Work / First English teaching job in Poland (Katowice) [75]

I can tell you that schools in smaller towns are probably even more profitable than in larger places. Rent is laughably cheap in such places, while the price of lessons isn't lower.

Work / First English teaching job in Poland (Katowice) [75]


Jesus, if you're willing to work for that, send me a PM - I could probably get my boss to give you a job based on that salary, and the conditions will be ten million times better than in some horrid language factory an hour away from Katowice.

Can you tell us the town? I have a feeling that I know who the employer is based on the conditions...

Work / First English teaching job in Poland (Katowice) [75]


Ouch. They're making a killing on you.

Work / Looking for accommodation & teaching job in KATOWICE [78]


Well, this is the thing. Poland's startup scene is really taking off, and Katowice has immense potential due to the sheer size of the place. I wouldn't move to Katowice because of the pollution, but there's a *lot* of money floating around Katowice, despite appearances.


Well, sitting around at home doing nothing will do that to you. I know one wife elsewhere in Poland who started a very successful business in the food industry - but of course, that involves being more than just a mere trophy. However, there is a general pattern for these women to sneer at Poland and treat it like some sort of plaything.


Dominic, has it never occured to you that many people considering Poland simply won't get such jobs? More to the point, there is certainly potential for advancement in Poland - 2/3 years working for one of the big names in Poland can easily land you a better job in Western Europe. But if you try and get in the door straight away without language skills - forget it.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

It's a tough question. It would certainly mean an end to the post-1989 SLD vs post-Solidarność divide that characterised the first 25 years of democracy, and arguably the same centrist voters that put the SLD into power are the same ones that put PO into power. But there are some important personality conflicts there - Miller would frankly annoy the hell out of most PO members, and there's no real common ground these days between the PSL and the SLD too.

I could forsee a formal PO/PSL coalition getting around 200-210 seats, with the remaining 25-30 seats being held by the SLD. Let's say that Kukiz falls victim to PiS and PO agreeing informally to get rid of him as he's a threat to both parties and doesn't meet the 5% threshold - so PiS end up with a huge win of around 40-1%. In this scenario, you've got PiS on 210, PO on around 180, PSL on 30 and the SLD on 30. PO and the PSL are natural allies, so you end up with around 210/210, give or take a handful of seats. The SLD then play kingmakers - and I can see agreements being made with both PiS and PO/PSL. Most probably - the SLD would rather put PO/PSL into government - but I can also see them working against the government regularly.

I could particularly see Duda working with the SLD and PiS on pushing through a lot of defence/security related matters. Both parties have been cosy to the United States, and PiS in particular would do well from such an arrangement without having the responsibility of government.

Travel / Buying Zlotys in Poland (4-week holiday - Lublin/Zamosc) [19]


If you give me a day or so, I'll provide you with some maps as to some alternatives in and around Slubice. The problem with the ones on Jednosci Robotniczej is that parking is difficult there - although Slubice is quite charming :)

Law / Polish certificate exam level B1 and institution / few questions about the Polish language [39]


No chance.


A2 to B1 is a huge jump.

Don't even try it. Why do you need the exam, anyway?

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Bear in mind that PiS already had informal coalitions with the SLD in the past, such as in Warsaw.

News / Why is Amazon not present in Poland? [57]


I'd be surprised if PIP didn't find mistakes, to be honest.

I remember once working in one company who were told that they should have at least one opening window in every office. When it was pointed out that they had air conditioning, it was met with "I don't care, change it". Everyone knows if PIP want to find problems, they'll find problems, which is what makes them so employee-friendly.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


How would you describe the massive increase in the minimum wage, the hugely improved infrastructure and the general positivity found in Poland, then?


The ordinary Pole is defined as what, exactly?


Except it won't happen ;)


Driven to Wrocław recently?

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Yes, I'd agree with that. The worst possible scenario would see PiS relying on Kukiz for around 235 seats. Can you imagine liberal Gowin coming up against Kukiz's insane populism? I'd rather see PiS win an outright majority than have PiS relying on Kukiz, to be honest - it would be terrible to see Kukiz holding up PiS, especially with his blatant lies about suddenly being more Catholic than anyone else. Thankfully, the Church seems to be distancing themselves from Kukiz.


It's not inconceivable that PO and PiS could find common ground. PO moved rather to the left-of-centre economically in the last while, and there are enough conservative minded people within PO to agree some sort of programme with PiS. It's the problem that PO have - many of the PO backbenchers are more conservative than the leaders would like to admit.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


They didn't vote to return now, they voted for somewhere to return to.


Poland kept getting richer and nicer.


What happened was that Poland became a good place to live if you had an education. If you were only fit to wash old people and dishes...well, the UK and Western Europe is still far more attractive.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


He wouldn't, it's just populist bollocks.

But the voters seem to have figured out that Kukiz has no real ideas.


PO won 41.5%, the biggest win in the history of the III RP. The final result meant that something like 68% of voters were against PiS.

I remember the news well, and one theme that kept coming up is that the voters in London kept saying that they wanted a country to return to - hence the crowds that went to vote for PO there.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Actually, if you look back through the archives on here, you'll find plenty of examples of what they did. Meddling with the justice system (including making it clear that the Minister of Justice had the right to interfere with sentencing and other aspects of "justice" was but one example).

They were an absolute mess. And I don't know what kind of people you're talking with, given that the voters went against PiS in droves in 2007.


That's an interesting scenario, and plausible. If we assume that the numbers are something like 195-190 with Kukiz holding the other seats, it suddenly becomes a huge problem for PO. I honestly don't know where they go - forming a coalition with Kukiz would be electoral suicide, yet the alternative would be Kukiz supporting (at least) a PiS minority government. PiS would then be in the PO-2005 situation - they wouldn't have to do anything at all. In fact - this should really be the PiS aim - leave PO to try and form a viable government.

Wisdom has it that the winning party will usually be punished if they cause a second election. So in your scenario - PiS would merely have to be seen to be offering a viable Grand Coalition with PO and they would come to no harm. PO on the other hand - they would have to try and find a way to form a viable government - which would be very difficult given that Kukiz has promised the moon and PiS wouldn't need to enter any coalition as they could probably find some economic common ground with Kukiz to enable them to run a minority government.

So, your scenario is actually the worst case for PO. They also suffer more than PiS when it comes to voter fatigue, so a second election would be a disaster for them too. PiS could also benefit massively from offering to abstain on certain votes in exchange for pushing through some Duda-led ideas, so it would really be great for them. It would also give PiS a chance to show that they can behave responsibly and can be trusted with power.


Yes, it's economically nonsense and just populist rubbish. He was supposed to try and offer something different, but he seems to be trying to position himself to the right of PiS socially and to the left of PiS economically.

Polonius, as a PiS supporter, would you accept a coalition with PO?

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]

Curious old article from how PiS behaved just before the 2007 election.

freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1900355/posts

Very strange that they would refuse OSCE observers.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Not really. They've already started to go back to PO - Kukiz is down to a mere 11% in the latest polls and he's falling away badly.


45% won't happen. Remember, the PO landslide in 2007 saw only 41.5% for PO, and that was with massive popular support for change. PiS also have to contend with the PSL taking away some of their support, so the most realistic outcome is no more than 38%. It would still be enough if Kukiz were to gain enough votes to get into the Sejm, but it would be a dreadful coalition from the PiS point of view. Kukiz - even with a handful of seats - would demand "change" - and that change would probably hurt PiS.

Kukiz is making an absolute idiot out of himself. His proposals are even more fairyland stuff than PiS, and his voters are realising that he has no platform or manifesto whatsoever.


It already has changed. The law changed this year.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


No, it's a threat to democracy.


PO didn't need to enter a coalition then. They knew that the only other alternative on the table for PiS was to try and form a government with the support of two very unsuitable coalition partners, and that all they had to do was to sit back and relax. It was a very smart political strategy, as witnessed by the destruction of PiS as an electoral threat for years.

It's the same story now. If PiS are forced into a coalition with Kukiz, PO will sit back and watch as they implode. PiS are - yet again - in the impossible situation where the only possible coalition partner is also one that will destroy them. In this case, in the event of a PiS victory, the best possible situation is to form a minority government and attempt to rule through consensus.

Any return of IV Republic policies (including the kind of nonsense that they indulged in last time...) will see early elections and PiS punished for another 8 years.

Speaking of the upcoming referenda, does anyone know if JOW will be implemented immediately for the 2015 elections in the event of a Yes vote?

Law / Can a foreigner from outside the EU with a Polish work permit visit other EU / Schengen countries? [7]

It's enough. You can legally reside for up to 3 months in those countries. Be warned - you cannot work without a separate German work permit, and if you're caught, you'll be banned from the Schengen zone.

You also cannot visit the UK or Ireland using this route, although Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria will grant you 3 months entry on the basis of that combination.

Law / Hot dog in hot car in Poland - illegal to break glass? [9]

I'd do it without thinking, although I'd first make sure I had a way to secure the dog in the car.

Life / IVF Clinics and Women in Poland? [20]


Thank God for that.

Work / How to get a giving out leaflet jobs in Poland (Poznan)? [15]

5zl an hour.

News / Have PO (Platforma) operatives in Poland fallen into a panic? [332]


Latest opinion polls show PiS on a maximum of 38%. 40% wouldn't be enough - PO won 41.5% in 2007 and still needed the PSL for a majority.


Not really. PO are still sitting on 28% of the vote, and Kukiz is fading badly as his programme is coming under attack from both PiS and PO.


Nothing that PiS haven't done for the last 8 years. The IV republic is a real threat, as witnessed by PiS voters online that are foaming at the mouth of obtaining revenge. Furthermore, PiS have been badly affected in the past by corruption scandals, such as with Duda's links to SKOK and Hoffman's drunken Ryanair trips.


Actually, it's rather an arrangement that keeps power away from PiS. Suits me, and the majority.


Utter bollocks.

Polonius, do you drive? Do you use the railways?

The huge problem for PiS right now is Kukiz. His behaviour is erratic, and with his comments about destroying political orders and so on - PiS have a lot to worry about if the only viable coalition is with him. They desperately need a parliamentary majority (which would be unprecedented, and highly unlikely with PO on 28%) in order to rule, as Kukiz will just repeat the performance of Lepper.

Dare I say it, but I think a Grand Coalition between PO and PiS would serve Poland far more than letting that clown Kukiz anywhere near power. I'm sure a deal could be done with PiS to ignore social issues in exchange for pushing through a centre-left economy with increased public spending.

Work / Gross Salary & ZUS in Poland (2,500 Euro per month). Getting paid ZUS back? [9]

Well, you can (in some cases) transfer the contributions abroad to a different system. A clever scam might be to pay ZUS at the lowest possible rate for 30 years (or however many is needed for the new State Pension in the UK) and then transfer the contributions to the UK - which would give you a higher pension without fuss.

News / Poland versus Greece in economy [175]


What?

Russia? China? Those two are the last people to turn to when you need help - "first they give, and then they ask" and all that. Greece, even their government, doesn't want to work with those two.

Travel / Buying Zlotys in Poland (4-week holiday - Lublin/Zamosc) [19]


Oh, this is easy!

You can stop just after the border crossing - there are two potential places to exchange money. First place is exactly on the border - after you cross the bridge from Germany, you'll notice some big building on the left side along with what looks like some old passport control offices. There are some kantors there, and the rate is excellent. But it might be a tricky place to access - you have to turn off from the left lane, and the entrance is very short.

Failing that, I always use the kantors in the old Customs terminal. Here's a map
google.pl/maps/dir/52.3163827,14.5864801/52.3084311,14.6430332/@52.3141528,14.5959215,14z/data=!4m2!4m1!3e0?hl=en
- there are several kantors there, but the rate offered is usually fantastic and you don't even need to negotiate the price (although you always should ask for a better price).

On the road, just follow the signs for "Urzad Celny / Zoll" - it's very easy to find. I'd recommend using these two locations rather than trying to park and find a kantor in Poznań. :)

Life / Imagine a man killing 15 students in Poland. Would Polish flag be removed? [26]


Not always. In Poland, yes. Outside? Not necessarily.


Can't talk about the Confederate flag, but the Polish flag certainly stood for oppression in some people's minds.


I imagine that right will soon be taken away.

Work / How to get a giving out leaflet jobs in Poland (Poznan)? [15]

Gumtree.pl always has offers, or just go into Profi-Lingua (the language school) and ask them.

Travel / Buying Zlotys in Poland (4-week holiday - Lublin/Zamosc) [19]


I'd recommend - kantorcorner.pl in Poznań. You won't get much better than them.

However, are you driving? If so, I can recommend a far better place :)

News / Afera taśmowa (recordings scandal) in Poland - media coverage [17]


The "story" is pretty much a non-story.

Oh, we don't worry. We know that voters will consistently reject socialist parties :)

News / Heil-Hitlering Korwin-Mikke in European Parliament [29]


Yep, I wouldn't argue at all. The systems are getting there, but it still needs a kick so that there's one single common European booking system.

By the way, it's a bit more expensive, but polrail.com are very good for train bookings if you need something and can't get to the station to get it. They charge a mark-up (of course), but they're able to book a lot of interesting things in Europe.


Wouldn't be terribly shocked if he had some dodgy links to dodgy countries, to be honest.