The objective of this article was to highlight plans versus actual actions of university graduates in Poland aimed at finding employment. The paper also empirically verifies the impact of chosen job-seeking strategies on the success or failure of their transition to employment. The study was Polish-wide and included graduates of geography. It consisted of two stages. The first stage (N = 1120) allowed the researcher to identify the most successful job search methods for university-to-work transition. These included: applying for vacancies advertised on the Internet and direct contact with employers. In the event of failure to find employment, graduates turned to more informal methods. The second stage (N = 375) supplied data which made it possible to learn about the graduates' status on the labour market 6 months after graduation. It also provided information on a structure of methods used by graduates which resulted in acquiring a job and evolution of job search methods in case of failure to perform transition to work. Discriminant function analysis was used to establish that the following job search methods are the best predictors of one's situation on the labour market: applying for vacancies advertised in the press and public employment agencies. Other variables were found not to be statistically significant in discriminating between the group of working and unemployed graduates.
The article presents results of a survey conducted among Polish geography graduates.They were asked questions about the relevance of their degree to their transition from university studies to the job market. The research project revealed that less than half of them found a job. Out of working graduates, one in five geographers worked in an area related to geography and only one in six graduates found their degree useful in their job-seeking efforts. The respondents were also of the view that potential employers often did not perceive them as professionals with a specialised range of skills.
Economic, social and cultural changes generate new challenges on the labour market for teachers in every country. Poland has recently witnessed significant changes in factors that were identified in literature as crucial to the situation of teachers on the labour market, such as systemic reforms, demographic trends, the overall situation on the labour market and occupational prestige. The scale and impact of some of these factors can be precisely measured and statistically accounted for, yet there are others that remain somehow hidden. The objective of the article is to present and analyse the current situation of geography teachers in Poland, taking into account the impact of both overt and covert factors. The paper is based on an analysis of primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected during our own research on online job advertisements and revolved around information on the real demand for geography teachers. Secondary data were official reports and statistics related to the social and professional standing of teachers in Poland. The analysis proves that in the last ten years the population of teachers has aged and experienced a drop in real wages. There has also been an increase in staff turnover and patchwork careers. Moreover, we have observed that it is highly unlikely to secure a full-time position as a geography teacher and that there have been huge fluctuations in the prestige of geography as a school subject. The identified changes can result in a shortage of qualified geography teachers in the short term, particularly in cities
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