News / VAT, OFE, ZUS and costly dress under Tusk's government in Poland [48]


Tell us your wonderful solution to the ZUS deficit, then?


You do realise that any changes on the spending side would involve cutting benefits and pensions?

Ah, that's right - you support changes, but only to those that you think are political enemies.

Anyway, let's start with the false claiming of "renta" to massage the unemployment figures. We all know that successive governments have used this in order to cut unemployment numbers - and we all know that many of them work illegally anyway. By cutting this, we could save plenty of cash - and force them into declaring their income.

Not a bad idea.


Interesting. Cutting out KRUS would definitely help things - but there's no parliament majority in favour (SLD, PSL and PiS are all against). NFZ? No NFZ means vast amounts of people in Poland who wouldn't be able to afford any sort of healthcare. ZUS? Who would buy it in the current state?

How bizzare to see PiS supporters support cutting the public services on which most PiS supporters are reliant on.


Good for you and me, bad for those who think "woohoo, I have cash, let's buy things!".

(and herein lies the great debate about personal responsibility)

Travel / Watch out for airport personnel stealing stuff on regional Polish airports. [64]


It tells me that Brits can't be trusted?

Travel / Direct flights to Asia from Poland [10]


Exactly.

Warsaw-Hanoi is popular because of the links with Vietnam - but apart from that, there's just no demand. What demand exists is catered for by a large variety of connections, so - pretty needless.

Wouldn't be surprised to see a Hong Kong connection open up though - Warsaw is becoming rapidly a major financial centre.

News / VAT, OFE, ZUS and costly dress under Tusk's government in Poland [48]

Who said that Lepper only had bad ideas? The OFE system, although a good idea in theory, was causing massive transfers from ZUS to the private system. Not such a good idea when the system has a huge deficit and increasing.

Incidentally - in Hungary - their OFE system was actually abolished and the money taken into public hands. In Poland, we only saw the level of contributions cut, nothing more.

Still wondering what you would do to plug the black hole in ZUS....

Work / Teaching jobs for Americans in Wroclaw? [54]


Slightly? He'll be in a fantastic position - he could walk into a job in the UK for instance, and I'm sure there's a total lack of qualified native speakers of English maths/physics teachers in international schools throughout the world.

Work / Teaching jobs for Americans in Wroclaw? [54]

Trust me - stay in school.

I know she's probably amazing and great in bed and so on - but it's going to be hard here for you if you don't have "the papers". The fact that they don't speak English will make it even tougher for you - how can you explain to them, for instance, that you need to be left alone because you're tired and don't want to sit talking to them into the night?

I know Wroclaw a bit, and I can tell you that there are a lot of people who think like you - and many of them go home with their fingers burnt. It's a tough country to adjust to, especially with the horrific Polish habit of telling you what you want to hear and then not actually doing what they're supposed to do.

Travel / Watch out for airport personnel stealing stuff on regional Polish airports. [64]


Alas, it's not just Poland.

Thiefrow is well named, for instance.


There's also no guarantee that it's not Customs doing this, and not necessarily in Poland.


How do you know that it was the Poles and not somewhere else?

Then again - who puts that kind of stuff in their checked in luggage anyway?

Work / Teaching jobs for Americans in Wroclaw? [54]

Jeez, man - stay in college there. If you finish secondary education in mathematics and physics, you might actually be able to find a good job here after finishing. There are plenty of international schools around (not just in Poland, but also in other countries around) - and it's not going to be easy for them to find a native with qualifications in that, especially physics.

But be warned - it's not your college transcripts that matter, but your high school transcripts. And Poland, unfortunately, has a very complicated process when it comes to recognising US diplomas for university (or "higher school") entry.

Work / Teaching jobs for Americans in Wroclaw? [54]


Isn't she?

So, why is she getting you to come to Poland, despite the fact that you're young, unqualified and very likely to end up working as nothing more than a disposable slave in Poland?

If she had your best interests in heart, she'd tell you to go to college in the United States and get a degree that's actually worth something, rather than a worthless piece of paper from a "Higher School" in a poor EU country.


We know the type, because we live here. I've seen several examples myself of where foreign guys have came here, full of optimism - only to get beaten down repeatedly and end up leaving because they simply can't make ends meet. We also know what Polish families (especially mothers in law) are like - overbearing would be the magic word.


It's a nice distraction while my brain rots from endless Polish educational psycho-babble. Deadlines, deadlines...sigh.


Trust me, and I mean this - do not rely on them. They may help you in the beginning, but when they start to expect you to do things such as have a nice family dinner while you're absolutely shattered during a split-shift from hell (for instance, 7am-10am, then 3pm to 9pm) - you'll soon see the ugly side. It'll be great in the beginning, sure - but what are you gonna do when they expect you to start looking after their daughter properly?


The best help you can get is from yourself - stay in the US and get a degree there. I mean it - a Polish degree from a dodgy private university simply won't do anything for you in the long run - in Poland or abroad. The employment situation post-degree for graduates of private universities is dire - for instance, a degree from this WSF place won't be regarded as 'good' by anyone in Poland or elsewhere.


You might not be now, but what about later? Wroclaw's not a cheap place for property at all - do you really see yourself living with her parents for several years, or living in a cramped flat with other people when you could be living in a decent sized property in the US?


Listen to what Dommie says. What he (I assume he?) says is so, so true - plenty have done the same as you, and plenty have failed. If you really want to move here, then find a job in a small town where they'll treat you like a king - there's plenty of those jobs about.

How old are you, kid? Poland has huge problems with reverse ageism - anyone under the age of 25 or so will be seen immediately as "young" and treated as such.


The work permit is an irrelevance - it's only valid for one job - as the employer applies for the work permit, not the employee. You'll have to get a work permit for every single job - and the amount of schools that will hire non-EU citizens is decreasing and decreasing.

As for them living in the centre of Wroclaw - that means you'll be living in a flat with them? Trust me - that's not going to be a nice living arrangement. It's a recipe for disaster - what if you have an argument with them? What are you going to do when your attitudes clash (as they will?).

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]


Jonny, really... ;)

Isn't it the case in Poland that the spouse is equally liable for debt problems?

If so...even worse on the poor lady :(

Work / Teaching jobs for Americans in Wroclaw? [54]


Yep, and then he'll get busted for being here illegally (because the parents friends couldn't be bothered to sort him out with the work permit after realising what it involves) and that'll be another one ranting on these forums about how terrible Poland is.


No.

And you've got 90 days in Poland to obtain a residence permit, or you must leave. The punishment if you're caught is an instant 1 year ban from the entire Schengen territory (25 countries and counting...), along with a permanent record that will always count against you in future if you want to enter the zone.

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]


No, in all honesty - it isn't.

The guys who might fall for such nonsense don't have the money to do it - thankfully.

As for PiS? I've always thought that the majority of PiS supporters are simply socialists who oppose PO on ideological grounds. Certainly the rhetoric that comes out of Solidarity these days is nothing but socialism - likewise, many PiS supporters want a nice strong welfare state which protects them.

It doesn't surprise me, for instance, that many university professors back PiS. Not because they believe in them, but because PO are a huge threat to some very comfortable existences.

Work / Teaching jobs for Americans in Wroclaw? [54]


What are their living conditions? Are they wealthy? Or will you be living in a flat with them?


And what makes you think that you can get a job above those who are prepared, local and know the score?


It's not so easy. For a start - your American diploma will have to be "nostrificated" by the local educational authorities - and this takes time. If they're willing to accept you without this - then the place is a joke and the education is completely worthless. In fact - let me share a little secret with you. These "universities" (actually, they're called "Higher Schools" in Polish, so not proper universities) are nothing but a way for people to defer unemployment. People graduate from them in their thousands, yet no-one will employ them - you need a degree from a public university to get anywhere in Poland.


Easy? Not at all - and I have my doubts that "friends of parents" will want to go to the hassle of obtaining one. Incidentally, work permits are only valid for one place of employment - so what use is it?


None, unless you're willing to work on the black market. I could get you a job paying 800PLN/month in Wroclaw easily if you wanted, without health insurance/social benefits/labour protection/etc.


My thoughts exactly.


Especially as she's studying at a private institution with no hope of a decent job at the end of it. She's not going to be interested in some Callan teacher earning 2500zl maximum a month - she'll want someone that's going somewhere, preferably with a nice flat attached.


It's a minimum if you don't have "life experience".

The only people employing those without a degree and/or CELTA are the ones who will employ anyone - and will quite happily fire you in November for trivial things if you cost too much.

(not just me that thinks that he's met a stupid Polish girl working on a camp, proposed to her within weeks and she's already made all sorts of plans for her 'rich' American husband to buy her and her family all sorts of nice things)

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]


Last time I checked, PO didn't have paramilitaries on the streets intimidating people, nor did they take advantage of a gullible and senile President in order to seize power.


No harm of that - the people of Poland only elected them when the times were good and - crucially - people believed that Kaczynski was a serious 'centre' candidate.

USA, Canada / Polish or American Education? [180]


There are better ways to award a qualification - in my view, the "all or nothing" approach of having one final exam is utterly flawed.

USA, Canada / Polish or American Education? [180]

It is, and it's only going to get worse when they cut some of the subjects.

News / VAT, OFE, ZUS and costly dress under Tusk's government in Poland [48]

And yet they're heading straight for a second term.

Incidentally, without taking the money from OFE, how would you propose to plug the huge black hole in ZUS?

(here's a hint : cutting pensions or higher contributions, neither of which were acceptable to the Polish public - but few people cared about the OFE funds)

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]


Ack, apparently one of his kids is seriously ill as well.


Pretty sure - as far as I know, the flights were in 2003/2004 to the base. They were definitely finished by 2005, and Lepper didn't join the government until 2006?

News / Andrzej Lepper committed suicide [98]


I doubt Lepper knew much, if anything - they were gone by the time he entered parliament.

I feel sorry for his family, really.

Life / Moving to Poland - what is the most important thing I need to do, once I'm in Poland? [51]


It's not just as simple as passing the exam - has she done the course beforehand?

Sworn translators can earn good money, but many of them are found in more corporate environments.

USA, Canada / Polish or American Education? [180]


Which school, out of curiosity?

(I'm in Poznan too, and have never heard of such glowing praise towards a school in the city itself)

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]

As far as I could tell (based on looking in Tesco in Slovakia in Žilina - prices are about the same as Poland. Some things are more expensive, other stuff was cheaper - but broadly, it was about the same price. But wasn't Slovakia's entry about the same time that the Zloty crashed in 2008 anyway?

As for the Latvians - sort of. They always had the option of changing the "peg" to the Euro (there's nothing stopping countries doing that - Slovakia revalued 2 or 3 times before joining the Euro proper) - but if they did, the Swedish banks that heavily invested into Latvia would've lost a hell of a lot of money - hence, they put massive, massive pressure on the Latvian Government not to do so. Most Lativans had mortgages in Euro, not in Lats - so as you can imagine, any change to the fixed rate in favour of Latvia would've really, really hurt the Swedish banks.

Denmark is also on the ERM2 system and hasn't had much problems - I'd actually say that for Poland in the long run, the best option is to join the ERM2 system and lock the Zloty in at a fixed rate, but don't join the actual Euro itself. Poland is then guaranteed stable exchange rates with the Euro (good) while staying out of the Euro (also good as long as the zone is unstable and proper controls aren't in place.)

I'm very, very pro Euro, but I think in the current form, it's unworkable. Does anyone genuinely believe that Greece will learn any lessons from this current crisis? I don't think so. Until Europe is able to integrate on a far more serious scale, the Euro simply can't work - things are just "too loose" for a single currency to work in such an environment. Therefore, Poland should stay out.

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]


Not yet, although the EU warned the "new" members that they won't be allowed to delay - Euro membership was a condition of EU membership.


But would we, really?

Slovakia isn't doing badly despite the Euro, for instance.

USA, Canada / Moving from United Kingdom to USA. Is it worth it? [136]


Massively cheaper in some respects.

It's sickening what you can get for your money in the USA compared to Europe.

Law / Staying in Schengen - are American exempt from the 90-days-in/90-days-out rule? [23]

The deal is much simpler than that - for every day you spend in the zone, up to a limit of 90 days, you need to leave for one day.

In other words - if you spend 90 days in the zone, then 40 days outside the zone - you will have 40 days 'credit' for the zone.

Law / Kaczyński doubts the Euro currency will survive [49]


Serbia only stands to have a market of 450 million people to access, along with freedom of movement for her citizens throughout the entire zone.

Incidentally, have Albright and Soros attempted to cripple Bosnia and Montenegro?

Life / Moving to Poland - what is the most important thing I need to do, once I'm in Poland? [51]


In Warsaw, any school worth working for (ie, one that won't screw you around/over) will demand it, unless you have significant prior teaching experience. A degree is also a must.


You do realise that wages are pathetically low for "newbie" teachers, along with many, many students graduating each year who need a job? It's not going to be an open-and-shut case of "hello job".


Find a job.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]


Agreed, the same is seen elsewhere - Polish students, in terms of raw knowledge, do rate very highly.

USA, Canada / Why are Polish restaurants not successful in the USA? [698]


Unfortunately, your lack of knowledge of Polish affairs is evident here yet again - "culinary tradition" was never enjoyed by the vast majority of Polish people. Anyone with a degree of knowledge of cooking knows that Polish food nowadays is simply Polish peasant food.

Then again - can you tell the difference between Polish food and Ukrainian food? I bet you couldn't...


Yep. There's another place in Poznan that does very similar food - again - nothing like that "Warszawa" restaurant at all.

Perhaps if Des came here, he might be able to see for himself. Somehow though, I imagine he'd get a shock after discovering that his relatives either eat foreign food, or they eat 'truckstop'/'milk bar' food.

USA, Canada / Why are Polish restaurants not successful in the USA? [698]


Actually, in Poland, they are. The food served in higher end restaurants is almost never identifiable as clearly Polish - it's always, as Jonni says, Central European in nature. In fact, I'd say that high end Polish cooking is either German or French in nature.

On the other hand, truckstops tend to have very "Polish" food - the kind of food that you want to eat while on the road to remind you of home. Likewise with "milk bars" - again - very Polish food, but low end.


When was the last time you were here? Ahh...silence. Until you actually come and experience Poland for yourself, perhaps you should refrain from commenting about what people actually eat here?


Let's be honest - you know nothing about Poland and her kitchen. The fact that you claim that the "Warszawa" restaurant is Polish is hysterical - the vast majority of that menu would never be eaten by most Poles.


Ah, that old chestnut. It's a source of much amusement in Poland, even to Poles - if you listened to people, you'd think that Poland was a land that was only inhabited by noble people. Let's be honest - your ancestors, like most Poles, were probably peasantry.


Heck, when was the last time you heard someone in Poland say "hey, let's go eat Polish food" unless someone from out-of-Poland was in town?