Teachers – recognition of qualifications

Are you a national of an EU Member State, or of Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein or Switzerland? Are you a qualified teacher and do you wish to work in a Polish school or nursery school? Read the description of this service and apply to have your qualifications recognised.

How to proceed

The application may be made:

• at the administration office

• by mail

• by electronic means – you need a Trusted Profile or a qualified signature.

What the service is and who can use it

Nationals of EU Member States, or of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Lichtenstein (i.e. Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) – parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area) who have qualifications to work in a regulated profession in these countries (outside Poland) may apply for recognition of their qualifications in Poland to work in their professions.

The following persons may also apply to have their qualifications recognised:

• family members of citizens of Poland, or citizens of EU Member States or Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Lichtenstein;

• third-country nationals who are long-term residents of the European Union;

• non-nationals who have refugee status or have been granted subsidiary protection;

• non-nationals who arrive in Poland or reside in this country to be with their families, and are family members of a non-national residing in Poland who has been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection;

• third-country nationals who apply for admission to Poland for the purpose of highly qualified employment;

• third-country nationals who have been admitted to Poland for purposes other than work in accordance with EU law or national law, are allowed to work and hold a residence permit in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002, and third-country nationals who have been admitted to Poland for the purpose of work in accordance with EU law or national law;

• third-country nationals who hold a temporary residence permit for the purpose of research.

If the teaching profession is not a regulated profession in the applicant’s country, applicants must additionally document that they have worked in this profession in that Member State for one year on a full-time basis, or for an appropriately longer time on a part-time basis in the last 10 years, unless applicants have a document attesting regulated education at the required level.

When can I make an application?

At any time.

Where do I submit an application?

Ministry of National Education

Al. Jana Chrystiana Szucha 25, 00-918 Warsaw

What to do step-by-step

 

1. Submitting an application to have professional qualifications recognised

 

You may submit an application and attachments in paper form, or submit them electronically.

Documents

1. Application for the recognition of professional qualifications for working in a regulated profession in Poland

Download:

• Template for an application for the recognition of professional qualifications for working in a regulated profession in Poland DOCX

• Template for an application for the recognition of professional qualifications for working in a regulated profession in Poland PDF

The document may be submitted as:

the original.

Additional information

An application contains the following information:

1) the given name(s), surname, date and place of birth of the applicant;

2) the applicant’s nationality and the name of the applicant’s country;

3) the regulated profession;

4) the qualifications or licences acquired;

5) regulated education;

6) a list of documents attached with the application.

2. Proof of identity

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

 

3. Documents attesting educational background

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

Additional information

Diplomas, certificates and other documents attesting educational background.

4. Diplomas, certificates and other documents attesting the completion of courses and training

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

5. Study, course and training programmes

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

Additional information

The programmes must take into account the period of education, the number of hours of individual classes (in the case of studies, the number of ECTS credits obtained for individual classes), and the scope of teaching responsibilities.

6. Documents attesting professional qualifications for working in a regulated profession

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

Additional information

Issued by an authorised entity in the applicant’s country, if such documents are issued there.

7. Certificate attesting that the service provider may work in this profession in accordance with the law of the service provider’s country and is not prohibited from working in this profession, even temporarily

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

Additional information

The certificate should be dated within three months of its submission.

8. Certificate attesting professional experience

The document may be submitted as:

a copy.

Additional information

Certificates and other documents attesting professional experience should contain the name of the employer or contracting authority, the type of legal relationship between the applicant and the employer or contracting authority, the period of employment or the duration of any other contract, working time, the title of the profession or position held, and the main responsibilities.

9. Proof of payment of the fee

The document may be submitted as:

the original.

 

• You must submit the application in Polish. The remaining documents must be submitted either in Polish or in another language, accompanied by a translation into Polish. In the case of documents of particular relevance for the procedure, the Minister for National Education may require that a translation by a sworn translator established in Poland or in a Member State be submitted. Translation into Polish is not required in the case of documents attesting the given name, surname, date and place of birth and nationality of the applicant, and the name of the applicant’s country.

• Documents attesting that applicants have not been convicted of an offence, or a deliberate tax offence, or prohibited from working in the profession, or that their right to work in the profession has not been suspended by a court or as a result of disciplinary proceedings, should be dated within three months of their submission. If these documents are not issued in the applicant’s country, then the applicant must submit a declaration of compliance with these requirements.

• Applicants must attach the documents listed above as copies (except for the proof of payment of the fee for the procedure). Original documents shall be submitted for inspection purposes only.

 

II. The administration will examine your application

Within one month, you will be notified officially that your application has been received.

If the administration detects any deficiencies, you will be requested to correct them within a specific time limit. If you do not provide the missing documents, then your application will not be processed further.

Documents

1. Acknowledgement of receipt of the application

You will receive the document as:

the original.

Time limit

Within one month.

III. You may be notified that you have to complete an adaptation period or take an aptitude test.

1. The Minister for National Education shall check:

- the authenticity of the documents attesting your educational background;

- differences in the scope of education required to work in the teaching profession in Poland and in the applicant’s country;

- differences in the scope of the teaching profession in the applicant’s country and in Poland;

- differences in the education required in the applicant’s country and in Poland.

2. If there are any reasonable doubts, the Minister for National Education may request the competent authority of the Member State to confirm that:

- the documents submitted by the applicant are authentic (through the IMI system);

- applicants seeking recognition of their qualifications to work in the teaching profession are not prohibited from working in that profession, nor has their right to work in that profession been suspended.

3. The Minister for National Education may, by means of an order, make the decision on the recognition of qualifications contingent on the applicant completing an adaptation period or taking an aptitude test if:

1. there are substantial differences in the scope of education in Poland and in the applicant’s country; or

2. there are significant differences in the scope of the profession in the applicant’s country and in Poland, as well as significant differences between the education or training required in the applicant’s country and the education or training required by law;

– unless the knowledge, skills and competence acquired by applicants in the course of their professional experience, or through validated learning outcomes within the meaning of the law on higher education, or validated educational outcomes within the meaning of the law on the education system can compensate for these differences, in full or in part.

4. The Minister for National Education may refuse to recognise the professional qualifications of an applicant who has level 1 professional qualifications, if formal qualifications corresponding to level 5 are required in Poland.

5. If applicants have level 1 professional qualifications and level 4 professional qualifications are required to work in the teaching profession, the Minister for National Education may request applicants to complete an adaptation period and take an aptitude test.

After examining the documents, the Minister for National Education shall conclude that:

1. the applicant has the professional qualifications,

or

2. the applicant must complete an adaptation period or take an aptitude test.

By decision of the Minister for National Education, the recognition of qualifications may be contingent on applicants completing an adaptation period or taking an aptitude test. In this decision, the Minister shall specify the scope of the aptitude test or the scope and duration of the adaptation period, by taking into account the need to compensate for the differences in the scope of education or profession to the extent necessary to work in the teaching profession.

The adaptation period shall be completed in Polish and shall be no longer than three years.

If applicants seek recognition of qualifications to teach more than one subject or more than one type of class, the applicants shall complete one adaptation period or take one aptitude test. Applicants must bear the costs of their adaptation period or aptitude test.

The adaptation period programme is drawn up specifically for the subject or subjects to be taught, or the type of class to be taught, and to the extent to which applicants seek recognition of their qualifications, after examining their qualifications, taking into account the scope of knowledge required to meet the specific qualification requirements for a teacher of the subject or type of class in question.

On receipt of the decision, applicants shall submit an application for an adaptation period or an aptitude test (the applicant may choose between the two) to the Minister for National Education.

Please read the detailed description of an adaptation period and an aptitude test.

Documents

1. Decision on the need to complete an adaptation period or take an aptitude test

You will receive the document as:

the original.

IV. The decision

On the basis of the documentation, the administration will issue:

1) a decision recognising the professional qualifications – if the assessment is positive,

or

2) a decision refusing to recognise the professional qualifications – if the assessment is negative.

Documents

1.Decision recognising the qualifications to work in the teaching profession

You will receive the document as:

the original.

How much does it cost?

In 2020, PLN 910.

You must pay the fee into the bank account of the Ministry of National Education, i.e.: 59 1010 1010 0031 2822 3100 0000.

How long does it take?

You will receive a decision within three months after submitting all the required documents. In special cases, this deadline may be extended by one month, and you will be notified officially about this.

If you have to complete an adaptation period or take an aptitude test, the time limit for issuing the decision will be suspended until the administration receives an assessment of your adaptation period or the result of your aptitude test.

How to appeal

If your application is refused, you have 14 days to apply for the case to be re-examined. You must submit the appeal to the Minister for National Education.