Are there any Americans teachers left in Poland?

michaelmansunThreads: 12 Posts: 173 Joined: Jul 30, 08 ♂	Sep 5, 09, 19:09 #1
I know Poles prefer British teachers because of the obvious differences in the spoken language, and because Poles have opportunities in England, but none in the USA. So, are there any Americans English teachers left in Poland?

sledzThreads: 29 Posts: 3,202 Joined: Sep 19, 06 ♂	Sep 5, 09, 19:13 #2
michaelmansun: Poles have opportunities in England, but none in the USA. Plus you need a visa which you will never get, but the British dont seem to need one? Hmmm... I wonder why..lol michaelmansun: British teachers because of the obvious differences in the spoken language and you have to make sure you dont get pants and trousers mixed up:)

♂

Sep 5, 09, 19:21 #3

sledz:

Plus you need a visa which you will never get, but the British dont seem to need one?

I don't understand. Americans can get a visa, but yes, it is difficult now. I'm still legally married to a Polish woman. I can probably get a visa if I really wanted. But there is barely any opportunity in Poland for Poles. Americans and Brits who go there to teach are just escaping. Poland is nice to visit, but living there can really be a miserable experience.

♂

Sep 5, 09, 19:43 #4

michaelmansun:

Americans and Brits who go there to teach are just escaping

Some of them must have other reasons surely

michaelmansun:

Poland is nice to visit, but living there can really be a miserable experience.

Its sounds like its going to be deserted pretty soon from what I gather,
everybody is moving to the UK for jobs.

I wouldnt go to Poland to look for work either, maybe buy some property for retirement... Na, thats what we have Florida for:)

♂

Edited by: michaelmansun Sep 5, 09, 20:01 #5

sledz:

Its sounds like its going to be deserted pretty soon

Someone has to remain in Poland. The Brits are already extremely tired of Poles taking jobs in England for less wages.

Good on the Brits. I had a friend who went to England on a one way ticket with a ticket to travel on to Germany and they still refused him entry.

I hope the English get overun with Poles and Bar Mlecznys spring up all over the place.

I like Poles and Poland, but that's just because of all the fond memories of friends and family I made there over the course of 6 years.

It's a different place now. I worked in a bank there for some time. Fortis Bank..as a FX Dealer. Absolutely a protectionist society. If you are not sent there by a company in your home country, forget about landing a permanent job as a non-Pole. POLSKA DLA POLAKOW!!

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Sep 5, 09, 20:17 #6
Polska dla Polaków rings true in some places but there are those who are receptive to foreigners. Yes, there are many American teachers still here.

♂

Sep 5, 09, 21:58 #7

michaelmansun:
Poland is nice to visit, but living there can really be a miserable experience.

I think the UK is a nice place to visit but to live in that cynical, rainy, arrogant place is not for me.
Poland is beautiful and a wonderful place.

Sledz

Florida? Its flat, hot as hell all year around, full of old people and walmarts and Ihops. Yeah that is where I want to retire.

Poland is beautiful, 4 seasons and charming cities. I am an American in Poland. I did not escape, its a pleasure to experience something more than the American experience and Poland, where my grandparents were from is a great place to explore.

Yes Poland has great jobs. This is 2009 If you have skills you get paid the big bucks, if you do not and you want someone to give you a job and work, then no matter where you live you will be in a hopeless situation.

scrappletonThreads: - Posts: 1,365 Joined: Apr 28, 09 ♂	Sep 5, 09, 22:14 #8
mbiernat: Florida? Its flat, hot as hell all year around, Nah.. From December to like maybe early May it's fairly temperate. The rest of the time it's jungle fever, lol.

michaelmansunThreads: 12 Posts: 173 Joined: Jul 30, 08 ♂	Sep 6, 09, 07:14 #9
mbiernat: where my grandparents were from is a great place to explore. That's usually the only attraction for escapist Americans. Grandpa and Grandma were born there. So I assume you have citizenship and so you don't have to worry about visa requirements.

♂

Edited by: mbiernat Sep 6, 09, 08:18 #10

michaelmansun, why are you so cynical? I know a lot of Americans in Krakow that do not have Polish roots. They love this place.

Yes I am all set with visas and everything and have a legal job at an accounting firm.

Must everyone love the walmart / tacco bell lifestyle of the usa?

USA is great, but you are looking at life from a limited view. Life is an art not a science.

what do you do with your life that makes you so wise?

EurolaThreads: 6 Posts: 2,647 Joined: Dec 2, 06 ♀	Sep 6, 09, 08:27 #11
mbiernat: Must everyone love the walmart / tacco bell lifestyle of the usa? Gosh, what a simple minded and limited understanding of the USA...a result current European media brainwash. lol.

michaelmansunThreads: 12 Posts: 173 Joined: Jul 30, 08 ♂	Sep 6, 09, 11:59 #12
mbiernat: michaelmansun, why are you so cynical? I'm not so cynical. I lived in Krakow when the best you could hope for was about 400 USD per month. Accounting firm? Are you a CPA?

♂

Edited by: michaelmansun Sep 6, 09, 12:22 #13

mbiernat:

michaelmansun, why are you so cynical?

I'm not so cynical. I lived in Krakow when the best you could hope for was about 400 USD per month. Back in the mid 90's. I lived there for nearly 6 years.

Accounting firm? Are you a CPA?

I do NOT like the USA. There isn't anything great about the USA. I visited Krakow about two years ago. It was nice to be there again, but I didn't enjoy seeing groups of drunken Brits roaming the streets hollering out loud and puking on the sidewalks. Stag parties I think they call them.

I lived in Krakow for several years. Dywizjon 303. Also al. Slowackiego near Nowy Kleparz. And Plac Wolnica. I worked for an engineering firm there, and I also worked for Pierwszy Polsko Amerykanski Bank, and taught at UJ.

I then moved to Poznan for a short while. Poznan is my favorite city actually. I maintained a flat in Warsaw and I believe that Warsaw can cut the love for Poland clean out of a person. My in-laws are from Naleczow. Have you ever been there?

At one time Poland was my home. And Krakow was the only place I ever wanted to be, but you just couldnt make any money there as a non-Pole. You were always encouraged to become a damned English teacher. Then again, Poles never made much money either. But rent for a flat in the center of the city cost me 6.000.000 zloty. At that time it was less than 200 USD.

My first winter in Poland seemed to last for nearly 6 months. I spent much of it in Przegorzaly at Instytut Polonijny. I remember it was so cold that ice would form in your nose. Yes, everyone loves Krakow. I'm not cynical about Poland. Poland was my home for a long time. But it was always extrememly difficult there...when I lived there.

What kind of skills are necessary to make the big bucks? I've worked as an engineer, automotive consultant, banker, operations manager. I have several degrees in Business Administration. Finance. Logistics and Transportation, International Economics. But I'm not a lawyer or accountant, and that was what you had to be back in the day.

♂

Sep 6, 09, 12:42 #14

I'm an American teaching English at Bell in Gdansk. I've been here for two years. I love it and I'm going to stay here for the rest of my life. I didn't come here because of a woman. I came to experience life in Gdansk.

Having said that, I'm going to get married nest next to a wonderful Polish woman I met before I moved here. I've known her for five years, but she's not the reason I came to Gdansk.

There's another American teacher at my school. He's been in Poland for six years. I know of several other Americans who teach here, so to answer the question posed in the title of this thread, yes, there are still a few of us around.

Interestingly enough, my students tell me that they prefer American English to British because it's easier to understand. Whatever. I use books written by Brits and know the difference between flat and apartment, pavement and sidewalk, etc. I teach both.

michaelmansunThreads: 12 Posts: 173 Joined: Jul 30, 08 ♂	Sep 6, 09, 13:18 #15
Thanks, Scottie. do you have a teaching certificate?

♂

Edited by: mbiernat Sep 6, 09, 14:02 #16

Michaelmansun, sorry I was rude. Basically in the USA the skills translate the same in Poland. For example, large US companies are opening like State Street bank in Krakow hiring 1000+ people. If you have skills, your in luck and do not need to speak Polish. Many foreign mangers do not.
I think skills like SAP or php or GAAP expert are all skills needed etc. But many foreigners I know have shops and their own businesses. Its not that hard, even low capital businesses.

Titles and past experience mean little in the modern economy anywhere, its what kind of business you can bring in and create.

Brits do not bother me as I get up very early and do not go to pubs and cafes, ever, I take walks in the forest and I never see them there.

Its a charming city.

The EU is hard to live in now like the USA without a visa. That is a problem. But if you can get a visa its the similar set of problems like the usa. That is rent housing etc. Still cheaper in Krakow than Boston.

♂

Edited by: Michal Sep 6, 09, 14:16 #17

scottie1113:

here for the rest of my life. I didn't come here because of a woman. I came to experience life in Gdansk.

Having said that, I'm going to get married nest next to a wonderful Polish woman I met before I moved here. I've kn

Yes you did. The only reason why English men go to Poland is to teach English and teachers know that they have open access to many women who want to learn English. The fact that you repeat your denial twice in two lines says it all.

♂

Sep 7, 09, 18:13 #18

Eurola:

Gosh, what a simple minded and limited understanding of the USA...a result current European media brainwash

True I dont think Ive even been to a Taco Bell in my entire life..

Walmart maybe Ive been to two or three times, I dont like that store.

mbiernat:

Sledz

Florida? Its flat, hot as hell all year around, full of old people and walmarts and Ihops. Yeah that is where I want to retire.

Summers are hot and rainy, the winters are perfect, mild and sunny. I like the sub tropical climate.

Yeah its flat so what? I like the Beach:)
And theres old people plus theres alot of young people to hang out with also

Have you been to Florida???? I bet you havent??

Nothing against Poland Im sure it is very beautiful and would love to spend a few weeks there for a vacation but I would never move away from the USA:)

♂

Sep 8, 09, 12:01 #19

michaelmansun:

Thanks, Scottie. do you have a teaching certificate?

Yes, I have a CELTA.

Michal:

Yes you did. The only reason why English men go to Poland is to teach English and teachers know that they have open access to many women who want to learn English. The fact that you repeat your denial twice in two lines says it all.

Michal, someday you'll understand what you read. In this case, obviously you didn't. Let me say it again for your benefit. I didn't come here because of a woman. What part of that don't you understand?

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07 ♂	Sep 8, 09, 18:35 #20
scottie1113: nderstand what you read. In this case, obviously you didn't. Let me say it again for your benefit. I didn't come here because of a woman. What part of that don't you understand? No man goes to Poland to teach English for any other reason BUT for a woman. I understand very very well.

Amanda91Threads: 3 Posts: 336 Joined: May 27, 07 ♀	Sep 8, 09, 18:37 #21
michaelmansun: So, are there any Americans English teachers left in Poland? If that helps, my father was teaching in Poland between 2003-2007 but we're back home now. :-)

♂

Sep 9, 09, 00:13 #22

Michal:

No man goes to Poland to teach English for any other reason BUT for a woman. I understand very very well.

Michal, you are so far off base that it's not even funny. It's apparent that you judge everyone by your own misguided perceptions and self conceived realities. After all, you're the guy who thought that Sopot only had one train station. Get a grip, man. You don't even know your own country any more, and based on your opinionated posts I doubt that you know very much about people. I feel sorry for you.

OsiedleRuda

Sep 9, 09, 00:51 #23

scottie1113:

Michal, you are so far off base that it's not even funny. It's apparent that you judge everyone by your own misguided perceptions and self conceived realities. After all, you're the guy who thought that Sopot only had one train station. Get a grip, man. You don't even know your own country any more, and based on your opinionated posts I doubt that you know very much about people. I feel sorry for you.

Ignore him, everything he says is based on what he saw in the 1980s. He probably thinks Poles still use bony towarowe when they run out of cash :)

ChipmunkThreads: 19 Posts: 73 Joined: Aug 15, 09 ♀	Sep 9, 09, 10:09 #24
So as an American will I have any luck landing a job in the accounting field? Or am I limited to teaching english? I am finishing up my MBA with specialization in accountancy but my undergrad is in Accounting.

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07 ♂	Sep 9, 09, 16:14 #25
scottie1113: fter all, you're the guy who thought that Sopot only had on Sopot does only have one railway station.

scottie1113Threads: 11 Posts: 873 Joined: Mar 13, 07 ♂	Sep 10, 09, 12:45 #26
Sopot Wyscigi, Sopot, and Sopot Kamienny Potok. That's three.

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07 ♂	Sep 10, 09, 16:38 #27
scottie1113: opot Wyscigi, Sopot, and Sopot Kamienny Potok. That's three. Yes, but that the little electric train not an express.

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 ♂ [Suspended]	Sep 10, 09, 17:30 #28
Michal: Yes, but that the little electric train not an express. So what? A station is still a station. And you are still an idiot.

lhera	Sep 13, 09, 00:08 #29
Hello, I just moved to Białystok. I'm from the USA and I'm learning Polish. I really need a job here, preferably teaching English privately. But I'm really looking for anything that would require a Native English speaker. Do you think there is any hope for me? RP

♂

Sep 13, 09, 12:50 #30

I have been to Bialystok myself many years ago. I would have thought that the local newspaper would be a good place to look or even a telephone book may help as there may well be a section under English, English Language or even English Language Schools. Poland used to a popular destination for teachers but I am not so sure about now. You must also remember that Bialystok is in the East of Poland and that side is poorer with higher unemployment figures than other parts of Poland (or at least, so I have been told). Have a looked around town as there may well be private school offering foreign languages. Once you are established for a bit and get used to the country, its customs and the language (if you do not already know any), you will gain more contacts of your own with the passing of time. Clients needing English for the firms they work for maybe able later to offer you at least part time work within that organization. Dave's Internet Cafe is good for looking for TESOL jobs though they tend to be centred on Japan, China and South Korea more so than on Eastern Europe.

POLAND . The Unofficial Guide	Unanswered \| Archives
POLAND . The Unofficial Guide	Poland Tips and Ideas	Witamy, Guest \| PF Members \| Gold Members

Home \| Unanswered \| Archives \| Random \| Statistics	Time in Poland: 05:10 / May 27
About Us \| Contact Us \| Rules, Privacy \| Poland Advertising	© 2005-12 PolishForums.com