Teaching English in Poland
Want to travel to Poland for a long period of time but don't know how to afford it? Teach English!
If you are a native speaker of English or speak English at an advanced level, working as an English teacher can be a great way to support yourself while you travel abroad. In Poland, language learning is very popular and there are tons of private language schools (something completely unheard of in the States).
Even if your native language isn't English, you can probably find a school that teaches it. When we were living in Kraków, I knew Italian, German and Russian native speakers who were teaching their native languages!
Don't speak very good Polish? No problem! It's not required, and in fact, you will be encourage to never use the students' native language in the classroom.
From October 2009 to June 2010, my wife and I were working as English teachers in Poland. In this article, I'd like to give a little advice for people who want to do the same.
Read more for my advice!
Qualifications
Before teaching in Poland, I had some experience teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) to Russian immigrants in Milwaukee as a volunteer. I worked with individual students and taught one lesson a week for about two years. But I didn't have any experience in a classroom and my wife didn't have any experience at all!
So, we decided to take a four week intensive CELTA (a teaching certificate) course at IH Kraków (the course has since moved to the British Council but it's run by the same people).
The CELTA is the most recognized English teaching certificate and so it's the best to have for your job search. Unfortunately, CELTA courses are also very expensive.
You can probably take the CELTA in your home country, but I recommend taking it in your destination country because you can immediately start building your network. Finding a job in any country is frequently about who you know.
Beyond that, I think the CELTA course was very helpful! While I disagree with some of the teaching methodology, the course mainly consists of putting you in a classroom in front of students, where the tutors and other teachers will critique your performance. It's trial by fire, except in a very friendly and supportive environment.
And much like fight club: On the first day, everyone must teach! ;-)
Finding a job
Here are a couple of things to remember:
- Start searching as early as possible: It's not uncommon for schools to interview and hire for fall semester starting in May or June. You can still find jobs at the last minute, but it will likely be just a few hours here and there.
- Private schools will only give hours in the very early morning or from 4pm to 8pm: For many, that means teaching only 1-3 classes a day, which might not be enough to survive. Teaching children at a public school or teaching in a business (some businesses provide language lessons for their employees), is the only way you're going to get hours in the middle of the day. Also, classes on Friday are rare -- they will usually only happen if you teach children.
- You may need to work at 2 or more schools: It's not uncommon that a school will only offer you a couple teaching hours, so you may need to work at several schools to get enough hours. That said there is generally more work than teachers, so you won't have any problems finding schools that need you!
For us, Gumtree was the best place to search for work online. For those who don't know it, it's just like Craigslist except Craigslist isn't at all popular in Poland.
The only other good site (there are tons of crappy ones!) I know for finding work is TEFL.com. They have a very small number of jobs, but they are high quality. If you are looking for work several months before moving to Poland, this is great a resource. Right now (2011-07-19) they have 12 jobs listed.
Legal stuff
I could write several dozen articles on this topic, but I'll just start with an overview here! ;-)
There are only two options for legally remaining in Poland for longer than 90 days: a work visa or residence card (karta pobytu).
A tourist visa (which is what they stamp in your passport on entering the country) is only good for 90 days within a 180 day period. So, technically, if you are in Poland for 90 days, you have to leave for 90 days before you can return. However, that part is relatively new (added only a few years ago) and isn't generally enforced.
So, some people cross the Ukrainian border every 90 days to get a new tourist visa. But I don't recommend this because it is against the word of the law! Eventually, they will start enforcing this and deny you entry.
Unfortunately, it is only possible to get a work visa from the consulate in your home country. The easiest solution is to find a job before coming to Poland and they will help you get the work visa and work permit (zezwolenie na pracę).
This is not what we did! ;-)
If you're already in Poland, your only option is a residence card, which you can get on one of several bases: a work visa, marriage, Polish heritage, owning a business, and many more. The option that is open to pretty much everyone is starting a business, which is what we did.
Starting a business can also be useful if you want to work at more than one school. A work permit is only good for the employer it was issued for. Few schools will pay and do the paper work to get you a work permit unless you will work there full-time (around 20 classroom hours). But you can start a business and then invoice the schools for your hours, as a contractor -- no work permit required!
The process for setting up a business can be complicated but it's not that bad. Maybe I'll write a full article about it sometime!
Have you taught English or any other language in Poland? What was your experience? Do you have any advice for people thinking about doing it?
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loved the article, David :) well written :)) really hope you enjoyed your stay here in Poland.
We really enjoyed it a lot, thanks! I hope that's clear particularly from my Things I Love About Poland articles. ;-)
Best Regards,
David.
Could you see it:
http://demotywatory.pl/3297887/Sa-takie-chwile
http://demotywatory.pl/3293377/Wlasnie-tak-widze
Tkx
And how it looks in US? There, without H1B, you can't work even as contractor, yes?
BTW,I dont want discourage people, but registration of company is not so easy in Poland, especially for foreigners...:) Probably in US the process is much more easier and quciker?
For foreigners in the US, if you have a green card, I think the process is the same as for an American. So, you don't need to start a business or be a contractor or anything. I've never personally known anyone in the US on a work visa (H-1B), so I don't know how that works.
I've started businesses in both Poland and the USA. In Poland, there were definitely more steps but it really wasn't very hard. In Kraków, there is an office in Urząd Miasta where you can do it all in one place so you don't have to go to seperate GUS, US and ZUS offices. We did it all 2 hours! No worse that going to the DMV. ;-) But maybe it was simple because it was only spółka cywilna?
In the US, if you want to be a Sole Proprietorship, you don't have to do anything (if you're OK with working under your name) -- so that's the easiest! :-) I've also started a few LLCs (similar to spółka z organiczoną odpowiedzialnością) and that can be much more complicated. If you have partners you need to make an Operating Agreement which means you'll need to hire a laywer. Getting all the paperwork back (because everything is done via the mail) can take a few weeks.
Regards,
David.
So in the US if you want to work under your name there is no paper work? You can give invoices etc?
If so, it's great for freelancers.
That is correct! You only have to do the tax paperwork associated with specific contracts and the money you earn. Ie: with each firm you contract with, you need to do a W-9 and 1099 and then, of course, file your taxes in April as being self-employed. But you don't need to do anything to register the business.
If you want your Sole Proprietorship to have a name other than your name, then you need to file a DBA (Doing Business As) with the state (I think Registrar of Deeds?). Last time I did this, it took about 2 months after I filed the paperwork. But it's not really a problem because you can still work, you just can't open a bank account for your business and payment has to be to you directly.
So, it makes it very easy to become a freelancer in the first place. As your business grows, you might want to switch to another form of business.
Anyway, sorry if this is more information than you wanted -- it just happens to be something I know a bit about. :-)
Regards,
David.
wow, thanks for info!
Poland looks still like bureaucratic country. Especially with ZUS(Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, sometimes maliciously named by liberals "Złodziejski urząd socjalistyczny").
ZUS is the most dangerous killer of new companies (after 2 years you have to pay very high payments even if you dont have any profits). So this is not start-up friendly country.
If you work as teacher (contractor) you have stable source of profits. But for example in IT start-ups this is problem:).
Piotr
Can you share more about "spolka cywilna"?
"Spółka cywilna" is just like a partnership in the US. It doesn't have any of the limited liability advantages of a "spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością" (which is like an LLC or LLP in the US). But it's much less complicated to form.
If you are just forming a business in Poland so that you can get a karta pobytu, I recommend either forming either a "firma jednoosobowa" (if you are one person) or "spółka cywilna" (if you are multiple people).
We formed a "spółka cywilna" because it was my wife and I. It's a little more complicated than a "firma jednoosobowa" in that you also need a contract between the people forming it. But you can find examples on the internet - which is exactly what we did. :-)
I hope that helps!
Regards,
David.
Cześć!! Uczę się angielskiego w szkole od kilku lat i chciałabym się ciebie zapytać o czytanie Harrego Pottera. Mój poziom znajomości angielskiego to B2 (Upper Intermediate), czytałam już książkę po polsku. Czy mogę się już zabrać za wersję po angielsku czy jeszcze na to za wcześnie?
Pozdrawiam,
Magda
Cześć Magda!
To zależy od Ciebie. :-) Kiedy osobiście zacząłem czytać Harry'ego Pottera po polsku, byłem na poziomie nawet niższym od Ciebie. Więc to całkiem możliwie go przeczytać na tym poziomie!
Ale największy problem jest zniechęceniem się. Harry Potter będzie dość trudny. Osobiście kiedy zacząłem z nim było ok. 40 nieznanych słów na każdej stronie! Tylko czytałem dwie strony dziennie. Ale nie martwiłem się o to i po prostu czytałem dalej. Coraz szybciej uczyłem się i pod koniec było tak mało nieznanych słów, że mogłem po prostu zgadnąć z kontekstu.
Więc jeśli to, że będzie dość trudno na tym poziomie zniechęca Ciebie, lepiej czekać. Ale jeśli sądzisz, że wytrwasz -- dlaczego nie?! ;-)
Daj znać jak Ci to idzie!
Pozdrawiam serdecznie,
David.
Ale zdzierstwo panuję na tych certyfikatach Cambridge. Najdurniejsze jest to że aby uczyć w szkole publicznej musisz mieć przygotowanie pedagogiczne pełne z praktykami które kosztuję bagatela 2 tyś zł. Co wysuwa pytanie kto chce pracować w placówce publicznej i wybulić te 2 tyś by zarabiać potem 1 tyś/msc.
A CELTA za 4 tyś mnie przeraża, w Anglii ludzie płacą za nią 1000 funtów, co dla Anglika jest jedną wypłatą, a dla przeciętnego Polaka trzema.
Abstrahując.
Ostatnio wpadła w moje ręce świetna książka do nauki angielskiego, "Przygody Sherlocka Holmesa z angielskim". Są w niej przy każdej stronie, na marginesie wytłumaczone słówka. Dodatkowo po każdym rozdziale są zadania i wytłumaczenia gramatyczne.
Osobiście używam z audiobook'iem praktykując shadowing no i oczywiście masywna nauka słownictwa.
Na początku zacząłem robić sam tłumaczenie słownictwa do Harry'ego, ale to konsumuję ogromną ilość czasu, lepiej ten czas poświęcić na realną naukę, posiłkując się chociażby takimi książkami. Gorzej, że takowych książek wiele nie ma, no ale coś za coś.
Pozdrawiam ;)
To prawda, że CELTA bardzo dużo kosztuje. Ale to nie zmienia faktu, że to najbardziej uznana certyfikacja z nauczenia języka angielskiego i najlepiej wygląda na CV. Oczywiście możesz znaleźć pracę w szkołach prywatnych bez jakiejkolwiek certyfikacji -- znam wielu takich nauczycieli.
Brzmi jak fajnie uczysz się angielskiego! Takie książki "do nauki" są wspaniałe. To prawda, że jest dość ciężko czytać normalną książkę - sam to doskonale wiem! To właśnie dlatego buduję BiblioBird. ;-)
Życzę powodzenia w nauce!
Pozdrawiam serdecznie,
David.
Hi David,
When you got your residence card, did you have to present the title of an apartment? It sounds like you weren't there long, so I doubt you bought an apartment during that time.
The Polish Embassy in DC's website states that you need to show a title to an apartment to get a temporary residence card...I just find that strange...
No, we didn't. He had to show the contract for our apartment which we were renting (along with zameldowanie) and prove that we had enough income to afford it. But that was it!
Yeah, that does seem strange. That wasn't the case at least for us.
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
David.
[...] rozmowy kwalifikacyjne po [...]
Great Article. Thanks for writing!
I'm an American about to embark for Poland. I am enrolled at the British Council for Celta certification. So it seems as though I am in a situation similar to yours.
Because I am not CELTA certified yet, I thought that it wouldn't be wise to job hunt yet (maybe this wasn't a wise decision).
When I was there last, I talked with an American English teacher who talked of an easy way to get a visa. Maybe he was talking about getting a business visa?
I looked over your article and replies, and I can't find the specifics of how to obtain this. You mentioned a street "Urząd Miasta", but I couldn't find a business name or address.
Thanks for your help.
Ryan Dylla
Hi Ryan,
It's never to early to look for a job! Personally, I wouldn't feel bad about saying that you'll get your CELTA soon on your CV or in interviews. For some they'll want to wait but it'll make it easier the 2nd time around.
When are you actually arriving in Poland and taking the CELTA?
Soon schools will start hiring for the fall semester. But in general it's difficult to find work for the summer. This is usually reserved for the teachers who have been at a school for a long time. Summer camps are a possibility but are a lot of work and mean you're working with kids (which could be fine! I personally prefer adults, though).
Urząd Miasta is a place, it literally means "City office" but it's something like "City Hall" in the USA.
Like I said in my article, if you're going to be in Poland already, you can't get a visa without coming back to the USA. But you can get a karta pobytu which is just as good as visa! The easiest way to get it is by starting a business.
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
David.
Thanks for the quick response!
I'm attending the course that begins on Apr. 16. I'm arriving in Poland on the 9th. So I leave very soon.
I'll look into the business visa. I'm also a musician (drums) and I was hoping to supplement my income with gigs and lessons. I already have a gig at a festival in Lodz at the end of May.
Can you tell me a little more about karta pobytu? What is the Urzad Miasta going to want as proof/validation? What preparation should I be doing now?
Ah. Well, you might be able to find some work for the summer. But like I said, it's much harder. If you have some savings, just hanging out for the summer would be fun. :-)
That's awesome about your gig! I know another American who lives in Kraków and is a musician. Maybe you guys could connect?
So, you get karta pobytu at Urząd do Spraw Cudzoziemców (literally: "Office for the Affairs of Foreigners", most similar to Immigration in the USA). Don't worry, you'll have to go to all these offices! ;-) There is a lot of beauracracy in Poland, especially for foreigners. Anyway, karta pobytu is most similar to a green card in the USA. It gives you permission to reside in Poland for a specific period of time or permanently (depends on the type, basis, etc).
They'll want lots of stuff and unfortunately, everyone's experience is a little different. We had to give zameldowanie (something you have to get at Urząd Miasta on arrival in Poland), our apartment contract, birth certificates, business registration, proof of funds from the bank, and some accounting info about the business. Some people are asked for a criminal record from their home country (we weren't). We had to do an official interview, but I've never talked to anyone else who had to do that. :-)
Anyway, it's Immigration, so it sucks!
Getting a visa can be much easier if your employeer handles all of it for you. But like I said, you have to return to the US to get a visa. I've known at least one person who cheated that by mailing their passport home - but that's risky because (1) it's illegal, (2) you're now trapped in Poland without ID, and (3) they might ask you to come to the consolate (in the US!) for an interview.
In any case, it's a lot of "process." But it's really not hard. You just end up waiting in a couple of lines at a bunch of offices. But if you just sit through it, ask a few of questions, make a bunch of photocopies - there's really no way you can fail. :-)
I hope that helps!
Regards,
David.
[...] works as a 1st grade teacher near Appleton, Wisconsin. When my wife and I were in Poland, we worked as English teachers. Although our students were a little older than hers, we set up a penpal project with her students [...]
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