Working in different TEFL schools
Having more than one TEFL job
I’m back in Poland! I’ve successfully found two TEFL teaching positions offering a one year contract. The first language school is in the city where I’m based. However, the second school is in a neighbouring city one and a half hours away. At first, I was a little sceptical about accepting this job. This is due to the distance and problems it could cause, not having a car in Poland. However, after a month of working both jobs my time management skills have been corrected. Such as, transport and lesson planning. I always give myself an extra hour in case of delays. The school has even supplied me with a monthly transport card. Which is really useful and means that I can take alternative routes. Sometimes language schools ask TEFL teachers to work not only in the school but in-company locations too. It’s worth noting that you can ask them to pay for a transport card and any other expenses.
45 hours a week timetable
My weekly timetable looks a little bit like this: the first language school, 20 hours a week working mornings. The second language school, 25 hours a week working evening hours on rotation. This offers me a variety of lessons, students, flexibility and some free time during the weekday. I was offered another job with a language school (which would be the third) however, they proposed that I work weekends.
Personally, I’d prefer to keep my weekends free for my own activities, such as Park Run events, travelling, socialising and enjoying the city where I’m living. After all, you’ve moved away from your home country so it’s important to go out and explore!
Private lessons and online
I’m still teaching online lessons as discussed in previous TEFL blogs. Setting up your own company could be a useful step for some TEFL teachers living abroad. It’s a quick process and only costs about 60 euros. With that, you can manage your taxes and more importantly have a stable income. Requesting invoices from private students and having individual contracts written up.
Future plans
I rent a large apartment in the city with the vision to use a separate room for teaching private students, from home. The demand for learning English as a foreign language during Autumn and Winter months is high. Therefore, my flat would offer a comfortable, quiet and safe environment for language learning. Which would provide me with a solid reputation to build upon as a TEFL teacher in Poland.
In other news, I’m pleased to announce that in November I will be having a solo exhibition of my artwork in collaboration with an art gallery in Silesia, Poland. I have invited some of my students to the private view since its a nice way to engage with them on another level.
In my next blog, I will discuss more details about a 45 hours a week timetable and my current weekly timetable for teaching: the student’s levels, lesson planning, how I prepare material, what works and what doesn’t.
