgh. Hmm...good question. I'd say it leaned more towards the former. It was very structured teaching, as the days were in my month there. Little dynamism characterised the teaching, unlike when I was in Callan.

Still, having a rounded experience is good. It prepared me for FCE and CAE teaching. With adequate techniques under my belt, I also took on CPE classes. I was chatting with my HOS/DOS at my school and she has twice the amount of exp that I have but hasn't done ESP or EAP yet. We'd both like to do it.

Poland could tap into that market. That may well be a worthy business proposal. One to consider.

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May 15, 09, 10:23 #169

ukpolska:

Once you start having private conversation lessons and if you don't bore them to death, it just snowballs, and in the end you have to start turning people away.

How long have you been teaching English in Poland? Are you a native English speaker?

I have been looking at ESL teaching for a couple of years now. For me I am not a post college type looking for a year or two of fun. I just hit 40 and started a 2nd career and life style a couple of years ago. To include more travel and more freedom. So if I enter the field would be looking to do more business English lessons? Can you comment on the market for business English. ie Business who bring people in to work with staff.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	May 15, 09, 10:55 #170
It depends where you are based. The demand isn't always constant but you need to keep your ear to the ground. The financial crisis changed a couple of things. Businesses reduced their overheads and English was one of the first things to go. It's important to build up a reputation. One teacher here has a reputation for being a drunk which is unfortunate as he is a super teacher.

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May 15, 09, 11:36 #171

Seanus:

It's important to build up a reputation. One teacher here has a reputation for being a drunk which is unfortunate as he is a super teacher.

I think that is pretty sound advice and goes for any type of consultancy or contract work. I also think that if/when I do take the jump I will have several months of support banked so I can take a good course and take the time to work on the reputation. I'll probably wind up taking the CELTA in Krakow or Warsaw. By the time I do hopefully some of the financial mess will be on the mend.

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May 15, 09, 12:48 #172

It's always important to have fall-back funds for unforeseen contingencies. They pop up when you least expect them.

One of the greatest skills of a teacher is to be adaptable and turn your hand quickly to something. A teacher often has little time between lessons to change gear and somehow is expected to make the shift smoothly. Sometimes you'll get the feeling that classes just mould into each other.

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May 15, 09, 13:52 #173

Seanus:

It's important to build up a reputation. One teacher here has a reputation for being a drunk which is unfortunate as he is a super teacher.

Don't put yourself down like that Seanus or are you implying that Dave likes a tipple or two?

How long have I been in teaching?
Too bloody long now that is why I am looking at other things, prostitution is out too old and pudgy now, so proofreading and another project are the strings to my bow at the moment, which are quite good.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	May 15, 09, 13:56 #174
I'm smart enough to keep my drinking clandestine :) However, the other guy is a Scotsman :)

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 ♂ [Suspended]	May 15, 09, 15:57 #175
Lonman: I'll probably wind up taking the CELTA in Krakow or Warsaw. Do it at IH in Krakow: ELS-Bell in Warsaw is far too expensive. I think that IH in Wroclaw is cheapest of the lot but they only run a couple of courses a year.

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May 15, 09, 21:34 #176

Seanus:

However, the other guy is a Scotsman :)

Like you know, if you knew me in real life, you would see the difference.
A lot of natives who come to Krakow end up in the same wagon, they earn a decent wage but dont know how to spend it properly. It was something i fell for a lot when i first came here. After a while i soon learned that competition in Krakow was fierce, so i gave up the parties, and put myself out there. Ive been here now 4 years, and doors are starting to open, I always had a saying, no teacher is perfect, but every teacher should try to make their students perfect.

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Edited by: Seanus May 15, 09, 21:39 #177

Exactly, teachers shouldn't be in it for the money. It's not pure business as you just can't pull the figures which more ruthless businessmen can. I really do my utmost to get my points across and get the students learning rapidly. As George Harrison (RIP) said, "let it roll for all it's worth". Do your thing and make the life of other willing people better. Not all of us can be top artists and entertainers, we have to keep it lower key but respectable in our own way.

Modesty only hurts the few :)

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May 15, 09, 21:46 #178

as i said before, we should strive to improve not only ourselves, but our teaching itself.
Doors will open for us, and despite the strange rep i have on here, i hold down a full time job, plus 12 private students, and im a consultant at one of Polands biggest firms. I never show up late for a lesson, i often spend more than i need too explaining grammar, and through that fact i live a healthy life here ;)

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	May 15, 09, 22:41 #179
The key with teaching is often maintaining the attention of your students. Some of the lessons I teach are choppy as the TL isn't constant enough. It hops around and, although the students learn a broader range of structures, feel dragged a bit. Sometimes it's better to draw the most out of one point in a lesson so they feel some semblance of mastery.

aussydanThreads: 1 Posts: 7 Joined: Jan 15, 09 ♂	Edited by: Moderator May 24, 09, 03:38 #180
this is a real good pthread guys perhaps an idea would be to make it a "sticky" Done ;) but it must stay on-topic or it'll come unstuck. :)

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