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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Teachers and education staff
Poland

Poland

8.Teachers and education staff

Last update: 10 December 2025
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The national legislation distinguishes between:

  • staff taking care of children aged up to 3 years; 

  • school education teachers: teachers working in the school education system, which includes not only preschool education and school education for children and youth, but also adult education provided in schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools, and in specific types of other educational institutions;

  • academic teachers: teachers working in the higher education system.

Different arrangements for initial education, conditions of service and continuing professional development are in place for staff working at these three levels.

There are also various entities which provide adult education as part of economic activity or labour market-related educational and training activities. Such entities operate outside the education system, and their training staff do not have the status of teachers. Only the general labour and retirement regulations apply to such staff. Entities set out initial education or qualification requirements, specific conditions of service and arrangements for continuing professional development for their staff in their internal regulations. As an exception, to provide so-called vocational qualification courses, entities operating outside the school education system should hire school education teachers and practical vocational training instructors who meet qualification requirements set in the legislation. 

Staff taking care of children aged up to 3 years

Staff taking care of children aged up to 3 years are not classified as teachers in the national legislation. Care for children in this age group is provided by childminders in crèches and kids’ clubs, day-care providers and nannies.

There is no uniform initial education system for childminders or day-care providers. The qualification requirements specified in the legislation indicate various possible initial education pathways, but both groups of staff must hold at least a general or vocational secondary school qualification, or a higher education qualification. Those who do not meet specific requirements concerning the profile or field of initial education and/or work experience should complete a training course in childcare. The legislation specifies the duration and the range of training contents. 

Crèches and kids’ clubs employ childminders on the basis of an employment contract. Childminders in public crèches and kids’ clubs administered by the local authorities have the status of local government employees, whereas those working in non-public childcare institutions are subject to the generally applicable provisions of the Labour Code. Day-care providers can be either self-employed or employed in a crèche or kids’ club, based on an employment contract, in accordance with the Labour Code, or a service contract in accordance with the Civil Code. 

The working time for childminders and day-care providers working in crèches and kids’ clubs on the basis of an employment contract is 8 hours per day and, on average, 40 hours per week. 

The legislation sets the minimum level of the basic salary for childminders and day-care providers working on an employment contract in crèches and kids’ clubs administered by the local authorities. 

The legislation requires that both childminders and day-care providers systematically engage in continuing professional development, and the mandatory childcare standards specify the minimum annual number of hours for training to be provided within the working time. The entity administering a childcare institution provides fee-free training courses to employed childminders and day-care providers. Childcare institutions receive funding for staff development from the local authorities’ own resources, the State budget and/or EU programmes. 

Childminders and day-care providers retire in accordance with the generally applicable legislation. 

As regards nannies, the legislation sets out only general requirements for the job and the type of agreement to be signed between a nanny and the child’s parent(s) or guardian. The requirements do not relate to education attainment or experience, but only to the minimum age and an occupational health certificate. A nanny agreement sets out specific conditions of service.  

School education teachers

Initial education for teachers for preschool education, school education of children and youth and adult education within the school education system is provided by higher education institutions as part of first- and second-cycle programmes or long-cycle programmes (a 5-year initial education cycle) and non-degree postgraduate programmes. 

In terms of organisation, there are two models of initial teacher education: a concurrent model and a consecutive model. Initial education based on the predominating concurrent model includes compulsory subject-specific training and professional teacher training as part of a first- and second-cycle programme or a long-cycle programme. In the consecutive model, those who did not choose a degree programme based on the national standard for initial teacher education but choose the teaching profession after graduation can complete professional teacher training as part of a non-degree postgraduate programme. 

As a general rule, to meet the qualification requirements for the profession, prospective teachers should complete: 

  • a long-cycle programme or a first- and second-cycle programme in the field corresponding to the subject or classes to be taught, and

  • professional teacher training. 

However, the legislation provides for a number of exceptions to the general rule, which apply to, for example, teachers of theoretical vocational subjects, practical vocational training teachers, sports subject or class teachers, teachers of foreign languages, the regional language and religion. 

Novice teachers (teachers who do not hold a so-called professional promotion grade) undertake a compulsory induction programme if they are employed at least on a half-time basis (½ of the compulsory teaching load et in the legislation). The completion of the induction phase is one of the preconditions for obtaining the first professional promotion grade. 

The legislation provides for two professional promotion grades, appointed teacher and chartered teacher, and sets detailed requirements for promotion to each grade. 

Public nursery schools, schools and other institutions in the school education system which are administered by local government units or central government administration bodies employ teachers on the basis of an employment contract or appointment, in accordance with the Teachers’ Charter. Appointment offers greater job security and is available under specific conditions set in the legislation. Nursery schools, schools and educational institutions administered by other entities hire teachers on the basis of an employment contract, in accordance with the generally applicable provisions of the Labour Code. Regardless of the basis for employment, all teachers are entitled to protection provided to public officials. 

The working time of a full-time teacher is 40 hours per week (for a 5-day work week) and includes hours for teaching classes and other educational and childcare activities for pupils (teaching load), other activities resulting from the statutes of a nursery school, school or another educational institution, and activities related to the preparation for classes, and self-training and professional development. 

The mandatory teaching load ranges from 18 to 25 hours (1 class hour lasting 45 minutes), depending on the type of nursery school or school. 

The basic salary depends on the professional promotion grade of a teacher, his/her qualifications and the teaching load. The minimum basic salary rates are set in the legislation. 

Teachers are required to engage in continuing professional development in line with the needs of their nursery school or school. They may be granted paid or unpaid leave for further education or professional development, under conditions set in the legislation. Various professional development activities, financed by the State budget, are organised by in-service teacher training institutions, other institutions of the school education system and higher education institutions. 

Teachers may retire at the state pension age, choose earlier teacher retirement or receive a bridging benefit (a so-called teacher compensation allowance) until they retire. 

Academic teachers

National legislation does not set out any initial education pathways for academic teachers, nor does it require them to complete professional teacher training.

Qualification requirements are defined in the legislation for individual positions (from assistant to professor) and include degrees and titles and formal-and-legal requirements. 

Within their autonomy, higher education institutions independently recruit teachers for all positions. However, aside from some exceptions, public institutions are required hold an open competition to employ a new teacher for indefinite time or a fixed term longer than 3 months and for more than half of the full working time. 

The rector of an institution employs teachers on the basis of an employment contract. The legislation on higher education sets out conditions for fixed-term and indefinite employment contracts. 

Academic teachers work in a task-based system, where the working time is determined by tasks assigned to a teacher, but the legislation specifies the maximum annual teaching load. It ranges from 240 to 540 hours (1 class hour lasting 45 minutes), depending on the group of positions (research-and-teaching or teaching) and the specific position. 

The legislation sets the minimum level of the basic salary for individual positions in a public institution. 

If they meet qualification requirements, teachers may be promoted to higher positions or take management positions within an institution. 

Academic teachers are required by law to continuously develop their professional competence. Internal regulations of each institution lay down specific arrangements for professional development. Public institutions receive a State-budget subsidy which includes funding for staff development. Teachers may be granted paid leave for professional development activities or activities leading to the award of a doctoral degree. 

The legislation on higher education does not set out any specific retirement arrangements for academic teachers. They may retire at the state pension age but usually work longer. Legislation

General legislation

(Last access: 16/08/2025)

Legislation concerning staff providing care to children aged up to 3 years

(Last access: 16/08/2025)

Legislation concerning teachers in the school education system (including adult education)

(Last access: 26/08/2025)


Legislation concerning academic teachers

(Last access: 20/08/2025)