An English view in the heart of Toruń!

This was the other shot that I nearly went for in yesterday's city photo swap. No we haven't gone back in time to 19th Century London nor are we even back in England. This Impressionist style painting is actually in the heart of the Old Town of Toruń! In fact it is a false window on the side of the local language school "ENGLISH SCHOOL" - where yours truly is employed as the school's native language teacher. You can check out their website at: http://www.englishschool.alpha.pl. Nothing like a shameless plug for my school!!

English language teaching is a huge industry here in Poland. On average most Poles can speak at least 2-3 languages (unlike the lazy English!). Here in Toruń (a relatively small city with a population of 200,000) there are at least 30 private language schools...all competing against each other. I have no idea how they survive. Every year new schools arrive...but also some do go.

As a qualified English teacher, I enjoy teaching the language. It's a great job...one which is both rewarding and incredibly interesting. I recommend anyone who enjoys meeting people from different cultures to take up the challenge and enroll on a TEFL course. If you need any tips or advice about teaching English to foreigners, please drop me a line!

On the right is a picture of me leading a conversation class about the cultural differences between Poland and England (there are many!).