Which Qualifications & What Experience Do You Need?

There are a couple of truths that need to be addressed before answering this question.
Firstly, you don’t need any qualifications to ‘teach’ in Poland. I put teach in inverted commas because without having studied a course you won’t be teaching, you’ll just be talking at someone. There is a difference between the two. You will of course earn much less than you would normally do and of course it’ll be difficult to get a job at any reputable teaching establishment but, it is possible.

The most advisable approach however is to get a teaching qualification. There are a number of teaching qualifications out there on the market and the main industry known qualifications are:

Both are four week courses, both will give you the basics in teaching theory and give you the chance to practice your teaching skills. The grade you’ll receive is important as you have to understand that Poland is a country run by its paperwork. If you have got a B and the other guy has a C you ARE better in the eyes of the DOS, so try to get the best grade you can.

There are other courses out there, internet courses, weekend courses etc and you can chance your arm with those if you wish. The best bet is to get in contact with the school and see if they will recognize what qualification you’ve got or will get.

Where can you do the CELTA or Trinity in Poland?.

There are now four providers of the CELTA course in Poland - The British Council, International House, the Tischner European University and Bell. Details for the courses can be found below:
International House in Wrocław & Katowice.
British Council in Krakow.
Tischner European University in Krakow.
Bell in Warsaw.

Trinity however, don't offer courses in Poland.

It is possible to find out if Trinity or CELTA can be studied close to you (and it could be cheaper) by clicking here to find out CELTA providers and here to find out where Trinity courses take place (search for CertTESOL courses). The one advantage about doing the course in Poland is that you become familiar with your surroundings, you get to find out what a Polish student actually 'is' and you can look and secure work whilst studying.

Will a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in language theory or teaching be enough?

It may be, once again the best thing is to get in contact with the school and ask. The chances are as part of the degree you would’ve completed the CELTA in any case. The fact is, is that a school knows what it'll get with a teacher with a CELTA/Trinity and it's recognised as the industry norm.

Will any degree be good enough?

No. A bachelor’s of Science (or any other thing non-teaching or language related) will generally not mean much other than you’re educated to ‘a higher level’. Without a degree you can teach although you may have a harder time when negotiating for higher wages in the interview.

Experience.

If you have any business, financial, legal or any other professional or vocational degree, qualification or experience you have ‘worth’ to the school and so you’ll be able to negotiate your wages accordingly. Schools will charge companies a premium rate for learning with a native speaker who is ‘qualified’ and they will sell you to the companies that they work with so don't be afraid to try to get as much as you can.

If you have no experience, don’t worry although it may well be worth your time picking up a few general business textbooks or the Financial Times just to brush up on your business terminology. Most native speakers are sent out to companies to do in-company work and no doubt you’ll come into contact with business English on an almost daily basis.



Teaching English in Poland