Work / In New York -- how do I go about finding a job in Warsaw? [6]

use the internet - first search for ALL jobs in your line of business, THEN get a list of the major companies, and bombard them with your CV (resume).

Make sure you include things which set you apart from the 1,000's of other resumes that they will get.

Some years ago (1994-1996) I found a well-paid job in Warsaw through an agent advertising in national papers. This may also be a line to try, see if any recruitment agencies in NY have any connections with Poland, they may know of vacancies.

Life / Polish word for 'queue' [18]

The best thing is simply to tell them: 'Tu jest kolejka, prosze pana/pani.' (There is a queue here)
with a voice that could shudder a thousand ships and with a look that says 'I'm just waiting... bring it on'.
I notice the very same thing every time I'm in Krakow, but then again, it's every man for himself.

Work / Turkish bachelor student wants to study and live in Poland [22]

>>>well it's a risk i should take
Good luck to you, but you will probably end up working for 6PLN an hour (if your lucky).

Food / Anyone try Polish spirytus straight? [6]

I have, but purely in a medicinal capacity. There is something called 'kit pszczeli' and when mxed with spirit forms a liquid, very mcuh like iodine, which can then be put on the skin to dry out any abnormalities, spots, boils..

Work / Turkish bachelor student wants to study and live in Poland [22]

That may be so, but guess what....who will give you a job when you have to have a visa, and there are 100 people after one job AND they all speak Polish, and they are ALL better educated than you.

UK, Ireland / Will I be able to apply for a college in the UK with a Polish qualification [13]

Please read once again my post.

People are getting confused here. The 15 year old girl has NOT sat her Matura exam which is available in Poland for 18 year olds.
The asker (if she moves to England) will have to attend normal college offering A levels.
If the college does not accept her previous results from Poland, she will need to sit her GCSE and get sufficient marks for the college to accept her. Simples.

Only after gaining A levels can she even consider University.

News / Polish pornstar (Amandha Fox) running for mayor in Italy [6]

I'm sure that once she wins, she will have plenty of men petitioning her for changes to their environment.

UK, Ireland / Will I be able to apply for a college in the UK with a Polish qualification [13]

You will need to convince your College that you can study 'A' levels. Geneally colleges ask for good GCSE (they may accept your swiadectwo gimnazjalne) if the results are such that they would normally accept you as a student. But chances are that you will need to take the GCSE and then after 16 you would study A levels.

USA, Canada / Live in the US, born in Poland and need a Polish passport [3]

Yes, that is right, There are many comments on this forum about the procedure. May take 3 months, may take 2 years. It all depends on how fast the bureucracy turns.

Work / BEWARE of K&S Krakowska Szkoła Języków Obcych!! [41]

krakow.gazeta.pl/krakow/1,35798,11391985,Poszkodowani_przez_szkole_zglaszaja_sie_na_policje.html

For those who can read Polish, please read the above article. For others: K & S is no longer a viable business. The owner cannot be contacted. The premises are empty and people are going to the police to bring a joint action against the school.

Life / Childcare / Creche in Poland - typical cost? [15]

look on websites, but generally 8-10pln per hour.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]

If you have time, read David Crystal on the subject.
You will find that second generation are somewhat 'ashamed' of having Polish roots,
Third generation will feel themselves 'natives' of their birth-country and the fourth generation will stand up and say: "Some of my ancestors were of 'foreign extrction' why have my parents not taught me anything about my ancestors and their language - and these 4th generation people they will go hell for leather to get to know everything about Poland and their own roots.

This is how it always was and how it will be.

Love / 'Seks po polsku' - the sex lives of Poles: [45]

one thing amazes me - we all know people have to get intimate (in reality 'have sex') so why is it that the majority are too ashamed to say it and call it 'it' I don't have 'it' and just like everyone else I have sex.

Let's call a spade a spade.
p.s. my sessions last 90 minutes or thereabouts.

Work / Minimum basic salary in Poland [96]

You have not taken into account the Polish mentality when it comes to a 'Educated person with 5 or 6 diplomas' who has never done a day's work in their life and a 'robol' (blue collar worker).

It seems that even when this 'robol' (generally a plumber, electrician, car mechanic, builder - all physical work) earns 2 or 3 times as much as the 'educated mgr' in the eyes of some people, he will never be considered on the same level as the 'mgr'.

But, the politicians know better - let the whole country be educated, let there be 99% of people with mgr (MA) diplomas - and nobody to do REAL work......

I told everyone this 20 years ago when I was in Poland, and the answers I got were: 'yes, but when you have a mgr you are "somebody". ....yes, well but not in a country where education has fallen to such levels that almost everyone now has a mgr (MA).

And so I say....let this somebody's serve at McDonalds (that's if they're lucky enough to get that job).

Nothing will change in Poland until people begin to APPRECIATE the hard-working blue collar workers.

Work / Minimum basic salary in Poland [96]

Basic salary - depend on the type of job but...whatever your employer is willing to pay you.

Law / Poland has too much redtape [14]

You're looking at it from a complete wrong angle. This is God's way of testing your patience. Just roll with it....

Where else in the world would you get as frustrated, tearing your hair out just standing there in total amazement at the different sometimes totally opposing bits of 'information' that the clerk behind the desk gives you.

One time, I remember when I was trying to get 'zameldowanie' the clerk told me.. "the fact that you were born in Poland does not mean that you're Polish"..Ok, this could be true, but then she said..."We have to first make sure that Krakow is in Poland"...- that's when I stood there mouth wide-open, while I composed myself.

Language / Community interpreting/public service interpreting in Poland [13]

Institutions in Poland do not provide 'community interpreters' at all. If you are a foreigner, then it is up to you to obtain the services of someone (be it a friend or paid interpreter) to ensure that you understand what is being said/written.

The way things are, and I speak from experience, even a Polish native has trouble sometimes understanding what is being said to them in Polish.

I have come across community interpreting and really, the Diploma is good only in England, where I am sure you can find plenty of work.

Life / Polish holiday tradition - granny dumping? [13]

Like I said - wait another 30 years and they themselves will be old - you reap what you sow....

Life / The rise of ' Generation rent ' in Poland. [26]

.>>>>..never gave a battle or bleed in movements...

Obviously NOT, the older generation (70-75 plus) never went through World War II, their children generation (50 +) never went through the 1980s........ everything was handed to them on a plate....and now the younger generation wants the same.

No comment.

Life / Polish holiday tradition - granny dumping? [13]

The saddest part of all this, is that those who currently do this, (granny dumping) FORGET that one day, they themselves will be old and unwanted and it maybe that their children, having got used to 'getting rid of granny for Christmas' will do it to them. I DO hope so.

Work / Chartered accountant from India joining a company in Poland. Cost of living in Poznan? [29]

I certainly agree with you on the outsourcing question.

But why, or why, is it that the PLN is always weak when I am in England, but the minute I get to Poland, all of a sudden it becomes strong. In a weeks time, pound sterling will probably buy me 5 PLN if not less..

Work / Chartered accountant from India joining a company in Poland. Cost of living in Poznan? [29]

>>>>>>When the average gross salary in Poland is 1290$ a month, it seems a bit low to be paid 3000 PLN gross (855$) a month, when you have five years in business school.

I take your point, but please tell us all, where did you read that the average salary in Poland is 1290 US dollars. That would make approx. 4,500 PLN gross.

Really?

Work / Salary Expectations Question (Krakow, Fund Accounting) [19]

State Street are advertising again looking for Fund Accountants. To me, there's no point in sending CV or even going for an interview unless you know what the salary is. You will waste time and money and at the end, they might offer you 2K - what is the point?

I would be interested to know how much these Fund Accountants earn.

Work / Chemistry degree - what are my chances of finding work in Poland? [29]

I don't want to pour oil on troubled waters, but if you are trying to advertise yourself as a teacher, first thing you MUST remember when posting on public fora is that people will be looking at the way you present your case.

Your posts are full of mistakes
Find out about CELTA, (don't ever admit that you, as a prospective teacher don't know what this is) get qualified and then start knocking on doors.

Poland is full of people who have 2 or 3 degrees and Master's plus a stack of teaching qualifications - what makes you so special that a private school might consider you as a 'good bet'.

I also assume that you are from the EEC and that your English is of a acceptable standard, the same standard you would expect from a teacher of English teaching you.

Real Estate / Who designs houses in Poland? [66]

There is something that I just dont get about Polish houses.

To me a dining table should be in a dining room which is near the kitchen (in a separate room) or within the kitchen itself (if it is large enough).

I just do not get having a dining room table slap bang in the middle of a lounge...and also I can't quite get having a washing machine in the bathroom.

Strange how different people perceive how a house should be constructed.

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

For a start, if you pay czynsz to an administrator, (and own a flat in the building) then it may be that you are also a part-owner of the whole building. I know this seems obvious, but it's not always the case. However, this will be clearly stated in your Deeds (Akt Notarialny).

Secondly, all owners should organise meetings, where the order of any major repairs will be discussed as well as quotations for work etc.
Thirdly, each one of you should receive a statement saying on what basis your czynsz is calculated - (usually per sq metre of your flat) and it should be easy to calculate how much of each bill (joint electricity, rubbish removal, insurance, chimney inspection, gas inspection) you should pay.

In my building (kamienica) we have only recently established an improvement/maintenance fund (fundusz remontowy) and can already see what work has been carried out. We have meetings every quarter, all are minuted and any decisions are countersigned by all owners.

Do not pay anything unless you have ewidence of how it's calculated and what it is being spent on. What evidence do you have that the administrator is not pocketing the money and will in future STRONGLY deny that you have ever given her anything.......

Real Estate / Can a Non-European buy house in Poland? [14]

Before you buy anything, make sure that he actually owns the place and that there are no liens (debts) against it.
Let him show you Act Notarialny (proof of ownership) and make sure you check it in the Town Hall Courts.

Law / how much should a babysitter in warsaw cost? [6]

If yuou were to engage a babysitter/nanny expect to pay at least 10PLN per hour cash in hand.

Study / Information Needed: Skarbek University, Warsaw. [57]

Just had a look at their website.
For a University you would think that they would ensure that there are no glaring in-your-face grammatical and ortographic errors. I don't have much faith in a University which offers courses/modules in English and can't be bothered to make sure that at least on their website there are no mistakes.

Love / Should I bring gifts? - help with a Polish wedding [46]

I too was a guest at a wedding. Before going, I asked some Polish friends about buying presents and they said that I ahould put some money in an envelope and give this to the couple as they come out of church and everyone is wishing them all the best There is always someone there to take the envelopes.

You will notice that everyone else is doing this too.
You can give them a card at the same time, or better still put the envelope inside the card, so that they know who the money came from.

Nothing else is needed.