Question and Answer page - Your basic questions answered!

Welcome to my Q and A page, which will hopefully answer a number of your basic questions. Please note, that these answers are my own opinion, so please don't take them as an authoritative guide, but rather as advice.

Please click on a question to see my answer.

When’s the best time apply for work?

End of August to the middle of September. Schools may still be looking through to the beginning of October for teachers for exam classes. If the school is in a big town, then year round work should be available in schools which teach in companies.

When's the worst time to look for work?

From April to the end of August. April to June will be the end of the semester, July and August are holiday months in Poland.

What’s the best way to find a teaching job in Poland?

When you’re in the town you want to work in and on the streets. Prepare photocopies of your teaching certificate, degree and CV, several times, dress smart, be positive and be persistent. More information can be found here.
It’s very difficult to secure work through email/over the phone purely because getting to the right people or getting them to answer is a challenge in itself.

Do I really need a CELTA/Trinity certificate?

If you want to have every possible chance of finding a good job that pays well and/or good private clients – yes. More information can be found here. If you have an MA TESOL or other degree connected to teaching ESL this is also fine.

I’ve got a weekend TEFL certificate, will this do?

Most reputable schools will be very sceptical of these certificates as they don’t include supervised teaching of students and your job opportunities may be limited as a result.

I’ve got a degree, that’s enough isn’t it?

No. A degree shows that you’re educated. A teaching certificate tells the school you understand how to teach. Poland has been accepting teachers from the early 90’s and the level and number of qualified teachers (both Poles and natives) is very high. NB - as mentioned above if you have an MA TESOL or other ESL degree that is fine.

I’m non-EU, what do I need to know?

You need to know everything about the schengen deal regarding travelling in and out of Europe. You also need to know that you need to find a place to live, find a job and get the school to submit paperwork before 45 days of the 90 day visa time limit. If your paperwork is not submitted, your application may not go through in time. Update - apparently the time to process applications is a lot faster now, but please check with your Polish consulate or embassy or school that will employ you.

I’m non-EU, what does that actually mean in practice?

Good question. For a school to do all the paperwork, costs the school time and money. So, as a non-EU teacher you have to be employable. This means you have to have a recognised teaching certificate and that you’ll be in Poland for a long time.
Think about it like this – If you had a company, wanted to employ someone from a foreign land which will cost you time, effort and money and this person has no recognised qualifications and is only going to be in your country for 6 months, would you go through the effort to employ them?

Can I teach private students?

Yes, however it takes time to get yourself known in your new town, so please don’t rely on this as a source of income if you’re moving to Poland for the first time. If you’ve got family or some kind of social network connections then through word of mouth you may rely on privates as a partial source of income.

How do I find private students?

The two best websites would be ZnajdeJezyk.pl and Gumtree.pl (in Polish). When you’re here you can always put up posters etc.

Do I need to speak Polish?

A short answer – no. In a town, life will be easier if you only speak English. In a village it’ll be difficult. Dealing with officialdom is always difficult if you have no/little Polish.

Should I try to learn some Polish before I go/when I’m in Poland?

Before you go – try and get the basics right.
When I’m here in Poland – definitely. Click here to get access to Polish language resources online.

How do I find out information about Poland?

Please visit either the towns page or the links page to see links to forums and blogs about Poland.

I consider myself to be too young/old. Is this a problem?

No. If you’ve got a teaching certificate, energy and drive and want to teach English as a foreign language in Poland, there’s no problem!

If you had one final piece of advice, what would it be?

Finding opportunities in Poland is all about drive, determination and persistence. When you arrive, work won’t find you, you have to find it. If you’ve got a good attitude and are tenacious you will be successful.
When you’ve been working here a while, are successful and have developed good relationships, work will start to find you!



Teaching English in Poland