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Posts by JonnyM  

Joined: 9 Mar 2011 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 15 Mar 2012
Threads: Total: 11 / In This Archive: 9
Posts: Total: 2607 / In This Archive: 2054 		From: Warszawa!
Speaks Polish?: tak

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JonnyM   
5 Jan 2012
Food / PIZZA & KETCHUP served only in Poland? [159]

Casa Mia

An excellent place!

The best pizza place I know is in Toruń - anyone who lives there will know it.

It's true though - ketchup slathered on pizza (and zapiekanka, and just about anything) is normal in PL.
JonnyM   
5 Jan 2012
News / Poland being the powerhouse of Europe [40]

the rain fall in Poland is not great. Central and Northern Poland is one of the driest regions in Europe. in fact you have to travel to Spain to find such low rainfall in an EU country

the fertility of the soil is not great either and the harsh winters make farm land far less productive than in Western Europe

Yet Poland is still a major agricultural exporter and has the potential for more.

plus points are the fact that there is a load of shale oil in Poland, oil and natural gas, a steady wind for electric generation and lots of coal

The Oil/Gas In Place is mostly unconventional reserves, meaning it can help the national balance sheet rather more easily than it can be extracted. Good that it's there, but hellish to extract.

It certainly is NOT on the up. My business there has shrunk to less than 2008 levels. Media lies and the boom is just a myth. My business in Poland is actually growing at the moment. I work in a construction and manufacturing related industry.

Your business might not be - others are doing well. Doha is a giant building site, and booming.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
News / Poland being the powerhouse of Europe [40]

That's a good way of looking at it - only they're much richer and getting richer all the time. Poland is a bit different - it needs to export educated skilled people and capitalise on natural resources. There isn't much point having heavy industry when China can always undercut them.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
News / Poland being the powerhouse of Europe [40]

In general, the European countries that have been powerhouses all have bigger populations then Poland. Russia and all the EU richest nations Britain, France, Italy, Germany have larger populations then Poland and it has only helped their GDP.

In the days of industry.

Russia proportionally is doing worse then mainland European countries, at least it used its huge population to seize resource rich land over its history to sustain itself now.

Not an option today.

Russia and Germany would never have been powerhouses if they had the population size of Hungary, Slovakia, Chech Republic, let alone Luxembourg

A false comparison.

I have not been to oil rich nations but i have been to muslim countrys before and the rich really dont care for the poor i cant see the oil sheiks been much different can you

There's something in that - one interesting thing is that the populations are small and they intermarry, so everyone has a millionaire uncle.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
Law / Polish Visa, Work Permit, Residency for Spouse of Polish Citizen [69]

Which office should we be going to register?

The town hall, usually - depends on the size of the city.

Any website or contact number mate?

Which town?

But, can I re-register myself when me and my wife will be moving to Poznan? As this is where we will be staying and looking for jobs.

Only the owner of the property can register you - but it doesn't usually matter what address you're registered at.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
Work / HELP ME FIND A JOB OTHER THAN TEACHING IN POLAND [39]

i have been teaching callan for 16 months and my brain is sozzled

I bet. There's call centre work, but mostly not in Warsaw. You can advertise native speaker korepetycja (lessons to 15 - 18 year olds - often helping with homework) in the paper. A friend does fairly well from that, and a native is at an advantage. Unfortunately there isn't much - unless you speak good Polish. There's decent work in construction, but you'd need the language skills and uprawnienie (your ticket -for plumbing, sparky, bricklaying etc) and even then there's a lot of luck involved in getting the right work. Work in Poland is often found through personal contacts, but even then, it isn't always easy.

harry and jonny what do you fellas do??????????????????

I went there as a teacher, ended up (part) owing a language school with 30 teachers (more by luck and hustling than ability), sold it to a recruitment agency (not entirely by choice) started another one as sole owner with only 4 teachers, sold that because the margins on lessons by 2009 weren't worth the effort in selling them to companies and now work elsewhere. Qatar at the moment, but sometimes on a ship, sometimes in Africa. Warsaw is still home. It can be difficult in Poland, but with teaching, if you want to enjoy it and you want to live well, you have to be constantly networking.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
News / Poland being the powerhouse of Europe [40]

Poland is going to have a hard time becoming a powerhouse if its birthrate is not increased.

If anything the opposite is true. Poland will not become rich through labour intensive industrial production - it will however always have agricultural resources (including a good water supply) which will become increasingly important in the future. That and a combination of high skills, a very strong welfare state and sovereign investment. It's better to be closer to a Luxembourg than an India.

the muslim countrys hahaha how you make me laugh oil is not expensive the producers dont make the money the tax applied in westrn country

he arab shieks will get rich but not the country the arab sheiks then move to london and live their lifes very comfortably while the rest of the country rots.

Evidently you've never been here.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
News / Poland being the powerhouse of Europe [40]

The rise of the east is what Rumsfeld would called "A known known",

Not someone noted for reliability. If you want to see which part of the world is on the up, visit the oil-rich gulf states - Qatar and KSA come to mind. And they aren't investing much in PL compared to Western Europe.
JonnyM   
4 Jan 2012
News / How Polish diaspora see future of Poland? as ethnic Polish state or just Polish in origin? [120]

You just basically claimed that Poland being whiped off the map by Germany and Russia from 1795-1917 and again from 1939-1945, did not constitute Polish territory being occupied

It didn't. Being occupied has a strict definition - to do with diplomatic recognition. Poland was partitioned. That's why we in Poland call it 'Rozbiory' not 'Okupacja'.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

I've been out of the UK education loop for decades, so perhaps you can tell me what my A grade A levels in English Language and Literature are worth now that these days they have A levels with stars.

If you're over forty then they're better than a first from the University of Spunkbridge.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

They may be in certain aspects

In every aspect. Though both qualifications are being degraded, year on year.

generalisation, such as MA = Magister, BA = Licencjat etc

A huge generalisation and they are simply not the same. This been discussed here ad nauseam.

"Idiocracy" - is this the way we are heading?

It looks that way.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

therefore...
1) they do they GCSE when 17, but they are actually lower level than Matura

This doesn't actually make sense.

1) they do they GCSE when 17, but they are actually lower level than Matura

GCSE, as Rozumiemnic says, are done at 15 or 16. Occasionally 14.

only A levels (or Foundation) is considered good enough for Uni entry - that's why A-levels are often considered equal to Matura.

A Levels are much higher than Matura, which is not especially respected.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]

This actually is a Polish word

Yes, but a very new one coined by the wave of Polish people who moved to London since 2004. Perhaps I should have spelt it 'Czapaki'. Can you guess the meaning?
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

As for Bologna Process - this is new to me, but I'm glad to see this. I completely agree that there is too many mickey-mouse degrees around.

In Poland and UK both. My job now is writing exams and sometimes I want to weep at the dumbing down.

And you DO need a degree for MBA (at least a reputable one)

That's true. I'm more familiar with the other type for middle-managers who don't necessarily have degrees but have a lot of experience.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

Yes - and from this link:

Wait until the process is finished. Polish licentiates are not equal to UK Bachelors' degrees.

A first degree is not needed to do an MBA.

Exactly, and MBAs (unless they're from top-ranked courses) aren't always up to much.

That is going to be crunch time for Polish universities: how can they fit their hugely profitable extra-mural classes into the Bologna framework?

They are sh1tting themselves. There have been dodgy threads here about it. Some of those part-time 'magister degrees' (I won't call them Masters') aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Law / Polish Visa, Work Permit, Residency for Spouse of Polish Citizen [69]

The person who owns the place you live has to do it. They need to take proof of ownership and you need to go with them (and take proof of ID, meaning your passport). Registration can be permanent or temporary. It is independent of immigration matters, so you won't be refused on grounds of nationality. Many (most) Poles are reluctant to register people at an address, but you can remind the owner that they can deregister you and that they can register you for a temporary period.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]

It means selling your hows in London and buying a cheaper one in the countryside. Generally spending less and living more modestly. Usually used by people whose income has plummeted but they have assets.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

translated as Bachelors of Commerce by sworn translator

This doesn't mean it actually is equal. Then again, my BA was attested by a sworn translator in PL as a Magister.

So based on those facts I conclude that Licencjat is equal to Bachelors.

It isn't. Many countries have both Licentiate degrees and Bachelors' degrees. Licentiate is lower.

You can also do Bachelor's degree over weekend or on-line, you just have to work hard.

'Online' only are not usually accredited by anything respectable. Weekends only would take a hell of a long time.

The problem is that the education system in Poland is not exactly the same as the British based

The Bologna Process is currently creating a table of equivalence, Europe-wide.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Life / WHY DO POLES USE ENGLISH WORDS IN CONVERSATION? [396]

"downshiftowalem" is a sign of madness.

Wow!

Downshifting is a relatively new word even in English. It's concise, and describes a new social phenomenon.
The only dictionary translation I found into Polish is "zmienić pracę na mniej stresującą i mniej płatną". Quite a mouthful.

It shows how quickly words can spread.

I'm just waiting for 'Ciapaki' to reach Poland...
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Law / Starting a daycare in Poland, possible? [15]

The paperwork needed to operate a facility for young kids in PL is enough to put off all but the most determined. Why not contact the Helen Doran Method organisation about opening a franchise?
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Genealogy / Searching for a village in Southern Poland (Baddi?) [11]

Could Baddi have been the Hungarian version of Baden (Baths), a term frequently used in the German-speaking world for medicinal mineral springs. A well.known exmaple is Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary in Czech) in the Czech Republic.

Perhapd 'Zdrój'?
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

No, a Licencjat is most certainly not equal to a BA.

Exactly. An HND (which is a very specific competence based qualification - much more about useful practice than useless theory) involves between 1500 and 1800 hours of classroom time, twice weekly essays on top of daily homework tasks and a long dissertation. Most are Sandwich courses. If anything it is a superior course than a Polish licencjat - it is certainly more challenging and practical.

Many institutions have replaced HND with BA or BSc now, though they are still valued and confer postnominal letters.
JonnyM   
3 Jan 2012
Work / What is a 'HND' Business qualification in Poland? [42]

It's usually more practically focused. There is often an element of work experience. An HND in business and finance used to include a lot of practical accounting work, and a large mathematical element An HNC is intended for part time study. Both are respected qualifications, equal to a Polish Licencjat.
JonnyM   
2 Jan 2012
Food / Coffee in Poland: cheap and undrinkable / expensive and good [89]

Both Selgros and Makro sell decent coffee beans in bulk. I haven't tried it from Selgros, but if I remember, Makro is really cheap and good. Buying online from Allegro can be a good bet too, if you like good coffee really cheap..
JonnyM   
2 Jan 2012
Food / Coffee in Poland: cheap and undrinkable / expensive and good [89]

Blikle is a bit posh for me too. Though since a few years ago they were serving Mokate powdered cappucino, perhaps it isn't that posh at all. I suspect that woman who runs Mokate was giving them it free so the filthy muck was sen to be used there. On a warm summer day, it's nice to have an Ice Cream on Nowy Swiat, and they aren't much dearer than the others along there.