Life / My own thoughts about life in Poland (have lived here for two years) [133]

Kaczynski was right to a degree with such a comment though - where's the sense in the public funding people through 5 year degrees if all they do is move to the UK to work in low paid employment? Let's be realistic - while the UK might offer better salaries right now, those same people are going to come back with no experience in their trade

We're already seeing in Poznan that people won't hire others who don't have relevant work experience in the UK. I know several HR managers, and all of them say the same thing - what relevance does dish washing have? There are plenty of people in Poland with great English skills, especially among younger people - someone who went to the UK to wash dishes is not going to be at any particular advantage at all.

And strangely, the same applies for TEFL teachers - many of them don't realise that when they return, they'll struggle to find a good, normal job.

UK, Ireland / Ive been in the UK for 6 days to relocate and im going back to Poland. [281]


Seanus, there's actually a good point here to be made - that just because you can teach English doesn't mean that you can actually adequately teach the vocabulary at all. There's a guy here who makes a killing as a medical English teacher - I'd like to get involved (who wouldn't for 120PLN/hour?), but when I look at the textbooks and terminology, I don't have a clue!

Life / My own thoughts about life in Poland (have lived here for two years) [133]

Sorry, but the original post contains so much nonsense that I can't stop myself laughing. I'll highlight just a few things -


I bought razor blades the other day. I paid almost exactly the same price as I'd pay in the UK for the same product.

Electronics are about 10% more expensive due to currency movement - no big deal. And yes, I buy a lot of electronics - and the price difference compared to the UK is so small that it's not worth buying there. The UK, incidentally, being the cheapest place in Europe for electronics.


Uh...wages are lower, maybe that's why? And you cannot compare the EU to America when it comes to electronics - the EU always has been much, much more expensive.


More nonsense. The minimum wage is 1317zl a month, and this is enforced. Anyone being paid less than minimum can quite easily win in court without much fuss - the legal system being very heavily weighted towards employees.

Someone clearly knows nothing about the Polish legal system and how strongly it protects workers. In fact, Polish workers are protected almost as heavily as French workers! And as for such contracts - I'd love to see one. They don't exist - for the simple reason that no employer is stupid enough to do such a thing in a country where the labour laws are ridiculously strict.

Obviously, he hasn't told you about all the bribes that he's received that "increase" his salary dramatically. Anyway, if you can't afford to live on 5000zl a month, something is seriously wrong with you.


More rubbish. My effective tax rate this year is hovering about 13% as a sole trader. Not bad really, especially when it includes pension and health care! Many people are also getting away with an effective 9.5% tax rate, especially teachers and translators.


Wrong again. Compare NFZ dentistry to NHS dentistry. I rest my case.


Could that be because post-war reconstruction has been funded through the exploitation of that countries resources? It's hardly a big secret that American companies have been using Iraqi money to reconstruct the country that they destroyed!


Obviously someone has been winding you up senseless. Could it be that your lesbian friend actually had a major falling out with her mother over her sexuality (which goes on all over the world) and that her mother wants nothing to do with her? Good excuse to tell the gullible foreigner, anyway.


And they're the ones who will have nothing to come back to - while they work as waitresses in Western Europe. Let's be honest here - the best graduates don't need to leave Poland at all, because there's so much opportunity here. Actually, the ones that left are very often the ones that can't hack it in Poland - or they simply want to earn a lot of money by Polish standards quickly.

Work / Cost of Living, Average Salaries and Job sites in Poland [263]


Bang on. Or actually not.

Actually, it's quite strange for me - many expats seem to think that they should have a high standard of living - yet - take your average mid 20's TEFL type. They would be on a lower-than-average salary, especially those from the UK/Ireland - and they probably wouldn't be able to live by themselves or be able to go out nearly as much as they do here. Yet some of them come here and expect to live by themselves in a decent apartment while still having money to do as they please.

Truth be it, for the average Brit, they'll live far better here than in the UK if they can get themselves sorted. What about Americans, Fuzzy? I always get the impression that Europe is a step down for them in terms of what they can obtain here - I mean, cars, housing, electronics - everything is going to be worse.

Work / Self employed teacher, what do you think about this? [9]

What benefits, out of interest? You'll be worse off if you're only getting an "umowa o dzielo" contract from the other school.

Work / Cost of Living, Average Salaries and Job sites in Poland [263]


Yes, because they don't have the benefit of knowing how to cut costs. Many of them will also expect to be able to live like they did back home - which isn't going to be easy on 1850zl net. And they still have to get home now and again.


It says that Poles don't tend to expect to live like expats.

Law / Tax deductibles for self-employed English teacher working in Poland [7]

You don't need to post endless threads - you've posted about 5 or 6 different threads in the last couple of hours when you could have simply included all the questions in one post - or bothered to use the search facility to find the answers required.

As I said - you can find out the answers via a quick Google search.


Yes, it's a business. Self employment, technically, but still a business conducting economic activity. Seeing as I feel generous, I'll tell you the rough details.

- Compulsory social insurance contribution of 350zl a month in the first two years.
- VAT is only applicable once you turn over more than 100,000zl a year (150,000zl from next year)
- Yes, you'll need an accountant.

Law / Tax deductibles for self-employed English teacher working in Poland [7]

These questions really can be answered with two seconds on Google.

But if you want to start a business and don't even understand VAT, I would suggest that you need to go away and do your research properly.

Travel / Getting back to Poland on an old ID. [15]

No other ID is acceptable for flying with from the UK to elsewhere - just the passport or valid ID card. Nothing else.

Of course, another option is to visit the Polish embassy and get an emergency passport to get back - only valid to Poland, but it will get you home!

Work / European Union and living/working in Poland [2]


Yes, she needs to register with the tax authorities and obtain a residence permit. How? It's all covered on the forum. Cost? 1zl.


No, unless she has an umowa o praca/umowa zlecenia contract.


Gross - 80% of 1,317zl in the first year of employment, per month, based upon a 40 hour week. Net? Depends.

Travel / Getting back to Poland on an old ID. [15]


It won't be accepted by the airlines, that much is certain. Most ferry companies won't accept it either, apart from where there are foreign border checks in the UK - such as at St Pancras International and Dover.

Law / How does Health Care in Poland work? [16]


In this case, you absolutely must renew the Polish passport before travelling into Poland - it is illegal to enter Poland on a non-Polish passport if you are Polish. And yes, you will be held at the border for this - your passport presumably identifies you as having been born in Poland.

The PESEL is merely your national identity number.


No, that's a Dowod Osobisty. Which is also a legal requirement for you to obtain when in Poland.

You'll need a place where you can register your residence - is your family in Poland happy for you to do so? Again, it's illegal for you not to have a "zameldowanie".

What do you intend to do in Poland, out of interest?

Law / How does Health Care in Poland work? [16]


And you're going to stay with them?

Travel / Gniezno - the hardest city to get around? [3]

It's very Polish - don't expect much in the way of English to be spoken there. About the best thing about the place is the fantastic expressway through the city ;) In regards to accommodation - nothing is worth staying in there.

I'd actually stay in Poznan and just drive there - it's about an hour's drive each way, and Poznan is about as Western as it gets. But still - if you like adventure, Gniezno will be interesting for you!

News / Poland's budget problems = Polish funerals [27]


True, and it looks like the first moves to put a stop to universal child benefit are underway.


Why should single parents receive anything extra? They still have the father/mother to provide support. Additionally, if you can't raise a child without help - why have one?

I'm in favour of tax allowances for those with children instead of money. Tax allowances encourage people to work - handouts don't.

News / Poland's budget problems = Polish funerals [27]

No, there should be nothing for new born children. If you can't afford them, don't have them!

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

I'd say that those that moved to Poland in 2004 and bought a flat then are doing very well for themselves in terms of equity in the property.

Real Estate / TRESPASSING ON MY LAND IN POLAND....what can i do legally...? [119]


Was this near Slubice by any chance?

Life / Haircut for men in Wroclaw [11]


I wish I had enough hair for it to actually matter :/

News / Newsweek's The World's Best Countries (Poland ranked 29) [128]


I think it's safe to say that there are plenty of people in Poland who would hire you to empty their rubbish bins.

News / Poland's budget problems = Polish funerals [27]


They're not serious. PO is simply culling a lot of the pointless allowances and fluff from the budget in order to make sure that the budget deficit doesn't run out of control. It makes perfect sense to cut money such as this - all it's doing is subsidising the funeral sector.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]


Wrong again.

I've actually got two A/C units - fair enough, it's not quite the American level of having it all integrated, but what's the point when they're only used for three months a year, and even then, they're only used when it's unbearable.

Sorry Fuzzy, but some of us actually can afford to shell out 1000zl on A/C units and afford the electricity bill (not that it's much) :)


Yes, I supopse when your wife earns about 1500zl netto and you have a child and rent to pay, life is tough, especially when you can't claim any Polish unemployment benefits.

As I've already explained to you, rent is affordable to the average Polish person. Cars? Insurance is ridiculously cheap here. Cars are cheap enough, especially if you buy from Germany. Clothes? I saw a shop selling clothes for 1zl/kg - that doesn't strike me as "expensive". But I guess that for the average American bum sitting in a squalid flat in Krakow because he doesn't work and his wife is too stupid to earn well, these things are expensive.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]


That's normal if one partner is staying at home and trying to become an "internet entrepreneur" rather than actually going to work for a living.

However, given that you can get a studio flat in Poznan for 700zl in a reasonable locality, there's no need for any professional couple to share a flat with anyone. I know plenty of professional single people who can afford a good life and they own their own place. But that's because they went to a good university and studied hard and now work hard, instead of staying at home and calling strangers off the internet to be abusive.


Sure. But the cost of living is much lower in general. I've been absolutely abusing the electricity over the last two months - my bill? 200zl. Or 50 euro for 2 months. 25 euro a month for electricity? Peanuts.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]


Yes, but most people don't live in such a locality - and I doubt that the flat was unfurnished, either. It's simply not a good comparison to compare what a foreigner pays for rental costs versus what a Polish person might pay. Also, it's quite normal for single Poles to share a house or flat, just like they do in most European countries - so your figure would actually be more like 640zl a month - or about a quarter of your income on rent. Which really isn't much money at all.

So - wrong again.

Law / How to register a new business in Poland [129]


I'd recommend that you strongly get an accountant to help you and not a lawyer or legal advisor - quite frankly, most lawyers don't have a clue about the taxation implications.

News / U.S. role in Poland is shrinking [82]


Indeed. The build quality of the 1970's/1980's building spree in Poland is far, far higher than the 1990/2000's flats.

Love / Korean guy wondering about girls and life in Poland [50]


The first rule of teaching English in Poland is that you're able to use the language correctly.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]


Wrong. Small apartment = about 1000zl in Poznan city centre, can be as cheap as 700zl. Average wage here is definitely higher than the 3300zl Polish average - so yet again, your facts are wrong. Even in the sticks, you can pick up a decently sized flat for about 500zl a month - which is perfectly affordable.


Somehow, I think you're speaking as a man living in Krakow who doesn't work, rather than someone in Ireland. I know Irish property prices, and you're not going to get somewhere for 1/6th of an average salary unless it's some sort of council place.

Genealogy / Jankowice Town in Poland - records [77]

From the same line as "busha", I guess.

Work / Average monthly salary in Poland is around 1000 PLN (few hundred bucks). [387]

I've seen it as low as 0.80zl in Poznan, and as little as 0.60zl in Przemysl about two weeks ago.