Page 23 - ELG1710 Oct Issue 451

FEATURE .
FEATURES & COMMENT

MONEY MATTERS
Why not n Rents: a room in Central Warsaw
4.8 zlotys = £1
3.6 zlotys =US$1
Poland ?
is 1300 zlotys a month, a Central
Warsaw flat of your own is 3000 a
teach in month. Rent in Krakow is 500 zlotys
for a room and 1000 for a flat of your
own. Outside the big cities it’s lower.
n Pay: Teachers were reluctant to
be open about their salaries in a
country where in law contracts are
confidential. The highest Warsaw
private language school rates (‘for
older teachers’) are 50-60 zlotys an
hour (net with paid holidays). One
teacher reported Polish colleagues
were paid less – around 40 zlotys an
hour. Monthly salary for a starting
teacher at Warsaw Technology
University is 3000 zlotys gross, 2000
Matt Salusbury visits Poland to discover modest net.
pay packets for English language teachers – but n Cost of living Relatively low –
especially food, drink, housing in
generous holidays and a rich history and culture Matt Salusbury Polytechnika Great Hall smaller cities.
Registration at the
could make it a country worth considering n Qualifications: Native speakers
need a degree and a Celta or
equivalent. Polish English teachers
need a teacher training degree
t can be tough earning a living as an English experienced, qualified teachers – usually Polish reduced rate for the the first two years of qualifications – a BA or MA in Tesol or private universities have collapsed, although with methodology component or
teacher in Poland. Even being a native nationals, often with an MA. Smaller chains self-employment, though. Peter Whiley, editor ‘English philology’. Foreigners need to get their enrolments are expected to recover in a couple you can hold another degree plus a
speaker there doesn’t necessarily confer an and independents advertise ‘natural English’ of the Iatefl Poland newsletter and English degree certificate translated then validated by of years. Celta or equivalent and a language
Iadvantage over locally recruited teachers in (native speaker) teachers, often teaching in teacher at a university in Warsaw, described the Ministry of Education, or take a degree in Polish universities, Poznan in particular, are exam at C2.
terms of hourly rates. tandem with Polish teaching assistants. colleagues ‘buying computers they don’t really Poland. While the public sector has low wages attracting more international students (some
There are sectors where you can make Several Warsaw-based teachers I spoke to need to get the reliefs’ on the Zus, adding that and little prestige, it’s very stable work once via Erasmus) to their few English-medium n Professional development: You
a decent living, however – the universities warned that in a competitive private sector, self-employment is ‘just not worth it’ for many. you get it, with three months paid holiday. courses. can take a Celta or Delta in the
sector is worth a look. powerful clients force down the rates schools There’s awareness of a skills shortage in Poland is going through interesting times, There are many Turks, Chinese and bigger Polish cities.
Life as an EFL professional is also easier if charge them, unfortunately reflected in the Poland, including foreign languages, according but not in a good way. During my July visit Latin Americans at Warsaw’s Politechnika
you’re prepared to consider teaching work rates paid to teachers. One teacher told me to Marek Kiczkowiak, EAP lecturer at the there were regular protests in Warsaw at the pre-sessional, MA and BA courses. Vistula n Exams: The Cambridge suite
outside Poland’s bigger, more expensive cities. that rates in the private EFL sector are falling. University of Leuven, currently completing a government’s dismissal of many Supreme University it’s predominantly Kazakhs, (FCE and CAE) are the most
Poland’s private language schools sector has Despite annual inflation of around 2 per cent, PhD on Polish ELT. Court judges. One Ukrainians and ‘the odd common, followed by Toeic, then
relatively few international chains. There are even salaries in universities haven’t gone up Kiczkowiak says of Poland’s private ELT consequence of the Business English is Israeli.’ Ielts and Toefl (rarer) and the
Matura, the Polish exam for English.
some British Council and International House for at least four years. sector: ‘The initial boom after we joined the political mood of the Also worthy of
branches (more likely to hire native speakers) In language schools and universities, EU is slowing down, but there’s still room for country is that there are a growth area... English investigation are n Immigration: EU nationals can
but most of the private sector is home-grown some employers try to push teachers into expansion… the private sector is still doing fewer hours of English Poland’s teacher training work in Poland. Nobody knows what
Polish chains. self-employment. The bureaucracy of being pretty well.’ taught in state schools, for young learners and colleges, which have will happen to UK nationals when
Dominant among these is Empik Schools self-employed is onerous, especially the burden English proficiency is generally ‘getting with more hours for in particular English now left the control the UK exits the EU, in March 2019
– an unusual business model, it grew out of of having to pay ‘the Zus’ – social security better,’ particularly among the ‘newer Polish and religion of local government at the earliest. Currently it looks as
a bookshop and department store operation. contributions – upfront. This can come to generation of teachers’, he says. instead. kindergartens seems to and come under the if freedom of movement within the
I was told Empik markets itself as offering over 1000 zlotys a month. They’re at a much There’s a perception that the standard Teaching in wing of universities. EU for UK nationals will last at least
of English taught in Poland’s state sector universities isn’t very be a gap in the market While teacher-training another two years after that. English
USEFUL LINKS secondary schools is not great, although lucrative. English colleges pay less than teachers who are Canadian or US
it’s improving rapidly, to the point where a teachers at private ripe for expansion universities, ‘they look nationals can obtain work permits in
n Poland Ministry of National Education (English website) https://en.men.gov.pl/ once-common side line in English tutoring for universities have to after you’, says Whiley. advance if they have evidence of a
school students is drying up. teach intensive summer Why Poland, then? job offer for ‘work in the profession
n International House jobs in Poland http://www.job.ihworld.com/ Business English is a growth area, with one pre-sessional courses or do proofreading to Expats I interviewed cited friendly people, requiring high qualifications’ See:
full-time self-employed native English speaker make ends meet. Danuta Soltyska, Iatefl good food and drink and a cost of living that’s http://bit.ly/2wEgtQx
n British Council Poland jobs https://www.britishcouncil.pl/en/about/jobs reporting that he makes a good living doing treasurer and teacher at the Polytechnika still relatively low in the smaller cities.
nothing else. English for young learners and in (Warsaw University of Technology) notes that While Poland’s modernising fast, it’s still
n Empik School https://empikschool.com/en/ particular English kindergartens seems to be full-time salaried contract university teachers not that ‘touristy’, there’s plenty to explore
a gap in the market ripe for expansion. There can spend potentially unlimited hours on the by way of history and nature. Polish language MATT SALUSBURY
n The Warsaw Voice (English language newspaper) http://www.warsawvoice.pl are some private nurseries that have two child preparation of tailor-made ESP materials. classes are usually part of the package for Freelance reporter
minders, one Polish speaking and one English It’s becoming harder to find full-time expat teachers. Whiley, who moved out of
n Krakow Post (English language newspaper) http://www.krakowpost.com/ speaking, while even state nursery schools jobs at universities, partly due to a rise in Warsaw and now commutes from a small town Matt Salusbury is a freelance
offer English if they have the budget for it. the retirement age. Soltyska also observes 70 km away, advises looking at smaller cities journalist, He was previously news
n UDSC (Poland immigration, in English) https://udsc.gov.pl/en/ Public sector schools will only recruit that the ‘demography is against us’ – fewer where there ‘aren’t many native speakers to go and features editor of EL Gazette
and was an EFL and ESOL teacher in
teachers who have government-approved students of university age mean that some around, somewhere off the beaten track.’ Turkey, the Netherlands and the UK.
22 October 2017 editorial@elgazette.com 23