Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


For anyone interested in who these people are:


They aren't in any sense typical of Poland - they are just as much on the margins of society in Poland as they are anywhere else. It would be a great shame if anyone were put off coming to Poland because they think these cretins have any sort of influence - most of them are just thugs and they are a tiny number of people. In effect hobbyists of hate.


dreamdeferred.org.uk/2014/11/thousands-of-polands-fascists-hijack-independence-day/

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Nope. Some people instinctively hate any change, even if it benefits them. They fear it.

Racism is part of that.

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]

Agreed. A time of great instability and changes like that take a long time to settle down. Plus fear feeds fear and a lot of people instinctively hate change.

News / Expat bank robbery in Warsaw [14]

Best read the article before commenting. He lives in Germany. Interesting that he chose Poland though - there must be some connection.

History / Restitution Sought by US Holocaust Survivor Family of Expropriated Property in Zywiec, Poland [24]


Most of the big museums in Berlin would be further up the queue. There's a difference between something like, say, the Pergamon Gate, the Gold Mask of Agammenon or the Head of Nefertiti and an item with an identified owner and a specific legal heir, stolen from a family within living memory and who now want it back.

With real estate in Poland it's very complicated. It all depends on when, why and how it was seized and whether there's concrete proof of ownership. Often records didn't survive the war and there was also fraud afterwards by people who took advantage of missing records. There's also the issue of properties seized just after the war, sometimes on entirely legal grounds akin to the nationalisation in Western Europe and sometimes not.

Life / Polish people and racism. [943]


There always was pluralism in the larger cities - the post WW2 homogeneity was just a blip. We shouldn't forget though that Poland has a large rural element - more marked than in a lot of other European countries and this does make a difference - rural society is often less open to diversity.

News / Expat bank robbery in Warsaw [14]

'MarekSlaska', it's an irrelevance. I'm still interested why he chose Warsaw...

Travel / Ryanair flying domestic in Poland? [46]

Interesting! This sounds like they're rolling out more code shares and joint sales. Okecie will have to increase the size of the security check at its transfer gate if this is a success; at the moment it's quite small and isn't used much. I have noticed that Emirates/Qantas are routing some transfer passengers through Okecie.

All the better - the Turkish flight IST-WAW is annoying at the moment, changing time according to the day of the week. LOT are also right to get in quick before the new Willi Brandt airport opens - that will be a serious rival. There are more domestic flights within Poland and this could be an advantage too. Ryanair however are at a great disadvantage having Modlin as their hub, despite all the spare capacity there.

News / Expat bank robbery in Warsaw [14]


Au contraire. Many speak no Polish at all. Beyond 'lousy'. And those few who can understand a little often have very limited lexical control. Anyway, they aren't Poles; they're British people whose granny came from somewhere else, like thousands of others with a granny from Pakistan, Poland, Barbados etc. Perhaps the 'biro bandit' was one of those.


Indeed. Unless of course it's z Prus in which case we spruce it up. Perhaps the bank robber would have done better with a metal support.

This bank robbery thing is really intriguing me. Why did he come from Germany to Warsaw and why did he do it in such a ham-fisted way. He may well have a personal connection to Poland - hard to think he chose Warsaw for any other reason.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]

Sort of yes, "don't trouble the doctor, he's busy with sick people". This is unheard of in Poland where people can (and do) tell you about all their allergies and what percent they're allergic to something. Another culture shock was someone saying they had Angina. I assumed the person had a serious heart complaint but all they meant was a sore throat!

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]

Same here. And the sheer volume of patent medicines sold backs that up. Notice how many chemist shops there are - it can't just be hypochondria?

Btw, it's very on topic - the number of chemists and the obsession with health as well as the number of people who always seem to be getting sick was very much a culture shock for me.

News / Expat bank robbery in Warsaw [14]

Probably a British person of Polish extraction. After all, the robber doesn't live here so why else would he choose Warsaw? And not knowing having a working knowledge of the language would fit that.

Work / Salary: 24,000zl a month - how much I will I have after tax in Poland? [29]

The days of payday robbery! It was the cost of insurance that ended weekly pay in cash, that and the CBI lobbying for the right (and it was a right) to be paid weekly in cash to be stopped back in the 80s. I've always had monthly or four weekly. My very first pay check was massive due to a mistake. I worked for one of the biggest companies in the country and happen to have the same name as a board member.

One reason for the monthly thing in Poland and the weekly/monthly thing in the UK was that the UK had a legal situation where people who were monthly paid had power of agency - i.e. They could sign contracts on behalf of the company. In Poland it was different, since (I think) people who had the job title Dyrektor could only do that unless otherwise specified. Probably changed now.

Incidentally, you had to have the job title Dyrektor in order to claim back first class travel and certain other things. I suspect those regulations are still there.

If the OP is getting 24,000 brutto, he or she would probably be Dyrektor. It's rare to earn so much in Poland however there are certainly people who do. It's just that they tend to be discreet about it.

BTW, the OP asked about how much after tax. I would seriously suggest that she or he uses a professional tax advisor - there are a lot of allowances in Poland for people earning a very good wage and there are also a lot of traps. Ten amount left after tax can vary a lot according to how astute you or your advisor is at claiming the right things and avoiding certain pitfalls.

Travel / Ryanair flying domestic in Poland? [46]

The partnership is nothing new - they've both been in Star Alliance with Lufthansa for a while. It just means that there are code shares and common booking. It actually works quite well and the real winner is Okecie Airport which will get more transfer passengers.

Ryanair are also expanding, though they use Modlin, and Wizzair are currently expanding as fast as their fleet allows - one reason some routes have gone since they have to switch their resources to the most profitable ones. Ryanair has a bigger fleet so are in a position to scoop up some of the routes that Wizzair have abandoned due to lack of planes.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]

In the north of Britain we're very hardy. I've known Polish people shocked at people dressed fairly lightly for an evening out in Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh etc when there's snow on the ground. I was surprised to see people in Poland really overdressed in Autumn or Winter and am still surprised about how many get ill in the wintertime despite all the patent medicines and the overdressing.

Life / What are the things which cause culture shock in Poland? [164]

The peel is the healthiest bit! Yes, I've seen not only kids wrapped up like Nanook of The North in late spring or early Autumn. Also people don't undo their coat on public transport. A kid in the UK would get a thick ear for this, assuming that's still allowed, ("eeh, tha' dun't get t'benefit of it"). Just the same with adults who stay wrapped up, even indoors. It can't be healthier, judging by the number of people who are przeziebione for so much of the winter and the queues in the chemist.

There's something among the middle classes about coffee and kids. They don't seem to let them have it, even very mild coffee.

Work / Salary: 24,000zl a month - how much I will I have after tax in Poland? [29]


It's much more than the president and prime minister get as far as I can remember. There are certainly people who get more however yes, it's only in senior management or people who have lucrative businesses. Or who derive their income from outside Poland, perhaps working rotations on oilfields.

Unless the OP is a high spender or chooses to rent one of the flashiest apartments in the city he or she will be able to save most of this.

Classifieds / Private English Lessons by Experienced Professional Teacher in Poland (Warsaw) [107]

Yes. I sense insecurity and an inferiority complex there. Why else would someone start such a thread?

Work / Salary: 24,000zl a month - how much I will I have after tax in Poland? [29]

Yes, it's a good salary for Poland.

Classifieds / Private English Lessons by Experienced Professional Teacher in Poland (Warsaw) [107]

Yes, it all boils down to the bottom line. Cost. Basically a school can pay a non-native less. The downside for the school is that they can't charge as much for lessons with them and in fact a lot of corporate clients insist on natives. The better ones insist on native speaker trainers with a certain level of qualification and experience.

Not someone from the former Soviet Union, coming to Poland to teach English.

News / Tadeusz Markiewicz: A Zionist Dreyfus? [2]

Nikki, the Dreyfus case was completely different. It was a huge miscarriage of justice against an innocent man for a whole lot of political reasons. This thing in Warsaw was just an extremist trying to drown out a legal demonstration.

Although my point of view is closer to his rather than to the anti-Israel people, in this case he was legally in the wrong.

Worth mentioning Nikki, that the embassy in question is in a high-density residential area and loudspeakers are definitely not allowed and not wanted by the people who live there.

Work / Do I need a Health Insurance? Freelancer in Poland (umowa o dzielo) [22]

There isn't a basic opt-out as far as I know. If you're earning an income, whether it's self-employed or through a wage, you have to pay. The only people who don't are board members of Polish limited companies providing they aren't legally residing in Poland. There are other advantages to that too, however it doesn't suit many people.

News / Poland loses bid to built Jaguars and Land Rovers [23]

Yes, tictatctoe, it's American,though we shouldn't overlook the British role in it.

With cars, closer to the topic, it was received wisdom a few years ago among economists that it's better to build them for other people than own the companies. It's just that (Jaguar, LandRover, Rover, Bentley) the people don't like that. Same in Poland, where they build for others. Hungary too.

It's a question of where it's better to make the money, commissioning, supplying or producing. A lot of product manufacture is outsourced to Poland anyway and there are cars made already. Jaguar/LandRover needed to be in the eurozone.

The main Rolls Royce company (engineering, not cars) is still British and although the share price fell brutally a little while ago, it's starting to rise again and is considered a good buy at the moment.

P.s. This isn't a share tip, the value of your investment can fall as well as rise blah blah blah

News / Poland loses bid to built Jaguars and Land Rovers [23]

And Bristol too, amazing cars. A bit like the Macbook of vehicles; lasts for years and they keep upgrading yours.

History / Age of Enlightenment in Poland? [80]

Yes, something else. The First and Second Constitutions of England. The first one was written in 1653 by the then government and was superseded by the second several years later. That was overturned by an unfortunate regime change (the restoration of the monarchy) in 1660. Sadly short lived, but so was the Polish Constitution of the Third of May.

This isn't off-topic, since the constitution was drafted by John Lambert (with General Monk) both as far as I know connected to the Royal Society, very much an Enlightenment body, and one of them considered by some scholars to be a Freemason, as were some of the supporters of the Polish and French constitutions.

Incidentally, the Royal Society, incorporated in the year the Constitution of England was superceded was formed on the basis of earlier groups around Gresham's College, the French Academie Montmor and certain other more discreet groups all of which have either a direct or indirect connection to movements and thought in Poland.

Work / Freelance psychologist in Poland - least admin possible? Tax registration method. [8]

Działalność Gospodarcze - it just means "economic activity" (that's what you register to do). There are plenty of threads here on how to register. It involves several visits to different offices. Anybody's guess really why it can't just be done in one place. Your first visit should be to the town hall (in Warsaw the office is behind the Polonia Hotel, can't miss it) and that is the quickest and easiest bit. You'll need a Polish speaker with you.

You'll need a stamp however you need all the other bits of paper to get one. You can use your own bank account if it's in Poland, however the system is so chaotic you may find an official who thinks you can't. Never fear, the person you speak to the next day (or hour) will disagree with them. It really is that chaotic. Better not to ask since this confuses it, just pop your bank account number down on the form.

You'll need to pay ZUS, the Polish version of National Insurance, however yes, you are free to also have your own. As for tax, there are two options to choose from. Flat rate or with deductions. With deductions is better for many people (you can claim a portion of your bills and various other expenses) however you do need to have a bill in the company name for your registered office.

These rules do change frequently and the last time I did it was almost 10 years ago, so worth checking out from someone who has done it more recently. Hopefully it has got easier, but perhaps I'm being optimistic.

History / Age of Enlightenment in Poland? [80]

Actually the fourth, after San Marino, England and the U.S. The San Marino and American constitutions are still active, those of England and Poland were sadly short-lived, ended by the restoration of monarchy and the partitions respectively.

All except San Marino were products of the Enlightenment. About the First Republic in Poland, there were good and bad points. In many ways it was too little too late. As Adam Zamoyski wrote, if only the magnaty had listened to King Stanisław August, Poland would have emerged from the Napoleonic wars in a similar state to Belgium, rather than being missing from the map for a century.

Work / Freelance psychologist in Poland - least admin possible? Tax registration method. [8]

There's only one way of being self-employed really. Umowa zlecenie would make you a temporary employee of your client! Umowa o dzielo sort of yes too. If you registered as self employed, you can just issue a bill (FFS don't call it an invoice - in Poland they make a distinction for some esoteric reason!).

As for tax, you can choose to pay a flat tax or make deductions. There are pluses and minuses about either.

News / Poland loses bid to built Jaguars and Land Rovers [23]

Not obsolete, unless suddenly most vehicles have adopted some sort of other technology and fuel.

Jaguar and Landrover still sell well, but are in an increasingly niche market compared to Asian marques.