Law / How to obtain "prawo jazdy kat B"? [11]


You're trying to compare apples and oranges.

Poland is cheap by EU standards, which is what most people compare to.

Life / Where are the second-hand stores in Krakow? [14]


It's funny - to me, it's one of the few reminders that Poland is still much poorer than Germany/etc.

I don't notice much difference on a daily basis, but the lack of such shops is interesting.

Life / Have many Poles had enough of one another? [198]

Actually - someone 25 in the early 90's would have just finished university or would have just finished training for a trade, and would have been in a prime position to do something with themselves. There's plenty of people now aged 45-50 who have really achieved something with themselves without being a party member - it seems to me that most of the spite from that generation comes from realising that they could've had it all, but they didn't.

I mean, in the beginning, it wouldn't have been easy - but plenty of people got their start by taking advantage of the price differences between the newly-free Eastern countries. I'll try and dig up one article for you that I found - people were making a fortune from travelling between Warsaw and Moscow and exploiting the huge price differences. I know one guy who actually paid his way through university by going to Germany, buying TV's and selling them in Poland for a handsome profit - same era, but it mostly involved bribing the Polish border guards a few deutschmarks to turn a blind eye.

The money was definitely there, but it wasn't easy money like nowadays. Probably best to say that it involved that old Polish sport, kombinowac - but what Pole wouldn't have been used to it at that point?


To elaborate a bit more - I think a golden rule in Poland is to avoid any business dealings where there are more than two people involved. It just ends in tears - I know people who have got caught up in a mess when buying a flat, because there were too many owners wanting to make as much money as possible. I'd actually steer well clear of any place that was the result of an inheritance.


I think a lot of it is because they didn't seize the opportunity while it was there. Like I said above - there was a lot of money to be made in the early 90's by ducking and diving a bit. The bitterness, at least to me, seems to come from the fact that they chose to stay doing what they were doing and ended up worse off as a result - although, it seems to me that many of them were working in dead-end State owned businesses anyway that were bound to close down.

Even plenty of people who were in the opposition came out well - perhaps because the lessons learnt during Communism allowed them to apply it in the free market. It certainly seems to me that the only people who ended up worse were the ones who perhaps didn't really want the system to change at all.


You don't even want to know what I've seen recently, but all I can say is - 60m2 flat, 3 rooms, 4 generations. And a dog, of course - and none of them appeared to work. And funnier still, they wanted the same price as a newly renovated flat in the same place. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ;)


Actually - small businesses don't have it so bad. The real issue is with ZUS payments - but can Poland really afford to pay pensions for entrepreneurs who didn't save for their own pensions? The now-900zl a month payments is what guarantees their retirement pensions - I know you and I would save for a rainy day, but there's plenty of people out there who would see "oo, 500zl a month, let's buy a new TV and sound system!" and have nothing left when they reach 65.

The problem for a small business isn't their own taxation, but rather the ZUS payments for employees. I wanted to hire someone a while ago on umowa o prace - but it was just impossible :(

Life / Questions about Poland (traffic / fines, school year, talking about past, minimum wage) [21]

Yep. Any police station can do it - though - it might not cover old violations, just current ones for which points are currently deducted.

Study / School of Polish for Foreigners at the University of Lodz [43]

There's no work in Poland for non-Polish speakers who only speak English.

Travel / Driving Time: Calais to Warsaw [7]

Wish I'd known that a few months ago :(

Strykow-Warsaw is just a disgrace right now - I did Poznan-Lodz in just over an hour in the middle of the night not so long ago, but then took over 3 hours the next morning to do Strykow-Warsaw - it's what, just over 100km? :/

Travel / Driving Time: Calais to Warsaw [7]

Open in November, and should be finished by October.

Strykow-Warsaw is the more interesting question - it's likely that *something* will be open for Euro 2012, but it won't be a ready motorway and will likely close again afterwards.

Real Estate / I was adopted - what are my rights? Property inheritance in Poland [11]


Actually - Rybacki - if you want, I'll be happy to look over things for you if you wish?

Not interested in payment, but the situation intrigues me - I'm happy to act as a "fresh pair of eyes" so to speak.

Life / Have many Poles had enough of one another? [198]


That's what contracts are for. Incidentally - if you haven't allowed for people changing their mind, what kind of business person are you? I guess you're talking about property - in which case, a golden rule in Poland is only to deal with professionals and never get involved when there's more than one owner.


She's not plastic though - she lives in the UK, but she speaks Polish and is undeniably one ;) Plastic is when you don't speak the language and have never lived here and yet act like some sort of authority just because you have a Polish passport (see - wielki pan).

I actually get the impression that many Poles in the UK are ashamed of their countrymen - hence the utter ignoring of even neighbours.


I wouldn't say so young, but rather the 45+ generation seems to be exceptionally spiteful in my opinion. They just don't seem at ease - even though there's no excuse for someone that was 25 in 1990 not to achieve in life.

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


To be honest, this is the problem - if you were skilled in a specific area where there's a shortage (for instance, an IT graduate with a degree from a very good university) - you'd have no problem getting a job for 4000/net. But as an unskilled foreigner, not speaking Polish - you're competing against untold amounts of Polish people - who do speak Polish.

If you really want the adventure here - you need to set your sights accordingly. Entry positions in Poland will range from 1500zl-2500zl net in a big city - okay, let's assume the company wants a Danish speaker, so you can go up to 2000zl-3000zl net - maximum.

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


No, not necessarily - the Easyjet call centre in Poznan will hire native speakers of languages, on the same salary as locals. But then - of course - to progress, you'd need the language.


I just can't see it happening at all - not unless he had some very specific skills and they worked already in English/Danish. Many companies claim to do so, but most of them are still using Polish as a day-to-day language.


That's not a bad idea at all. Difficult to pull off, but doing this (and learning Polish in the process) would seem to be a good way in.


They're not looking for a Danish person though - they're looking for a Danish speaker. That's the crucial difference - why would the bother to pay Danish standards when they can get a graduate of Danish philology who likely already speaks English for a Polish salary?

8-9000 is outrageous for a helpdesk job to be honest - especially as he doesn't even have a qualification in the relevant sector. The job ad has been pulled, but from what I saw - there's no way they would offer anything close to that. As I said above - more realistic would be 2500/net.

(now - someone that was relocated should expect 8000-9000 minimum)

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


It's a great start actually - I know several people in Poznan who have started pretty good careers after starting in a call centre. The Easyjet call centre here is well known as a "gateway" job.

At least one big company (Allegro) gets the vast majority of their staff from their help centre, too - I know one guy who has a fantastic job there, all because they spotted that he was capable in the call centre.

Real Estate / I was adopted - what are my rights? Property inheritance in Poland [11]

That's the problem - I doubt that he has the documents in order. If he does, he should certainly go for it - but it would seem that it would be hideously complicated to deal with.


Take this guy's advice Rybacki - he's a reliable member of this site.


I think you can do something, but the first thing is to make sure that you have all the documents in order.

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


Another lunatic, I see. Anyone WHO TYPES like this really shouldn't be listened to.


If it doesn't interest you, why are you looking for such a high salary in a country which doesn't offer it? As I said - I could get you a job in Poznan tomorrow with your knowledge of English/Danish - but it would be poorly paid.


Who the hell would get out of bed for less than that an hour in a big city, except those desperate for beer money?

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


I'll see your arm and raise you a leg, too.

He'll be lucky to get a quarter of 9000zl a month.

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


You won't have a hope in hell of making 9,000PLN to start in Poland. For a start - you need to consider that the Polish tax burden is a minimum of 38%. Then there's the part that someone without experience isn't going to get that kind of cash in any industry in Poland.

In Poland, the normal way of doing things is to start off on an exceptionally low salary, only for it to rocket upwards very quickly as you gain experience. Essentially, you can hope for 3500/net at the very, very most - and that's in a job that is in demand AND where you can use Polish. In your case, with your qualification - the very most you can expect is 2000/net a month.


The only jobs which you'll be able to do in Poland are jobs requiring communication with Danish speakers. Basically, either call centres - or companies which sell to Denmark. Both of those jobs are going to pay you 2000/net at the very, very most. I mean - if you want adventure - I can probably get you a job tomorrow in a call centre. But you'll earn 1500zl/net a month.

Poland's not a place for the poor and inexperienced, that much I can tell you for free.


I can believe it - I know someone that has someone speaking 3 languages (Polish, German and English) working for him, and he's paying her 2000zl/gross a month.

Martin - A master of Politics? There's over 200 graduates of that being churned out every year in Poznan alone. It's seen as an 'unemployment' degree in Poland. Likewise - with Danish - there's several universities here churning out fluent speakers of Danish every year. And that's just in Poznan.

Why not try Luxembourg?

Real Estate / I was adopted - what are my rights? Property inheritance in Poland [11]


I'd walk away if I were you.

But if you really want - I can provide you with the contact details of a very trustworthy lawyer.

But - in this case - it's going to be very expensive and difficult to prove anything.

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


You haven't got a chance. The job isn't aimed at native speakers, it's merely aimed at those that are capable in the languages. And - as I said - there are plenty of IT-literate graduates of Danish who can also use English.

If you get 5000/gross a month, I'd be amazed, especially in Poznan. I think I know what the job is, and if so - the job is going to pay no more than 2500/net.

(by the way - these jobs almost universally expect Polish, too)

History / Chance of Lwów once again became coming part of Poland [344]


Actually, it has a reputation of being a cultured, civilised place.



Educate yourself.

Alas, the lyrics will be beyond you, not being a Polish speaker.

Work / Salary expectations in Poland [373]


If it was so bad, why not leave straight away?


But you'll also pay a lot more money for basic things, and you can forget about accessible private healthcare on an ad-hoc basis, unlike in Poland. Here, I can see a private specialist for 90zl for a consultation. In the West? Forget about it.


Hahaha. And what makes you think that elsewhere is any different?

Most people in this country aren't liars, cheaters and scammers - they're ordinary people. In fact, if you surround yourself with liars, cheaters and scammers - no wonder you're so unhappy.

Just because you got a dodgy contract from a language school (that you probably couldn't read anyway) doesn't mean that all contracts are the same. In fact, Poland is quite good in this respect - because everything must be in accordance with the relevant legal acts. A well drawn up contract should present no issues - and is easy to enforce. If you sign something that isn't right - well - who else to blame but yourself?

Again - if you shop at bottom level places, no wonder you're treated like that. I recommend shopping in a better class of establishment.


Suuure they wouldn't take a report. It's not hard - you go to the local police station and make one.


That's quite normal in any European country. And it makes sense.


That's your problem - you're making friends with foreigners who haven't got a clue.


A promise means nothing - haven't you ever done any business with people in places like Italy? The only thing that matters is a contract that was drawn up in accordance with the law in Poland. If you don't know the laws - pay someone that does. And in Poland, contract law is pretty straightforward - again - you're basing your tales on the woes of stupid foreigners.


Wrong, again. Perhaps so in low class establishments, but that's the same anywhere.


Well yeah, when in a country, if you want to do business, you either speak the language or get someone that does. I mean, haven't you ever visited France/Spain/Italy/UK?


Wow, your life must really suck if even small shopkeepers are screwing you over. It's never happened to me - in fact, in such shops, they're normally charmed that someone is able to use Polish. I've never, ever been overcharged by small shopkeepers.


It's because you're dealing in serious cash and not working in some awful Callan school and shopping in Netto.

Pay peanuts, get monkeys is certainly true in Poland.


Not much, actually. It doesn't require fluency - and there are plenty of graduates in Danish who also speak English.

Life / Your Polish friends - why do you regard them as such? [41]


That kind of behaviour is the kind of thing you'd expect from village peasants, like Busha.

Me and Seanus prefer a more noble kind of associate.

Life / Your Polish friends - why do you regard them as such? [41]

Nice story, Des - you really have a talent for creative writing.

Hey, one of my best friends is now a lecturer in Creative Writing at CSU Fresno - perhaps you could take her class? I'm sure she'd be delighted with such an imagination.

Real Estate / Question about Czynsz (Building maintenance fees/utilies) in Poland [129]


prawo.money.pl/kodeks/cywilny/dzial-iv-wspolwlasnosc/art-208

What can also be done is asking for a proper breakdown of charges for tax purposes. If she's up to no good - you'll soon find out.

Real Estate / Property-deal-in-Poland-fail-ripped off [9]


Come on, would you really buy a property in a country of which you knew nothing, on the basis of a nice website and shiny plans?

The same nonsense happened in Spain - and - even in the UK.

Real Estate / Question about Czynsz (Building maintenance fees/utilies) in Poland [129]


Ouch.

My advice is to sell this place and buy somewhere else - it's only going to end in tears. You should have a contract with the administrator, and there should be clear procedures as to yearly meetings and so on. For instance, where I live - it's a huge housing cooperative. All the data is available on request, there are yearly meetings where the accounts are discussed - all in all, quite transparent.


You should certainly be invited and informed as to when they are.


This should be absolutely tiny - I'd certainly be asking for copies of the bills.


Yep - I do. This situation sounds incredibly dodgy - it's not normal, even in Poland.

What I'd do is start by asking for official copies of the minutes from the owners meetings, along with demanding a copy of the contract between the owners and the administration.


There may not be a law, but there's usually a way to put pressure on such people. What I'd do is contact the other owners first, if you can.

Incidentally, this crap happens all over the world - I was reading a while ago about a developer in Switzerland who made some really beautiful flats - then made the stairwell look like something from a Russian prison. As it wasn't mentioned in the contract, there was nothing the owners could do.

I don't think you can win here, unfortunately - it strikes me that the "administrator" will be doing very well for herself out of such an arrangement.

Of course - there's nothing stopping you calling an owners meeting, too.

Real Estate / Property-deal-in-Poland-fail-ripped off [9]


The fact that they were buying off-plan in a poor EU country, driven by greed (I think we all know that anyone stupid enough to buy off-plan from abroad was driven by greed) means they deserve to lose their cash. I've seen several contracts in such a case - and they were worthless. People frequently signed without even reading them, let alone understanding Poland - all they could think about was the promised rental yield. The same happens all over the the world - fools and their money are soon parted.


Why should people be protected from their own stupidity? The Polish legal system is there to use - but (as often happened) if you signed a contract which gives power to the developer, more fool you.


If you can afford to buy a flat, you can afford legal fees. Sorry, but those without money weren't stupid enough to invest in paper and plans.


Again - that's the stupidity of the buyer. I wouldn't buy a property in a foreign country (not even Germany!) without knowing how the system works there. If you're stupid enough to sign paperwork that you don't understand - again - more fool you.


So - they were stupid enough to hand over 700k without anything physical existing? Are they mad?


If it was legal, they've got no-one to blame but themselves. However, buying off-plan is lunacy in *any* country, not just Poland.


You do realise that 99% of such cases are caused by greed and stupidity?

At the end of the day, smart people invest in physical things, not plans and ideas.

Real Estate / Question about Czynsz (Building maintenance fees/utilies) in Poland [129]


Don't you have a contract with the administrator?


Both of these should be available upon request - if they're not, then you're almost certainly being ripped off. Incidentally - why not get your own electricity meter?


Why on earth did you buy a flat in such a locality? There should be no conflict of interest in a situation like this - it's pretty obvious that she'll manipulate things for her own good.


Of course anyone can, it's a business like any other. But if it was above board, you can remove her as the administrator - but the fact that she also owns flats there makes things very complicated.


Again - why on earth did you buy a flat in such a situation? Seems madness to me.


Careful - you posted the address of the flat on here.

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]


Considering a gift to be "unwanted" is about as classless as it gets.

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]


Both are unbelievably rude and unthinkable to anyone with any decency whatsoever.


Practical? What's practical about demanding cash? It's rude and absolutely classless. I think it's utterly disgraceful that people judge others on the basis of how much cash they get - it's ridiculous.

Actually - one of the best presents I got was one of the cheapest, but it was so well thought out - and memorable.

The problem is in Poland is that there exists pressure in the society to have a big and lavish wedding - and they need to demand cash in order to pay for it all.

Life / Golden Wedding in Poland, the protocol for giving gift for a wedding? [58]


Alas, it's dreadfully common in Poland today to demand money.

I've got a golden rule : if someone invites me and demands money, I don't go.

(my own wedding mentioned absolutely nothing about presents or money - to demand otherwise is just utterly classless)