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Posts by Foreigner4  

Joined: 18 Nov 2007 / Male ♂
Last Post: 5 Sep 2013
Threads: Total: 12 / In This Archive: 8
Posts: Total: 1768 / In This Archive: 944
From: tychy
Speaks Polish?: yes and no
Interests: sports, politics, the economy, history, writing, yadayadayada

Displayed posts: 952 / page 23 of 32
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Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Job opportunities with Hungarian-Swedish-English languages in Poland? [51]

The most extreme case I once heard was that someone made a living of being British (!) living in Hungary socializingwith expats, connecting people etc.

tell me that it was not a straight male and my orientation of the world will still be in tact.
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Yes, there it is, the wild swing as was predicted....he's swung at the corner man ladies and gentlemen! The referee is waving his arms and this bout has ended in a ko for the BritGent!
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

teflcat has been floored again this round, even if he gets up he'll be on wobbly legs and likely swinging wildly... the question is if he'll beat the count or if it's a ko?
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

You PWEI should not post a comment just for the sake of contradiction if you don't have a clue of Polish Law

apparently he does:

And given that operating any other type of business will mean significantly higher start-up costs and running costs, the disadvantage which one can be put at in comparison to persons who can run a dzielnosc gospodarcza is enough to de facto prevent one from doing business on a certain scale in certain industries.

I agree PWEI but this is another question

A teacher who stays in the same 'cozy' place for too long becomes complacent, lazy, and starved of inspiration . And before you ask, I say that from a lifetime of teaching experience, in both public and private sectors.

I enjoyed reading that:)

I have 20 years' experience in several countries. After travelling for a long time I decided it was time to settle down. Any problem with that?As a senior managerYou sound like a lot of fun to work for.

Well then why the hell were you trying to take a dig at me for moving about?
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Isn't the burden on you to produce legal documents stating that was the case in the years I mentioned?
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

As far as i am concerned i have never heard of such restricted laws in Poland.

Your willingness to acknowledge what you have or haven't heard can't change the past so I'm happy to let this go but if want to prove your point then I'll be happy to read it:)
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Well as it was explained to me through a lawyer, at the time non e.u. and non americans were restricted on setting up their own Polish business.

I enquired into it in 2003 then again later in 2005 then later in 2007 and every time there was some complication with my nationality or how long I had or hadn't been in the country, etc, etc. Hey, if you're right and I'm wrong then fair enough but none of the legal sources I consulted seemed to share your views at the time.

Now I am not restricted.

Anyhow to justify this as being on topic to the overzealous mods, I think residency status has an affect on wages.
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

You certainly get around.

Got- 6 of those years have been in one place.
I suppose my issue has always been residency, directors have known I've less autonomy than EU residents and the law restricted me on establishing my own business so despite doing an excellent job and receiving excellent responses from students, I continually found myself being taken advantage of whenever my guard was down. I've agreed to terms many times in advance but you and I both know those contracts are worthless without exception and subject to change at the whim of management.

And yes, once you bring in Tom Dick or Harry (in whatever working capacity) with sfa for experience and working for beer money while they look for a cheap lay in Poland, it got worse. Students and business clients complained about them but directors simply didn't listen because that was more money in their pockets and DOS tried to poo-poo any complaints because the DOS's in Poland do not bite the hand that feeds them.
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

How many schools have I had the displeasure of working for in Poland?
7 or 8 in 5 cities.
Some for the summer and some over semesters. Some at the school and some on a freelance basis and not one of the owners or managers ever came close to looking out for their staff beyond the superficial and that includes any of the DOS.

It always came down to who and how could they exploit.

Sorry but you don't know what you are talking about.

That is false.

I worked for a school in Germany and it was professional and well run. I have worked for schools in the UK and they were poorly run.

But I've been in Poland since 2001 with some breaks here and there.

If your name in Patrick then I know someone looking for you.
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

^damn them for trying!
You can complain but c'mon, how were they to know whether or not you'd have been willing to come down in price?
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

There are very many good people running good schools in Poland.

that is false.
The majority are in it to exploit all their employees as much as possible, they wouldn't care if their clients were being taught to juggle in class so long as people pay and don't complain.

Is your name Patrick?
Foreigner4   
13 Sep 2011
Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

I can't name names, but I know one particular school which (this year, as a corporate policy) is paying no more than 60zl an hour to teachers, with Polish teachers being asked to take a pay cut. They're still charging 90zl an hour to corporate clients - and furthermore, they take payment up front for 40 hours from the corporate clients, to be used as the clients wish. That money sits in the bank, earning interest.

This really typifies how Language Schools operate. A big F*ck You goes out to all of them.
I worked for one school in which the director wanted me to drive out to a client and teach him 1/week and not pay me anything at all for it because I was "under contract." It didn't happen but now that I think about it, I don't know how that meeting didn't end in violence...y'know, it's not too late for that...
Foreigner4   
12 Sep 2011
Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

From a high school director,

yeah that part was unclear, they wrote "school director" and classes for "high school kids" but yeah, if it is in fact for a high school, then I'll defer to your knowledge.

I really don't know what high school salaries are like for native speakers, in fact I didn't even know these positions existed.
Foreigner4   
12 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Now my question is, did prices jump in those areas you mentioned pip? If they did, was it to an extent that went beyond what people could or can afford?

Thanks for the info Harry.

I'm not sure if it should be a question of if prices will drop in Poland but rather where prices will drop in Poland...
Foreigner4   
12 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Sorry to p*ss all over your party.

My party was never in your pants so no apologies necessary:)
Anyhow, to get back on track, to anyone else with experience, what are the chances that some areas will see a bit of a dive while others remain stable?
Foreigner4   
12 Sep 2011
Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

Anything, anything at all that is worthy of discussion, not this same old mantra of what you wish/need to happen for you to obtain your own home.

It seems you're praying that the prices don't take a dive and render your investment a loss.
Foreigner4   
12 Sep 2011
Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

Whatever you're offered, it will be low. You will have to decide how much they have in their budget to pay for you. I recently walked from my job because the director decided to "re-work" the bonus part of my contract so that my bonuses disappeared. You have to examine how many other options (other teachers) the director has and how low they'll be willing to go.

Having said that, I'd walk away from anything under 50pln/60 min hour (netto- that's after taxes). Beware of weird offers where hourly pay varies depending on blah blah blah. Make sure you are sure of the hourly pay as it works out to 60 min hours AFTER taxes and then make sure you know the minimum of hours you're expected to work.

Whatever is offered, I'd think about it and get back to the director another day.
Foreigner4   
10 Sep 2011
Law / Is there some way to extend the residence permit here in Poland? I have a tourist visa. [50]

No it is not legal to take a train ride to the Ukraine in order to get another 90 day-visa. Once you have been inside the Schengen Zone for 90 days in any 180 day period, you must either have a valid residency permit or leave the zone and stay out for 90 days.

Yet that's exactly what I did (ok not exactly but practically) when my permit expired...I told the UK border control why I was entering their borders for 2 days and the same with the Poles. I told them this was the policy as was explained to me through the Sląski Voivod. This was a few months ago btw.

But...to the op- give your head a shake. Go back home or somewhere else and make some cash for 3 months. Enjoy the break and then you'll enjoy your g.f. and Poland that much more. It's 3 months ffs, don't be such a p*ssy.
Foreigner4   
7 Sep 2011
Life / The Blame Game (Have you ever noticed that a Polish person is never wrong!?) [205]

Lets be frank the author Avalon didn't do his home work when he came to Poland, he was motivated by self interest and greed.

^ Isn't that in the same spirit as the oft repeated (with shrugged shoulders) "To jest Polska?"
E.G.
circa 2001
-Hey my light socket just came out of the wall when I unplugged the lamp- wtf?
-Oh you foreigners will complain about anything, just be happy you have a lamp....besides, it's Poland.

-Hey, the racks in this fridge are so tightly set so that a person can only put empty plates in it-wtf?
-It's Poland, just be happy you have something new.

This could answer the reasons why office staff are so ultra bureaucratic and unhelpful,restaurant staff are useless,driver behave like apes with their imaginary third lane,people vote for very right wing parties,listen to Radio Maria,dance to Disco Polo.

The remnants of a collective attitude that flourished for a brief time I suppose. A person can't change their past and can't change their way of thinking if their way of thinking is to not change their way of thinking.

That being said, these f*cktards need to seriously reconsider their collective driving. How can they kill and maim each other on their roads with such regularity and not acknowledge there's a problem?
Foreigner4   
4 Sep 2011
Love / Polish women USED TO BE much more attractive: [162]

others have agreed with my observations, go canvass them and you'll get a comprehensive answer or read the thread and become informed. Choose either but you're boring me, you'll have to do something extra special to warrant further attention.

adieu
Foreigner4   
4 Sep 2011
Love / Polish women USED TO BE much more attractive: [162]

Right this fading beauty must be due to your degenerating eyesight what could have caused that?

Not sure, why don't you go make similar inquiries based on p*ss poor assumptions to every member who has posted some agreement with the sentiments of the op? Maybe, by increasing your opportunity for feedback to your dipsh*t inquiry, you'll gain the attention you crave.

Good luck:)
Foreigner4   
3 Sep 2011
Love / Polish women USED TO BE much more attractive: [162]

Polish women USED TO BE much more attractive:Well you must be gorgeous

Is it that challenging a task for you to understand the concept of objective observation? Whether I'm considered gorgeous or not is of no consequence. Can only talented gifted singers comment on another's voice?

Chinese people still look Chinese even if they are born in the USA, so how does being "an American woman with Polish ancestry" make you look different than someone born in Poland?

Northern Chinese or Southern Chinese? How many generations removed? You'd be surprised at how quickly features change when in a new environment. Anyhow, to answer your question, it's a question of diet and lifestyle, if you're having trouble wrapping your mind around that then ask and I'll elaborate. Until that time I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt.

So Polish American-born women now look more American, and it appears that Polish-born women are heading the same way. So what's the difference? lol

Ask yourself if you understand that what I just quoted here supports the observation which inspired this thread. Then ask yourself if you understand how it does that.
Foreigner4   
2 Sep 2011
Love / Polish women USED TO BE much more attractive: [162]

They went back about a million years and used DNA analysis. Eat more meat

No, they think they "went back about a million years" because current dating methods have not been proven to be 100% accurate. Regardless of that, even if they were accurate there is simply too much to assume in making your case. Does protein assist in our development? As far as I know, yes, it definitely does but you're taking that notion and jumping or allowing yourself to be led to a far-fetched, poorly analyzed conclusion.

Here's an example of a misleading way to argue this matter:
Are lions smarter than elephants? No, elephants are smarter, thus vegetarians are also smarter. <- That's every bit a flawed way of coming to a conclusion as what you did. Lions and elephants are different species and of vastly different sizes.

We could attempt to be more objective in posing the same question but using primates- apes to be specific:
Well who's smarter, a bonobo, chimp, gorilla or orangutan (i also spell that one wrong)? What do their diets consist of? Shall we compare species to species or the different groups within a species based on geographic habitat and dietary differences? What do we consider to be smart? Chimps are the most aggressive of the bunch and that includes interspecies predation. Bonobos are more chilled out and Gorillas even mores so, so who's smarter? The species killing eachother or the ones getting along without bloodshed? There is a lot more to consider in making the claims you are than I think you have done.

I agree that predation demands a large degree of team work and planning which causes the brain to develop in ways it MIGHT not otherwise but that is a guess because we can't turn back the clock and run an alternate scenario then check it against what we have today. But I argue it was the act as well as the protein which may have led to an increased neural capacity. Do you have any idea how much protein your body actually needs? If you are active and by active I mean you do exercise for more than 1 hr 3xweek then you need about 1 gram per lb of lean muscle tissue. Westerners eat WAAAAAY too much protein; couple that with increasingly processed foods and you've got an epidemic on your hands. It's sad but the Polish diet is changing towards that direction.

But here's the kicker- our species has passed the stage of development you are referencing to support your conclusion. That phase is over and done with and I've no plans to go back to that level, anatomically, emotionally or mentally. Entirely different endeavors stimulate us mentally now and let me reiterate this for you, WE ALREADY CONSUME TOO MUCH MEAT BASED PROTEIN. Some one lied to you and you bought into the lie because it fit whatever notions you already had or wanted to agree with but it's a lie which you have been positing and you owe it to yourself and others to wise up and stop being duped.