An increasing number of foreigners are coming to Poland for more than just holidays. Contracts are often involved and usually mean 1-4 years in the country. To meet the demand of those wishing to master Polish, language schools are increasingly being established.

"When choosing a language school, it is very important to see how many languages are taught there. Having many irons in the fire, as the proverb goes, is not always a good idea. Schools often offer so many foreign languages that they are unable to ensure adequate methodology for each one," says Kamila Dembińska, owner of the language school Klub Dialogu. For this reason, she has opted for one specialization at her school: Polish for foreigners.

The teaching method applied at the Institute of Polish Language for Foreigners (IKO) quickly introduces you to the practical world of Polish. "We do not talk about Polish, but in Polish from the start. We act as guides around the language for our students, showing them shortcuts, teaching how to steer clear of obstacles and getting straight to the point," say IKO lecturers. The method consists of teaching practical language skills by simulating real life situations. "Before they know it, students become independent, talk with Poles, ask for directions or for help, and even successfully negotiate contracts." Importantly, students learn not only colloquial speech, but also legal and medical jargon. Language school courses, including those at the IKO, usually last three months, with lessons twice a week. Intensive courses take place over 3-4 weeks.

How to choose
Language schools are mushrooming, but most of them focus on foreign languages for Poles. In Warsaw alone, however, there are roughly 20 schools teaching Polish to foreigners. Before you choose the school for you, it is worth knowing what to pay attention to, in order to avoid wasting time and money. As Dembińska suggests, choose a school specializing in Polish, though alone this is not enough: "by all means, pay attention to the certificates confirming the school's status, but also note how long the school has been on the market," recommends Dembińska. A good idea is to ask for the school's references, as you might do when looking for a nanny for your kids. "The companies at which the school teaches may speak volumes about it," adds Dembińska. The possibility of tailoring courses to suit individual requirements is also important. "That means adjusting the material to suit individual needs rather than using a template approach," says Dembińska. "Check whether the school you want to enroll in allows the student a say in the program." Business people often have no spare time for commuting to a school. So, instead of group courses, they choose individual classes at their homes or offices. "Our clients are usually individuals holding high-ranking positions, so this kind of program is very popular," says Dembińska.

Remember that schools teaching only questions like "at what time does my train leave?" are outdated. Today, language schools' clients sign important contracts, participate in international conferences, and often supervise hundreds of employees. They quickly need to be able to communicate in the country where they work and hope to advance their career. "If you decide on a group course, then there should be a maximum of 5-6 students, no more," says Dembińska. "Each student should have the opportunity to speak and the teacher should have time for each of them. I think that a minimum requirement is two 1.5-hour lessons a week, or four 45-minute lessons a week. Two hours a week of a foreign language is too little," says Dembińska.

Requirements and possibilities
At Dr. Ewa Masłowska's Academia Polonica (AP), 10 years of experience working with foreigners has revealed the biggest problems faced when learning Polish. "Working with individuals as busy as foreign business people in Poland, we already know that the greatest obstacle is a shortage of time," states the AP website. "Moreover, Polish does not belong to the simplest grammatical system, so first and foremost it requires qualified teachers, tested methods and professionally prepared teaching programs." The school offers as many as nine teaching levels, from beginners through advanced. Here the course intensity also depends on the possibilities and requirements of the client: from two weeks (six lessons/day) to a less intense 20-week course (four lessons/week).

It is not only adults who want to learn Polish. "The children of foreigners staying in Poland often come to our school," says Dembińska. "Two girls from Honduras recently signed up." In turn, foreigners coming to Poland to study usually complete a one-year special language course in ŁódĽ before starting their studies.

Those wishing to obtain a formal verification of their Polish abilities, can take the EU-sponsored Certificate of Achievement in Modern Languages (ECL). Everybody passing the ECL (www.ecl-test.com) is presented with a language competence certificate recognized in European Union countries. The ECL, which also meets Council of Europe requirements, enables students to prove their language abilities not only in Polish but also in other languages, including English, German, Hungarian, Swedish and Portuguese.

Grammar is a snag
It turns out that the most diligent students of Polish are the Dutch, naturally with exceptions. The most communicative are Italians-they are not afraid to try, even if it's tough. Those who learn Polish the most seldom are the French. Anglophones, in turn, often believe-and rightly so-that their language is almost globally understood so there is no need to learn Polish. "Grammar usually turns out to be the most difficult for foreigners," says Dembińska. "Therefore I advise teachers to treat it in a reasonable way, or to teach it in the context of communicating." Another hard nut to crack appears to be phonetics, or pronunciation, with all those Polish "sz, cz, ż and Ľ" sounds. However, "if a school applies good methods," says Dembińska, "you can learn anything."

Polish language schools for foreigners:
• Klub Dialogu: Europejski Hotel, 13 Krakowskie Przedmie¶cie St., room 160
• IKO, 3 Kopernika St.
• Schola Polonica, 3 Jaracza St.
• Academia Polonica, 55 Jerozolimskie Ave., apt. 15