TEFL Jobs in Poland

For a while now the number of TEFL Jobs in Poland has been huge. It has been said that Poland has more TEFL opportunities than anywhere in the region, and maybe even the world.

TEFL Jobs in Poland are available throughout the country at state schools, colleges and universities, as well as in private institutes, language schools and companies. Although salaries are high relative to local standards, and you can live comfortably, you should not expect to be able to save very much, unless you decide to supplement your income by offering private tuition.

Finding a TEFL Job in Poland

Year round TEFL jobs can found advertised on the internet through the various TEFL related web sites. Of course, it is advised that you also take a proactive approach to your job search as well, by contacting schools who aren’t currently advertising for a teacher.

Circumstances at language schools can be quite fluid, and they often find themselves suddenly short of a teacher or with a new contract that requires a new teacher or two. Contact information is easily found on internet language school and business directories and yellow pages and by doing searches for English language schools in Poland or in a specific city you may be interested in working and living in.

Email your up to date resume along with a cover letter and follow that up with a phone call, asking to speak to the director or human resources manager. A university degree and a well recognized TEFL certificate are most often necessary to secure a position.

When to find a TEFL Job in Poland

The academic year in Poland is from September to June, and most TEFL job contracts are for one year. Polish students are generally friendly and motivated, and teachers are given a high degree of respect. Most language schools here will provide you with a yearlong curriculum broken into terms and then again into weeks.

Though the curriculum is provided, most schools will allow a considerable amount of leeway within which to accomplish the goals of that curriculum. This allows you the freedom to tailor your lessons to the particular needs of the students in your classes.

Some TEFL Job Questions to Ask

Before accepting a position, make sure that you ask questions regarding salary or hourly pay rate, whether you’ll have to travel to your lessons and if you get compensated for this time and reimbursed for expenses, what kind of material resources the school has for lesson planning and teaching materials, what kind of administrative and collegial support you will have, whether a visa will be needed and if the school assists with that, etc. Also be sure that the contract you sign will accurately reflect these details. This will help to avoid any nasty surprises after you’ve already agreed to take the job.

Most TEFL jobs in Poland are in the larger cities due to the larger number of people living there and an eager work pool. Since joining the EU in 2004, the call for English teachers in Poland has increased dramatically. Armed with your TEFL certificate, you should have very little difficulty finding a TEFL job in Poland.