Teaching English in Poland
Teaching Methodologies in Poland
The main methodologies that you see in Poland are the Callan Method and the Communicative Method.
The Callan Method schools generally pay less, but the argument in favour of Callan is that you have zero or very little preparation. The communicative method schools pay more (on average) but require a more work on your part. If you're a newly qualified teacher you'll no doubt hit panic mode as you see that the CELTA or Trinity certificate doesn't ultimately prepare you for what awaits. (That's not to say don't do these courses, they give you a very strong theoretical basis as to how to teach so I'd recommend very strongly that you do one of these courses. But 4 weeks is hardly enough to prepare you for a semester long work with groups of up to 12-15 demanding students!)
There are a number of ways a school teaching the communicative method will operate:
They prepare the syllabus for you
Rather than letting you decide what you want to do within the scope of the syllabus, they'll give you a folder and say "on this day do this, on the next day do that". Such schools may argue that a lot of the work is done for you and pay you accordingly.
They pair you with a Polish teacher
Classes generally have two 90min sessions a week. One class with you, the other with a Polish teacher. You, it is argued, are there to talk, teach fluency, basically entertain within the scope of the textbook unit. Such schools could reduce your pay based on what exactly they expect you to do, so clear this up with the school beforehand.
You get a class, twice a week, all to yourself
Now you have to decide what to teach them and at what speed. No doubt this is the most daunting way to teach and experience will help you. If you're a freshly qualified teacher it'll take about 6 weeks to a semester for you to hit your stride.
There are other schools with other methodologies like "Speak Up" in Warsaw (and probably other towns and cities), but rather than being a brand new methodology per se, they are revised or amended versions of other methods be they computer learning, listening to CDs, listen and repeat, relaxation methods, Callan or the Communicative Method.
There's a kind of snobbery that exists between the schools and to some degree teachers who teach Callan and communicative methods but it's impossible to ignore the fact that you can learn how to teach and develop yourself teaching both methodologies. There is arguably a ceiling you reach teaching Callan depending on how flexible the school allows you to be. Certainly it should be noted that some schools may look down on you if your entire work history is based on the Callan method and you'll be overlooked in favour of a teacher well-versed in the communicative approach or who has a CELTA or Trinity certificate.
Please be aware that as a native you're also there to entertain as well as to teach. We can call this the "native methodology". Your culture is different to theirs, so let them see some of it. If you're an extrovert you'll have no problems doing that. Think of it this way, most Polish teachers will teach straight out of the textbook - "do this, then do that" etc. Most Polish teachers will also have a limited knowledge of slang and informal English. If you can introduce this into your classes as well as an element of fun, you won't go wrong. Just remember to keep your TTT (teacher talking time) down!
