Work / Minimum basic salary in Poland [96]


What they say you get and what they actually pay you is also two different things.

Seriously - why are you trying to come to Poland? There's nothing here for you!

News / Decoded talks inside Poland's president's plane are released in Internet [337]


Regardless of what happened with the lights (the Yak confirmed they were working fine) - it doesn't explain what the plane was doing where it was. The Captain took the plane down that far - no-one else. They have approach charts to tell them about the terrain, there is absolutely no excuse for that plane to go below 100m.

The real conspiracy here is the institutional failings within the Air Force. What went on after Miroslawiec?


He was non-interventionist, no?

As for Lech Kaczynski winning - it wouldn't have changed anything if he won or lost. The President is quite powerless, remember?

News / Decoded talks inside Poland's president's plane are released in Internet [337]


Yes, for civilian purposes. In case you hadn't noticed - this was a flight operated by the Polish Air Force, hence military.


Obviously the Yak crew were lying, and obviously the Russians turned back because...well...erm...


Really? That would be why Lech Kaczynski appointed many political stooges to important positions?


Why is CFIT such a common problem then, among pilots with much more experience than him?


Pride? Institutional failings within the Polish Air Force? A simple cock up? Many reasons - it wouldn't be the first time that a very experienced pilot has put the plane into the ground.

Have a look at this Seanus - dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pilot-error-no-1-reason-behind-plane-crashes-50-year-data-shows_1387357


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanair_Flight_5022

also shows you a very notable example of where experienced pilots got it wrong.

UK, Ireland / The number of Anti-English Poles... [228]


How much money do you think Brits get from the Polish system, hmm?

News / Decoded talks inside Poland's president's plane are released in Internet [337]


They do though, and this is the problem. Look at this - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Flight_801#Disaster

CFIT (controlled flight into terrain) is much more common than you think.


The question is more - why did they go below 100 metres? Why was the autopilot still engaged as they descended below 100?

One thing is certain - they made a mistake.

News / Decoded talks inside Poland's president's plane are released in Internet [337]


I'm not hearing any complaints from the Polish side.


The people in charge of the Polish investigation seem quite content with it.

Or are you suggesting that these people are lying, even though some of them are appointed by Lech Kaczynski?


Really? Source, please.


You can think all you like, but that's how investigations are done. It doesn't make sense for Poland to have the black boxes (nor does she want them) when the rest of the evidence is in Russia.

Anyway, if you believe that Russia has tampered with the boxes, then you additionally believe that some of the highest people in Poland are lying to you. Bear in mind that many of these same people are no fans of the government.

Is it really that hard to believe that this crash was caused by the Polish Air Force? After all, they have quite the history of crashing planes.

Travel / Sleeper train Poland to Holland, the Jan Kiepura [13]


When you consider that the train takes 21 hours to reach Warsaw from Moscow, is it really that much of a surprise? They can't attach the Jan Kiepura carriages until the Moscow (and others!) carriages turn up - so delays are just an unfortunate side effect of a long distance train.


I could never, ever share a cabin with strangers for this reason - I can't imagine the horror of having to share one with an old person!

Life / HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE POLAND IN 2010? [84]


Aha, these guys - well, of course, I completely agree that they should have been thrown out. They had/have little to offer apart from a bad attitude, and from what I can tell, were only in the positions they had because they didn't rock the boat and were reliable enough not to protest.

The problem in Poland from my perspective is that many Solidarity members today have become what they always hated - bureaucratic, inefficient individuals with more interest in their own well being than the success of the workplace. The recent-ish riot in Poznan tells you everything about them - Solaris have been doing amazingly well for a Polish company, yet Ciegelski have chosen to blame everyone else, even when it was their own bad (Solidarity) management that caused the recent financial problems in the first place.

Maybe it's time for a 5th republic to rise, sweeping away not only Communists, but also Solidarity members?

Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]


Anyone in a city worth living in can make 4000zl no sweat. It's 25 hours a week (at 40zl an hour, which is on the low side - my best contract pays 80zl an hour, and my lowest is 47zl an hour) work. Natives simply don't have it that difficult if they have a) a brain and b) some ability to teach.


Go ahead. None of them take into account the absolutely massive black economy in education in Poland - do you really think 99% of people are declaring income from private lessons? Trust me - state teachers working full time might only make 1200zl on paper, but they only work 18x45min a week - do you really think they're sitting at home the rest of the time? Don't be stupid.

I can assure you that in Poznan, 50zl an hour for private lessons from a qualified teacher is the "normal" price. Let's say Magda earns about 1200zl in her hand from her State job - she still has plenty of time to teach privately on top. Let's say she does another 25 lessons a month - she's now on 2500zl or so a month in cash. That's not bad money for a profession which requires simply a pass grade from university.

But the statistics will tell you that she only earns 1200zl a month. Funny how Magda is always well dressed, isn't it? ;)

Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]


They are affordable. There are endless flats available in Poznan for less than 1000PLN a month - which is frankly speaking, nothing.


But even a pair of Polish teachers working in State schools can easily take home between them 3500-4000PLN a month if they apply themselves. Flats can be had for as little as 600-700PLN a month.

Life / HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE POLAND IN 2010? [84]


Let's bear something in mind here - the people who were allegedly able to do the job were put in charge of all the sentimental Solidarność facilities. Why is it now, none of these facilities are doing well at all?

It's no different to how West Germany used ex-Nazis to rebuild their economy. It didn't hurt them, and it's not hurting Poland.

It simply wouldn't have made any sense whatsoever to get rid of all the people with experience, especially in favour of untested workers with no managerial experience whatsoever.

Life / HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE POLAND IN 2010? [84]


For the sake of progress, it was obviously left untouched. Sure - Poland could have gone around, lustrating (is that a word?) all the PZPR members - but then, who would have managed the factories? The utter incompetence shown by the shopyards and other Solidarność strongholds shows that ex-communist managers were frankly much better at running things anyway.

What would Poland have achieved from lustration, anyway?

Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]


Gah, I was thinking about something else when writing that :P


I can't stand it at all - I know several success stories here, and every single one of them has had to put significant effort into it. There's someone on here doing rather well at the minute with his business - but he has put his back into it and his balls on the line - it certainly didn't come to him on the plate like many of them seem to expect!


Any decent, qualified native English teacher can take home 4000zl a month without breaking into too much of a sweat.


Sure, they can live a normal life. But that normal life means not living in luxurious apartments in the centre of cities - it means living in an ordinary flat in an ordinary district with an ordinary car, comparable to the amount of money that they make in real terms. If someone is only earning the equal of 1000 euro between two, they can't expect to live in a city centre flat with the latest furnishings, alongside driving a nice new car. It's just not realistic.

Life / HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE POLAND IN 2010? [84]


Do you really think Kulczyk would want a thing to do with the shipyards and Cegielski?

Both the shipyards and Cigelski were ran into the ground by sentimental Solidarność managers who simply didn't have a clue how to run them - living in Poznan and hearing about some of the nonsense that goes on within Ciegelski, I'm really not surprised that the factory is on the edge of bankruptcy. Look at how Solaris have succeeded in Poland - while Cigielski workers still stand there and demand more and more from the government - even when their own Solidarność managers were the ones that have caused all the economic problems.

I cannot imagine someone like Kulczyk wanting anything to do with the great moustached masses.


Do I need to remind you that the Kaczynski twins signed the Round Table Agreement? They AGREED to the deal which allows PZPR members to "get away with it" in exchange for giving up power - so don't give me the conspiracy theories, please!

Anyone with an unbiased, unhysterical view of the situation can clearly see that a deal was done to allow PZPR members to move on in exchange for them giving up power. History tells us now that there was no need to make such a deal - but look at how painless it was in Poland in 1989 compared to the violence seen in places like Czechoslovakia and East Germany.


This much I agree with. If it was to be done, it should have been done quickly and effectively in 1991/2 - not in 2005. Then again, the 4th Republic project was embarrasing - instead of focusing on Poland's problems today, they tried to focus on imagined communist enemies from 15 years ago.


Won't happen, he seems like a beaten man. This whole low-key campaign isn't working at all - right now, it wouldn't seem surprising if Komorowski snatched the election in the 1st round!

Real Estate / PLN 2,500 the going rate for an apartment in Poland [210]


Nope, wouldn't be expensive at all for a full time English teacher with a wife earning a comparable amount. Let's say, for the sake of argument, the English teacher is taking home about 4000zl a month and his wife the same - is 2500zl really that expensive on 7000zl a month? Not really.

I cannot understand this attitude in Poland that someone who didn't bother to study something that earns big money should have a nice flat and a nice car and so on!

Real Estate / Furnished properties for rent in Warsaw? [4]


Because quite frankly - we don't need anymore unqualified "teachers" in Poland, especially ones who think that it's an easy "in" to the country. I don't think it's any surprise that the most successful teachers are the ones who don't come here for "love".

So many people come here, thinking that it's an easy way to be with their bird - only to leave after a few months because it was much harder going than they expected.

Go away, finish your degree, get the CELTA or equal, then you can consider coming here.

Real Estate / Furnished properties for rent in Warsaw? [4]


You won't have a chance on a teachers salary to afford such a thing.


Then your first port of call should be to obtain a recognised certificate.


No. You can pick up work, but anything sustainable and worthwhile will want some form of recognised teaching certificate.

It's also worth noting that - many school directors are wise to foreigners who teach because they can't do anything else - and as has been explained to you before, many of these people end up going back home after a few months with their tail between their legs.

Life / Living Costs and life in Poznan? [70]

Get something in the area called "Polanka" - that's probably the best area for someone like you :)

Law / Applying for Polish citizenship through marriage. [116]


Nope, you're not in the slightest. Your ancestry might be Polish, sure - but you most certainly aren't, even if you hold the passport. They might be citizens, but they're no different from the African who married a Pole and got Polish citizenship. Let's not even get into their idiotic voting habits - certainly, should someone with no knowledge of the Polish language be allowed to vote?

It's funny just how many Americans "remembered" that they were TRUE POLISH PATRIOTS after Poland joined the EU.

The saddest story, if you ask me, is the way that the EU put pressure on Warsaw not to give Polish citizenship to those who ended up on the "wrong" side of the border, but rather to simply give them the "Karta Polaka". Those people are far more Polish than the vast majority of Polonia in America - yet they're denied full citizenship.

Law / Applying for Polish citizenship through marriage. [116]


3 years and 6 months, to be accurate.

No requirement to speak Polish to any level - if there was, then they would never be able to issue endless passports to the American TRUE POLISH Polonia.

Law / Government/EU Funding to start a new business in Poland (Warsaw)? [13]

Actually, those are the ones who mostly didn't manage.

Law / Government/EU Funding to start a new business in Poland (Warsaw)? [13]


What, you're surprised that the Polish government funds young people, people over 50, women returning to work, people living in economic blackspots and the disabled - the exact minority groups that have potential, but often people are unwilling to hire them?

The point, after all, is to generate employment.

Law / Government/EU Funding to start a new business in Poland (Warsaw)? [13]

@crusader
There are funds, but they are usually very highly targeted at minority groups.

In broad terms, what are you looking for? You're not going to get money to start a language school in Warsaw, but you might very well get funding to start an English nursery in Podkarpackie.

Work / International House - Kracow school - any chances of being offered a job there [59]


There is a certain degree of demand for non-EU speakers. Not much, given the hassle involved, but some schools are willing to bother.


Some schools do, usually bigger ones.

But. And this is the big but. Polish people almost universally deride Indian speakers as being incompetent, useless and unable to speak English properly. Regardless of your own ability, you will always be seen in Poland as "haha, they don't speak English properly" - your only real hope is to find a job in a State school, in which they will take anyone with a teaching qualification and a Masters degree. But the salary on offer is so incredibly low that it's unlikely that a foreigner could survive on it.

It's probably not what Indians want to hear - but Poles have picked up on the British derision towards Indians and pretty much have the same attitude - that Indian English is nothing short of horrible.

USA, Canada / Free Tyskie beer at Kiełbasa Factory [28]


Get out.


Shame you didn't discover Lech Pils - it's sold ""tylko w wielkopolsce" - but it is vastly, vastly superior to ordinary Lech. Really, it's what Lech should be as standard!

Law / I got an EU permanent residence permit and it is a flimsy piece of paper [26]

This is just because Poland as a whole is still completely unfamiliar with the concept of the national ID card being acceptable for EU travel - witness how many of them still take a passport to places like Germany!

Law / EU citizen residency certificate to live in Poland [34]


No. It doesn't matter if you are Polish or not, the rules are universal - either you pay the health insurance contribution to ZUS (which then goes to the NFZ) - or you are uninsured. There's no exceptions - the fact that you are Polish means nothing when it comes to health insurance in Poland. I know it's possible to purchase NFZ cover on a standalone basis, but I have no idea as to the cost.

And yes - they will check if you request any sort of medical treatment. Even if you get hospitalised, the Polish ID card details will be taken - and you can expect them to chase you for the costs of your stay if you don't have insurance.

Law / EU citizen residency certificate to live in Poland [34]

Housekeeper? Not likely at all.

Head chef? Not impossible, but you will need to be exceptional and be living in a big city to pull that off.

Incidentally, do you hold an EU passport?

History / DID THE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT OF POLAND CENSOR MAIL IN AND OUT OF POLAND [29]


It's impossible to say - if NATO looked like losing in Germany, then nuclear weapons would have been brought into the game as the Soviets always had the manpower advantage.

Certainly, it depends on the timeframe - the Soviets would had the advantage between the early 1950's and 1970's, but after 1970 - I'm not so sure. The Soviet Union had made enemies out of China by that point, the Warsaw Pact nations were ready to rebel and Soviet supply chains would have had to rely on countries like Poland and the Baltic States - none of whom were going to be particularly helpful. Don't forget that many countries were firmly non-aligned and were prepared to fight anyone to enforce that - Finland and Yugoslavia come to mind.

I imagine that the most likely scenario would be the Soviets initially overrunning Germany and the Low Countries, only to see civil war simultaneously break out in places like Hungary and Poland - which would end up causing all sorts of problems for them. Compare this to Western Europe, where NATO would have ensured that everyone was on the same page.

But really, I'm not convinced that the Soviet Union post-1945 had much interest in invading Western Europe anyway - they finally had their breathing space, and no-one was inclined to take it from them.

Law / EU citizen residency certificate to live in Poland [34]


I warn you - it's nearly impossible to obtain such a thing.