SWOT ANALYSIS OF COUNSELLING METHODS IN POLAND

Name of the school: School of Polish for Foreigners at the University of d

Country: Poland
Description of the counselling method: in Poland
Counselling for foreigners is offered by several organizations and institutions and by their
websites. Among them there are:
National Board for Certifying Knowledge of Polish as a Foreign Language
several universities and private schools of Polish culture and language for foreigners
government centres for foreign students and for students of Polish origin
and migrants, such as: Department of International Programmes and Recognition of Diploma
(BUWiWM), Office for Foreigners and Repatriates
non-governmental organizations and national minorities organizations
Polish and international commercial agencies for migrants and returning migrants.
Ways of counselling and means used are also varied. Some of the methods may be regarded
as universal or global - in case when they are directed at all foreigners living in Poland or at
every learner of Polish as a foreign language. Local methods of advising are those which are
applied by local language centres or migrant organizations.
Other methods of counselling may be regarded as face-to-face (direct) formal or
informal counselling, i.e. language advising provided by the staff (teachers and
administrative workers) of language schools and by the would-be teachers of Polish as a
foreign language. Quite often counselling proceeds as face- to- face foreigner-to-foreigner
advising. Also, interactive counselling may be provided by experts via the Internet (by e-
mails, chats or Internet forums). Currently, this form of searching and providing advice
becomes commonly used.
Many organizations, university departments and language schools publish multilingual
leaflets/guides for foreigners, repatriates, teachers of Polish as a foreign or second language.
Tips / guides for students instructing them on how to live in Poland and how to effectively
learn Polish are provided by several language schools of Polish as a foreign language. At
some language centres special interactive web pages only for foreign students have been
developed (for example in the Centre of Polish Language for Foreigners, University of d)
and counselling system is managed as part of European educational projects (for example
Linguae Mundi Foundation in Warsaw is carrying out an education project for refugees and
asylum-seekers).
The government offices for migrants and repatriates have not yet developed a regular,
effective and customer- friendly counselling system; they only provide foreigners or
repatriates with pieces of information (in Polish and English only) necessary for the
legalization of their stay in Poland, they list educational and residential centres for foreigners
(refugees and asylum seekers) and they place governmental directives on their websites.
Although they offer the opportunity to contact a government worker by the Internet or phone,
no chats/open exchange of ideas are possible.
Conclusions:
It is necessary to develop a universal national customer-friendly system of advising to
foreigners in Poland. The system should provide the clients with important pieces of
information facilitating their language progress as well as their life organization in Poland.
This system should be active in the Internet and supported by real-life activities on the
national and local level. Therefore, the group of skilled foreign language speaking consultants
should be trained and employed at the governmental agencies. The government offices and
language centres should develop their local systems of counselling by participation in
European educational projects many of them are focused on facilitating the migrants
adaptation.
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On the right track SWOT-analysis
 SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS
1. Presence of various forms of counselling
in Poland on global and local level.
2. On the national level counselling is
provided in various forms by the government
Office for Foreigners and Repatriates and its
local sections located in the Municipal
Councils.
3. Universal / global language counselling is
provided by the website of Polish as a
Foreign language certificate examination.
4. Interactive customer-friendly and free of
cost direct counselling methods are applied
by various groups of specialists involved in
the process of educating foreigners.
5. Among the customer-friendly consultants
there are language and subject teachers,
would-be teachers and foreigners themselves.
6. Permanent development of counselling by
the Internet. Foreigners are provided with
pieces of official information and tips on
how to live in Poland, also they may take
part in chats and Internet discussions.
7. Presence of national minorities advising
systems.
8. Development of specialized international
counselling agencies for foreigners.
OPPORTUNITIES
1. Using customer-friendly models of
advising foreigners developed by
multicultural societies.
2. Active participation of the language
centres, as well as governmental and non-
governmental organizations involved in
helping migrants, in EU projects aimed at
development of foreigners advising system.
3. Popularization of models of language
advising existing in Poland (by preparing
their multilingual Internet versions).
4. Exchanging ideas with similar/partner
institutions on the methods of advising.
5. Focus on educating specialists in the field
of counselling to migrants.
6. Supporting the non-governmental and
informal initiatives on advising to migrants.
Prepared by: Grayna Zarzycka, University of d
On the right track SWOT-analysis
WEAKNESSES
1. No sufficient and easily accessible system
of advising to all foreigners. Various forms
of counselling are not well integrated.
2. Central system of counselling to foreigners
is not customer-friendly.
3. Governmental websites for foreigners are
in Polish and English only.
4. The staff of local foreign offices is not
well prepared for advising (poor knowledge
of foreign languages, application forms not
translated to other languages).
5. The system of Polish as a Foreign
Language Certification is a substitute for a
real system of language advising.
6. Intuitive counselling applied by the
language schools staff (no psychologists and
intercultural experts).
7. Websites for foreigners are not always
interactive.
8. Using only advising systems developed by
their own national minority may result in
social separation of foreigners.
9. Commercialization of advising system.
10. Limited participation in EU projects
aimed at development of advising to
migrants.
THREATS
1. Currently existing advising system may be
insufficient soon; after 2004 the number of
migrants in Poland constantly increases.
2. If the existing system of counselling does
not change, Poland may expect serious
problems with poorly adapted migrants.
3. Websites of language schools or
government organizations may substitute
real-life counselling.
4. Free of cost counselling may be limited
due to the development of commercial
agencies advising migrants.
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