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


It's worth noting that many what would be minimum wage jobs elsewhere, aren't minimum wage jobs in Poland. Take supermarkets - in most of the world, these are minimum wage jobs. In Poland? Not so.

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


Teachers - easily over 2000zl a month net when you add in private lessons. They also get the "13th month" paid and (after a while) become immune from being sacked because of poor performance in teaching.

Can't comment for the police, but they have a very generous early retirement scheme that more than outweighs salary concerns. Ever wonder why there are no old plod going about?

Construction workers can earn good money if they're good at the job.

Waiting staff - again, there's easily 2000zl a month there in a good job. They won't get that in a poor job, but why should waiting staff get more than minimum wage for an unskilled job?

Bus/tram drivers? I saw an advert today for a bus driver, 2200zl brutto. Not bad at all.

Anyone landing a job in the 27-32 range earning 2000zl a month net (if with ZUS paid) isn't doing too badly - someone 27 will likely only have 2-3 years experience at most.


She's also got the ability to give private lessons, she'll be unsackable in a few years and also has the option of going into exam marking, book writing and more. Teachers with a bit of initiative and drive really don't do too badly in Poland - and let's not forget, unlike in other countries, teachers in Poland are only obliged to be in school when they're timetabled to be there - and they don't work full days.

USA, Canada / Tracking a package through the Polish Postal system sent from US [57]


Same way that any incoming mail from outside of the EU is handled. It may be x-rayed, opened or checked - I don't know how the Customs operate in Poland.


Nope, still has to clear Polish Customs, which is often the source of many delays.


Yes, quite normal and usual.

USA, Canada / US resident, have a baby with a Polish girl. Need help on Polish Passport. [30]


Just to let you know - you can contact me at office@lindenia if the worst happens and she manages to get him to Poland. Normally I'd charge for finding people, but if she flees with the baby, I'd be happy to hunt them down for the cost of expenses if you hit a brick wall.

No time for such people - especially as you're right to fear that she could just vanish in Poland.

Can you not contact the Department of Homeland Security and ask them to flag the name/date of birth of the child, to make sure that she can't flee with it? I know the USA doesn't have exit checks, but they might be able to do something for you.

You do need a lawyer - but - if you can, get her parents details. She'll more than likely attempt to register the child to her parents address in Poland if she flees - and this should make it a piece of cake to track down the child if so :)

Are you an EU national by any chance?

Law / Scrapping a vehicle in Poland? [21]

Definitely don't just walk away - for every crook out there, there's another one who will sort you out for a fair price. This one could very well be taking advantage of the fact that most diplomatic staff exist in a bubble and won't bother to shop around.


Can I ask out of curiosity how much is charged for this service? It wouldn't shock me to discover that you were being royally screwed on this as well.

UK, Ireland / Polish people in the UK using the English version of their name? [56]


No, not really, but only Catholics would consider using it - I've never met one that wasn't Catholic.

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]


This is the *one* nice thing about communist central heating - you have to pay all year round for heating that isn't turned on in summer, but at the same time, it's never cold enough to need heating in summer AND you don't have any surprises at all with heating costs.

But really, who would rent a flat with electric heating? It's just asking for trouble...

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]


As I recall, what most letting agents do in the UK is ask for your annual accounts if you're self employed, or proof of income. Quite normal now for any decent, professional letting agent.

(having said this, the UK is far superior in the sense that most professional landlords only check the property once every three months and stay well away unless they're needed)

Work / Typical rate for 1-on-1 English lessons in Poland (Krakow)? [37]


Actually - the Krakow that tourists see is different to Krakow as a whole. Look at the recent election results - it's a solid PiS voting area. In terms of being liberal, Poznan and Wroclaw are much, much more Western. For an expat, it's a non-issue - but it's true, they're quite a conservative place. However, the counter-culture is much more developed than in Poznan/Wroclaw - probably because there's not much to rebel against here ;)


It depends on many things - if you're willing to come to Krakow and just hit the streets without a qualification, you can find work - don't believe that a qualification is absolutely mandatory, because it's frankly not. But it can help you considerably - especially in a place like Krakow where there is competition for work. Really, it all depends on what you want to do - it's perfectly possibly to have a good life without it, just that the better jobs won't want you.

The only course worth considering is the CELTA, which you can do in either Warsaw, Krakow or Wroclaw. The Krakow course has been getting bad reviews online lately, but I don't know anymore than that. The Wroclaw course is highly reputable. Pricewise, you're looking at about 3000PLN or so, and time, 4 weeks.

Really, it's up to you - all I can say is that for the best results, you want to come in August to find work. Don't expect to find a job offer online - it rarely happens, and very often, there turns out to be major problems as a result.

Work / Typical rate for 1-on-1 English lessons in Poland (Krakow)? [37]


Sort of, sort of not - I teach some corporate clients, but it's mostly Business English and not 'real' English teaching. Used to teach in a school which used several different approaches, but teaching in a real school wasn't for me!

Alas, I'm in Poznan and don't know anyone in Krakow - my suggestion is simply to come on over, get a qualification and hit the streets. It should be no problem for a freshly qualified teacher to pick up hours in August in Krakow :)

Work / Typical rate for 1-on-1 English lessons in Poland (Krakow)? [37]


Without a shadow of a doubt. But the problem in Krakow in particular is that there's no short of natives to take lessons - and - unfortunately, no shortage of native English speakers willing to take them for peanuts. In other cities, the problem isn't so bad - but Krakow, and to a lesser extent, Wroclaw, suffer from being very attractive for native English speakers and thus prices are absolutely variable.

But if you can set yourself up as someone who can get the job done, who knows things and is willing to be pedantic about the slightest points in English (Harry, I'm looking at you) - then you can name your price.

Travel / Clubs, bars and general night life in Poland [13]


Stay away from Poznan and Wroclaw during the summer if you want this - they'll both be dead in terms of nightlife. During university term time, both will be busy every night if you want to go partying - but not during summer. Poznan is almost like a morgue during the summer months, and Wroclaw isn't much better (unless you want to party with elderly Germans).

Can't talk for Warsaw or Krakow, but I'd assume both of those would have plenty happening every night regardless of time of the year.

Work / Typical rate for 1-on-1 English lessons in Poland (Krakow)? [37]

Hmm. For someone qualified, anything between 30-50PLN an hour is normal. It does depend, but I'd be realistic and say that 40PLN an hour (for them coming to you) is normal, achievable and honest.

But it's really dependent - the market is subject to such wide variation that it's impossible to tell.

One thing with Krakow - the competition is intense. Lots and lots and lots of people are either teaching there or want to be teaching there - so you may find that it's very difficult to find clients in the beginning. You should also be aware that relying on private lessons is a dangerous game - certainly, don't rely on them to pay your rent!

Work / Do private ESL schools in Poland operate year-round? [5]

The vast majority are September to June. There may be in company work during summer, but jobs like this aren't too common, as companies will also tend to have a quiet August as it's holiday time in many parts of Europe, including Poland.

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]


Wow, there's still plenty you can do.

First of all, ask them for two references - one from the previous landlord and one from their workplace. If you're especially unsure, you can ask for more - asking for one from their priest could be a good way to weed out ne'er-do-wells. References are absolutely normal in the UK - and you should do this as standard. If they can't provide one from their workplace, then you can assume that something is wrong and to steer clear.

Secondly, ask to see their contracts from work. Anyone in reputable, stable employment will have "umowa o pracy" - not "umowa o dzielo" or "umowa zlecenia". It's not to say that all dishonest tenants are on the latter contracts, but if you're looking for a better class of tenant, this can help.

Finally, make it clear that everything is 100% legal. If you make it clear from the beginning that you're declaring the income and that you will pursue them for unpaid debts, then you'll find life is much easier.

Also, you should always, always, always check their ID card and ask them to provide photocopies of it.

If you're in Poznan, I can happily give you more advice about this - my address is listed further up this thread :)

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]

Poznaniak - don't you do due diligence on potentially tenants?

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]


Not the police, but the taxman. And depending on location, the administration (if there's one) might also be very interested to learn about it - I know many flats in Poznan aren't allowed to be sublet without the authorisation of the Administration. And if it's not under an administration, then it could very well be mortgaged - again, it's unlikely that he's got permission to let it.

The amount of stuff you can do to really **** a landlord up in Poland is fun :)

UK, Ireland / Time for the Poles from the UK to go home [437]


What, the fact that the Eastern Europeans are employable, whereas the Brits aren't?


Not a chance in a million years under the FPTP system.

UK, Ireland / Time for the Poles from the UK to go home [437]


More than likely. Spain is full of British expats, who read the Daily Mail and moan and gumble about immigrants taking all the jobs, not learning English and so on - only to try and do the same themselves. They're the same people who will claim they're integrated because they drink San Miguel.

Real Estate / Options for dealing with dishonest landlord in Poland [36]


Drop me a line at office@lindenia - I'm in Poznan too, and I'm happy to help deal with him if he's irritating you. I cannot stand landlords doing this - especially as many of them aren't declaring the income.

Essentially what dnz says is right - tell him to get lost. Even better, you could probably tell him that you need copies of the invoices to show the Urząd Skarbowy - which would almost certainly frighten him. Were you registered to the property?

There's a small chance that he could take you to court - but knowing how the vast majority of landlords work in Poland, it's highly unlikely that he would dare.

I'm really surprised that Poland hasn't introduced a law demanding that all contracts get deposited at the Urzad Skarbowy to be honest - the amount of tax evasion is incredible.

Life / Sending a telegram from Wroclaw [7]


A telegram? A fax is easy to send, but telegrams?

UK, Ireland / Marrying Polish Woman in UK/London [100]


No no, he'll be able to live anywhere he wants in the EU - there's a right for family members to live with an EU citizen anywhere in the EU. This is what the recent fuss about the Somali woman who won in the ECJ is all about.

Food / Prices of decent Polish Vodka in Poland? [15]


I tried it, being utterly oblivious to what it was.

Was sick ten minutes later :/

Life / Do you think a smoking ban would be a good thing in Polish restaurants and Bars? [217]

There's actually one very good reason to introduce a smoking ban - to raise revenue for restaurants, cafes and pubs. For example -

I was in Marche in Wroclaw last week. Group of three were in there, sitting, smoking and talking. They had finished their meals and drinks, yet continued to sit there, smoking and taking up a table when the place was very busy.

Then yesterday, again, some people in a cafe in Poznan, sitting, smoking and not actually spending any money apart from the one drink they had. They had finished the drinks, yet were staying there and smoking.

There's more examples, these are just the ones I've picked up on lately. It seems that non-smokers won't hang around once they're finished - or they'll buy more.

It seems, at least from what I can observe, that smokers will use cigarettes as a substitute for food or drink - whereas non smokers will always go and fetch another drink. For that reason, a smoking ban will discourage people from sitting there - thus you can get someone else through the door and spending money.


They'll still go. All the evidence in the UK suggests that it's the governments other policies and the breweries that are causing pubs to close, not the smoking ban. In fact, I seem to recall that Scotland and Ireland both recorded increases in pub visitors after the ban - not a decrease!

The thing that mystifies me is that the current Polish government has been hammering smokers with taxes - I think there's another increase about to happen? Yet they don't ban smoking indoors - and this is absolutely illogical.

Love / My Polish GF and her Polish GF both dress in matching clothing when they go out. [12]


It means your girlfriend is what we call a "chav".

Work / Extending Working Visa by a non-EU foreigner in Poland [4]


Usually no, but it's not unheard of for it to be granted for longer. However, a year in the first instance is normal.

You have to go to the Foreigners Office for the relevant Voivodeship and apply there for an extension - all quite painless, as long as you have the paperwork in order.

Love / English girl moving to Poland with my Polish boyfriend for the first time [69]


Not outside of Warsaw they can't.

USA, Canada / REFUSED A HOLIDAY VISA TO THE U.S CAUSE IM POLISH [323]


This is very very true - I've lost count of the amount of intermediate students who simply cannot get over the next hurdle. From today - the word "come". Look at how many ways this can be used - it's no surprise that many learners struggle to gain real fluency and get stuck at the intermediate level.


To be honest, this sentence shows that even natives get English wrong - and quite badly wrong, at that. I'm struggling to see how you can criticise English when you can't even use your own language properly. And you claim to be a teacher? Oh dear...


No, you're right. The vast majority are absolutely unable to teach the language on any technical level. They might know the grammar (or might not : see above) - but they're absolutely unlikely to have any knowledge of the more technical aspects of English.


I know someone like this - she has the most beautiful RP accent too. She's a pleasure to talk to - and I suspect dear old Fuzzy here simply doesn't have any educated friends.


Not necessarily, because the native is highly unlikely to be able to teach any technical aspects of the language. They might be able to teach vocabulary about renovating a house or building a zoo, but they're highly unlikely to have much of a clue about the technical aspects of their own language.

I've heard the same "natives are better period" argument many times - and the vast majority of those are the ones who are simply trying to protect the goose that laid the golden egg. Of course they're going to pick fault with Polish teachers - why would anyone pay them a vast amount if the Polish teachers are equally capable?


Let's be honest, it's in your interest to propagate this myth, because it makes it seem like only natives can teach - and this is quite frankly nonsense. How many native speakers are there in Finland teaching English? Barely any. Yet Finland (and the rest of the Nordic countries) are considered to be excellent at English - which proves the point that native teachers are just a luxury and aren't actually needed.

Already in Poland, we're seeing that teachers like Seanus with real education behind him are highly desirable. But some college graduate in a soft subject, combined with CELTA, isn't particularly desirable and certainly not worth the high salaries that some schools pay.

UK, Ireland / Britain... What the Poles did for us. [444]


Not necessarily - if Poland and Pilsudski had trained the Polish Army to use guerilla warfare against the Germans instead of trying to fight man to man, Poland may just have had a chance. Blitzkrieg might not have been very successful against such a tactic - they would occupy the country unopposed, but would face a almost nightmare situation of every man or woman being potentially capable of shooting their heads off at any moment.

The country would also be far less demoralised if it was an accepted tactic to blend in and then kill Germans without remorse - and you would have the problems of the Germans not enjoying what was happening. The Soviet Union would also probably have second thoughts if they realised that there was no way to take Poland conventionally - how can you fight an enemy if you don't even know who the enemy is?

I suspect the Miracle at the Vistula clouded Polish military thinking somewhat - I don't doubt that there was a certain element of Polish military generals that believed Poland was capable of fighting man to man.

Work / What are my chances in finding work at a callan school in Wroclaw? [22]

This is why I object to all the talk of "needing credentials" and so on - the truth is that personality matters just as much in Poland. There may be a few jobs only open to those with the qualifications - but given that the job is ultimately about keeping people happy, good references and reliability are what people are looking for.