UK, Ireland / No Poles Allowed! - Latest Polonophobic Outrage Out of Britain [660]

The Daily Fail driving wedges. Some local nutter who thinks he can act the little Queenie. The magistrates will disabuse him with a fine and a well deserved rap on the knuckles at some stage.

Real Estate / Farm for sale in Poland - how to find a buyer from other country? [12]

Yes. Lepper must be laughing his head off. The rest of us are subsidising the rural idyll for these people.
I hope it rains.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Thank you Ironside.


That's "lap dog" Ironside - keep the lab(rador) dog out of this. It's a fine animal.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Without translation, my pea-brain reads that as "It was a holiday from the pope......" Polish proverbs are so vivid:) I'm not sure that Dirk's age is an excuse for some of the hate that he comes out with though.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


No - a geologist by profession. My wife wanted to come back here to care for her sick relative. I was offered a cushy job at uni, and chose playing tennis 4 times a week instead of drinking myself to death in my corporate job. Horses for courses.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


My wife has a retired military officer in her family. She is ashamed of him. You had to be a party card holder to hold that position......

Yet you seem to think it's something to aspire to, doing the communist state's dirty work?

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Government controlled propoganda media, which absolutely nobody with any sense in the Tri-City watches (I asked them). TVP is even worse than Scum Murdoch and the ridiculous Sky in the UK, which, no-one who knows, would think possible.


Do enlighten us then Dirk, as this is central to your argument of "We". What tax might that be? Land tax/inheritance tax?

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Dirk, no offense. If you said, "we Poles" or "Poland" then your tone wouldn't sound so patronising. "We" suggests that you are a Polish inhabitant, whilst actually at the moment you are one of the diaspora. Our problems are not your problems, no matter how you dress it up.

In a true democracy Polonia wouldn't have the vote; it's simply the way historically for successive Polish governments to try to buy the patriotic dollar donations from people of Polish descent. As for crowing over the rights and wrongs of this PIS gang, didn't your mother ever tell you that pride comes before a fall?

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Sorry - you were talking about America Dirk? For Americans? Because you don't live here, right? Poland, I mean.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Wrong on that count Dirk. Ask Ziemowit for his index cards. Unlike you I have been paying income tax for 27 years. Plenty of it too, sorry to say.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Tut-tut. It's already been explained to you that you don't live here. Those of us who do are here to tell you that it is far from alright as it is.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


That's OK though Atch. These democratic reverses don't seem to matter anymore, to people's way of thinking. A sizeable proportion of the population don't want to think for themselves, but prefer to be dictated to. Most Poles who can do, would seemingly prefer to live in other countries anyway, rather than their own. And others wonder why.

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


Cough. Shouldn't this be on the thread "PIS..at last Poland has the governmnet it always wanted.."? :))

If Ziobro was British he would need round the clock armed guards to stop the baying mob.

News / Poland's Party of Law and Justice (PiS) reconstruction [38]


So what's going to happen then now that Kaczynski thinks he has got what he wants? Are Poles going to take these laws passed today lying down?

theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/08/polish-mps-pass-supreme-court-bill-criticised-as-grave-threat

Past caring myself, to be honest. People always get the leaders they deserve.

Life / Where and how can I report parking violations on my street in Poland? [7]

There's somebody living on our street who informs on offending drivers (the poor motorists don't notice the clearway signs at the end of the street) to the Straz, who gleefully come round every second day with their wheel clamps. The likes of said informer need punching out, not encouragement. IMO.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]

Anyway both Dirk and Dominik are doing their superior air routine on this thread. Obsessed over money methinks, whilst maybe to others it's not the be all and end all? And If the OP wants to come here and teach, and is aware of the lifestyle the work entails, then why the flippin' Norah not? He could be a natural.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]


Can't be fired for striking. OK, so the system is corrupt. I mean, I got a certain position because of nepotism myself, but quit when it was obvious that I wasn't qualified and suitable for such (rare, I know in this PIS world) Teachers often get appointed on personal recommendation when in favour with the director, and when out of favour....

Easy solution. get a civil service commission in for every teacher appointee.
Striking for a fair salary for the position never did merit the sack in the EU, not in a functional democratic economy anyway. Are you saying that Poland doesn't have a normal economy?

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]


Again I will ask the question; why don't Polish teachers strike for more money Harry (sorry Dirk, I was quoting you, but am interested in Harry's take on this).

I think we are agreed that TEFL can pay decently if you are either talented/workoholic or both, and teaching in state schools is relatively poorly paid, whilst the teacher there is far better qualified to teach English on the face of it, than some of us, who graduated in the sciences for example in my case.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]


Stuff and nonsense Dirk. As Harry says, you don't know the market for TEFL. One could do that quite easily if they needed to, by networking/putting themselves around relatively vigourously. Some teachers of my acquaintance in Kato take home more, net, (generally working 7 days admittedly.....but then again most dedicated teachers do some work 7 days a week anyway....)

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]


Yes, and that is why a lot of peeps avoid the public sector now. Unless they want their ZUS payments diminished of course, but that's another topic in itself, and I don't want to throw up all over my shiny new Dell by thinking about all the contributions I have made to that criminal system over the last 26 years.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]


As long as you stay away from jokers like PL who pay filth money, as you would know from the word on the street Harry:)


.
Mmm... that was 45 mins, at a quiet time of day, for what is a coffee table chat. Past tense, before Brexit:)) Definitely no teaching involved there! 70 zl a clock hour is the average here, more if one plows through the wind and rain to the office (though I don't have the nous to command Harry's fees). Seriously though, the OP should consider that for ESP, Brexit has done a lot of harm to demand in some quarters:(

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]

I have to agree with Dirk, because those are the facts. I have no idea why Polish teachers don't strike for more pay - maybe someone has theories on this? A somewhat misplaced loyalty to duty maybe, whereas successive governments ignore the problem, historically offering ridiculous carrots like a 13th months' pay, teachers' day, this and that adorned as bonuses, but in reality just awards and praise, and supposed extra holidays? (all of those archaic inducements designed to explain away why teachers don't merit higher pay)

I used to see the salaries every month at the English department of the university when I collected my 1.7 million, and I felt sorry for the career academics, with their paltry remuneration, amongst them my dearest friend, the greatest and most knowledgable anglophile you could ever meet; those who didn't have their names on the titles of colleges as university affiliates (those made fortunes in comparison to the "ordinary" lecturer).

Another long standing partner in crime still works there. Nothing has changed, and there are 50 applicants for his post when he is ultimately forced out, for that is the all too common fate of the university academic

As for schools, the salary levels are nothing short of scandalous.

Life / Why are Muslims seen as a deterrent to Poland? [564]

But terror attacks don't faze the average person. We are of course far more likely to die choking on a Big Mac. A decent health service, and a bit of respect for pensioners, not shifting them from pillar to post, in needless bureaucracy, which is designed to create jobs in small towns for pointless positions, is what I'm aiming for. Not to mention an escape from these bitter winds:))

Life / Why are Muslims seen as a deterrent to Poland? [564]


That's almost funny Dirk. Except that under PIS, it's far from amusing. For myself, I am going to retire to the UK so that I don't have to deal with "the BS", as you call it.

It's called ridiculous bureaucracy, and only offends more, and makes the person's life unnecessarily more difficult, as they grow older.

Law / Buying a car in Poland or Germany? [36]


To the trained eye, or the reasonably suspicious buyer, there are plenty of signs of welding etc. Impossible to cover up. Things on cars older than 6/7 years, such as resealing, new trim, any variation in colour and so on, are obviously clear giveaways. But you know that.

As to second hand cars sold in Poland, I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.They have been beaten to death on Polish roads... And, as I suggested before, you will get a better car at a better price from a richer country. But that's just common sense, stemming from the economic reality in that country. Mr Schmitt in Bonn wants that old car shifted from his front yard, and 1000 Euros will do just fine. Mr Kowalski in Katowice thinks the same car is worth 8,000 ZL. That's my over-simplistic observation anyway. Mr Kowalski wants to make money on his car, while Mr Schmitt wants to clear his front driveway for the next car.

Poles tend to believe something has irrational value, ergo they try to sell high.

Life / Your favourite Polish Music Album [25]


You could also add SBB and Republika to that esteemed list.


Great lyrics that people could relate to, plus the Svengali-like Ryszard Reidel, and the talented Pawel Berger? . They are crap now of course, but for anyone at all who liked classic rock and blues, Dzem were the real thing. Sorry to hear that you don't get them.

Travel / Gdansk Christmas markets [26]


Rome has the best Christmas market I've seen. No libations though as the Italians don't drink on the street....

PS to the OP: Around Christmas here is fine, it's just the wind and the dark days as someone said. Gdansk is seldom below -5 degrees in the daytime.

News / US Investor seeks 700 million dollars in damages from Poland [45]


Not surprised in the slightest. Well known by Katowice sub-contractors as absolute scum to do business with. I thought it was only me, until I asked around.

Food / Indian/Bangladeshi grocery store in Gdansk [9]

You were in the right place? It's not on the ground floor, but the underground floor. Now...............
The Galeria was flooded last autumn, and the underground floor totally immersed. Falacious planning laws - you know the rest..... Maybe they wrapped the business up? I haven't been there for over 18 months.