Application and induction process

Step 1 - Requirements

• Either an RSA/Cambridge or Trinity Cert. TESOL teaching qualification (a grade ‘A’ or ‘B’ qualification is preferred but not essential)
• A degree
• Non-native speaker teachers additionally need either a BA or MA degree in English philology (this counts for the degree requirement) or a Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English
• Previous teaching experience is desirable but not essential
• A commitment to your professional development
• A high level of professionalism
• Strong people skills and the ability to work as part of a teaching team
• A positive, friendly, open personality
• EU citizens are preferred. The process of getting visas in Poland for non-EU citizens is long, complex and costly, therefore, only particularly strong applicants can be considered. Non-EU citizens can only be recruited up to the end of April the preceding academic year in order to have enough time to deal with all the paperwork involved.
   

Step 2 – The application process

• The school’s main recruitment period is in the spring and summer to recruit teachers for the following academic year. However, vacancies may also be available at other times of year. The school always advertises its vacancies on the International House World Organisation recruitment web-site so if you want to check if there are any vacancies, go to www.ihworld.com and click on the recruitment link.
• If you want to apply for a position, send your current CV, contact information for 2 referees (you need to provide up-to-date email addresses for them) and a covering email to: opole@ih.com.pl (only applications from appropriately qualified teachers will receive a reply).
• If your application is interesting to the school, the next stage is an interview. Interviews can be held face-to-face, by telephone (on a land-line only) and on skype.
• If the interview is successful, you will be sent an offer for your consideration along with a deadline for your reply. Together with the offer, you will be sent an electronic copy of the school contract and pay scale.
• If you decide to accept the offer, teachers from abroad will either be sent two paper copies of the school contract by post to be signed and one of which should be posted back to the school, or will be expected to sign the contract shortly after arriving in Poland. Local teachers should book an appointment with the School Director for coming into school to sign the contract.
   

Step 3 – Travel, arrival and accommodation (foreign teachers only)

• You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements. Most teachers fly from the UK to Wroclaw airport with Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com) which flies from London Luton and Doncaster-Sheffield airport or Ryan Air (www.ryanair.com) which flies from London Stansted, East Midlands, Bristol, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Teachers not travelling from the UK as their starting point should consult a travel agent in that country. On arrival at Wroclaw airport, there is a local bus service connecting the airport with Wroclaw town centre which terminates just by the train station. There are fairly regular trains from Wroclaw to Opole and the journey takes about one hour and thirty minutes. Teachers will be collected from Opole train station (or bus station if you arrive by coach) and taken to their accommodation free of charge by the school, however, the teacher is responsible for paying their own travel costs between the airport and the town of Opole. Please try to avoid arriving very early in the morning or very night at night. On arrival you will be given a free food pack and town map. The school provides a travel allowance according to the pay scale in your first payment. 
• The school helps you with finding your first flat (single or shared) but the flat contract is directly between the teacher and the landlord. Finding a flat can either be done in advance by the school sending you information and photos of possible flats by email or it can be done on arrival with the school making appointments for you to view flats available. In the second case, the school will book reasonably priced hotel accommodation for you until you are able to move into a flat. Either way, you are responsible for paying for all costs related to accommodation - this includes your rent (payable in advance), your flat deposit (usually one month's rent and paid on signing the flat contract), any estate agent's fees (usually also one month's rent – it’s very difficult to find flats without going through an estate agent) and any hotel costs incurred between your arrival and moving into your flat. However, you can get an advance from the school if you need help with cash flow. Paying back the advance can be done over a period of a few months and is agreed on a case by case basis.
• On arrival there is a pre-induction orientation and settling in period for the first two days. This allows you time to look for a suitable flat if necessary, move in, unpack, go shopping, etc. During these two days you will be given a tour of the town and the school and given assistance in setting up a Polish bank account (necessary for receiving your monthly salary). You only need your passport in order to set up an account. You are not paid for these two days.

 Step 4 – Induction programme (all teachers)
 
This involves…
 

• The opportunity to meet and talk with the school’s returning teachers
• Getting your timetable and sets of materials for the courses you will be teaching
• Being introduced to the School Manager, senior staff and administrative staff
• Input sessions giving you further information about working at the school

You are paid for this induction period at the rate stated in the pay scale.