What's the Diff?

Now that I've almost survived the first quarter at my new teaching job, I've had ample opportunities to observe the subtle differences between teaching English in Poland and in the USA. I have to be honest, Poland is suffering by comparison.

When I started my current job, I was informed that I'd be receiving lots of information about the courses I'd be teaching. I had no idea that would turn out to be an understatement. I was given calendars, syllabi, books, and access to computer files full of lesson plans. I found myself in the presence of colleagues who continually ask how I'm doing and offer me their own expertise any time I'm stuck.

In Poland, I was given a teaching schedule, class lists, and, after repeated requests, copies of old final exams.

Since September, I have attended weekly meetings with all the instructors who teach the same courses I do. We discuss what we've covered, what we're going to cover, what should be on the upcoming tests, and who's going to write which part of said tests. We generally all give the same test, within a day or two of each other, and compare our results to see if anything needs to change for the next test.

In Poland, I remember having a few meetings where we discussed what we might want to cover before the end of the year. The final exam was the same for everyone, but it was up to me whether I gave any other tests, and whether those tests were reliable or completely random.

Having said all that, I really don't want to give the impression that everything in Poland is bad, and everything in the US is good. I'm working more hours here than I ever had to there, and commuting almost 2 hours a day. There's a lot more accountability, not only to my bosses but also to my students - after all, they're paying a rather large sum of money to be here.

But overall, I have to say that I'm really enjoying this job, not least because of the well-organized program I've managed to find myself in. I would definitely consider returning to Poland at some point, but for the time being, I feel very lucky to be where I am.