Integrating Polish people into the British society

Its possibly irrelevant, but I give free English language assistance in my own time.. partly as a contribution to the UK, but partly because I know its difficult to go somewhere without speaking the language. My own family includes immigrants so.. I admit they're mostly to Polish people, but thats because Poland sent me a lovely gift in the form of my man.

I can understand the 'free versus investment' theory, but ultimately they should pay due to other tax pressures. If I want to learn another computer skill, I have to either teach myself or go on a course. If a group of ten got together, I'm sure they could organise their own course quite easily.

In my expierance Poles are better than other nations into intergrating into Bristish society. The only drawback is the language, but that will change over time.

Do the British who emigrate/retire to Spain intergate with their neighbours?

You mean you want us to learn Polish ? ;-)


This is often given as a comparison and some probably do and many don't. It's just as bad as people coming here and not integrating.

People have to want to integrate and others have to want to be integrated with.

Krakow1 - I'm still waiting for my apology.

Sorry Mister H . Please accept my apology.

I do not know of any Poles who have recently arrived into the UK that refuse to intergrate.
They go to pubs, try to speak english (some with difficulty I must admit), wear similar clothes to the English. Eat similar type of food. Their children quickly assimilate with the others. Enjoy the same sports, support english football teams, ask any young Polish child what his favorite football team is and it will be a English team, and not a Polish one. Laugh at the same jokes ( if they understand them of course).

Thank you, apology accepted.


The only ones I've come into contact with just seem to keep themselves to themselves and don't get involved much with others.

Maybe they are shy, or do not speak english well enough to communicate with you. If you have only ever came into contact with that type, then Mr H I'm afraid you should get out a bit more. Are you refering to people at work or Poles in general.?

Yes their are a few unsocialable people but you have that in every race.
What I am trying to say is that Poles when they come to the UK, do not then turn round and blame the english for all the worlds woes, and want to destroy its people or culture or keep using the race card.

I'm thinking of throwing the towel in and moving to Poland to be with my Polish wife because she cant come here.

Doing my sums here i reckon that this would save 2 places in the UK. So thats 2 "free" places for more immigrants to fill!

Great meat and tomatoes in Poland by the way! Thats 2 reasons to go there! Had 2 weeks in Tri cities and never saw a coloured face, with trying to be level headed here its only when i arrived back to the UK that the true horror of open door policy hits home. Maybe i'm bitter cos i've gotta take a cut in overtime because there's not enough work and the reason is..............yep! Another story!

The ones I have come across have mainly been through work and I take your point that this might not be that representative.


You said you have a mortgage, so could you rent your house out if you go to Poland ? Don't burn your bridges and sell it.


I take your point, but bringing colour into it really muddies the waters. I was talking to a good friend of mine yesterday who is British born Asian, from an Indian family, and she said "The problem is with this country today is that there are too many foreigners!"

When that comes out of the mouth of someone who isn't white, you know things have changed. She did also go onto say that "at least the Polish work!"

Mister H.

You have now spoilt it for me. Just when I was begining to think you were a bigot, you turn out to me a nice guy after all.

I think thats part of the problem. I'm white, and English speaking, so you would think I've got a head start on Poles. I've been here four years, and although I have many friends of many nationalities, I can honestly say I've only got three British friends. I think part of it is that you do make most of your friends when you are younger (school, early twenties) so perhaps they're not interested in making new friends, but on the other hand, it does make it difficult to get to know any British people.

Yeah, Krakow1, u owe me an apology for being insulting. I have lived out of my country, for 6 years in fact. Comfort zone? Oh, really? Just cuz I don't make life difficult and can set up new opportunities for myself?

I have no guaranteed pension given how things are conducted here and I have no expectation that the Polish state will 'bail me out' as u put it.

So, I'm ready for that apology

I'm glad you took the time to find out, rather than go with the first impression :-)


Try not to take it too personally, I have a good friend who is originally from South Africa who has been here nearly 10 years and I'm one of his few British friends. He is always saying how hard it is to get to know British people.

For a start, we all live our lives at what seems like a million miles an hour that there is hardly any time for the friends we already have, let alone new ones ! The pace of life is too fast.

Also, compared to what you're probably used to in New Zealand, Liza, we all seem to live on top of one another here to the extent that many of us don't have the space to invite loads of people round. I'd be having people over for dinner all the time if I had the room.

All this combined with the traditional British reserve can make it hard for people new in town to get to know others.

I am sorry this reply was meant for another poster in connection with this subject. I am new to this forum, and pressed the reply button, which just happened be be posted after your message. I have got the hang of the workings now, and as you will see I am using the quote and reply button together so no more confusion as to whom the messages are for.

Of course I can see how angry you would be to receive a reply such as mine in response to your well balanced article.

Sorry I really apoligise.

No worries, apology accepted. Not surprised to see that u r a female, males tend to battle more and take the **** you anyway approach. Article, LOL, it kinda was.

I wasn't angry, it's ok.

Never mind integrating Polish people into British society. Have British people been integrated into British society?

Okay, so maybe I'm just asking silly questions.

Not a silly question at all. What is British society for a start? It's not as easy to define as Polish society

I don't think that's a silly question at all and I've spoken before on here about the double standards of the British.

Too many don't practice what they preach eg. saying everyone should work and pay their way (like I do), when all they do themselves is moan in pubs about the (insert current target) about how they get everything for free, when many of them sit on their backsides all day watching "Jeremy Kyle" and only venture out to sign-on and score some weed.

What's wrong with Jeremy Kyle? I thought that he was looked upon as the "Mother Teresa" of the Uk, he seems to be able to solve everything from alcholism to serial sex offender within one week! and his psycholigist Graham well he has moved mountains, what Graham cannot do is not worth mentioning.

It is hard though when people talk about intergrating, and then any attempt you make is rebuffed. How are immigrants supposed to become part of British society, if they have no social contact with it outside of work? Educating by example would be good... Even when we try at the pub (a very British institution, as well as many other cultures), girls look at us funny (as though we're lesbians, to be honest), and the blokes all think its their unlucky/lucky night.


That program is scary; I happened to watch 2 or 3 episodes when I first arrived (while I was still holidaying), and was in shock. It was like a truck load of Jerry Springer guests had arrived, and been taught British accents. I honestly thought the chav thing was a media stir up - not a reality

What is actually meant by the term integration?

I rarely go to the pub nowadays, but there are other ways of doing things with other people - the other people I refer to are the British ones. I grew up in a village with three pubs, two churches, a village shop, a sports club that included football, cricket, tennis, rugby and other stuff. It also had numerous people who walked their dogs around the area.

I don't go to the pub much, but I do still meet people. I talk to people in bus queues, I chat with the greengrocer, pop round to see the neighbours and have a cup of tea. If I had neighbours who didn't want to share a cup of tea and a chinwag, I wouldn't go round there, but that wouldn't mean there wouldn't be other opportunities to do things with other people.

Could any of those things be what being integrated is all about?

I have decided to draw up a list of ideas for those who would like to know how to integrate. Let me know how you get on!

1. Go to a pub, preferably neither a really loud pub nor a really quiet old man's pub, and not in a large group.
2. Say good morning to the peole in the bus queue when you arrive.
3. Go to a sports club and find out about joining. Not something I know much about, to be honest.
4. Get a dog and take it for walks when other people are doing the same.
5. Make excuses to talk to the neighbours.
6. Develop some sort of British-style eccentricity. Something like building a motorised garden shed or sticking a giant shark sculpture in the roof of your house (don't worry about the landlord).

7. Put milk in your tea even if you think it's disgusting.

I don't want to sound like a radio agony aunt, but joining an organisation is the best way to meet people if you're new in town (whether you're from another country or just another city). If you like reading, join a book club at the local library, if you like art, join an art appreciation group etc etc. If you talk to strangers in bars it will come across as odd - it shouldn't but it does.


"Jeremy Kyle" is a vile programme and, to put it in context, pretty new and not what we were watching as little as ten years ago. Then we would have been watching open-mouthed at something like "Jerry Springer", but that became popular, so the British version was inevitable.

One of the reasons why society is the way it is, is because nothing shocks us now and nothing is a scandal.

Being terribly honest, and as awful as it sounds, I gave up trying to make British friends a while back... It just gets on my wick when the media bangs on about intergrating! I've made plenty of friends from other nationalities, including Poles of course... and figure its the Brits missing out ;-)

Maybe I don't want to know you either!

Ahhhhh, don't give up !

I know it must feel like one-way traffic, but it's just people being afraid of letting their guard down mainly.

Thats ok - I understood a long time ago that not everyone wants to be my friend :) I'm sure we'll both travel through life happily enough without each other...


If nothing else, I do get a certain sense of amusement by being exceedingly friendly to shop assistants - they get scared when strangers smile and thank them ;-)

Even if I was only joking?

Not the best bit of joking I've ever done, I know.

It was my own pathetic attempt at tongue-in-cheek... Sorry :-)

I thought that was what...


might have meant. But then there was


as well. You live in London according to your profile, so I imagine talking to strangers would mark you out as a nutter.

I don't do smileys, but I do smile (insanely).

my father's one request when I went travelling was not to talk to strangers on public transport... It lasted two days. Still, if I didn't talk to strangers, wouldn't have met the toyboy