Planning policy

Care for children aged up to 3 years

In accordance with the law, staff taking care of children aged up to 3 years are not teachers as defined in the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter (ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r., Karta Nauczyciela).

Planning policy rests with the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, and, at the local level, with local authorities.

The minister responsible for family matters: 

1. monitors the process of implementation of the Act of 4 February 2011 on the Care for Children Aged up to 3 Years (ustawa z dnia 4 lutego 2011 roku o opiece nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3); 
2. disseminates information on forms of care for children aged up to 3 years; 
3. inspires research, expert work and analyses on the system of care for children aged up to 3 years. 

Each year the Council of Ministers submits to the Parliament a report on the implementation of the Act by 30 September. 

The minister responsible for family matters has set by regulation the standards of care for children aged up to 3 years to ensure that children are provided with high-quality care addressing their developmental needs (Regulation of the Minister of Family and Social Policy of 19 September 2023 on the standards of care for children aged up to 3 years / Rozporządzenie Ministra Rodziny i Polityki Społecznej z dnia 19 września 2023 r. w sprawie standardów opieki sprawowanej nad dziećmi w wieku do lat 3). The childcare standards address the following areas: 

1. work with children;
2. child safety;
3. organisation of work, development and safety for staff in a crèche or kids’ club, or a day-care provider respectively; 
4. monitoring and evaluation; 
5. collaboration between staff taking care of children and parents. 

Preschool education and school education

The responsibility for teaching staff policies for the school education sector (teacher recruitment, promotion and salaries) rests with the Minister of National Education.

The monitoring of teaching staff at the national level is based on the School Education Information System (System Informacji Oświatowej, SIO). The SIO system is administered by the minister responsible for school education.

The SIO aims to gather data which is necessary to:

• pursue the national school education policy at national, regional and local levels, including support for the management of school education;

• ensure effective functioning of the funding system for school education tasks at national, regional and local levels;

• analyse the effectiveness of public funding allocated for school education tasks;

• oversee and coordinate activities undertaken as part of pedagogical supervision across the country and improve the quality of education;

• monitor careers of public and non-public post-primary school graduates.

A systematic analysis of SIO data enables the education authorities, for example, to identify and forecast long-term changes in the teacher employment structure (forward planning), forecast demand for new teachers and rationally plan the work of teachers currently in service.

The Act on the School Education Information System) of 15 April 2011 (ustawa.z dnia 15 kwietnia 2011 r. o Systemie Informacji Oświatowej (SIO)), as subsequently amended,  requires that school administering bodies monitor teacher demand at the school level and gather data on schools, pupils and teachers in their jurisdiction. Data gathered in local databases should be transferred on a yearly basis to the Regional Education Authorities and to the central database managed by the Ministry of Education and Science. Data on teachers collected in the SIO are arranged according to different parameters (for example, age, employment status, educational attainment, work experience, responsibilities and functions, salary) and, thus, enable the monitoring of the teacher employment structure.

Ongoing monitoring is necessary for the distribution of the school education part of the State budget subsidy and the drafting of the annual Budgetary Act.

The SIO data set on teachers covers:

• teachers’ educational attainment / level of qualifications held;

• mode of employment based on the Teachers’ Charter (Karta Nauczyciela), the Labour Code (Kodeks Pracy), the School Education Act (ustawa o systemie oświaty) or other national regulations;

• positions held and functions performed by teachers;

• types of, and the workload related to, classes, educational and childcare activities or other duties assigned to teachers in a so-called organisational sheet of a school (or another educational institution) for a given school year;

• reasons behind non-conducting classes;

• professional promotion grades held by teachers;

• level of salaries;

• types of continuing professional development activities. 

Entry to the profession

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Childcare staff working in public crèches have the status of local government employees, and those in non-public crèches are subject to the Labour Code (Kodeks Pracy). 

A day-care provider is hired on the basis of an employment contract in accordance with the provisions of the Labour Code. 

A day-care provider is a natural person who: 

1. is self-employed; 
2. is employed by a local government unit or a public institution on the basis of an employment contract or a service contract which, pursuant to the Civil Code (Kodeks Cywilny), is governed by the regulations concerning commissioned work (specific tasks). 

A day-care provider should meet the following requirements:

1. provides a guarantee of proper care for children; 
2. his / her parental responsibility has not been terminated, suspended or limited; 
3. fulfils his / her child maintenance (alimony) obligations if such obligations have been administered or approved by a court ruling; 
4. is not included in the Register of Sex Offenders and has not been convicted of another intentional offence by a valid court ruling; 
5. has suitable premises to ensure safety in childcare.  

A day-care provider should be included in the register of persons and entities employing day-care providers, which is kept by the mayor of a commune, town or city (the executive body of the commune). If a contract with a day-care provider is terminated or expires, he / she is struck off the register. 

Prior to employment, childcare staff in a crèche or kids’ club or a day-care provider are required to submit a certificate of no criminal record, issued not earlier than 3 months before starting work or providing services in a crèche or kids’ club. 

A nanny is a natural person taking care of children on the basis of a service contract which, pursuant to the Civil Code, is governed by the regulations concerning commissioned work (specific tasks). It is a written contract concluded between a nanny and parents or the lone parent of the child. 

Preschool education and school education

The employment relationship with a teacher is established in a school or a school complex. 

A teacher may perform his / her work in a public school or another public educational institution only as part of an employment relationship. 

The head of a school establishes an employment relationship with a teacher based on an employment contract or appointment (a different type of employment contract that ensures greater job security). Teachers take up positions corresponding to the qualifications and the professional promotion grade that they hold.

An employment contract may provide the basis for establishing an employment relationship with teachers holding any professional promotion grade. 

The position of teacher may be taken up by a person who:

• has a higher education diploma (degree) and has completed a teacher training programme or has completed a programme in an initial teacher training institution (the type of institution existing earlier) and takes up a position for which (s)he has sufficient qualifications;

• respects fundamental ethical principles; and

• fulfils health requirements for practising the profession.

In consultation with the other ministers concerned, the minister responsible for school education (or the minister responsible for culture and national heritage in the case of teachers of art schools) lays down, by regulation:

• detailed qualification requirements, including, in particular, the level and scope of the training programme to be completed, for teachers working in the individual types of schools and other educational institutions;

• conditions for acquiring qualifications to teach foreign languages, including a list of language proficiency examinations which lead to such qualifications;

and may also specify:

• schools and cases in which it is possible to employ teachers without a higher education diploma (degree) or a diploma of an initial teacher training institution, while considering, in particular, the needs of vocational education and training.

The minister responsible for culture and national heritage can identify, in a regulation, the types of art schools where teacher positions may be taken by persons who have finished a 2^nd grade art school, with a specialisation area corresponding to the subjects to be taught.

Teachers are employed by the head of the school or nursery school or other educational institution (hereafter referred to as the school head) through an open recruitment procedure. There are no detailed regulations on staff policy in schools. All changes are based on a so-called organisational sheet, drawn up by the school head and approved by the body administering a given school.

The head of a school administered by a local government unit informs the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (REA) about vacancies for teachers, and the Head of the REA publishes them on the REA website. 

The school head establishes an employment relationship with a teacher, based on an employment contract or appointment (a different type of employment contract that provides greater legal protection), for a position corresponding to the qualifications and the professional promotion grade held by the teacher.

An employment relationship with a person starting to work in a school who:

• does not hold a professional promotion grade and

• holds the required qualifications,

is established on the basis of a fixed employment contract for 2 school years.

Employment in the first 2 years of work in a school is based on a fixed-term contract. An indefinite contract is concluded with a teacher who has worked in the school for at least 2 years and has received at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal.

In the case of teachers who have a 2-year work experience but have not been awarded a professional promotion grade and have not received a performance appraisal grade, a contract can be concluded for a fixed term of one year only.

For teachers who were awarded a contract teacher grade (a professional promotion grade) by 31 August 2022, an indefinite contract is concluded on the condition that their employment is not based on Art. 10, section 7, of the Teachers’ Charter – that is, in the event of a need arising from the organisation of teaching or the replacement of an absent teacher.

In specific cases where this is justified by the needs of a school, the school head may establish an employment relationship with a person who holds a qualification at the required level of education but has not completed a teacher training programme, on the condition that (s)he undertakes to complete a teacher training programme during the first year of work in the school. In case a teacher does not complete a teaching training programme during the first year of work in the school, the school head terminates the employment contract with the teacher, without notice, as of the end of the school year. The head may decide not to terminate the contract if the teacher failed to complete a teaching training programme for reasons beyond his/her control and undertakes to complete it during the second year of work in the school.

An employment relationship with a teacher who:

• does not hold a professional promotion grade;

• holds the required qualifications;

• has worked in a school for at least 2 years; and

• has received at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal,

is established on the basis of an indefinite employment contract.

Appointed and chartered teachers (teachers holding the first and second professional promotion grades) are employed on the basis of appointment if they meet the following conditions:

• have Polish citizenship, except that the requirement does not apply to nationals of the Member States of the European Union, the Swiss Confederation and the member states of the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) that are signatories to the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement;

• have full legal capacity and full civic rights;

• are not subject of criminal law proceedings for an intentional offence initiated by a public prosecutor or disciplinary proceedings;

• have not been convicted of an intentional offence or intentional tax offence by a valid court judgement;

• have not been punished with a disciplinary penalty during 3 years before establishing the employment relationship;

• hold qualifications required to take up a given position;

Where a teacher cannot be employed in a given school on a full-time basis and for an indefinite term, the employment relationship with an appointed or chartered teacher is established by a part-time indefinite employment contract. 

All teachers should meet the requirement of no criminal record. To prove that they fulfil the requirement, teachers should submit a no-criminal-record certificate from the National Criminal Register to the school head before entering into the employment relationship.

The Act of 13 May 2016 on the Measures to Prevent Sexual Offences (ustawa z dnia 13 maja 2016 r. o przeciwdziałaniu zagrożeniom przestępczością na tle seksualnym), which came into force on 1 October 2017, has established a public register of individuals convicted for sexual offences. The database is accessible to educational institutions which are required to check whether an employee is registered there. 

Induction

Care for children aged up to 3 years

There is no specific induction period for staff working with children up to 3 years.

Preschool education and school education

An induction programme is in place for teachers holding no professional promotion grade (so-called novice teachers) who have been employed: 

• for at least ½ of the statutory teaching load; 

and

• in accordance with the qualification requirements, or in accordance with Art. 10, section 3 of the Teachers’ Charter (Karta Nauczyciela), in case they have not completed a teacher training programme but have undertaken to complete it during the first year of their work (Art. 9a, section 2 of the Teachers’ Charter). 

A novice teacher  carries out an induction programme, supported by an experienced teacher as a mentor, to obtain the professional promotion grade of appointed teacher.

An induction programme is mandatory for a novice teacher.

Induction is closely linked to the professional promotion of teachers and includes an element of performance appraisal.

During an induction programme, a teacher is supported by a mentor appointed, on a mandatory basis, by the school head from among appointed or chartered teachers (that is, teachers holding the first or second professional promotion grade).

As part of his / her responsibilities, a mentor:

• supports a novice teacher on an ongoing basis to introduce him / her into the job and, in doing so, gets him / her acquainted with the documentation of the teaching process, educational and childcare activities and other documents adopted in the school;

• helps the teacher choose appropriate professional development activities;

• shares knowledge and experience with the teacher to the extent that is necessary for effective performance of his / her duties;

• enables the teacher to observe classes taught by the mentor and discusses such classes with the teacher;

• observes classes taught by the teacher and discuss them with the teacher;

• inspires and encourages the teacher to take up professional challenges.

Mentors are also required to broaden their knowledge and regularly improve their skills as necessary to perform their function.

The duration of an induction programme is 3 years and 9 months. The duration can be shortened to 2 years and 9 months for teachers who hold a doctoral or postdoctoral degree, and for teachers who conducted classes in a school abroad before entering into an employment relationship in a school in Poland. A teacher who wishes to carry out such a shorter induction programme should submit a relevant statement to the head of the school.

The school head can also shorten the induction period to 2 years and 9 months for a teacher who, before entering into an employment relationship in a school, either worked as an academic teacher at a higher education institution for at least 3 years or has at least 5-years of work experience and significant professional achievements on the date of entering into the first employment relationship in a school.

In the second year of the induction programme, before a performance appraisal, a teacher is be required to conduct classes of at least 1 hour in the presence of:

• the school head;

• the mentor;

• a methodological adviser or a teacher-consultant, or a representative of the pedagogical supervision body (which, in most cases, is the Head of the Regional Education Authorities), or a chartered teacher (that is, a teacher holding the second professional promotion grade) who teaches the same subject or conducts the same type of classes in the same or another school (or institution); such an observer is appointed by the school head.

The school head determines the duration of classes to be conducted by the teacher in the second year of the induction programme, taking into consideration the needs of the teacher related to the improvement of practical skills. Persons observing the classes will discuss them with the teacher.

In the final year of the induction programme, the teacher who has received at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal during this period, is be required to conduct classes of 1 hour in the presence of a committee set up by the school head and composed of:

• the school head as its chair;

• an expert who is selected from the register kept by the minister responsible for school education and holds a qualification in the area of Psychology or Education, including Special Education, or an appointed or chartered teacher holding the position of a school psychologist or special education teacher in the same or another school (or institution);

• a methodological adviser, teacher-consultant, representative of the pedagogical supervision body or a chartered teacher who teaches the same subject or conducts the same type of classes (employed in the same or another school or institution).

At the request of the teacher, a trade union representative can also participate as an observer in the work of such a committee.

The committee gives its opinion after a discussion on the classes conducted by the teacher in the second year of the induction programme and an interview with the teacher. A positive opinion from the committee is one of the preconditions for a novice teacher to be awarded the grade of appointed teacher.

In case the committee’s opinion is negative, the teacher may, within 14 days of receiving it, submit to the school head a request to conduct classes again, under the same conditions. A teacher who again receives a negative opinion will be required to carry out an additional induction programme of 1 year and 9 months, during which (s)he  conducts classes in the presence of a committee.

A teacher who has received a negative opinion and has not submitted a request to conduct classes again, or has again received a negative opinion, will have to carry out an additional induction programme of 1 year and 9 months. In the final year of the additional induction programme, a teacher who has received at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal during this period will again conduct classes of 1 hour, in the presence of a committee appointed by the school head.

A teacher who has received a ‘negative’ grade in a performance appraisal in the second year of the induction programme may not be re-employed in the same school until (s)he obtains the grade of appointed teacher. If employed in another school, the teacher will carry out an induction programme, and the induction period completed in the previous school will not be counted towards the mandatory duration of the induction programme in the new school.

A teacher who has received a ‘negative’ grade in the final year of the induction programme and is employed in another school will carry out an additional induction programme of 1 year and 9 months. In the final year of the additional induction programme in another school, a teacher who has received at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal during this period will conduct classes of 1 hour in the presence of a committee appointed by the school head.

Professional status

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Care staff in public nurseries have the status of local government employees, while in non-public nurseries they are subject to the Labour Code (Kodeks Pracy), which specifies all rights and responsibilities of employees and employers as part of an employment relationship. 

Preschool education and school education

Basic arrangements concerning the professional status of teachers in Poland are laid down in the Act of 26 January 1982, The Teachers’ Charter (ustawa Karta Nauczyciela z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r.), amended multiple times, which regulates all key conditions of service for teachers.

The Teachers’ Charter regulates in detail aspects such as teachers’ duties; qualification requirements; professional promotion; the establishment, change and termination of an employment relationship; working conditions and salary, awards and distinctions; welfare benefits and holiday entitlements; financial support for the upgrading of qualifications and professional development;  healthcare; disciplinary liability; and retirement and pension entitlements. Formal conditions of service are laid down in detail in numerous regulations of the minister responsible for school education, higher education and science.

The Teachers’ Charter applies to teachers, educators and other teaching ('pedagogical’) staff working in:

• public nursery schools, schools and other school education institutions, and in-service teacher training institutions;

• juvenile detention centres and youth hostels;

• public colleges of social work;

• central government administration bodies and agencies; regional education authorities; a specialist supervision unit; the Central Examination Board and regional examination boards; bodies responsible for pedagogical supervision over juvenile detention centres, youth hostels and schools at penitentiary institutions;

• public schools and school compounds at diplomatic missions, consulates and military missions of the Republic of Poland;

• public in-service teacher training institutions operating at the national level; public in-service teacher training institutions for teachers of art schools, and for teachers of vocational subjects who teach in agricultural schools; and a public in-service teacher training institution for vocational subject teachers operating at the national level;

• schools operating on the basis of the Convention defining the Statute of European Schools, drawn up on 21 June 1994 in Luxembourg;

• schools operating abroad;

• public nursery schools, schools and other school education institutions administered by natural persons and legal persons other than local government units;

• non-public nursery schools, schools and other non-public institutions, and non-public art schools with the status of public art schools;

• other public preschool education settings administered by natural persons and legal persons other than local government units, and other non-public preschool education settings;

and to: 

• staff employed in institutions and organisations other than those listed above as practical vocational training instructors and practical vocational training managers, who hold qualifications required of practical vocational training teaches and conduct classes and other educational activities for the number of hours specified for such teachers;

• staff holding the positions of educators / tutors, pedagogues and managers in Voluntary Labour Corps, who hold required qualifications and teach and conduct other educational activities on at least a half-time basis.

In performing their professional duties, teachers are entitled to protection provided to public officials in accordance with the rules laid down in the Act of 6 June 1997, The Criminal Code (ustawa z dnia 6 czerwca 1997 – Kodeks karny). Thus, all teachers covered by the Teachers' Charter benefit from the protection provided to public officials by the Criminal Code.

The body administering a given school and the head of the school are ex officio required to defend the teacher when the rights that (s)he has been granted are infringed.

Replacement measures

Care for children aged up to 3 years

There are no specific regulations on replacement measures. Replacements are managed at the institutional level. 

Preschool education and school education

A full-time teacher can be allocated extra hours for classes. A teacher can also be required to replace an absent teacher on an ad-hoc basis in case there is a need to do so.

An extra class hour is an hour (45 minutes) of classes or other educational and/or childcare activities allocated in addition to the compulsory weekly teaching load (the compulsory number of class hours per week).

Extra class hours allocated to teachers are hours exceeding the teaching load of a teacher – beyond the weekly number of hours for teaching / classes and other educational and childcare activities. Extra class hours should not be confused with overtime hours (which are hours in excess of the working time of a teacher).

The total number of extra class hours allocated to a teacher may not exceed ½ of his / her compulsory teaching load per week, and the teacher’s consent is required if the number of extra class hours allocated exceeds ¼ of the weekly teaching load. Thus, the upper limit for extra class hours to be taken by a teacher depends on his / her weekly teaching load.

Extra class hours are allocated to teachers for a longer period, usually for an entire semester or school year.

The school’s teaching council (a body composed of the school head and all teachers) is consulted on a mandatory basis about the allocation of extra class hours to teachers.

As a rule, a teacher may not refuse to take extra class hours. This means that working extra class hours is not an entitlement of a teacher but his / her duty if such hours are allocated in accordance with the law.

However, extra class hours can be assigned only with the consent of a teacher in case:

• the teacher is pregnant;

• the teacher raises a child aged up to 4 years;

• the teacher carries out an induction programme;

• the school head wishes to allocate extra class hours exceeding ½ of the compulsory weekly teaching load.

Teachers are paid for all additional hours worked, including both extra class hours and ad-hoc replacement hours, when the school needs to replace an absent teacher. The pay rate for such hours is based on the salary rate for the teacher, with an allowance for the working conditions added where applicable.

In the school year 2023/2024, there are 3 exceptions to the rules for allocating extra class hours. The limit for extra class hours can be exceeded in the case of a teacher working in: 

• a general secondary school, 

• a technical secondary school, 

• a stage I sectoral vocational school (Art. 93b of the Teacher Charter). 

Additionally, in the school year 2023/2024, with his/her consent, a teacher can be allocated extra class hours above the limit of ½ of the compulsory teaching load per week in other schools in the following cases: 

• for each teacher: in schools which have established a preparatory class / unit for pupils from Ukraine; 

• for a Polish language teacher: in schools which have not established such a preparatory unit. 

An ad-hoc replacement hour is an hour (45 minutes) of classes, educational and/or childcare activities which is allocated to the teacher replacing an absent teacher in addition to the compulsory weekly teaching load (the compulsory number of hours for classes, educational or childcare activities per week).

The pay for ad-hoc replacement hours is based on the salary rate for the teacher, including an allowance for the working conditions added where applicable.

Ad-hoc replacement hours are allocated when due to the absence of a teacher, an urgent need arises to carry out the tasks of the school, that is, to implement the outline timetable, or only to look after pupils during a lesson.

In the case of replacement of an absent teacher, a fixed-term employment contract for the period of the replacement is concluded with a teacher.

An absent teacher's duties can also be assigned to another full-time teacher already working in the same school. In this case, the following limits should be respected:

• without the teacher's consent, the number of additional class hours cannot exceed ¼ of the compulsory weekly teaching load (4.5 teaching hours per week in most cases);

• with the teacher's consent, the number of additional class hours cannot exceed ½ of the compulsory weekly teaching load (9 hours per week in most cases).

Ad-hoc replacement duties may also be assigned to part-time teachers.

Support measures

Care for children aged up to 3 years

There are no specific support measures envisaged. The settings employ different types of specialist staff, including medical (nurses and midwives). 

Preschool education and school education

In addressing educational and learning problems and developing their skills to provide more effective support to pupils, teachers can receive support from teachers-psychologists (nauczyciel psycholog), education specialists (referred to as 'teacher-pedagogues' (nauczyciel pedagog)), speech therapists (logopeda), careers advisers (doradca zawodowy) and educational therapists (terapeuta pedagogiczny) in their nursery school, school or institution (for details about their responsibilities, see Chapter 10 "Management and other education staff").

Salaries

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Staff in public crèches or kids’ clubs have the status of local government employees. Detailed arrangements for the remuneration of staff employed in crèches and kids’ clubs are set out in remuneration regulations adopted by local government employers (in accordance with Art. 39, sections 1 and 2 of the Act of 21 November 2008 on Local Government Employees / ustawa z dnia 21 listopada 2008 r. o pracownikach samorządowych). 

The maximum salary for a day-care provider employed by a local government unit and the rules for setting the salary level are laid down by the legislative body of the unit (the commune council, district council or the regional parliament). 

A service contact concluded between a nanny and the parents or lone parent of a child sets out, among other things, the level of the salary and the method and date for payment. 

Preschool education and school education

The minister responsible for school education sets annually the minimum basic salary rates for teachers, even if the reference amount determining the basic pay in schools has not changed as compared to the previous year.

Remuneration arrangements for teachers are laid down in the Act of 26 January 1982, the Teachers' Charter (ustawa z dnia 26 stycznia 1982 r. – Karta Nauczyciela) (as subsequently amended), and the Regulation of the Minister of National Education on the minimum rates of the basic salary for teachers, other work-related benefits and allowances, and remuneration for work on days off work (rozporządzenie Ministra Edukacji Narodowej w sprawie wysokości minimalnych stawek wynagrodzenia zasadniczego nauczycieli, ogólnych warunków przyznawania dodatków do wynagrodzenia zasadniczego oraz wynagradzania za pracę w dniu wolnym od pracy) (last amended on 24 February 2023).

The salary of a teacher consists of:

• the basic salary; 

• a number of allowances, including the length-of-service, motivation, function-related (including an allowance for the class tutor function) and working-conditions allowances;

• the pay for extra-class and ad-hoc replacement hours; and

• awards and other benefits envisaged in the employment relationship (except for benefits from the institutional welfare fund and additional welfare benefits, including accommodation and rural allowances).

The level of the basic salary depends on the teacher’s professional promotion grade, qualifications and compulsory teaching load. The level of allowances is determined by the length of service, the quality of teaching, additional tasks or activities, the position held and difficult or hazardous working conditions.

The average salary of teachers is equal to the following percentages of the reference amount annually fixed for teachers in the Budgetary Act:

1. 120% for a novice teacher;
2. 144% for an appointed teacher;
3. 184% for a chartered teacher.

As of 1 January 2023, the minimum salary for teachers in PLN and EUR (1 EUR=4.6 PLN) is as follows:

Level of qualification held	Teacher without a professional promotion grade (novice teacher)	Appointed teacher (first professional promotion grade)	Chartered teacher (second professional promotion grade)
A Master’s degree together with a teacher training programme completed	3,690 PLN (802 €)	3,890 PLN (846 €)	4,550 PLN (989 €)
A Master’s degree and no teacher training programme completed; a Bachelor’s degree together with a teacher training programme completed; a Bachelor’s degree and no teaching training programme completed; a diploma of a teacher training college or a foreign language teacher training college*; other qualifications	3,600 PLN (783 €)	3,700 PLN (804 €)	3,960 PLN (861 €)

* Teacher training and foreign language teacher training colleges: initial teacher training institutions which existed until 2016.

The minimum rate of the basic salary for a teacher is calculated on the basis of his / her educational attainment (the highest-level qualification held). 

A teacher carrying out an induction programme receives a one-off induction allowance (świadczenie na start) of PLN 1,000 (217 EUR). It is paid within 30 days of the starting date of the induction period. A teacher may receive an induction allowance only once during the entire period of employment.

Further information on teachers’ salaries is available in the online publication of the Eurydice Network: Teachers’ and School Heads’ Salaries and Allowances in Europe 2021/22. Eurydice Facts and Figures. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

Working time and holidays

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Working time

The working time for childminders in crèches and kids’ clubs is 8 hours per day and, on average, 40 hours per week. 

The working hours of a day-care provider are adjusted to the parents’ working hours. The legislation does not regulate the number of hours per day that a child can spend with the day-care provider. The entity employing a day-care provider sets the working hours in a contract with the provider. 

A service contract between a nanny and the parents / lone parent of the child should indicate days of the week, hours and the address where the nanny takes care of the child. There is no maximum number of hours per day for childcare provided by a nanny. 

Holidays

Pursuant to the Labour Code, childminders in crèches and kids’ clubs are entitled to holiday leave of: 

• 20 days if employed for a period shorter than 10 years; 
• 26 days if employed for at least 10 years. 

A service contract for a day-care provider must include a provision on a break in childcare, in particular, related to holiday leave of the day-care provider. 

A service contract between a nanny and the parents or lone parent of the child is a civil law agreement which, pursuant to the Civil Code, is governed by the regulations concerning commissioned work (specific tasks). Thus, a nanny is not entitled to holiday leave. 

Preschool education and school education

Total working time

As part of their working time, teachers are required to conduct the following types of classes and activities:

1. classes and educational and childcare activities in direct contact with pupils or for their benefit;
2. other activities resulting from the statutory tasks of the school, including childcare and educational activities addressing pupils’ needs and interests;
3. activities related to the preparation for classes, self-learning and continuing professional development.

The following types of classes or activities should be assigned to teachers only as part of the teaching load or extra class hours:

• after-school club activities;

• counselling and guidance (so-called psychological and pedagogical support) classes or activities (including specialist classes or activities such as early development support, speech therapy, educational therapy);

• classes taught as part of vocational qualification courses.

All teachers employed in nursery schools, schools and other educational institutions where the working time is regulated by the Teachers Charter (Karta Nauczyciela) are required to have so-called availability or consulting hours for pupils or parents. 

Since 1 September 2023, teachers should be available at the school for such meetings:

• for one hour per week: if they are employed for at least ½ of the statutory teaching load; 

• for one hour every two weeks: if they are employed on a less than ½ time basis. 

The number of such availability hours is set by the school head, depending on the needs, as part of their employment relationship for the teachers who: 

• conduct classes or other educational or childcare activities directly with pupils or for their benefit for at least 6 hours per week; or 

• conduct only classes in non-school settings or classes in a school for adults, a stage II sectoral vocational school or a post-secondary school, regardless of the mode of employment (full- or part-time), 

It is, however, important that the number of availability hours may not be higher than the number set for full-time teachers. The number of availability hours and the time for other classes and activities conducted by a teacher as part of his/her employment relationship may not exceed the maximum weekly number of working hours of the teacher. 

 

Teaching time (teaching load)

The working time of a full-time teacher may not exceed 40 hours per week.

A full-time teacher has a 5-day work week. The head of a school may reduce a work week to 4 days in case teachers attend training to upgrade their qualifications; teachers of theoretical vocational subjects and practical vocational training in vocational schools follow a sector-specific vocational training course; or teachers perform other socially relevant tasks; and in case this is determined by the organisation of work in the school.

In schools working on all days of the week, teachers are entitled to have, at least every two weeks, two consecutive days off, including one Sunday. This does not apply to teachers working in the part-time extramural education system.

Teachers are required to teach classes and conduct educational and childcare activities in direct contact with pupils for 18 to 30 hours per week, with the number of hours depending on the type of school (or another educational institution), or for the number of hours determined by the head / the administering body of a given school (or institution).

The statutory or compulsory weekly teaching load, including teaching, educational or childcare activities undertaken in direct contact with pupils, varies according to the type of school (or institution) and classes or activities.

The statutory teaching load per week for a full-time teacher is determined according to the following norms:

Position and type of the school (or institution)	Statutory teaching load per week
Nursery-school teachers, except teachers working with groups of 6-year-olds	25
Nursery-school teachers and teachers in other institutions working with groups of 6-year-olds	22
Teachers in special nursery schools, primary schools, special schools, general upper secondary schools; teachers of general education subjects and theoretical subjects in schools providing vocational education, incl. special schools and craftsman schools in district education centres, juvenile detention centres and juvenile shelter care homes; teachers of theoretical subjects in vocational qualification courses; and teachers of artistic subjects and general education subjects in arts schools	18

Teachers with 18 class / teaching hours (one class / teaching hour lasting for 45 minutes) per week can have their weekly teaching load increased to 27 class hours with the consent of the school administering body, given at the request of the school head and after consultation with the school's teaching council.

The weekly teaching load of 18 class hours provides the basis for a full-time teacher’s salary. Teachers receive additional pay for hours extending beyond the 18-hour weekly teaching load.

Teachers with a reduced compulsory teaching load are not allocated extra class hours.

In special cases justified by the necessity to implement a curriculum, teachers may be required to work extra hours, for a pay, in line with their specialisation subject area; however, the number of extra hours may not exceed ¼ of the compulsory weekly teaching load. A higher number of extra hours can be allocated to teachers only with their consent, but the number may not exceed ½ of the compulsory weekly teaching load.

Teachers may also be required to work at night as part of their compulsory weekly number of class-tutor hours. For each hour worked at night, they are entitled to receive an additional pay amounting to 15% of the hourly rate set for the basic salary.

With the consent of the school administering body, the school head can reduce the weekly teaching load for full-time teachers, for a fixed period or until further notice. The school head may reduce a work week to 4 days if teachers undergo training or perform other social relevant tasks, or if this is determined by the organisation of work in a given school.

Working time records (timesheets)

Classes and educational and childcare activities, conducted directly with pupils or for their benefit, are recorded and accounted for on a weekly basis in lesson and class registers respectively.

Holidays

Teachers are entitled to paid holiday leave during school holidays and public and religious holidays. Thus, in practice, teachers have more than 3 months free from work each year.

If employed in a school where the work organisation regulations provide for school holidays, teachers are entitled to take holiday leave for the number of days corresponding to the duration of the school holidays and during such holidays.

School summer holidays last around 2 months. The school head may instruct a teacher to conduct examinations during the holiday time or to carry out tasks related to the end of the school year or the preparations for a new school year, the development of a school curriculum, or the participation in specific continuing professional development activities. However, such activities may not last longer than 7 days.

For the duration of holiday leave, teachers are entitled to the same salary as they would receive if they were working.

The salary for the period of holiday leave includes:

• the basic salary;

• the length-of-service, motivation, function-related and working-conditions allowances;

• pay for extra-class hours and ad-hoc replacement hours; 

• an additional pay for working at night;

• separate pay for classes and educational and childcare activities conducted on a day free of duty;

• pay for work on a public holiday day;

• a one-off complementary allowance.

Teachers employed in schools which have no school holidays are entitled to 35 working days’ leave at the time indicated in the staff holiday timetable.

A teacher who has worked in a school at least on a half-time basis (1/2 of the statutory teaching load) for at least 7 years may take paid medical leave of up to 1 year to undertake a prescribed treatment, if a medical board considers that this is justified by the teacher’s health condition.

The school head grants medical leave to the teacher to undergo:

• a recommended treatment for: 

  1. a disease which poses a risk that the teacher will develop an occupational disease;
  2. a disease which is to a large extent related to work environment factors or the way of performing the work;

• a medical or rehabilitation treatment in a health resort / sanatorium.

At the teacher’s written request for medical leave, the school head issues a medical examination referral to an authorised physician. An authorised physician issues a certificate recommending medical leave. During medical leave, the teacher retains the right to receive his / her monthly basic salary, the length-of-service allowance and other employee benefits. Teachers may be granted another medical leave one year after the end of the previous medical leave at the earliest. The total duration of medical leave during the entire employment period may not exceed 3 years.

A female teacher is entitled to paid maternity leave of 20 weeks, additional leave of 6 weeks and parental leave of 26 weeks. In total, for one child, a mother / parents are entitled to 52 weeks of paid leave. Where the working time of a baby-feeding woman exceeds 4 hours of continuous work per day, she is entitled to a 1-hour break, counted towards her working time.

One of the parents may take unpaid parental leave of up to 3 years per child. A teacher entitled to parental leave may submit to the school head a written request for a working time reduction and a proportional reduction in the time basis of employment to no less than half-time in the period during which he / she is entitled to such leave. A teacher taking care of at least one child aged up to 14 years is entitled to 2 paid days off work per calendar year. A teacher who takes care of a child until the child reaches the age of 8 but who is not entitled to parental leave may apply for a reduction of the working time and a corresponding reduction in employment to no less than half of full-time for a period until the child reaches the age of 8. 

Teachers are entitled to unpaid carer's leave of 5 days per calendar year to provide personal care or support to a family member or a person living in the same household who requires care or support for serious medical reasons. 

 

Promotion, advancement

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Staff in crèches or kids’ clubs have the status of local government employees. Pursuant to Art. 20 of the Act on Local Government Employees, an employee who shows initiative in their work and duly performs their duties may be promoted to a higher position. This refers to a higher position or to the pay range in the hierarchy established in the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of 25 October 2021 on the remuneration of local government employees (Rozporządzenie Rady Ministrów z dnia 25 października 2021 r. w sprawie wynagradzania pracowników samorządowych). An employee to be promoted should also have the qualifications required for the relevant higher position. 

Positions for support and service staff in crèches or kids’ clubs include: 

• Senior day-care provider (starszy dzienny opiekun)

• Senior nurse (starsza pielęgniarka), senior midwife (starsza położna), senior childminder (starszy opiekun)

• Senior occupational therapist (starszy terapeuta zajęciowy)

• Senior physiotherapist (starszy fizjoterapeuta)

• Senior dietician (starszy dietetyk)
• Nurse (pielęgniarka), midwife (położna), childminder (opiekun)
• Occupational therapist (terapeuta zajęciowy)
• Physiotherapist (fizjoterapeuta)
• Dietician (dietetyk)
• Junior childminder (młodszy opiekun)

Internal promotion does not apply, however, to day-care providers or nannies who do not have the status of a local government employee.

Preschool education and school education

Professional promotion

There are 2 professional promotion grades for teachers: 

• Appointed teacher (nauczyciel mianowany)

• Chartered teacher (nauczyciel dyplomowany). 

Teachers who have no professional promotion grade are referred to as novice teachers (nauczyciel początkujący). 

Chartered teachers who have at least 20 years of work experience in the teaching profession, including at least 10 years of work as a chartered teacher, and significant and recognised professional achievements may be awarded the honorary title of school education professor. The title is awarded by the minister responsible for school education, at the request of the Committee for School Education Professors.

Academic teachers who have a doctoral or post-doctoral degree and at least 3 years of work experience in an HEI obtain the grade of appointed teacher on the date of entering into the employment relationship with a college of social work. Academic teachers who have a doctoral or post-doctoral degree and at least 5 years of work experience in an HEI obtain the grade of appointed teacher on the date of entering into the employment relationship with a school.

Novice teacher ⇒ Appointed teacher

A novice teacher (a teacher who has no professional promotion grade) is required to complete an induction programme of 3 years and 9 months.

However, in case a novice teacher holds a doctoral or post-doctoral degree or conducted classes in a school abroad before entering into an employment relationship in Poland, the duration of an induction programme can be shortened by one year, to 2 years and 9 months.

To be awarded the grade of appointed teacher, a novice teacher is required to meet the following conditions:

• meet the qualification requirements: either hold a degree and have completed a teaching training programme, or hold a diploma of an initial teacher training institution (the type of institution existing earlier);

• complete an induction programme, during which the teacher will enhance his / her practical skills and theoretical knowledge necessary to practise the teaching profession;

• receive at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal conducted in the final year of the induction programme;

• receive a positive opinion on the classes conducted;

• pass an exam for the appointed teacher grade, during which an exam board assesses the extent to which the teacher meets the requirements concerning knowledge and skills necessary for effective performance of the teacher’s duties, as set out in the regulations.

The performance of a teacher before the award of the first promotion grade is assessed by the school head in the second and final years of the induction programme. In accordance with the legislation, a teacher who received a ‘negative’ grade in the performance appraisal in the second year of the induction programme may not be re-employed in the same school until he / she obtains the grade of appointed teacher.

The body administering a given school appoints an exam board for teachers applying for the promotion to the appointed teacher grade.

An exam board is composed of:

• a representative of the school administering body as the chair;

• a representative of the pedagogical supervision body (which, in most cases, is the Head of the Regional Education Authorities);

• the head of the school;

• two experts chosen from the register of experts kept by the minister responsible for school education.

During an exam, the exam board assesses the extent to which a teacher meets the following requirements concerning the knowledge and skills necessary for effective performance of the teacher’s duties:

1. is familiar with the legislation on the organisation, tasks and rules underlying the activity of the school in which he / she has carried out his / her induction programme;
2. is able to teach classes in a way that ensures proper performance of the statutory tasks of the school, and, in particular, the implementation of the core curriculum;
3. is able to identify pupils’ needs and individualise teaching;
4. is able to apply the knowledge of psychology, pedagogy and teaching methodology in his / her work;
5. is familiar with the pupils’ environment and can address in his / her work local community issues and issues of contemporary society and civilisation;
6. is able to use multimedia and digital tools in his / her work, and, in particular, in the classes taught.

If a teacher fails an exam for the appointed teacher grade, he / she carries out an additional induction programme of 1 year and 9 months. In the final year of the additional induction programme, a teacher who received at least a ‘good’ grade in a performance appraisal during this period again conducts classes of 1 hour in the presence of a committee appointed by the head of the school.

An exam board analyses the opinion on the classes taught and the performance appraisal report and conducts an exam, during which the teacher:

• answers questions from the board members;

• demonstrates his / her ability to solve a work-related problem defined by the exam board;

The board calculates an average score based on the number of points given by each member. The teacher has passed the exam if the average score is at least 7.

The appointed teacher grade is awarded by the body administering a given school.

Appointed teacher ⇒ Chartered teacher

To obtain the grade of chartered teacher, an appointed teacher is required to meet the following conditions:

• meet the qualification requirements;

• work in a school for the required period (5 years and 9 months);

• receive at least a ‘very good’ grade in the performance appraisal in the last year of work preceding the submission of an application to initiate the qualifying procedure;

• obtain approval from a qualifying board: the board analyses the teacher’s professional achievements and conducts an interview with him / her to assess the extent to which the teacher meets the requirements concerning the performance of school education tasks or activities and their outcomes.

Thus, to obtain the chartered teacher grade, teachers now have to work for at least 5 years and 9 months after the date of the award of the appointed teacher grade. An application to initiate the qualifying procedure for the award of the chartered teacher grade after a shorter period of 4 years and 9 months can be submitted by teachers who hold a doctoral or post-doctoral degree and teachers who conducted classes in an institution / school abroad before entering into an employment relationship in Poland. 

When an appointed teacher applies for the promotion to the chartered teacher grade, a performance appraisal is conducted at his / her request. To be promoted, a teacher is also required to obtain approval from a qualifying board. The qualifying board analyses the teacher’s professional achievements and conducts an interview with him / her to assess the extent to which he / she meets the requirements concerning the performance of school education tasks or activities and their outcomes.

A qualifying board is appointed by the pedagogical supervision body. For teachers working in most nursery schools and schools and in in-service teacher training institutions, the pedagogical supervision body is the Head of the Regional Education Authorities (kurator oświaty).  

A qualifying board is composed of:

• a representative of the pedagogical supervision body;

• the head of the school, except when it is the head who applies for promotion;

• two experts chosen from the register of experts kept by the minister responsible for school education.

The number of experts chosen from the register kept by the minister has been recently reduced from 3 to 2. However, as earlier, at the teacher’s request, it is still possible to appoint a representative of a trade union, identified by the teacher, as a member of an exam board or a qualifying board.

As part of the procedure for the award of the chartered teacher grade, a qualifying board assesses the extent to which a teacher meets the following requirements concerning the performance of school education tasks or activities and their outcomes:

1. improvement of working methods, including the use of information and communication technologies, and enhancement of knowledge and skills to improve the school’s performance;
2. ability to share knowledge and skills with other teachers, for example, through: 

   • open classes, in particular, for teachers carrying out an induction programme;

   • classes or courses as part of internal in-service training or other professional development activities for teachers;

3. ability to use active learning methods in the work with pupils and multimedia and digital tools supporting the learning process;
4. at least one of the following tasks successfully carried out: 

   • tasks of a mentor (for a novice teacher); a teaching internship supervisor (for higher education students); a court-appointed guardian; an examiner in a regional examination board; an expert on textbooks; a consultant for the Art Education Centre; a volunteer working for an association or another organisation whose statutory aim is to conduct educational activities or expand and enrich educational, childcare and innovation activities of schools; a scouting instructor; or other tasks aimed at improving school performance or performed for the benefit of children and young people with special educational needs or at risk of social exclusion;

   • development and implementation of innovations or educational, childcare or other activities related to school education, including a pedagogical experiment conducted at the school;

   • a textbook or an original paper on school education or child development published in a professional journal or in a non-serial form;

   • courses or other training activities conducted on a cyclical basis for teachers or pupils’ parents, including activities based on distance learning methods and techniques, unless such activities are part of the teacher’s duties;

   • research in the area of school education, related, in particular, to the specificity and needs of the school, and use of research findings for the improvement of school performance.

A qualifying board analyses the performance appraisal report for the teacher and the document describing and analysing the extent to which the teacher meets the requirements, and conducts an interview during which the teacher:

• presents his / her professional achievements;

• answers questions from the qualifying board relating to the school education tasks or activities and their outcomes.

The board calculates an average score based on the number of points given by each member. The teacher has obtained the approval from the qualifying board if the average score is at least 7.

The grade of chartered teacher is awarded by the Minister of National Education.

Advancement in the school education administration

Aside from the promotion to a higher professional grade, and pay rises tied to the level of qualifications acquired, the professional grade and the length of service which are guaranteed by the law, teachers have only few opportunities for promotion inside the school as the range of functions and positions is very limited in the present structure.

Teachers with the required qualifications, professional grade and length of service may apply for the position of school head, the head of the Regional Education Authorities (REA) or an inspector in the school education administration.

Teachers with the required qualifications may also move from a primary school to a secondary school or take up the position of adviser or teacher-consultant in an in-service teacher training institution. However, such promotions often take place as a result of an external offer and are not built into the teaching career.

Some positions (for example, the school head or the head of the REA) may be taken only through a competitive procedure and held for a term fixed by the law. Thus, this is not a permanent promotion, and teachers may lose their position in the subsequent competition and, consequently, end up back in the group of their former peers.

Although teachers may take courses and obtain higher promotion grades, those who have completed a course or obtained a higher promotion grade will not necessarily gain a management position.

Mobility and transfers

Care for children aged up to 3 years

There are no specific regulations, mobility and transfers are managed at the instututional and local levels.

Preschool education and school education

Teachers look for a job on an individual basis, directly in schools and other educational institutions. Teachers are free to change their job or give up work in the school education sector and take up employment in other sectors of the national economy.

Transfers are sometimes chosen when it is not possible for organisational reasons to employ a teacher in the school where he / she has hitherto worked. Only teachers employed by appointment (a specific type of employment relationship) can be transferred. Thus, for teachers on an employment contract, a change of the place of work may take place only through the termination of the current employment relationship and the establishment of a new one.

Teachers employed by appointment can be transferred, either at their own request or on an ex-officio basis, only with their consent, to another position in the same or another school, in the same or another location, to the same or another position. Where teachers are transferred to another school and another position, they have the weekly teaching load assigned to this position.

A teacher may be transferred on an ex-officio basis to another location on condition that accommodation suitable for his / her family status is provided to the teacher in the new place of work and a job for his / her spouse if he / she is a teacher.

Dismissal

Care for children aged up to 3 years

A childminder in a crèche or kids’ club is most often hired on the basis of an employment contract which is terminated: 

• by mutual agreement, 

• by a statement from one of the parties with a period of notice (termination by notice), 

• by a statement from one of the parties with immediate effect / no period of notice (termination without notice), 

• at the end of the period for which a contract has been concluded. 

A service contract for a day-care provider must include a provision concerning the termination of the contract. The contract defines a period of notice. However, a contract can be terminated with immediate effect, that is, with no period of notice, if the day-care provider has breached his / her duties resulting from the contract. 

Conditions of the termination of a contract with a nanny are set out in a service contract signed with the parents or lone parent of the child. Such a contract may set the period of notice, but the principal has the right to terminate it with immediate effect in case of a breach of the duties resulting from the contract by the contractor. 

Preschool education and school education

Like other employees, teachers may terminate their employment relationship by mutual agreement of the parties. Where the parties fail to reach an agreement, an employment contract may be terminated by a termination notice.

An indefinite employment contract concluded with the teacher is terminated at the end of the school year, based on a 3-month notice.

A teacher may be dismissed in the case of the total or partial liquidation of a school. If teachers may no longer be employed in the school, the school head either grants to them the status of 'inactivity' or, at their own request, terminates their employment relationship.

Full-time teachers who have received a notice of termination for organisational reasons have 30 days to accept the ‘inactivity’ status. Teachers who have the 'inactivity' status retain the right to receive their basic monthly salary and other employee benefits until the employment relationship has expired. The school head is required first to re-employ a teacher with the 'inactivity' status whenever such a possibility arises. Where the teacher refuses to take up the job, the employment relationship expires on the date of refusal. 

The employment relationship with a teacher employed by appointment is terminated in the following cases:

• at the teacher’s own request;

• the teacher’s temporary inability to perform the job resulting from an illness if the period of inability exceeds 182 days, or 270 days if the teacher is unable to perform the job due to tuberculosis or during pregnancy. Where this is duly justified, the period of absence from work many be extended for another 12 months if the teacher is granted a rehabilitation allowance in the case of illness or maternity, or is granted medical leave;

• a physician conducting a periodic or follow-up medical check-up establishes that the teacher is unable to perform the job held until now;

• the teacher has received a ‘negative’ grade in the performance appraisal process;

• the referral to teach religion in the school has been withdrawn in accordance with the rules specified in separate legislation;

• by mutual agreement;

• the teacher’s unexcused failure to undergo a periodic or follow-up medical check-up.

The teacher's employment relationship expires by virtue of law in the following cases (applicable to all categories of teachers):

• the teacher being punished with a valid disciplinary penalty of dismissal, or dismissal combined with a ban from teaching for three years following the dismissal or permanent ban from teaching;

• a valid court ruling whereby the teacher loses his / her public rights or the rights to practise the teaching profession, or in the case of the teacher losing entirely his / her legal capacity;

• a valid court ruling for an intentional crime;

• upon completion of a 3-month period in prison;

• where it has been established that the teacher was employed on the basis of false or invalid documents or against the rules of teachers' employment laid down by the Teachers' Charter.

An indefinite contract is terminated if the teacher fails to obtain the appointed teacher grade within 6 years of the start of his / her induction period (based on the  Teachers’ Charter). The 6-year period  includes periods of employment in a school in accordance with required qualifications and with at least ½ of the statutory teaching load. However, this period does not include periods of absence at work which are longer than 30 consecutive days, except for holiday leave periods.

The employment contract with a teacher is terminated for the afore-mentioned reason at the end of the school year in which 6 years have elapsed since the start of his / her induction programme. In case a teacher fails to obtain the appointed teacher grade within 6 years of the start of his / her induction programme, he / she can be employed on the basis of a fixed-term contract for one school year. Such an employment contract can be concluded more than once.

Retirement and pensions

Care for children aged up to 3 years

Staff taking care of children aged up to 3 years are entitled to a retirement pension at the state pension age, with the only condition being that they reach the age of 60 for women and 65 for men. 

Preschool education and school education

Teachers may apply for the following types of benefits: 

• a retirement pension at the state pension age; 

• a teacher retirement pension: an early retirement pension;

• a teacher compensation allowance. 

Retirement pension at the state pension age

A retirement pension is a cash benefit paid from the Social Security Fund to persons who decide to exit the labour market after reaching the state pension age.  The basic form of retirement pension available to teachers and other employees in the school education system is a state pension. Reaching the state pension age is the only condition of eligibility to such a pension. The state pension age in Poland is 60 years for women and 65 years for men. Teachers are entitled to a state pension regardless of the length of employment in educational institutions. 

Teacher retirement pension based on the Teachers’ Charter

The Teachers’ Charter allows teachers to retire under special rules, before reaching the state pension age. 

Early retirement pensions are available to teachers who: 

• started to work before 1 January 1999; 

• have a documented contributory period of at least 30 years, including at least 20 years of employment in the position of teacher. 

Teachers who meet these conditions may also retire if their employment relationship is terminated or expires in connection with the total or partial liquidation of a school or organisational changes resulting in a reduction of the number of classes in the school, the transfer of the teacher to the ‘inactivity’ status and the re-employment of the ‘inactive’ teacher. 

For early retirement, teachers should terminate, at their request, their employment relationship. It does not mean that they will no longer be able to take up employment. They can be employed but only in case there is a need to do so resulting from the organisation of teaching or the replacement of an absent teacher. This also requires consent from the Head of the Regional Education Authorities. Importantly, an employed teacher who benefits from early retirement (and has not reached yet the state pension age) can be allocated up to ½ of the statutory teaching load.

Teacher compensation allowance

Teacher compensation allowances are the equivalent of bridging retirement pensions for teachers (for persons employed for tasks of a specific nature or under special conditions). 

Those entitled to compensation allowances are teachers working in schools, nursery schools, continuing education institutions, youth education centres, youth social therapy centres, special education centres and public and non-public counselling and guidance centres. Teachers can be granted a compensation allowance if they meet the following three conditions: 

• have reached a specific age: 

  • for women: the age of 55 in the years 2009–2024; 56 in the years 2025–2026; 57 in the years 2027–2028; 58 in the years 2029–2030; and 59 in the years 2031–2032,

  • for men: the age of 55 in the years 2009–2014; 56 in the years 2015–2016; 57 in the years 2017–2018; 58 in the years 2019–2020; 59 in the years 2021–2022; 60 in the years 2023–2024; 61 in the years 2025–2026; 62 in the years 2027–2028; 63 in the years 2029–2030; and 64 in the years 2031–2032;

• have at least 30 years of work experience, including at least 20 years of teacher work in one of the afore-mentioned types of institutions, with at least ½ of the statutory teaching load; and
• terminate their employment relationship.