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Posts by ianaus  

Joined: 16 Oct 2008 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 4 Oct 2011
Threads: Total: 8 / In This Archive: 7
Posts: Total: 20 / In This Archive: 17 		From: Tychy, Poland
Speaks Polish?: No

Displayed posts: 24
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ianaus   
24 Oct 2009
Life / EU Healthcard Has Given Me Free Surgery - Is This For Real? [4]

Hello...

I have a question. I have a small health problem that I require day surgery for to correct. I have a European Union healthcard (you know the purple one), that I got from the UK. When I seen the doctor at the hospital about my surgery I showed him my healthcard and he told me that because I have this card they can do my surgery for free.

I am a little surprised because I thought I would have to pay private fees as this is not an emergency. I thought the healthcard only covered emergencies. Is this correct? Not that I am complaining because it is great that I can have the surgery for free, but what happens for payment? After surgery will the hospital contact England for payment? And may England refuse to pay and then I am saddled with a large bill? I am not sure how this works and I am not sure if I am missing something here. It all seems too good to be true.

Thank you in advance,

Ian
ianaus   
4 Aug 2009
Life / How to obtain EHIC (European Health Insurance Card,) in Poland? [41]

I checked it out and it said that you can only get this if your main place of residence is in the UK. But although I am from the UK I have not been there since 2005 because I have been working all over the world. So does this mean I can not apply?

I was a bit reluctant to call the 0845 46 47 number because from what I remember of the UK, 0845 means expensive call charges right?
ianaus   
2 Aug 2009
Life / How to obtain EHIC (European Health Insurance Card,) in Poland? [41]

Thanks for the reply. I do not think I am eligible when I checked out the requirements because I have not been in the UK since 2005 and I am not employed by a UK employer as I am self-employed, but I have only been in Poland since March.

I think the doctor also told me about an eclipse healthcard or something like that he called it, I do not remember the exact name. I did not think I may be eligible so he suggested this alternative route but I have found no information on this card.

Hmmm.... I am not sure what to do.
ianaus   
2 Aug 2009
Life / How to obtain EHIC (European Health Insurance Card,) in Poland? [41]

Aug 2, 09, 15:04 - Thread attached on merging:
European Health Insurance Cards - How To Obtain One?

Hello guys,

I recently had to see a doctor about something and paid privately to see him. As I am a European Citizen he told me about a European Health Insurance Card that I should try to obtain from the UK as he explained that I could use this in Poland to help with healthcare costs. So I called the tax and national insurance helpline in England to ask about this but the guy I spoke to knew nothing about this. How can I go about obtaining or applying for one of these cards? Who do I need to speak to?

Thank you in advance...

Ian
ianaus   
17 Jun 2009
Real Estate / Cancelling Tenancy Agreement Before End Of Contract Query [10]

Thanks guys... It is probably worth me saying here that when I initially signed the contract in March he told me that I would not have to pay the bill for the gas, water, and internet as these were covered in the rent, but I would have to pay the electricity. I thought that was fair at the time. In addition, he said if I had problems and I needed to leave at any time he would expect 4 weeks notice and I could leave. He said he would rather that than me being in a situation where I had no money to pay him and we all had problems.

Anyway, 2 months later he charges me for ALL of the bills and tells me he never said anything about the 4 weeks notice. The contract was in Polish and I did not understand it at the time. My girlfriend gave it a quick look over but did not really take it all in. Basically the contract said that I would have to pay all of the bills (which up until now I have), and I there is no mention of termination.

A couple of 1000 zlotys is a lot to me which is why I have not got it to give to him, and I do not get the impression he is living on the breadline like me, but I do get the impression that he says one thing to me and then goes home, tells his wife, and then she moves the goal posts. Bottom line, I can not trust anything that he says. His word is worth nothing to me anymore.
ianaus   
16 Jun 2009
Real Estate / Cancelling Tenancy Agreement Before End Of Contract Query [10]

Tha

aphrodisiac

Thank you for the information aphrodisiac.

I have another question. If he wants to throw us out on Saturday, he can not just come and do that right? I expect that he would need to supply us with an eviction notice and all of that stuff to do it correctly? I am not sure how this works in Poland.
ianaus   
16 Jun 2009
Real Estate / Cancelling Tenancy Agreement Before End Of Contract Query [10]

Hello guys,

I have a question about breaking a 6 months tenancy contract.

We have rented property a few months ago and since then we have decided to leave the property two months before the end of the contract for personal reasons that would take too long to describe here. So we informed the landlord a few weeks ago and he said that we must pay the final two months rents of the contract or "face the financial implications of that". I assumed he was talking court, or maybe just keeping the 1500zl deposit, I don't know.

Anyway, we had a meeting with the landlord this afternoon and explained the situation and he agreed that we could stay in the flat for a few more weeks until he finds another tenant but he would keep the deposit of 1500zl. We are losing a little bit of cash but not much so we thought fair enough and agreed that this is the course we would take.

Then 2 hours later he calls and says he has changed his mind, he wanted us out by Saturday and he was keeping the 1500zl deposit anyway, and if we don't leave by Saturday he would take us to court. He then started getting all abusive about the English saying he had lived in England and the English are irresponsible, all they do is smash the place up, and that the English are dirty people.

So I decided to get some legal advice this evening and spoke to my girlfriend's father who asked his work lawyer for advice. He said in the civil code it says that when there is a contract for a certain period, landlord and tenant can both cancel it by rules included in the contract. But in our contract there are no rules in there for this. No talk of termination, nothing. He looked though the contract and said as there is no mention of this, civil code will apply, and that means that one months notice is required for us to leave or for him to evict us. He told me not to meet with the landlord again and to stay put and go through what was agreed at the meeting with the landlord this afternoon, which was stay here for the next few weeks and he can keep the 1500zl deposit. I thought okay, let's do that...

But now I am home and thinking so much and wondering do we have the right? I have no idea about Polish law. English law, yes, US law, some, but Polish er er... That is why I decided to get some legal advice this evening. But have I been told incorrect information? I don't know.

In realistic terms what are the chances of him trying to take us to court over two months rent? The rent is 1050zl per month, so he will be chasing us for 2100zl I guess. We offered to find another tenant for him but he did not want to know.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Ian
ianaus   
8 Jun 2009
Life / Healthcare In Poland For An EU Citizen [10]

Jun 8, 09, 23:15 - Thread attached on merging:
Where can I find out about the cost of private healthcare in Poland?

Hey guys,

I recently seen a urologist privately who informed me that I need a surgery. I asked him how much the surgery would cost but he was not sure. How or where can I go to find out how much surgery and private healthcare costs are in Poland? I have no idea where to even start looking.

Thank you in advance...

Ian
ianaus   
20 Apr 2009
Life / Culture Shock Since Moving to Poland - Anybody Dealt With This Before? [52]

Hey guys,

Kinda a depressing post this one...

A quick story... I arrived in Poland about one month ago. I am originally from the UK but it has been many years since I have been there as I have lived in many different countries over the last few years. I always thought I was not too bad at adapting.

Anyway, when I arrived here I really loved it, you know, everything is new and curiousity levels are high. But then over the last week I seem to have really sank down and I can feel a depression coming on. I am disabled and have been having a lot of pain problems which is probably adding to the stress. I am trying to cope with feeling like this but I am really struggling. I am wondering if I am starting to go through the dreaded culture shock again. I went through it once before when I went to live in Costa Rica and it took about 6 months until I started to settle in there and the feelings of stress and depression started to dissipate. Does anybody here have any experience of culture shock since moving to Poland, and if so, what was it like and how did you deal with it?

Thank you in advance,

Ian
ianaus   
20 Apr 2009
Love / I am heart-broken by my polish guy [25]

I know that heartache Dee, and yes it is really terrible. I think I am a bit too sensitive and it could me almost 3 years to be able to move on. But I did eventually meet somebody else who gave me the confidence to try again, and you will too. So good luck!
ianaus   
6 Mar 2009
Law / Delivery Of A Second Hand Computer To Poland (from Australia or USA). Shipping customs to pay? [7]

Hello guys and thanks for the information.
One thing I forgot to tell you guys. Although the computer is coming from Australia, I am in fact a British citizen, not an Australian. As I am an EU citizen, should there be no tax on personal items? In theory I should be allowed to travel freely and live anywhere in the EU - right?

And Harry, thank you for the information. Yes, I called the Aussie Post yesterday about it, but they said that the heaviest item they will ship is about 20kg, and mine is a little too much.

I am seriously thinking about selling this and buying another in Poland. I am a bit lazy to set it all up again though. How much would I be able to pick up a used G5 Powerbook in Poland? A quad processor is preferred, but a dual processor may work for what I need as long as it is fairly quick.

Related: Shipping laptop to Poland from the US - the best way? Taxes?

I just recently sold a laptop and live in indiana and wanted to know the best way to ship it to poland and if there are taxes and any other fees apply?

The person it is going to should maybe pay tax on it...but don,t worry , the people at the post office will ensure it does not get there...
ianaus   
5 Mar 2009
Law / Delivery Of A Second Hand Computer To Poland (from Australia or USA). Shipping customs to pay? [7]

Hello guys,

I have another question that someone may or may not know the answer too. I have to ship my desktop computer from Australia to Poland. It all comes to about 25kg. I have been getting quotes for the shipping from the local aussie delivery companies. One thing they asked me was if I have checked out if I would have to pay customs in Poland? I have always believed there would be no charge because it is not new goods, but second hand, and over 3 years old. I still have the original receipts etc. I know when I have moved things around the UK, USA, Central America and Australia, I just had to show my receipts and I had no taxes etc to pay, and always assumed that Poland would be the same, but is this true, or will there be different rules?

Thank you in advance...

Ian
ianaus   
28 Feb 2009
Life / Is drinking water in Poland good? [96]

If you are having problems with the tap water - why not just connect a water to the main pipe? I used to have problems drinking the tap water when I lived in Costa Rica, so I connected a water filter and afterwards it was fine. Would the same thing not work in Poland?
ianaus   
28 Feb 2009
Law / Paying Tax For The Self-Employed In Poland (Yet more Questions...) [16]

Hey guys,

Okay, yet another question....

I work as a 3d freelance designer creating various things for tv commercials etc. I will be coming to Poland from Australia very soon.

I wanted to know about paying tax for the self-employed. I work from my home, and when in other countries I normally just fill out a tax self-assessment once a year, and then pay the appropriate tax and/or NI contributions etc. So I need to know the following:

a. Is it a similar process in Poland?
b. Do I need to apply for a tax file number or something like that when I first arrive?
c. Do I have to register my business with a Polish government body? If so, how and with who do I do that?
d. What is the taxable percentage on my gross income?
e. Is there a system where you do not pay tax on the first amount? (for example when I lived in England I think it was something like the first £4500 was tax free, then the next £2000 was something like 10% tax, and then anything above that was taxable at 22%. However I can not remember the exact figures).

f. Also, what about paying your ZUS (which I assume is something like NI in the UK) - how do I pay that as a self-employed worker?

Sorry for all the questions, but most people I have asked so far do not know the answers.

Thank you in advance,

Ian
ianaus   
27 Feb 2009
Life / Healthcare In Poland For An EU Citizen [10]

Yes, I am a UK citizen. I have lived in a number of different countries, but I still retain my UK citizenship.

So what do I need to do when I arrive in Poland next month? Do I need to register for healthcare or something? And of course I will be paying taxes in Poland (but I am self-employed), so does that automatically qualify me for healthcare? And who covers it - England or Poland?

I know when my mother lived in France, the British government paid for her healthcare because she was still on UK benefits. But I don't receive anything like that, and have not paid UK taxes since I left England 3 years ago.
ianaus   
26 Feb 2009
Life / Healthcare In Poland For An EU Citizen [10]

Hello guys,

I am an English guy, currently living in Australia and will be moving to Poland in just a few weeks.

I wanted to ask about receiving healthcare in Poland. Do they have something similar to the NHS there? Or similar to Medicare in Australia? And if so, being an EU citizen would I qualify for it? Bear in mind it is about 3 years since I have even been in Europe.

If they do, how much does it cost? And is private health cover/insurance expensive?

Thank you in advance.

Ian
ianaus   
15 Jan 2009
Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

I live in UK now but I have a family of polish friends here and I visit Poland every year.

Ah yeah, I have kinda thought about going back into teaching. I was a schoolteacher in the UK for a number of years. I do not have a TEFL certificate but I do have a teaching degree. But to be honest, my own knowledge of the English language is not particularly good. Like I can speak, read and write good English, but explain to somebody why you say something like this and not like that etc, well that is another story. I should probably stick with the things I am good at.

Thank you to much to everyone who has been responding.
ianaus   
12 Jan 2009
Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

from another aussie, im freezin my nuts off here, I live in Wroclaw, about 2 hours i think from where you are looking, email me if you have any questions.

Ah yeah David, Shelly is right, I am a pommie. So where in Australia are you from David? It has been a while since I have felt cold. But you know, every cloud has a silver lining, and no matter where you live there is always good and bad.

Which is why I find it difficult to believe he has such issues with the weather conditions in Poland - it's cold in the winter, warm in the summer - perfect!

Yeah, well I certainly like the summer weather. It is good to know that the culture shock is not too bad. Like I see pictures of Poland and to be honest, things in the photos do remind me of the UK. I once lived in Costa Rica in Central America, and everything was so different there, it was so so difficult to adapt. But I did manage to do eventually, and now I love the place.

Lucky guy....what do you do?

I work for a US company designing 3D animations and special effects mainly for tv commercials. Most of the work I get to do from my home now, so that is good. A bit lonely, but it makes life a bit easier.
ianaus   
12 Jan 2009
Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

its spoken all over the world (;

What I mean is Polish is the main language only in Poland. Unlike say, Spanish, that is also the main language of most Central and South American countries. Sorry for the confusion.

But really, what does it all matter when you are madly in love ;-)

Yeah that is true. :) I don't know what is wrong with me sometimes, the older I get, the more cautious I get. I guess it is the old once bitten twice shy thing. :S

And I don't know, I have heard some of them Siberian men are a bit of alright!!! ;)
ianaus   
12 Jan 2009
Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

Hey guys, thank you for the replies. Obviously knowing that feeling of culture shock from previous experiences I want to lessen that as much as possible. I am not really too used to the high live, no. In fact, I always seem to fair much better in the third world places that I have lived in. Not really sure why that is.

I guess the language and the weather are my two main concerns. I have had to learn languages before so I guess I am kinda used to it, but Polish does look very difficult. And of course it is not spoken anywhere else. :S And I am not a big fan of the cold weather. I certainly preferred the climate when I was living in the tropics. But you know, there is more to life than getting all worked up about the weather. And I am told that the Polish weather during the summer months can be pretty nice.

I would be going to a city called Tychy, which is in the south, I believe not too far from Katowice.

Anybody had any experiences of these cities?

Thank you so much yet again....
ianaus   
11 Jan 2009
Life / Living In Poland For The Expat [67]

Okay, here is the situation... I am originally from England but now live in Australia. I have been seeing a Polish girl for almost a year, fell in love with each other etc etc. She has been back in Poland since October to study. We still talk every day, miss each other, and all of that stuff. I have been thinking about going to live in Poland for a while now. I work from home so I can just do the same thing wherever I am. I am not unfamiliar with emigrating as I have already lived in 5 countries previously due to work etc, so I am ready for the whole culture shock and the feelings of that I already know only too well.

However, what is Poland really like for the expat? Of course I have heard a lot but would like some different opinions as I have never been there.

What are the people like? Friendly?
The, well, bit grim weather?
The language? I have started learning but it seems a bit more difficult compared to my French and Spanish learning days.
And how do you guys feel who live there compared to your previous countries of residence? I am interested to know.

Thank you in advance.
ianaus   
16 Oct 2008
Love / Fidelity of Polish women [63]

southern:
affair with a married polish woman and I think she was quite faithful to me.

How can she be a married polish woman, having an affair with you yet be faithful at the same tim

I think you will find that it was a joke...