Advice needed ELS-Bell Szczecin (is it dodgy?)

WRONG!!! this 50% reduction in ZUS payments ONLY applies to POLISH CITIZENS. Call ZUS and find out for yourself. My accountant did that for me.

I pay 523pln + 224PLN + 46.23PLN for my ZUS. almost 800PLN. Do you want me to scan in my payment records from ZUS for the last 4 months?

As for the 100,000zl....I am opening a restaurant, and that is just the amount I have laid out so far. My personal money. I still need to spend another 100,000zl in the next few months. Also- I paid 187,520zl in cash for my car. Not to mention 6309zl for insurance.

I will hire 4-6 workers, so that will create jobs. I plan to have 5 new restaurants open in 5 years.


nobody is doing that in this thread except Harry in post #10

I have no need to call ZUS and find out for myself. I recently applied for a company credit card. Despite the fact that the credit limit I wanted was slightly less than my average fortnightly net income, in these credit crunch times the bank wanted lots of paperwork. One of the things that they wanted was a letter from ZUS confirming that I owe ZUS nothing. I have that letter. It shows how much I paid over the last two years and confirms that I owe them nothing. It shows very clearly that I paid the reduced rate for the first two years.

You might want to find yourself a new accountant.


I'm saying what ELS Bell paid in 1995 and 2009. Read the post better.


59% of all restaurants fail within the first three years (and the number one cause is undercapitalisation) but you are planning five years and five restaurants ahead already?! Looks like the foreigners office knew what they were doing when they gave you a one year card.


Well done. Now do explain how buying a Subaru is an investment in Poland.

Regarding the 20% tax rate, it does actually exist for expats but only in very specific situations. I know of a few people who are paying it but they are high earners and usually in the situation where part of their salary is paid offshore. I've never heard of it being used by an english school before.

paragraph 6.3 here: deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/dtt_tax_guide_poland.pdf

and at the bottom here: investing-in-poland.pl/taxes_ot_employee_taxes.html

The key word in both of those texts is "non-residents". There is no way that somebody living and working in Poland can claim that they are not a resident!

Szczecin International School have now offered me a full-time position but they want me to think about my financial expectations. To be honest I haven't a clue. They have told me that they can pay more as they are private but it is all based on experience.

I have no experience teaching but our conversations have shown me that they are happy to give someone a chance if they have a strong academic background, have evidence to show they are responsible and have great work ethic and demonstrate this in the role. I have all this and will demonstrate it. I will teach Biology, have a hand in Chemistry lab work for the school and also I will also do ELT lessons a few times a week (these will be mostly converstational based).

I want to thank you all for giving me advice on my situation. Any advice as to what I should financially expect would be great. Apologies for not having much of a clue.

I hope it all works out for you. To bo be honest i think you have done the right thing...pursue something which you are interested in....and the prospect of a full time contract later down the field. Good luck!

oooooh like i didn't know that already after having worked in the industry in my younger years. it's probably even higher. Are you an expert in the restaurant business now?


why don't you scan it in and show me that you are not paying the 800zl? Cover your personal details on it. What form of business have you got here in PL? I've got Sp. K. About my accountant- she has been doing it for 20+ years and is the wife of a good friend.


i wasn't talking to you, idiot.


it stimulated the economy, albeit miniscule, making that purchase. WOw.....u must have a lot of time to go searching thru all my posts on here to find out that info.


ooooh nce again Harry.... you are soooo witty!!! i'm effing rolling on the floor laughing

Gee Harry.... you are as much as a koont/sheet stirrer on here as you are on Daves. Which it seems that you have not been posting since late May and are not missed 1 bit.

You really must be a miserable old troll just trying to scrape by every month doing nothing but "teaching english" and sits on the computer trying to pick fights with anyone.

ya!!!! way to go keyboard toughguy!!!

To be fair, teachers are starting on 20.5K (or even higher?) these days, so it's not really that high. Even my friend in London who checks tickets for Virgin Trains is on 20K plus commission!


It's rubbish when Polish teachers can make the same money despite there being vastly more of them. My school pays new Polish teachers with no experience 25PLN net an hour to teach from the book - so in this case, he is well and truly being ripped off. As people are saying, you can make better money elsewhere - certainly, 35PLN/hour net is doable, even in a Callan school (which would have no lesson preparation!).


It's different for EU citizens, as it's much more painless. I'm still not convinced there's actually any merits for bothering with residency for EU citizens except for the purposes of obtaining credit.


Wrong yourself. It applies to all EU citizens at least - and if it doesn't, why are many people (including on this forum) benefitting from reduced payments? In this case, the poster is from the UK.

As you say, you opened a Sp.K - are you sure that you should even be paying the same ZUS as a sole trader is?

As Harry says, perhaps it's time to find a new accountant.


To be fair, until you actually get the place up and running, I can see why they would only give you a 1 year permit - it's no guarantee that you'll actually have the money to open the place and keep it open. As for the amount paid for your car - neither here nor there.

Ask them what they pay other native speaker teachers and then adjust that downwards slightly to factor in your lack of experience.


I have no need to scan it thanks. I know that the two year reduced ZUS applies to działalność gospodarcza. I know that because I have one myself. You do not have one, so I can understand you not knowing about it. And as we are talking about the person opening a działalność gospodarcza, your Sp. K is completely irrelevant.


Nice of you to show your true colours again.


No, I just remember offering to help you when you were complaining about the level of service you received from the Subaru dealer in Szczecin. Now I see that I should actually send the bloke an email of apology on behalf of the expat community as you where no doubt being as polite to him as you are to people here.


Sorry to disappoint but I only teach 150 minutes a week these days. Although if you want to get into a pissing contest about who earns more money and has more money, go ahead: I’m pretty sure I’ll win that one.

One other thing, although I don’t actually teach it much myself any more, I’m pretty sure that the language is “English”. Perhaps I should also send letters of apology to your students.

ooooh so i didnt capitalize the e. big effing deal.
you think you are so clever. i left that bone out for you to pick over.... and you did. perhaps you should have written "the language is correctly spelled "English"."

about the money...i'm sure that my 1 bank account in CAD will surpass any of your accounts. as both my parents died last year and I am an only child and sold their million dollar home and settled their investments.

I don't have to worry about money for the rest of my life. But if it makes you feel better.....i'll let you win.

oh btw... there are many words that need capitals....care to tell me what they are?

oh, grow up

And yet you can only get a 1 year residence card? Just too funny... :)

To be honest, no-one cares how much money you allegedly have. The fact that you can still only get a 1 year residence permit says that money can't buy everything ;)

Maybe. I must have just been out of the country for so long.

The matter raised earlier about comparing exchange rates and wages might come into it if you have the chance of working in UK or in Poland. A few summers ago I worked in Devon at a well-known school and found my hourly wages were less than my wages in Poland.

Couple that with the cost of living, board etc... I'd have been better off staying in Poland that summer.

Including a personality!

ooooh zinger.... funny guy there /\ i cant type cuz the tears are streaming outta my eyes....