Want to Move Abroad - Haven't Foggiest Idea How

Idiot Not Abroad

Hi all!

I've been trying to get work abroad in TEFL. My target country is Poland. I'm qualified and all that, but the vast majority of places I apply to online are looking to interview applicants in person. So, I reckon I need to get over there. I maybe should have done that first, I don't know, this is the first time I've done anything like this. I'm still living at home.

So at the risk of seeming like a complete fool, I'm just gonna come straight out and ask - what do I do?

Do I look for accomodation online? Or should I go over, I don't know, stay in a cheap hotel for a short while and look for more permanent accomodation on foot? Do people working abroad normally have a job sorted beforehand?

I'm pretty sure I had other really basic questions lined up when I started the boards.ie registration process but they seem to have gone into hiding. Any help, no matter how rudimentary, would be greatly appreciated because I just don't know where to start.

Thanks!

chucken1

Hi.
Well if I were you Id head over and stay in a hostel for a week or 2. The hostels in Poland are lovely.Give a wander around and see whats on offer.You'll also have the benefit of meeting other young people who could give you a few pointers. Depending on what you want to do workwise..you could always try for work in a hostel to start off?!
Otherwise if you wanted to have a few interviews lined up,go that route.
Its amazing how much you can find out by just being in a place for a week.Get talking to the locals,they're always ready to help. And best of luck

Have a look at the forum on Dave's ESL Cafe for Poland. Heaps of info about job hunting. I used it regularly for my China fascination.

Idiot Not Abroad

Hmm, I'd never heard of Dave's ESL Cafe before, I'm rummaging through it now. Thanks for that. I do know about TEFL.com but I've exhausted that.

Jim2007

Well there are a few basics to consider no matter where you are going:

- Make sure you have enough savings to at least two months living costs to start with: one month searching for the job and one working before getting paid.

- Some experience of the place before you commit to going there

- Friend ands contacts to start with, so you have some kind of a support net

- Basic knowledge of the local language if possible

You should also realize that teaching English is a saturated market, every English and his mother who wants to travel does it. And as a result rates are often very low and conditions not so good. Do you have another skills to offer?

Out of interest why Poland?

Good luck with that,

Jim (20 years in Switzerland!)

I've done a few years of teaching abroad, and I would highly (seriously) recommend that you have the cost of a return ticket stashed away and not to be touched unless needed. A reserve fund of a small amount like €300 is also extremely useful for emergencies, and emergencies do arise. Living abroad brings up loads of occurrences which living in Ireland doesn't prepare you for.

If you have your heart set on Europe/Poland, get some Business English training. Initially it won't earn you any more money, but as you get contacts, you'll be presented with opportunities for extra money.. Usually your main teaching job (if through a company) will have you teaching kids, teens, adults and business people all within the same week depending on the market, but its handy to have some formal certification to point to.

Personally, I'm more focused on Asia (China mostly) for a variety of reasons, but best of luck with your adventure.. It truly is a great and terrible experience no matter where you go.

Idiot Not Abroad

Thanks for all that. I do have the savings to last me a while, but good advice for the emergency return ticket stash I'm focussed on Poland because started to learn the language on a whim a few years ago, I've been over there a couple of times, and I've just developed a love for the place. In the ideal situation, I'd end up living there permanently.

It's strange; for every person who says that TEFL is a saturated market, there's at least one who says that places are always crying out for teachers. However, I'm more inclined to believe the former, since absolutely everybody I've mentioned my plans to, without fail, has a relative who's done it. It's amazed me.

I think Poland, and anywhere in Europe, would be more difficult than most places to find work, because the standard of English is quite high (taught from primary school). The Far East seems to be the place to go for near-guaranteed work.

Idiot Not Abroad

Idiot Not Abroad wrote: »

It's strange; for every person who says that TEFL is a saturated market, there's at least one who says that places are always crying out for teachers. However, I'm more inclined to believe the former, since absolutely everybody I've mentioned my plans to, without fail, has a relative who's done it. It's amazed me.

The market in ESL is rather saturated in most areas... The problem is not getting work. There's plenty of schools/companies looking for teachers. The problem is getting good places to work who won't scam you on wages, visa's or such. Also the wages for ESL tend to be on the low side unless you've gotten an advanced degree in Education or a Masters. For most of us, the money is adequate but for the better positions there's alot of competition, and that's probably where all the comments about saturation come from.

I think Poland, and anywhere in Europe, would be more difficult than most places to find work, because the standard of English is quite high (taught from primary school). The Far East seems to be the place to go for near-guaranteed work.

Russia (and formers states) is a very good spot if you don't mind the hassles like corruption and poverty cropping up. Plenty of work to be had. The M.East is a great spot for money IF you have good qualifications... the down side being the culture in many countries. Asia is probably the best over all destination for ESL since there are still places to earn good money, while living in a country with an extremely low cost of living. Japan is pretty cool, but it's getting increasingly more difficult to get work unless you're already there. Korea is ok if you want money but they're getting more and more xenophobic all the time, which isn't very attractive.

Ultimately, you will find work in any non-English speaking country... Its just a matter of priorities, and what kind of work you're willing to do.

Johnny_Trotter

Idiot Not Abroad wrote: »

Thanks for all that. I do have the savings to last me a while, but good advice for the emergency return ticket stash I'm focussed on Poland because started to learn the language on a whim a few years ago, I've been over there a couple of times, and I've just developed a love for the place. In the ideal situation, I'd end up living there permanently.

I'm in Poland - albeit not working as an English teacher, so I don't know how much info I can really give you here... However, I can try and tell you as much as possible about living here and getting set up. I moved over about 18 months ago, and I think I'm set to stay permanently also.

Idiot Not Abroad wrote: »

I think Poland, and anywhere in Europe, would be more difficult than most places to find work, because the standard of English is quite high (taught from primary school). The Far East seems to be the place to go for near-guaranteed work.

For Poland, I think you'd be surprised how much they appreciate a native English speaker. They do indeed learn languages much younger than in Ireland/UK. However, what I have found quite often is that they know 'book-English' and thus having a native speaker to help with colloquialisms, etc would be a big help.

Accomodation websites:
http://szybko.pl/
http://www.daft.pl/ (Polish version of Daft)

General info:
http://www.polishforums.com/ (especially http://www.polishforums.com/work-study-43/). This is a bit of a strange site. There is a lot of info on Poland to be found here - however, there is huge negativity and often fights between UK/US users, so you generally have to search a lot to find valuable info, as opposed to flame wars and trolls.
http://thenews.pl/ - news about Poland in English

Finally, here is a blog I am involved in, in which I and a few others write about life in Poland: http://polandian.home.pl/

Let me know if I can answer something else

Cat Melodeon

Hi there, I taught English in Germany for years and had a few friends who had either trained or worked in Krakow - everything they had to say about the place was positive. Two of the schools worked at were Prolog and K&K.

I don't know how it would work in Poland, but my experience over the border was simple enough. When I arrived in Germany I found a cheap hostel and booked in for a week. I headed to all the Irish pubs in town and got a part-time job on the first day. From there, the staff helped me with finding a place to live - were brilliant with recommending areas and helping with phone calls - the (authentic) Irish pub is the true Irish consulate. I moved in to a place after 5 days. Once settled (lots of bureaucracy involved in moving to Germany in those days), I then started targetting all the schools in town. I'd researched them before I moved and concentrated on the ones that seemed most professional, got the best reviews and which offered respected exam classes like TOEFL and Cambridge. I dropped in my CV in person and where possible tried to meet the manager. It's important to present yourself as professionally as possible - try to look like the type of person who would be comfortable tutoring a class of bank executives to distinguish yourself from the dreadlocked backpackers seeking to spend a few months 'doing' Eastern Europe. A suit is a must - you can slip into teacher casuals once you've got your foot in the door. I was offered two classes a week with my first choice school - I accepted this and within 6 weeks I had a full timetable.

You say you're qualified - to be sure of work this should mean a third level qualification and something which gave you class-contact time, like CELTA, not an online course. I didn't have a degree when I went out, but my business diploma & managerial experience was more beneficial to me than an MA in linguistics could have been. The latter would have been good if I had wanted to progress within the organisation as a teacher trainer or Director of Studies etc, but I was quite happy being a drone teacher. I was offered plenty of lucrative company classes based on my ability to teach the language of accounting, business communications etc. In the meantime, any teaching experience you can get here, even if it's only one class a week on a voluntary basis, will help bulk up your CV and make you a more attractive prospect for employers. If you haven't done it already (and you might have heaps of experience, I don't mean to patronise if you do) get yourself a Polish tandem partner to help your own language skills and to practise what you learned on the TEFL course.

By the way, most schools will not pay more depending on your level of qualification. Most have a few different levels of pay with a set rate for each teaching hour. A new teacher could have the basics or have a PhD, but they will only receive a higher rate of pay once they have proved themselves as a decent teacher and as 'marketable'. People with engineering and business backgrounds had more and better opportunities where I worked, so if you have any 'real world' experience at all, play it up big time on your CV, along with any other formal or informal training roles you've ever had. If you're coming from a teaching background, you're more likely to be based in a school with mixed adult learners, kid's classes etc, which is fine but can be a bit boring.

Financially, I can only echo what some of the others have said. Have enough cash for a return ticket, and make sure you have some idea of start-up costs. In Germany, it's quite common to be asked to pay two months deposit on a flat along with a month's rent up front, a deposit for bills, and an agent's fee. This pretty much wiped out all the cash I had (and I didn't get paid until the end of the month in the school) so my cash-in-hand bar job was essential to me for survival those first few months. I hadn't realised how much the initial outlay would be and was lucky to have an easy source of income. I left the bar job after 6 months as I was secure in my position in the school by then. Do your research thoroughly on that front and try to have enough funds to support yourself for up to three months. The cost of living is much lower, so that helps.

And then you just have to do it. If you are already positive about the place, have some language basics, have visited the place and want to go back, you'll probably do very well. I loved my time in Germany and am currently trying to see how I could go back there. Since returning to Ireland I've managed to acquire a husband, a child, a different career path and numerous animal companions, so unfortunately the move would be a bit more complex this time round! You sound like you're well prepared, now all you have to do is go for it.

Idiot Not Abroad

That's all fantastic, thanks all of you! My qualification is a month-long intensive course at a school here in Ireland, which included some teaching time. My degree is in arts, and my past career experience is mainly in banking, so this is a bit of a switch for me.

seachto7

I pretty much did the same thing as Cat Melodeon , but I did it in Rome.
I was only looking at the website last week for the school I used to work in, and they are hiring..
I would agree with Cat Melodeon. Do the research before you go, and then just go for it...
I ripped out the yellow pages in Rome and just went from school to school...

Idiot Not Abroad

Idiot Not Abroad wrote: »

That's all fantastic, thanks all of you! My qualification is a month-long intensive course at a school here in Ireland, which included some teaching time. My degree is in arts, and my past career experience is mainly in banking, so this is a bit of a switch for me.

I used to work as a credit controller and did so for close to 14 years. I needed a break from such work, and ended up doing a year teaching ESL in China. Great experience overall. TBH I have no plan to go back to business, and have decided to focus on the teaching side of things.

Mr. Loverman

I currently live in Poland. Lots of Poles have no English. But be aware wages are extremely low here (about €500 per month).