English Wizards was fine; they did everything they promised to do.
EW's service - finding a job and interview assistance, residency permit, accountant, finding housing (tho my employer helped me with this), medical insurance - not cheap, but couldn't have done it by myself. Sole Proprietor = US Independent Contractor, You pay your own taxes, medical, and pension so that cuts into your hourly earnings.
I worked near Wrocław, Poland for 18 months and loved it 90% of the time. I'll always treasure the experience and could go back. I taught ages 9 to adult, group and 1-on-1 classes. I miss some students immensely: their boundless optimism, friendship, determination, affection, and energy. But I also had students and classes that I dreaded: some unruly, highly distracted, and rude kids.
I'm sharing my own experience and what other teachers told me.
The job - Don't think that just because you're a native speaker, you can just sit around and chitchat randomly and call that working. The work is intense, protracted, and under conditions that can be far from ideal. Class size (either too big or too small), uncooperative students (they either won't speak or won't listen), and disparities in ability (struggling students get further behind and act up; advanced students act up if you simplify the lessons). You might dislike the lesson plans or even hate them, but you're told you cannot modify them or use your own material.
We all had the same problems. You might complain to Administration, who often turned it back on you: you're not being energetic enough, not engaging enough, you're boring, students don't respect you, you're too strict, you're too easy-going, etc. I thought 12-14 students was too many in a class but one teacher had ~40.
FINANCES: I had pension income from the US. Without that, I couldn't have done it unless I worked a lot more. I worked 16-20 hours/wk (not counting prep) which usually paid my rent and taxes. My roommate worked 30 hours/wk, sometimes 12 classes a day, plus her own online students, and she still had to ask parents for money. You will want to go home for Christmas or the summer and I know of no schools that pay any airfare.
Vacations - Poland has many holidays and group classes would have 1-2 wk breaks every month or two. The adult individual classes, though, would still be on and your vacation time would not be approved unless you could get another teacher to substitute.
I'd do it all over again, but it's expensive.
What was your funniest moment?
I asked "Mateus" to close the door - but there were two Mateuses, so they both jumped up to close the door, shoving and fighting over it - you had to be there to appreciate the humor. The three girls and I couldn't stop laughing.
Even the adults I met didn't pay close attention to US politics, but I do. So many people have the notion that Donald Trump is a smart, good businessman. So when I'd tell them the latest ignorant, ignominious thing he said that day they wouldn't believe it until I'd show them the clip and they'd laugh hilariously.
I had a student who grew up in the UK and his deadpan humor, with his accent, would crack me up every lesson! So many of my students had very funny senses of humor.
