Teachers Zone
We are always looking for enthusiastic and passionate teachers to join our dedicated team at First Steps Kindergarten Bielsko-Biala
Work Mon-Fri! Develop your teaching skills with a variety of lessons & activities Competitive salary + extra bonuses Professional EFL development opportunities - IH world certified Personal gratification and job satisfaction Unique location: explore the Beskid mountains in your free time!
Welcome to First Steps Kindergarten Bielsko-Biala!
We are a long established and successful kindergarten, based in Bielsko-Biala’s city centre and located amidst the backdrop of a beautiful mountainous region, offering teachers travelling abroad, a unique experience!
What does the job entail?
Our teachers are responsible for delivering quality English lessons and activities such as art, outdoor play, breakfast, greeting and story time, intensive language sessions, music and dance (approx. 20 clock hours a week – 4 hours daily) to 2 groups of children of approx. the same age (either 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 year olds). Admin duties and lesson planning are part of the job and teachers are expected to attend to those responsibilities diligently.
Do teachers get the support and assistance they need?
The quality of education a student receives is determined by the quality of the teacher so we are dedicated to you! We will strongly support you in all means possible. Some examples of these are regular training sessions, an orientation and induction week (prior to starting work), meetings, peer knowledge sharing and observations, quality resources such as laminated flashcards, a library of English children’s story books, music, art supplies, sporting equipment, toys and computer and office equipment, just to name a few.
What are the working hours?
Depending on your contract, they range between 20-25 hours weekly and mostly in the morning. You will also be given the special opportunity to work for 2-3 hours weekly at our sister language school in Bielsko, International House.
Why would a teacher want to live and teach in Bielsko-Biala?
We are located in the state of Silesia in the southern part of Poland. This is a great place to live because it has a lot to offer the modern-day intrepid explorer, traveller or local resident –
* Enjoy rich natural beauty? – Miles and miles of wilderness pathways to enjoy on your own or with friends as we are situated at the foot of the Beskid Slaski and the Beskid Maly mountains. We’re also a stone’s throw from Goczalkowice-Zdroj and Zywiec which are famous for their beautiful lakes.
* Love hiking? – Endless mountain walking trails and enchanting mountain refugees for overnight stays
* Ever skied or snowboarded? – Try our lower slopes or take a cable car to a higher point, only a 10 minute bus ride from the city centre and Let loose on one of Poland’s most renowned ski resorts, Szczyrk, only a 30 minute bus ride from the city centre.
* Looking for more? – We have something for everyone! Modern and large fitness centres and gyms, tennis, horse riding, pubs and night clubs, cinemas, clean and modern swimming pools, bowling, go-karting, mountain biking trails, ice-skiing, rollerblading, indoor wall climbing and jump parks, supermarkets and shopping malls, international cuisine, dancing centres, pottery workshops etc.
* Fancy visiting Slovakia or the Czech Republic? – Jump on a bus or train and you won’t be disappointed, only a 30-60 minute bus or train ride from the city centre. How about Prague, Vienna or Bratislavia – only 3-4 hrs by train or bus!
* Interested in historical architecture? – Wander around the city and admire our Art Nouveau, castle and old city area, we are known as “Little Vienna”.
* World War History Buff? – Visit the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp for the day, only 30 km from the city or explore Krakow’s Schindler Factory
* Like eating and shopping? – Visit our 4 large shopping centres or roam amongst our quaint boutiques and hidden cellar bars and cafes throughout the city’s squares and cobblestoned alleyways. Indulge in our delicious local food (oscypek, kwasnica or oblaty).
* How about some large urban exploration? – Regular and daily buses, coaches & trains to Katowice (50 minutes), Krakow (90 minutes), Wroclaw (3 hours), Warsaw (4 hours), Gdansk (7 hours but well worth the journey time) and inhale the secret health benefits of the iodine saturated air or find some treasure (amber) on the Baltic seaside only 8 hours away
* Wish to fly home for a break? – The 2 closest airports Katowice-Pyrzowice (Domestic & European cities) and Krakow (Domestic, European & America), are only 80kms away
What about the school’s history?
First Steps Kindergarten and Basic Steps Nursery opened its door in 2001 and has been successfully educating youngsters since 2001. We are also owned and operated by the same proprietor of 2 other local schools – International House Language School Bielsko-Biala which has been successfully running since 1993 and is an authorised Cambridge English Examination Centre, and Primary Steps Bielsko-Biala which was opened in 2014. All 3 of our schools have a solid reputation in our local community for the great care we offer our students, families and teachers alike.
Why choose us?
* Competitive teaching salary
* Morning hours (mostly) and FREE weekends
* Great social events to take part in (including a fun sleigh ride!)
* Opportunities for regular in-house training
* Satisfying job and great teacher support
* Great place to visit and experience in East Europe
Qualifications and requirements:
– TEFL, CELTA or an equivalent qualification is preferable
– Experience in teaching English as a second language to young learners in an approved environment
– A clear and accurate model of English (full mastery of English across all 4 skills)
– Due to visa and work permit requirements, we are only able to consider EU & USA passport holders.
Salary and Benefits
EU TEACHERS ON FIXED CONTRACTS:
* Competitive salary dependent on experience and qualifications
*Monthly bonuses:
– 100 PLN for preparing a monthly report
– 100 PLN for teachers holding CELTYL, IHCYLT or CELT-P/-S qualifications
*Additional payment for running the school’s social events
* 20 working days of paid holiday for a full academic year including a Christmas break, a winter break in Jan/Feb, an Easter break and a long weekend in May – dependent on the contract
* flight or travel assistance of 400 PLN to help with relocation
* Ski pass valued at 400 PLN for a full academic year
* FREE: the opportunity to participate in the world recognised course IH CYLT (International House Certificate in Teaching Young Learners & Teenagers) upon completion of your first year’s contract and signing the next school year contract. We are also planning on running the IH Language Awareness Course in 2020-2021. Free IH online and in-house training is available all year round.
* FREE: 10 survival Polish lessons (for teachers on full academic year contracts).
SELF-EMPLOYED TEACHERS
* Competitive hourly rate (dependent on experience)
* A monthly bonus for preparing a monthly report
* Flight or travel assistance 800 for teachers travelling form the USA to help with relocation.
* FREE: the opportunity to participate in the world recognised course IH CYLT (International House Certificate in Teaching Young Learners & Teenagers) upon completion of your first year’s contract and signing the next school year contract. We are also planning on running the IH Language Awareness Course in 2019-2020.
*FREE: IH online and in-house training is available all year round.
*FREE: 10 survival Polish lessons (for teachers on full academic year contracts).
*FREE: Breakfast & lunch in our canteen.
Step 1 – Requirements
– EU and US citizens only
– TEFL, CELTA or an equivalent qualification is preferable
– Experience in teaching English as a second language to young learners in an approved environment is desirable but not essential
– A clear and accurate model of English (full mastery of English across all 4 skills)
– Commitment to 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
Step 2 – The application process
· If you want to apply for a position, send our Internal Application form (there is a link at the top of the page), your current CV and a covering email to: zuzanna.szatanik@ih.com.pl
· If your application is interesting to the school, the next stage is an interview. Interviews can be held face-to-face or on skype (with a webcam). Selected candidates will receive a detailed guide about the school to help them get to know the school better.
· If the interview is successful, you will be sent an offer for your consideration along with a deadline for your reply.
Step 3 – Travel, arrival and accommodation (foreign teachers only)
· You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements. Most teachers fly to Katowice or Krakow airports with Wizz Air (see www.wizzair.com), Ryanair (see www.ryanair.com/en/) or EasyJet (see www.easyjet.com/en) from London (all airports), or other cities in the UK.
Please try to book flights which arrive at reasonable times and not very late at night or early in the morning. The school can arrange the school driver to collect you, for a reasonable fee (paid by the teacher), from Katowice or Krakow airport. If you elect not to use this service you will be given advice about how to get to Bielsko-Biala and you will be collected at the main bus or train station and taken to your accommodation. The teacher is responsible for paying their own travel costs between the airport and the main stations in this case. On arrival you will be given a free food pack and a map of Bielsko-Biala.
· The school will help you with finding a flat (single or shared). It 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. The flat contract is signed directly between the teacher and the landlord.
Step 4 – Induction programme (3 - 5 days)
This involves…
· Input sessions giving you more detailed information about working at the school
· Being introduced to the School Director, senior staff and administrative staff
· The opportunity to meet and talk with the school’s returning teachers
· Getting your timetable and sets of materials for the groups you will be teaching
· Taking part in our annual back-to-school party!
You are paid for this induction period at the rate stated in the Pay Scale (EU teachers) or Appendix 1 to Cooperation Agreement (for USA/Self-Employed teachers)
Professional Development Interviews (PDIs)
We are excited to offer new teachers a challenging opportunity to hone and develop their teaching skills in a world of happy-go-lucky and flexible minded bi-lingual early learners. If you are someone who finds it hard to resist warm genuine smiles, enjoys laughter and likes each day to be interesting and unique, then come and join our team.
We offer …
– Daily assistance and support from our experienced and friendly young learner teachers
– Continuous professional development to help teachers improve and grow professionally
– Service quality assurance from International House World
– Your own teacher’s classroom with a cupboard full of topic flashcards and other teaching materials for example, music, art supplies, sporting equipment, toys, dramatic costumes etc.
– An extensive English children’s storybook library
– A 3-5 day long orientation and induction period
– 10 Free Polish lessons
– Paid holidays over Christmas, Mid-term winter break, Easter and other bridging holidays (this does not apply to self-employed teachers)
– A programme of extra-curricular activities to experience with your children on our premises as well as excursions, for example: Jolly Phonics, Forest Adventure, puppet theatre, animal shows, performers and entertainers for special days such as Valentine’s Day or Carnival, museums, community services visits, family fun days, theme parks, Christmas and Graduation shows, an Easter hunt etc.
– Regular school social events for teachers working at the kindergarten & IH (seasonal parties, sleigh rides, hiking trips, coffee evenings etc.)
– Free daily meals for breakfast and lunch in our kindergarten
– Administration staff support throughout the whole school year
– 21 years of experience in English teaching!
Our in-house training programme
Our weekly training sessions are led by senior members of staff until winter break. We choose topics from your suggestions made at the start of the year or as a result of global feedback after a series of observations. In the second term, teachers new to the school are encouraged to lead sessions or facilitate swap-shop sessions. Help in preparation and feedback afterwards is available for this. Please remember that running training sessions and participating in them is credited on your PDIs.
Online self-study workshops
Throughout the year our teachers are encouraged to take part in online self-study workshops offered by IH World. These are a maximum of 3 weeks long and completed asynchronously, so you can do them at your own leisure! There is a broad range of topic covered but in case you’re more into longer-term courses you might want to consider other IH Online courses (https://ihworld.com/teach/ih-online-teacher-training/) .
Professional Development Interviews (PDIs)
All teachers have a PDI at IH once per academic year in April or May. A PDI is a summary of your time at the school and lists your teaching strengths and weaknesses, admin tasks you have completed during the academic year, training sessions you may have run, Social Programme events you may have organised and run etc and other aspects such as your reliability, punctuality and co-operativeness.
Courses and Workshops
Apart from our weekly in-house development sessions, IH Bielsko also runs the IH Certificate in Teaching Young Learners and Teenagers course every September. The course is two weeks long and quite intensive! Please ask the DoS to find our whether you’d be eligible for free participation! Watch one of our teachers, Chris, talking about the course and his experience!
IH Teacher Training Days
Our teachers regularly get to attend other TEFL and IH conferences in Poland and support in this respect is provided.
Observations
These happen regularly and are always followed by a constructive feedback session. Help with lesson planning is available prior to the observation as well as afterwards.
Current academic year
• The International House Language Awareness Course (LAC)
• A short in-house course on teaching Phonics
Bielsko-Biala has a lot to offer especially when it comes to nature and outdoor activities. Below please find a very subjective outline of free time activities :)
Sightseeing: Discover Bielsko and its history! Did you know that the city is famous for its unique Frog House and a statue of Reksio?
Start sightseeing with this 3D virtual tour of the city: http://spacer.bielsko-biala.pl/
and see more photos here: https://www.facebook.com/lukasztaifun/
You can also watch a video about Bielsko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=19Pt9a6KzCs&feature=emb_logo
Hiking: there is no better free time activity than hiking if you find yourself in Bielsko. And it only takes 20 minutes on the local bus! To find out more about hiking in the mountains visit: http://mcit.bbosir.bielsko.pl/hiking-trails/
Breweries: visit local breweries and try our delicious beer! If you’re a fan, apart from the brewery in Bielsko, you should also consider visiting Zywiec and Tychy. Cheers!
Local day trips: visit Goczalkowice-Zdroj or Zywiec to see some of the pretties landscapes in Silesia. The two lakes are especially appealing in spring and summer when you can rent pedal boats or swim. Pszczyna is also worth a trip if you would like to see a European Bisons. You can also visit:
– Szczyrk: one of the biggest ski resorts in the country. Only 30 minutes away!
– Auschwitz: the infamous Nazi concentration camp is located in Oswiecim, Only 30 minutes away from Bielsko
– Wadowice: the birthplace of John Paul II and home of the famous cream cake! Only 1 hour away from Bielsko.
Weekends away: so many places, so little time! Discover Silesia and other regions of Poland, and if there’s time left, why not go abroad? Have a look at our suggestions for your weekends away:
– Katowice: the capital city of Silesia – 40-50 minutes from Bielsko by train
– Krakow: the most famous Polish city – only two hours away by bus
– Warsaw: the capital city of Poland – getting there shouldn’t take more than 4 hours
– Wroclaw: this city was home to 10 Nobel Prize winners!
Approximately 5 hours away by train. It’s really worth the trip! – The Polish seaside: the Baltic Sea awaits! Approximately 7-8 hours away from Bielsko.
– Vienna, Austria: this beautiful city can be reached within hours either by train or bus in 6-7hours.
– The Czech Republic: the border with this beautiful country is only 40 minutes away by bus. Prague can be reached by getting a train from Cesky Tesin (on the border) and it takes 4-5 hours in total.
Food & Going out
Food
– Szpilka and Dogs Bollocks (Rynek 28)
– Srodek (1 Maja 1)
– Beskid Burger (Wzgórze 6)
– Momo Grill (Podcienie 2A)
– Nowy Swiat (fancy!) (11 Listopada 25/23)
– Maximus (Batorego 7)
– Jarmuzno (11 Listopada 57)
– Palunichka Kuchnia (1 Maja 47)
– Magnum (Ratuszowa 3)
– Piwnica Zamkowa (Wzgórze 16)
– Browar Miejski (Piwowarska 2)
– Miasto (Mickiewicza 2)
– Ratuszowa (plac Ratuszowy 1)
– Niam Niam Grill Panini Bar (Partyzantow 44)
– Deka Smak (Galeria Sfera, 3rd Floor)
– Jedwabny Szlak (Wzgorze 8)
– Picollo Pizza (1 Maja 10)
Drinks
– Celna (Celna 10)
– Miasto (plac Adama Mickiewicza 2)
– Grawitacja (Wzgórze 3)
– Rock (Staszica 7)
– Chmielowe Pocienia (Podcienie 2)
– Sephia and Happy Hours (3 Maja 13)
– Piwnica Zamkowa (Wzgórze 16)
– Galeria Wzgorze (Wzgorze 4/4)
– Stolarnia (Broniewskiego 19) (especially in summer!)
– and more…
Cafes / Breakfast
– Oskar (Bielsko’s oldest) (Rynek 16)
– 4 Jaski Cafe&Deli (Plac Wojska Polskiego 5)
– Parasol (11 Listopada 40)
– Cremino (1 Maja 10)
– Farma (Smolki 7)
– Sniadanioteka (Partyzantów 23/6)
– Maluch Café (Cieszynska 3)
– Ciachomania (Gorska 16)
– and lots more in Sfera
