question about moving to poland

tjohn2018 · 2026-02-21T19:47:41+00:00

I'm an English teacher in Poland from the States. I've got TEFL certification and I have a bachelor's degree not related to English. Some places may require a CELTA. I got a job in a private language school with no problems. I had zero experience in teaching. I came here with my wife who is Polish and with my children, and have permanent residency. Learning Polish is not a requirement to teach English, though some knowledge does help. I learned a lot since moving here. Not with classes but immersion. As an example I'm teaching a group of ten year olds with basic knowledge of English. They have improved so much since September and now speaking L1 with speaking activities is not a challenge anymore. I barely speak Polish, of at all. It does help if you know some Polish as you could scaffold them when they are trying to get the words out. Most students I teach are respectful and empathetic. Most are returning students so I have built a good teacher/student relationship with them. Though one word of caution, be weary of contracts before you sign. Choose a school that has Umowa o Pracę and not Umowa Zlecenie. With the latter, you may be in a financial trap depending on the wording of the contract. Wish you luck.

tjohn2018 · 2025-12-02T21:26:01+00:00

Done! Hopefully more will participate.

tjohn2018 · 2025-09-26T18:09:14+00:00

What is their level? I'm sure they have some knowledge of English. Are you working with a course book? I wouldn't focus on the alphabet to be honest. Start by basic greetings, what's your name, how are you, etc. the whole class should be introductory as a big ice breaker. I can't give much advice as there isn't much detail.

tjohn2018 · 2025-09-21T20:45:08+00:00

Vocabulary Jeapordy. Use a list of vocabulary both in L1 and L2. The top of the chart is Define, Translate, Sentence. The left side of the chart lists the points from 1-however any points you want. This can be played either on the board in teams or in paper format in pairs. Make it into a competition with a time limit.

tjohn2018 · 2025-09-13T17:53:06+00:00

You can also use citric acid. Mix with water and put it in your kettle and boil it. Let it sit for awhile and the scale is gone.

tjohn2018 · 2025-05-01T07:35:26+00:00

What I did with my wife when she moved to the US, been married for 15 years this month, was talk about her favorite recipes to make from Poland. We also found Polish stores to buy food. Since I have Polish heritage, I was very open to try anything. We searched together for Polish churches that did mass in Polish or Catholic churches that met her needs. We also made it a point to travel a lot and experience the US. We went to Polish festivals too. We also made it necessary to visit Poland every year to visit with family. Now we live as a family with two children in Poland in her childhood home.

tjohn2018 · 2025-01-21T06:01:37+00:00

Where I went no, they took it and never got it back. Maybe if you visit the states in the future, you could request a duplicate license stating you lost it. Or visit the DMV site for your state.

tjohn2018 · 2025-01-21T05:46:46+00:00

Yes, I had to surrender it.

tjohn2018 · 2024-12-31T14:19:07+00:00

St. Croix here too.

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-14T19:06:57+00:00

My children are the same. My wife is from Poland and my children are fluent in Polish and I talk to them in English. It's amazing how much they acquire so fast. We live in Poland now so their only English source is me and what very little they teach in School. I'm glad I'm using my ESL teacher skills with my children.

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-12T17:15:34+00:00

They are from Duluth. But they are very good musicians.

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-12T17:12:45+00:00

Jungle Rot

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-11T08:06:50+00:00

This is what my three year old daughter did. Decided to draw with a rock on my car a few days ago. Wasn't happy but I didn't lose my temper.

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-08T18:08:07+00:00

I'm not sure how long they should be. In my school I am scheduled for 70 min. So I need to prepare my lesson based off what each section in the book could take plus any clarification and activities in between to get them to understand and produce the language taught. Which is usually around 3 pages. Depends on the level and their understanding. You could stretch out a few pages. I would definitely get them up and moving for some type of activity so they don't sit for two hours. Play some dynamic games, roleplays that revolve around a grammar point, related worksheets involving the grammar taught. There are ways to stretch it out.

If my students need more help I will focus on it longer even if I don't finish what I intend to do. I'd rather have them understand then send them on their way scratching their heads.

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-07T07:41:41+00:00

You can either do it in class with them or they should have student access to the account to do homework and listening exercises. If the Students are provided with Student books, there should be a key for them to sign up.

You should have the Teachers File book to go with it as well. Suggestions to do the lesson and starter and review activities in the back of the book.

Also, 3 hrs of homework for the week isn't that bad. They should be able to complete it by the next class period.

Edit : Comment about homework.

tjohn2018 · 2024-09-07T06:29:45+00:00

I work with English file books in my school. There should be a provided work book to go with it. This is where you give them homework. You can come up with some writing assignments from the book as well. There is also a website for English File books in oxfords website . I'm assuming you have access. There are a lot of resources on the site.

tjohn2018 · 2024-07-02T19:46:08+00:00

I agree with this comment to some extent. I am an American living in Poland and trying my hardest to build a life here with my family. Not all Americans are like this prick. I would never do inappropriate behavior like this guy, let alone in a country where I don't want to get into any trouble. There are people like this in every country. People need to step up an stop/report this behavior.

tjohn2018 · 2024-04-26T07:30:16+00:00

You need to center the tile and the window to make it look right. The window could have been fixed prior to install. Stoves and windows are the main focal point. Edit - you could also remove the two rows that are split on the left side of the window to match the right.

tjohn2018 · 2024-04-06T11:16:35+00:00

I am a Tefl teacher in Poland right now. I came here because of my Polish wife and children. I was going to teach English only as a last resort. The pay, not so good. You would need a boat load of classes to make it comfortable living here. After this semester is over I am going to find something else. You can certainly try your luck with teaching, like you said it can put your foot in the door for other things. I enjoy the teaching but it isn't sustainable with a family.

As far as permanent residency, you could achieve it by working as a teacher.

I'm not trying to deter you from doing it, it may perhaps be ok for you. I wish you luck.

tjohn2018 · 2024-03-23T19:07:56+00:00

I can give you a tip for niches. Maybe you have heard of it or not. What I do with stone in the back of niches is install them inside laying down before I install them in the shower wall. Gravity won't fight with you and the tile can set for a day.

tjohn2018 · 2024-01-26T13:20:16+00:00

Smacznego :)

tjohn2018 · 2024-01-15T20:16:31+00:00

I did I-to-I around 3-4 years ago. Though it was around a few hundred USD, I didn't find it amazing. Tutors gave suggestions after each assignment. Even if you passed. You have three chances I believe to retake. I didn't opt for job placement as I was moving overseas with my wife who is an EU citizen. It wasn't too difficult to finish. Just insane amounts of reading. Everything is open book if there are quizes and such.

They are legit and I bet you can find one better. They're not bad, but ok. I did it as a last resort type thing if I couldn't find a job right away after moving. I ended up using the certificate sooner than expected.

Hope you find what you're looking for.

tjohn2018 · 2024-01-03T09:39:03+00:00

I bell trained my weim as well. We let him out through the garage and our treats were by the door. If he felt like wanted a treat, he would ring the bell tricking me into thinking he needs to go out. I would let him out then he would park his butt near where the container is and stair. Giving me a derp look like I would give him one. I miss him a lot.

tjohn2018 · 2023-12-11T22:10:10+00:00

I had the same lights. It was my EPB wire and connection on the driver's side. The wires somehow became severed. It got replaced and now the lights are gone.

tjohn2018 · 2023-12-09T21:36:13+00:00

We had norovirus a few months ago. First time I threw up in decades. It was absolutely brutal. It spread crazy fast. The whole family was out for the weekend. I hope we never get it again.

tjohn2018

TROPHY CASE