Travel / Driving to Poland from England - any tips? [264]


Very wrong. The border often offers the most competitive rates.

Genealogy / How Polish am I? What is the correct formula? [58]

Actually, it makes you American.

There's no such thing as "1/8th Polish".

Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]


I can tell you that accepting accomodation from a Polish employer is equal to putting a gun to your head.


True, when you speak the language fluently.

Give yourself a fighting chance and do the CELTA. If you do that and pass it (especially if you do it in Krakow) - you can use the duration of the course to go and talk to potential employers.

Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]


Definitely in Bialystok - it's a big place, yet no-one wants to live there. Plenty of demand, little competition - what's not to like?

AJ, you realise that we're going to put you on a train back to that small town this weekend? ;)

Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]


Problem with this is that you'll find that much of your money gets eaten up in commuting costs. The small towns won't pay so well, and public transport isn't *that* cheap.

Is there any special reason for living in Krakow? You'll find that schools in small towns will be far more willing to ignore the lack of degree/etc.

Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]

I think the degree thing is simply a way to insist on minimum standards - it's not totally compulsory (especially for Callan schools) - but in a fiercely competitive market like Krakow, they can afford to throw out any CV that doesn't have a degree listed.

I have a very experienced friend that works in Krakow - and she's telling me that the market is simply saturated. She owns a school - and she's now managing to hire natives for 40zl an hour - and this is a traditional school, not Callan or any other "method".

Krakow might be beautiful yada yada - but it's also going to be the hardest place to find a job in Poland.


Then try and get a job in a high school in a small town. Although there are regulations surrounding the education of teachers, a blind eye is frequently turned, especially in smaller places. But at the same time - you'll be paid in accordance with the national scale, which means about 800zl a month after tax.

Work / part-time job in Poland needs work permit? [40]


The Big 4 use English, whereas the rest use Polish.

However, as I know - they simply will not hire someone in Poland for a junior position without the Polish language. It's just not realistic - especially when you have to know the Polish laws.

Law / Looking to open Polish Office - Advice Needed [7]


Any reason why this area?

If he wants to attract decent staff, they're not likely to be in that area - he'd be better off looking at Poznan or Wroclaw.

Work / I am currently 75% through an on line TEFL course & moving to Krakow [35]


Are you sure teaching English is for you?

Bear one thing in mind - Polish employers are ruthless. If you mess up too much for their liking, they'll cut the work from you without blinking an eyelid - especially in Krakow where they can replace a native without any effort whatsoever. You can also expect students to be demanding - after all, it's their money.

You'd be best to try and get a job in a Callan school - but - they're going to pay absolutely peanuts. 30zl an hour, with no holiday pay or health insurance isn't going to go especially far in Poland if you've got a family to feed - especially combined with the ridiculously antisocial hours.

Now - if your girlfriend is earning good money by Polish standards (let's say - anything over 5000zl gross) - then it might work. But if she's working in a low earning job, you're going to find it a real struggle - no job security, in a competitive city full of people willing to offer "konwersacje" for beer money - it's really not a good bet if you want a future.

If you want to make it work in Poland, then my advice is to go to somewhere unfashionable. Rzeszow, Bialystok, Lodz et al.

History / Poland's biggest historical blunder? [341]


Certainly, by supporting Kosovar indepedence, he also supports the right of the Komancza Republic to declare independence, as well as the Lemko Republic, and also supports things such as Silesian autonomy.

I suppose he also supports the right of modern day villages to join Lithuania if the majority wishes to do so.

Work / Some cold, hard facts about teaching in Poland for newbies [101]


Some points :

40 full hours a week isn't going to be sustainable - with private classes, you'll be expected to be on top of your game at all times. As the students won't have any sort of contract or commitment to you - they won't be afraid to walk away if they're not happy. Then there's the all-too-frequent cancellations to contend with, as well as the fact that the vast majority of people will want classes between 4pm and 8pm Monday-Thursday. If you can't provide an invoice, you won't get people during the day - and weekends are not very popular at all.

The logic is sound, but the reality is different - you simply won't be able to keep up that kind of pace.

Social insurance is 360zl a month for the first two years. You'll also need an accountant, which will cost you at least 123zl a month. Tax is 18% up to 85k a year. Don't even bother thinking about doing your own accounts.


Perhaps. But the reality will be far less - and don't forget, in a small town, reputation will spread fast. If people aren't happy with you, classes will dry up far quicker in a small town.


Do you have the right of residency in Poland? You're not going to get a residence permit if you can't show a clear source of sufficient income.


If you're from Australia, you can't start as a self employed person here anyway - that route isn't open to you. You can only set up a limited liability company - which isn't cheap.

There's also the point that you're very, very unlikely to pick up 40 hours a week as a private teacher.

I know one guy in Warsaw who works 7am-9:30pm Monday-Friday. He has around 35-40 hours a week of classes - but also absolutely no life in the process. And that's Warsaw - with his own business - and yet he has to work very unsociable hours.

I can tell you one thing - a lot of people are looking for teachers who can provide an invoice, especially the ones who are willing to pay a bit more.

Love / I need advice: divorce and my rights as a father in Poland [165]


Wouldn't work, not under the EAW system. It's a tough thing to explain - but essentially, any EU country can put an arrest warrant out for anyone else if they're wanted by the judicary. EU countries are obliged to detain and then deport someone under this process - generally speaking, unless you manage to cause a hell of a fuss, it's very unlikely that you'll get away with it.

There's a huge problem at the minute with Poland (France/Spain, I think?) completely abusing this process due to their legal systems using EAW's for almost everything - even one case where someone was deported from the UK to Poland after being accused of stealing from a bank - even though he'd paid them everything owed!

But of course - Poland's legal system being the way it is, it would seem very unlikely that Poland would honour an EAW for a Polish citizen accused of taking a Polish citizen to Poland. Other countries wouldn't care, though.

I'll try and find the article for you which explains this better.

Love / I need advice: divorce and my rights as a father in Poland [165]


In the UK? Almost certainly.

And given that it's a pretty serious crime, combined with the existence of the European Arrest Warrants now being in place - she'd be a prisoner in Poland. Poland would most probably ignore the EAW - but you can be assured that the Germans, Czechs, etc won't.

Polonia / SHIPPING HOUSE CONTENTS: from Poland to Moscow. Suggest a company? [17]


I don't think it's possible to do that, not without paying taxes.

If I recall rightly, Russia puts a notice in your passport that you've imported a vehicle - if you attempt to leave without the vehicle, or stay beyond a certain time, you'll have tax to pay.

History / What was it like in 1989+ in Poland when the Soviet house of cards fell? [237]


Hahaha. It's pretty obvious that you know nothing about Poland if you're saying such nonsense.


Why? About the only negative change that the history books record was the sudden availability of drugs. Apart from that, life was poor, but it was hardly "hell on earth". I mean - I've been doing a lot of research into this - and no-one has said anything about it being "hell on earth".


Unemployment went to around 20%. Nothing worse than Spain nowadays - and that was the official unemployment figure. Given that there was a huge black market (and still is) in Poland - the real unemployment rate might have been much lower.

Poverty? I don't recall reading anywhere that Poland was starving. In fact, the worst times economically seem to have been 1980-1981.


More imagination, I suspect.


You really are deluded. I actually have somewhere an archive of pictures in 1989/1990 - and life was never that bad in Poland. Economically, it was poor - but the country was never in a state of total collapse like you claim.


Doesn't mean the country was falling apart.

Typical dumb American Polack, portraying Poland to be far worse than it ever was.

Law / Info for visa for Bangladesh people wanting to move to Poland [6]

Any type visa very much suggests "want to come to Poland to work illegally'.

Work / Some cold, hard facts about teaching in Poland for newbies [101]


Relying on a school (even the big, well known ones) to pay you is just nuts, if you ask me. In this entire city, there's only two schools that I'd trust - and I know both directors very, very well. The rest? Not a chance.

You've said it a lot, but it's worth saying again - relying on one school (especially if you're non-EU and without your own business) is asking for a hell of a lot of trouble.

I know at least one school here routinely uses the threat of withdrawing the work permit against their teachers.

Work / Some cold, hard facts about teaching in Poland for newbies [101]


Of course, you're always at the mercy of "konwersacje" types who will charge 50% less than you because they just want beer money. I don't have much problems with them - but I have my own office.


There's not a hope in hell of getting the same money in the countryside as in a major city. It will probably be easier to find work in a place of 25,000 people - but the money will be drastically less.

Love / I need advice: divorce and my rights as a father in Poland [165]


Not a good idea.

Why?

Poland routinely ignores the Hague Convention.

The only safe way to protect the child is to make sure that the child never leaves the UK.

Love / I need advice: divorce and my rights as a father in Poland [165]


And you think moving to Poland is a good idea?

First things first, go and talk to the UK Border Agency about making sure that she cannot remove the child from the UK without your permission. It might even be wise to get the child's passport revoked/invalidated while you're at it.

Love / I need advice: divorce and my rights as a father in Poland [165]


Should be no problem - the right of residence of family members is enshrined within EU law. The Chen case clarified this
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_case


As a start, I'd be looking at informing the UK Border Agency that the child is not to be taken outside of the UK. It woudn't be the first (nor the last) time when a Polish woman has fled back to Poland with a child, safe in the knowledge that a foreign father is never going to get a fair deal here.

News / Ustroń: Another giant religious statue in Poland [26]


The problem is that such criticism fuels those that want to put up such statues - and who in Poland would dare to refuse planning permission for such a thing?

Swiebodzin - fine, it did a lot to put the town on the map. But there's no need for a glut of similar statues.


Indeed. The money wasted on such things would not have been lost on Jesus - who, judging by his life, would rather have given the money to the poor and unfortunate than on statues of himself.

News / Ustroń: Another giant religious statue in Poland [26]


No, I wouldn't say Poland - but rather some people seem obsessed with the idea of forcing it down everyone's throat. The sad thing is that anyone that opposes such things are immediately blasted and labelled as some sort of Communist Jew - which is nonsense.

I really hope that putting up giant Jesus statues doesn't become a fashion :(


Judging by your intolerance towards others, you're the one that's "religiously deficient', pal.

Food / Polish grape-wine industry emerging? [26]


Again, being judgemental towards others.

Such a good Catholic, aren't you?

USA, Canada / U.S. Citizen to Study in Poland on U.S. Passport for Over 3 Months? Problems? [46]


It doesn't take months in Poland to register a birth. It's also possible to get both an ID card and a passport without a registered address - though this provision is little known.

It's not illegal to have multiple citizenships - the only provision is that any foreign citizenship won't be recognised when in Poland - along with the obligation to identify yourself using only Polish documents. This is what led to the "passport trap" - Poles are not allowed to exit Poland using non-Polish documents.

USA, Canada / U.S. Citizen to Study in Poland on U.S. Passport for Over 3 Months? Problems? [46]


Actually, the problem is the opposite - with a Polish name, it'll be his obligation to prove that he isn't Polish - due to the specific offence of identifying yourself to the Polish authorities with foreign documents.


Doesn't have to be - the law makes it clear that citizenship is passed on regardless of any documents.


It makes it easier to get the documents, but he already has citizenship - if he broke the law in Poland, he'd be treated as a Polish, not American citizen.

Off-Topic / How do Polish people operate? what makes them tick? [103]


It's common among those lower members of society who feel angry that they weren't dealt a better hand in life- usually through their own misfortune.

Being sacked from his toilet cleaning job really has made him a bitter, angry man.

Love / American marrying Polish woman in Poland - Church problems [79]


Personally, if someone doesn't know *how* they got married before, some might say that he's unfit to get married now.

Off-Topic / How do Polish people operate? what makes them tick? [103]


Actually, you're the one that seems to be attacking people to make himself feel better. I couldn't care less - it's pretty obvious that you're not happy with yourself.


No use for him, I'm afraid - he'd have to shower after getting home, and he just can't do that when PF is waiting.

Off-Topic / How do Polish people operate? what makes them tick? [103]


Jeez, no wonder he's so bitter and depressed if there aren't even any toilets to clean!