"Oczekiwać" means "to long for smth", it's similar to "czekać", which means "to wait for something". "Spodziewać się" means "to expect", these all verbs are similar and their use mainly depends on the context, so it's better for you to learn whole phrases to sound naturally. ~Moim zdaniem każdy może oczekiwać pomocy prawdziwego przyjaciela. [In my opinion everyone can expect a help from a true friend.] ~Jakich pytań można się spodziewać na egzaminie? [What kind of questions can we expect on the exam?] Я думаю, что по-русски оба "spodziewać się" и "oczekiwać" означают "ожидать".

Learn English first then think of learning polish!

dobrze, dziękuję :)

the difference is not big, they are similar, you can use them almost equally :) pozdrawiam