Teachers in Poland
Posted on 08. Jul, 2012 by Kasia in Culture, Economy, Education, Kids
Teachers (nauczyciele) in Poland are unfortunately not making as much money as they do in the USA. And now it is even getting worse…
Over 7,500 teachers look set to lose their jobs over the coming months as schools (szkoły) around the country attempt to cut costs.
In addition to the high level of redundancies (zwolnienia), at least 15,000 teachers will also see their work hours slashed. One of the reasons behind the cuts is a decline (spadek) in the number of Polish students (uczniowie). In 2005, there were approximately 5.9 million school children nationwide, however this number has dropped dramatically and last year figures showed it had fallen to only 4.8 million.
While the figures might not seem like a large amount, the effects will be serious. When considering that there are over half a million teachers in Poland, this might appear to be a small percentage. However, every single loss is a human drama. It’s important to bear in mind that teachers, unfortunately, are often less mobile and more unaccustomed to change. Many often work in the same school for their entire career.
The exact number of redundancies is not yet know, but details are expected to be released in October.
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
About Kasia
My name is Kasia Scontsas. I grew up in Lublin, Poland and moved to Warsaw to study International Business at the University of Warsaw. I have passion for languages: any languages! Currently I live in New Hampshire. I enjoy skiing, kayaking, biking and paddle boarding. My husband speaks a little Polish, but our 3.5 year old daughter is a pro in it! I wanted to make sure that she can communicate with her Polish relatives in our native language. Teaching her Polish since she was born was the best thing I could give her! I have been writing about learning Polish language and culture for Transparent Language’s Polish Blog since 2010.4 Responses to “Teachers in Poland”
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It is very sad to see Poland going through its own Demographic Winter.
Being a third generation Polish American, I have often thought of moving to Poland upon retirement and teaching. Albeit, my command of the Polish Language is terrible, I would still think I would have something to offer as I have a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering Related fields.