After acquiring my CELTA certification, I was ready to leave Canada to teach abroad. I was searching TEFL job boards to see what was out there and I found an organization called English Wizards. They are based in Krakow, Poland and they help ESL teachers to settle and find work in Poland. To be honest, Poland was not on my radar for places to teach ESL, and originally I had planned on going to Thailand or Vietnam. I applied anyway, just to see what would happen. I received a response after a few business days, and I was asked to pick an interview time. The interview was with a representative from English Wizards and it was mostly to see if I had some experience travelling abroad. We talked a bit about my education and experience too. By the end of the interview, he told me I passed and they would be sending me a welcome email with all of the information I needed to apply for a Polish work permit and visa. They emailed me a detailed book with step by step instructions on how to do everything.
The English Wizards system works like this: You pay a fee to them, and this includes your work permit, settlement assistance, legal fees for immigration assistance, and a TEFL specialization certification course in Business English or Teaching Young Learners.
They also try to set you up with employment before arriving in Poland. They gave me a list of places looking for teachers and I was hired to teach at a bilingual kindergarten in Krakow. They also assisted me with finding an apartment. When I arrived in Krakow, I was greeted by a driver hired by English Wizards and he drove me directly to my new apartment. During my first week in Krakow, I was assisted with getting my tax code, sim card, health insurance, and a bank account. I also met with an immigration lawyer to go through all of my legal documents. English Wizards planned all of this.
English Wizards also have their own education program with DELTA trained instructors. As I mentioned earlier, the teachers arriving in Poland are able to get their TEFL specialization certificate in Business English or Teaching Young Learners. I was already hired as a kindergarten teacher so naturally I chose Teaching Young Learners.
There were 2 parts to this course: an online section and an in-class section (one week of in-class instruction with observed teaching practicum). The online section was a lot of work. There were lots of assignments, readings, and note taking.
The online portion was comprised of 4 units:
1. Language Analysis: Lexis
2. Language Analysis: Grammar
3. Reading, Genres, and Discourse
4. Listening and Phonology
I was happy when that part was finished because I was ready to meet other teachers who were on the same journey.
The English Wizards planned events for the students enrolled in the course, and the weekend before the start of the in-class section, there were 2 trips planned. On Saturday there was a day trip to the Polish mountain town of Zakopane (a few hours by bus from Krakow) and on Sunday there was a Krakow City Tour. This was a chance for the teachers to meet each other before the course.
Zakopane was amazing. We ate hot cheese, drank hot wine, and walked through the big market. We also had a pierogi dinner together. It was a great experience.
The following Monday was day one of the in-class portion of the course. The course was located at the Lincoln Language School in the Krakow city centre. Â
The schedule:
From 9 am until 4 pm: the input sessions.
From 4 pm to 6 pm: guided lesson planning.
From 6 pm to 8 pm: observed teaching practice with teenage students.Â
The days were long but so enjoyable. Our class was fantastic and we all got along so well….and the English Wizards were so good to us. On our first day, they bought breakfast for us. The break room was full of baked goods, coffee, tea, and juice. In the middle of the week, they ordered pizza for us for our lunch break, and near the end of the week, they brought us a big box of donuts. We also received our own English Wizards coffee mug.Â
When the week was over, I was sad about it. I wanted to stay longer. I really enjoyed it. The tutors were amazing, and I learned so much. The teenage students were hilarious which helped with the nerves during our teaching practice, and the other Wizards in the course were some of the loveliest people I have ever met. We have remained friends since the course which I am so happy about.Â
On the Saturday after the course, the English Wizards planned a museum event for us, and we were given a ticket to the National Museum Krakow, and one week after the course was completed, we had a graduation ceremony at a local Indian Restaurant. We played games, received our certificates, and ate delicious food together. The entire experience was amazing from the beginning to the end. I would highly recommend English Wizards for anyone wanting teaching experience in Europe.
If you would like to learn more about the English Wizards, you can visit their website: https://englishwizards.org/