Travel / Old town Krakow, is it dangerous during Night time? [42]

Krakow is a lot less dangerous than London or Manchester. The figures quoted below are from 2011
"According to the latest figures from the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, there are 1,365 assaults a year per 100,000 people in England and Wales; the figure for Poland is just 76.

Murder rates in each country are very low, with Poland's slightly above that of England and Wales.
But in every other category, Poland puts us to shame. Per 100,000 of the population, Poland has 5.2 rapes compared with 25.6 in England and Wales; robberies are 92 compared with 189; burglary 455 compared with 1,158; 184 drug-related crimes compared with 362."

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2043562/SPECIAL-REPORT-The-Brits-left-UK-life-Poland.html

Real Estate / The cost of a furnished apartment near Warsaw downtown are high? Why? [42]


I agree not only will housing be less expensive, so will living costs also and more importantly the community will be smaller, Warsaw is a City like any other and it can be very isolating and lonely living in a city. For a retiree a smaller town would I think be more logical. But that is only my opinion.

@Valpomike may I ask why Warsaw? not another city or town, Warsaw is not exactly pretty.

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


Shhh....for Christ sake Harry...ssshhh


Well depends who the family know.

UK, Ireland / Why can't unemployed Polish people on benefits just leave UK and go home please? [240]

When countries suffer from financial doldrums, the RACE card is always played. It is easier to blame 'immigrants' for our woes, it is a much simpler solution to say immigrants are taking our jobs. The majority of Polish immigrants coming to the UK are in work, the facts are out there, I have posted them already, see above.

The "immigrants' that are 'on benefits' are the settled ethnic communities who have British passports and are British citizens.

What the under lying discussion is NOT about, is being British and immigration and jobs, it is to do with the indigenous W.A.S.P population feeling financially squeezed.

W.A.S.P = White Anglo-Saxon Protestants

The link I have attached is relevant since it documents an example of Organised benefit fraud which has been orchestrated by Polish criminals. Ignore the sensationalist title regarding 'new ploy', this is an old ploy that many other ethnic OC's have used. However, it is being used to highlight a very real fear of Polish, Bulgarian and Romania OC's potential to execute this type of fraud.

telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8865243/Police-arrest-31-benefit-fraud-people-traffickers.html

Now the majority of Poles in the UK are hard working, pay tax and contribute to the economy, however, Polish criminals will hide amongst the law abiding just as other criminals they do in other ethnic communities. When immigrants offend and are caught the media will generally highlight their cases, it makes NEWS.

The Policies the government are trying to put in place at the moment are to create a tool to help in the fight against Benefit Fraud.

The weakness in the system IS NOT that there are too many immigrants claiming, rather that the Benefits system is abused on a HUGE scale, from individual fraudsters to mafia style organisations. Please note, the majority of benefit fraud is actually executed by British citizens, just for the record. However, the OC from the East is a real threat.

opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/deborah-padfield/real-cost-of-benefit-fraud-in-britain

The other major challenges for the social welfare system are the long term ill and the growing elderly population. People are living longer, we have a rapidly ageing population.

Why is the UK's population ageing? Babies in the UK are living longer and therefore life expectancy is increasing. The UK population is still growing but only slowly. However, by 2021 19% of the UK population will be pensioners. This is due to the baby boom after World War Two. Population pyramids are used to explain this process.

Unfortunately of that percentage a huge number need support through our social welfare system and NHS.

These are examples of some of what the government agencies have to try and manage, so populist Politicians who simplify our woes into "them and us' are spouting self promoting ********, they are currying favours amongst the masses, it is rabble rousing.

It is classic divide and rule.

GOVERNANCE IS AN ART NOT A SCIENCE.

Life / Hey, Nice Airport Wrocław! Or! Day #1 for an American Ex-Pat in Poland. [128]


Are they doing that to stay warm?

News / Poland Unemployment: Nobody protests, because people are leaving [30]



I sincerely hope not. How do you think A revolution would pan out? What, WE the poor rise up and do what,? Behead the rich! No what would happen is just as happened in the old Yugoslavia, everything would breakdown into ethnic/tribal affiliations and extreme left and extreme rightwing political thinking, everyone would butcher each other and the person who could butcher the best ,would be Top Dog. Said revolution would be followed by a period of authoritarian rule to quell differences of opinion and we are back to square 1.

Be careful what you wish for. Revolution means civil war. And no one 'wins" in war, everyone loses to differing degrees.

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]

Hang on folks could it be interpreted thus.
The EU (Germany) and Russia are effectively dividing Cyprus between each other. hmmmm......now the last time a country was divided between Germany and Russia, well we know what happened next.

UK, Ireland / Polish Vodka, spirituous - available in the UK? [9]


Very, very bad idea..... trust me bad idea. You won't have a party, every one will have two or three drinks and then ZONK!!! everyone passes out, I'm not kidding I have experimented with Spiritus and it completely and utterly ***** me up and then i pass out period.

Stick to vodka.

vodka-shop-wodka.eu/Finnischer-Vodka/Vodka-Koskenkorva-13-60-10-Lt--353.html?language=en

If you want something strong may i suggest this Finnish vodka called Koskenkorva it is 60% abv.
This will also completely mess you up, but Spiritus you are seriously risking alcohol poisoning.

Life / Hey, Nice Airport Wrocław! Or! Day #1 for an American Ex-Pat in Poland. [128]


You are in Europe, we have a hard on for CCTV .

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]


I agree, what would be valuable to the Aussie lass would a Monterssori course. That WOULD be a good call.

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]


I think we are past that along time ago.

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]

Role on a week of demos culminating in curfews and the army on the streets......

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]


You've lost me in your first sentence.

.


The dirty Russian money is not to do with tax dodging it is money made from organised crime.


Hmmm i have got the feeling you don't know what you are talking about.


yup, you don't know what you are talking about.

Real Estate / I want to sell land in Poland (Bialka Tatrzanska) - any advice? [39]


Don't do business when you are drunk.

We bought land from a farmer, he agreed a price and signed a contract while he was drunk. Best business deal of my life. :)

News / Poland Unemployment: Nobody protests, because people are leaving [30]


hmmm not convinced, does that work?


be careful what you wish for.....


that was to do with inflation and food prices....

Poland hasn't got runaway inflation nor issues with food prices. caveat (at the moment)

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]

Cyprus has become a safe haven for the Russian Mafia. Full Stop. End of. Period. The majority of the Cypriot people do not have savings over 100,000 Euros, most people in Europe and the UK don't.

The average household in central Manchester has just £569 in savings. It's closely followed by four boroughs of London - Hackney, Islington, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets - all of which have average household savings under £780.

Topping the list for the largest savings per household was Chiltern in Buckinghamshire, which had average savings of £15,712, while Mole Valley in Surrey had average savings of £15,435 per household.

However, in Cyprus the majority of Russian expats in Cyprus DO have over 100,000 Euros in savings. And much of this money has been illegally obtained. So why not rob the rich.

"Behind every great fortune there is a crime."― Honoré de Balzac

I appreciate the Cypriot people will suffer, they are going to suffer regardless the poor always do. They are regarded as collateral damage.

Germany is flexing it's muscle through the EU structure and it is a geopolitical tactic to repel the Russian stealth/wealth invasion of Cyprus which Russia covets since it would provide a naval base in the med with access to the North Africa and beyond.

What I am not looking forward to is the Gazprom response, everyone is concerned about banks and money but if Russia chose to turn off the gas we'd all be f*cked.

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]

Well if i were a rich man tad da da da..... i would stick my cash into Norwegian banks. Stable country, massive oil resources. Short flight away. job done.

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]

Perhaps the EU is testing the waters an experiment if you like. If the Cypriots capitulate then onto the next economy.

If you fancy something amusing read the link, it is the NRA take on the Cypriot issue.

blog.nugun.org/2013/03/18/the-world-just-got-10x-more-dangerous-cyprus

Law / Bank accounts taxed by up to 10%. Can it happen in Poland? [150]

I'm already preparing my Mad Max outfit....

Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]


I agree on that point.

Not a bubble, market goes up and down, the modern real estate market is still young in Polska, finding it's feet.

Life / Poland monthly bills costs advice [17]

I'm sure they have but the site gives a rough idea. ;)

Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]


You cannot begin to imagine the chicanery of the real estate market in Polska, it is mind blowing.......

Life / Poland monthly bills costs advice [17]

3800zl a month = 950zl a week is not unrealistic, if the OP does 4 or 5 hours Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings.
Direct Method or traditional it isn't that relevant and small towns are captive markets. Those schools using the Direct method like native speakers, it adds to their kudus.

I taught in Poland several years ago both for a school and privately, in a small town, usually clocking up 30 to 40 hours a week, at 40 zl per hour, so in my humble experience 950zl a week isn't unreasonable.

Question is netto or brutto?

Regarding bills, the other posters are bang on about ground rent on apartment blocks and especially regarding the variation in charges differing block to block.

Paying ground rent is not clear cut in Poland. An example would be if you have 50 tenants in a block and you all have to pay "czynsz" what happens if 5 people don't pay..... and that is where the trouble starts.....

The easiest way of finding out is to ask the neighbours. Most people will be more than happy to moan about the bills.

I am sure your wife will find work, if she wants to work she will find a job.

Ignore the doom mongers and nay sayers...

useful link

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Poland

Life / Polish pretense - what's the deal? [72]

sorry you've completely lost me.

Life / Polish pretense - what's the deal? [72]

Just a statement of fact, it was bizarre. i'm not sure why you are so offended. Had it happened in london, i wouldn't have batted an eyelid. merely an observation, crikey.

Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]


Did you ever?

The stereotyping of the Irish (catholics) as feckless and stupid is purely British Unionist propaganda.

Life / Polish pretense - what's the deal? [72]

I was once propositioned by a transvestite in the car park of the big galeria in Gdansk. It was bizarre, mind you he/she spoke very good English.

Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]

We have just let our flat out after 2months empty, hoo fking ray. Our friends however are still looking boohoo....


They do this because they took mortgages out in CHF and now find their monthly repayments are more than their rent charged..... f*cked.
And also desirable locations, ha.... the developers did a very good job during the euphoria from 2004-2007 in marketing new developments with luxury apartments in areas advertised as convenient, with city post codes, these developments were luxury apartment blocks surrounded by forest located off SLIP roads into major cities. rubbish.

Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]

Many people simply refuse to drop their prices, holding out..... fatal move.

Real Estate / The current property boom in Poland is a bubble [342]

We just dropped our price for our little flat from 850 to 750zl a month. Our friend has dropped his property from 3500zl to 2000zl. So prices are returning to what they should be.