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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Teachers and education staff
Poland

Poland

9.Teachers and education staff

Last update: 10 January 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 comprises not only early childhood and school education, but also adult education provided in schools and other specific types of educational institutions for adults;

  • 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. 

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 as defined in the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter. 

Care for children aged up to 3 years is provided by childminders in crèches and kids’ clubs, day-care providers and nannies.

There is no uniform initial education system for childminders working in crèches or kids’ clubs or day-care providers. The qualification requirements specified in the legislation indicate various possible initial education paths, 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 are required to complete a training course in childcare; the duration and the range of programme contents are set out in the national legislation. 

Crèches and kids’ clubs employ childminders on the basis of an employment contract. Childminders in public crèches and kids’ clubs are local government employees, whereas the those working in non-public 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. Childminders and day-care providers retire in accordance with the generally applicable legislation. 

The legislation requires that both childminders working in crèches and kids’ clubs and day-care providers systematically engage in professional development; this includes participation in regular and mandatory training in first aid for children. The entity administering a childcare institution provides fee-free training courses to childminders and employed day-care providers. 

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. An agreement signed with a nanny sets out specific conditions of service.  

School education teachers

Initial education is provided within the higher education sector as part of first-, second- and long-cycle programmes and non-degree postgraduate programmes, based on the national standards established in the legislation. 

In terms of organisation, there are two models of initial teacher education: a concurrent model and a consecutive model. Initial education in the predominating concurrent model comprises compulsory subject-specific training and professional / teacher training as part of the teaching specialism track in a degree programme. In the consecutive model, those who did not choose the teaching specialism within a degree programme 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, teachers of foreign languages, the regional language and religion. 

The responsibility for the planning policy for teaching staff lies with the minister in charge of school education. Data gathered in the School Education Information System at the national level enable the education authorities to analyse the current teacher employment structure and forecast demand for new teachers. 

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 (1/2 of the statutory teaching load). 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 lays down 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 better conditions of service 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 education and care activities for pupils (teaching load), other activities resulting from the statutes of a nursery school, school or other educational institution, and activities related to the preparation for classes, and self-training and professional development. The mandatory teaching load for teachers in nursery schools and schools 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. Minimum basic salary rates are set in the legislation. Teachers receive additional pay for extra class hours and overtime hours worked. 

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

Teachers are required to engage in professional development in line with the needs of their nursery school or school. Various professional development activities, financed by the State budget, are organised by in-service teacher training institutions at the national, regional and local levels, other institutions within the school education system, and higher education institutions. Teachers may be granted leave for further education or professional development. 

Academic teachers

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

The responsibility for planning policy for higher education staff has been largely handed over to higher education institutions. The national legislation specifies only groups of academic staff, types of posts, qualification requirements, the maximum teaching load and general conditions of service. 

Qualification requirements are set in the legislation for individual posts and include degrees and titles and formal-and-legal requirements. 

Within their autonomy, higher education institutions independently recruit teachers for all posts. 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 working time. 

The rector of an institution hires teachers on the basis of an employment contract. The first contract is concluded for an indefinite term or a fixed term of up to 4 years; if a teacher receives a positive performance assessment, an indefinite contract can be signed without competition. 

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 salary of an academic teacher includes the basic salary and a length-of-service allowance as the fixed components, and various allowances as variable components. The minimum level of the basic salary for individual positions in a public institution is set in the legislation. 

If they meet qualification requirements, teachers may be promoted to higher positions (ranging from assistant or another position as identified in the statutes of an institution to professor) or take management positions. 

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. 

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

Legislation

Acts of Parliament and regulations concerning staff providing care to children aged up to 3 years

Acts of Parliament and regulations concerning teachers in the school education system 

Acts of Parliament and regulations concerning academic teachers