Work / Looking for job - English teaching positions available in Poland? [18]


I'm British (a Southerner) and not working, which is just as well as haven't had a decent night's sleep since I got here. Not kidding btw.

Life / Winter in Poland? [160]

Pack clothes made of wool, wool thermals, decent gloves (and a spare set in case they get wet), a warm hat or two, a thick scarf, quality footwear that grips on ice and keeps your feet warm.

Polish winters that I have experienced have been colder than anything I knew of in the UK, the cold really gets into your bones, really chills your body. It's not to be taken lightly!

Work / Looking for job - English teaching positions available in Poland? [18]

No, it's probably my fault as I wasn't clear enough when I mentioned the surplus apostrophes. But little sleep again last night, that's my excuse!

Best of luck with your future career, and just my tuppence worth is that the smaller towns seem to have more work (based on what I read here) because perhaps the larger cities seem to have a sufficient supply of native speakers for most of the year.

TBH it's not a job I think I could do -- but someone has to do it and I wish you well.

Work / Looking for job - English teaching positions available in Poland? [18]

Well I don't know whose website that is, but the website does indeed have apostrophes in the words, which is why I mentioned it as an error. IE 1990's should read 1990s. PC's should read PCs, etc. What I wrote above was the correct example, not a quotation of the mistake.

Apostrophe misuse is a common error, and that's why it is seen so often and becomes the norm.

Had a very quick glance through that website and it seems very interesting, of course. Lots there that people should know, lots of good tips.

Work / Looking for job - English teaching positions available in Poland? [18]


Looked at one or two pages of your site, probably all useful stuff but (sigh) no apostrophe in PCs, nor in 1990s... etc. Please read theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

Pretty essential that teachers know where an apostrophe goes, or they shouldn't be teaching.

Anyone looking to teach should try to get the concessionary rate at a college in the UK so that their CELTA either costs nothing at all, or is seriously discounted. Blowing a grand on a course in Poland should only be done if a proper job offer is lined up.


It is struggling - please refer to my previous posts where I have spoken to teachers who tell me that. Belt squeeze time right now - the cheap supermarkets are seeing a surge of customers. This ripples across to all sectors, or nearly all.

As for the 20zl person - not unique. Plenty at 30zl advertised on those stickers. Very few strips torn off.

What's more - I have made it my business (sad I know) to talk to lots of supermarket staff these past few weeks. Almost all speak pretty good English now, I gather mostly via school classes. Fewer and fewer people need additional coaching.

Work / Looking for job - English teaching positions available in Poland? [18]

Things must be pretty tough in my back yard, someone's now begging for work at just 20zl an hour. Previously the lowest I was aware of was 30zl an hour.

The one above says he is qualified - if that's the £1000 CELTA course then he's going to have to be very busy to just break even.

Law / Last Wills & Testaments - witness(es) needed for a will in Poland? [3]

Thanks Steve. Someone kindly PMed me some good advice on this, many thanks to them also.

If anyone Polish with legal expertise in the area of Probate would be kind enough to PM me, I have a quick legal question that I need answered regarding intestacy procedures here (specific scenario is when someone dies and there is no will found but heirs stake a claim).

Love / ARE POLISH GIRLS GOLD-DIGGERS? [359]

It's grubbers, not grabbers.

merriam-webster.com/dictionary/money-grubber

Work / Looking To Move To Poland Within The Near Future. Teaching English or IT? [18]


Also could be sage advice. I wish I was his age again - I'd go back to school in the blink of an eye.


whose ;o)

Work / Looking To Move To Poland Within The Near Future. Teaching English or IT? [18]

I don't think I could face a small town, but I know some people can and if that sort of income then materialises, it's going to be easy to escape the place at weekends if not permanently

Work / Looking To Move To Poland Within The Near Future. Teaching English or IT? [18]


Perhaps he has family or "a bird" there!

Was there not another poster here who made it big in a small town? If genuinely so, then your advice is better than mine. That other poster did unbelievably well, according to their account on here, with more students and dosh than I've had bowls of Winiary instant krupnik soup.

Work / Looking To Move To Poland Within The Near Future. Teaching English or IT? [18]

As Harry and NG both say, you don't need that to do a CELTA course. But you usually do need quite a thick wad of notes and a lot of faith that you'll earn them back later. At your age, probably your chances are higher than someone of my age.

However, before you tie up £1000 or so on a CELTA, try some tutoring to see if you enjoy teaching English to foreign students. See if you can get 10 lessons under your belt before deciding if it's for you. (Also note that some UK colleges do CELTA at concessionary rates if unemployed etc.)

I think I'm right in saying the level of English proficiency in your original post was excellent, not that I'm an expert, but noticable attention to spellin, your punk chew ayshun and good or even perfick grandma! (However you put a d in spent!)

Teaching any subject is, however, another story, and am not sure it's as easy as some make it look.

Best of luck.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]

I am seeing a few drops around, not seen that one so far, will look out for it, thanks for posting

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

Selected Piotr i Pawel - Kerrygold mature cheddar @ 70zl a kilo (not cheap). On the block at the deli.

I can exclusively reveal to members of the forum that a little ptak told me Lidl of Poland during May of 2013 will again carry a stock of that really nice mature cheddar in 200g packs. Last time the price was pretty good at under 8zł. I found the cheese to be almost as good as Cathedral City (available in some Tescos, check the cheese aisle or deli counters for prepacks of 100g at around 8-9zł).

Alternatively, some Almas and PiPs have Kerrygold or similar sold loose, at about 50-60zł a kilo, at their deli counters. (Price might be higher than that, can't remember.)

Correction
--------------

The Lidl mature cheddar was a 400g pack - very tasty and exceptional value at just under 8zl. Currently out of stock and will be restocked for a short period in May, during their promotion. Price not yet known.

Cathedral City mature is in a 200g pack at Tesco, not 100g.

Kerrygold mature is also prepacked at Tesco, usually, but is more expensive than CC. On blocks, it is approx 51zł per kg at Carrefour (selected branches).

UK, Ireland / Moving to London, need transport for luggage and furniture. [7]

You're not doing the subtitles in English, I'd hope. Your brief post seems to suggest you had teachers such as:-

bbc.co.uk/news/education-20083249
thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/1839770/.html

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

Thanks, Harry :o)


Not really, perhaps 2 Lipton bags per mug of tea, and sometimes I think the Remsey black tea from Biedronka's just about passable. I only managed to bring 160 tea bags back from the UK this time, unfortunately. I have given a few individual bags away to Polish acquaintances here but I don't think they like British market tea very much.

Real Estate / Poland's apartment prices continue to fall [1844]


They do the same in London, parts of Kilburn became South Hampstead Village or something :o)))

Real Estate / Questions about what's standard or conventional in a tenancy agreement in Poland [21]

I went through the contract myself as the lawyer was useless (if he is actually one) but discovered a few hours ago the fact that the landlord has now found another tenant who is happy to rent with those same clauses that I'm not happy about, so I no longer need to worry about it. I take legal stuff seriously so I always check what I'm signing, I know other people are less uptight about legal things, and being extra careful is one of my faults, but I've been scr"""ed over before in the UK when I took someone's word for something and a contract was 12 months and not the 6 I asked for, plus a few other little nasties were in it that may or may not have been neutralised by the UK's Unfair Contract Terms Act and the Housing Act.

But, when I get another agreement come in, and they're all a bit different so far!, I'll email it to you for your husband to check. Thanks again.

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

They don't have mature cheese at every branch, selected stores only.

I regret to advise myself that Biedronka say this was a promotional line only and that where stocks are exhausted, no more will be offered until the next promotion. In other words, if it's gone it's gone. Ditto with Lidl's Hatherwood cheddar - it won't be back until the next promotion, probably in anything from 6 to 18 months.

Apologies to P/F members whom I promised to bring food back from the UK - my lightweight case broke and I didn't have the weight allowance this time - I will bring the promised chocs, teabags, cheese and gravy granules back next time for sure. Sorry.

Food / Where to buy British mature Cheddar Cheese and salted butter in Poland? [289]

Just tried the Biedronka 10-month cheddar. It's not bad, not brilliant but not bad. It is a mature with a slightly unusual taste but very passable and would make a good cheese sauce I reckon. C/City is still best for mature, but I think Biedronka's 14-month is a good alternative Farmhouse cheddar which is good in its own right. Both of these products are very acceptable if C/City is out of stock or if budget conscious (or if just making a cheese sauce!)

Real Estate / Questions about what's standard or conventional in a tenancy agreement in Poland [21]


JJB kicked 2000 out last week, the banks have kicked loads out too, and in some areas there the estate agents are stuffed rather than staffed.


Thanks Pip, someone else from the forum is looking at it, but thank you for your kind offer.

As I rely on money from the UK to pay the rent, this sort of failure is one reason why I don't like tenancies that are too strict on late rent payments:

bbc.co.uk/news/business-19846157

and I can say for an absolute fact my UK bank once mysteriously lost a scheduled bill payment - like it was never diarised by me. I didn't find out until the council tax people sent me a nasty letter. I've been doing those payments long enough to know what the Payment Arranged & Confirmed screen looks like and I always check it's in the column too with the right date. For no reason I know of, it vanished.

And some tenancy agreements have financial penalty clauses of 50zl for each day late, obviously a person would be a wally to agree to that, yet a lawyer (allegedly!) sent that back to me a few weeks ago and didn't strike it out, much to my shock. I'd have thought the Codex does not allow it anyway. That same lawyer (if he really is one!) failed to spot that the amount in numbers and words differed. I don't even speak Polish but a quick double check on Google Translate revealed that problem as well. The mind boggles!!!

A lawyer who is supposed to be looking out for me lets those errors slip through. Makes me think you can't rely on them, and are better off with Google...

Real Estate / Questions about what's standard or conventional in a tenancy agreement in Poland [21]

Thank you again, Sean. That's really great stuff, cheers :o)

(btw when you next go to England you'll find Woolworths shops have all closed, but you can get great bargains at a chain called Wilkinsons, where the stuff is usually good quality and good value, unlike the £pound-shops where the stuff is sometimes a nie nie)

Real Estate / Questions about what's standard or conventional in a tenancy agreement in Poland [21]

So by "terminate", the landlord is saying if you're 35 days late I am coming round with "the boys" to throw you on the street or deliver you to your other stated eviction address?

I thought it was illegal to throw someone out like that. In the UK you'd be in serious trouble.

Worst I've ever been late with the rent was a week, but that's not the point - things can go wrong and nothing's impossible, so I don't like the idea of being out on day 36. Surely there should be some notice period. A law adviser I spoke to said it takes 3 months to legally evict. No idea if that's true but that's what they said. They said it's all in some law and no contract can dilute the law.

Food / Are frozen chips a cancer risk? The UK's NHS responds. [21]


I've seen Brits do that!


Two words: Peckham Spring ;o)


Aren't the reconstituted potato snacks, you know the brand that comes in the long tube, aswell as others, similarly containing it?

dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1055471/Cancer-chemical-Pringles-Hula-Hoops-Prince-Charless-organic-crisps.html

Food / Are frozen chips a cancer risk? The UK's NHS responds. [21]

youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aHA4-5N5AzA

Voiceover by ex-weatherman Ian McCaskill, if you remember 'im!
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_McCaskill

Real Estate / The electricty company want to install another pylon on my farmland to support a 15Kw line [15]


If it was up to me the cables would be either 500m away or buried. Problem is the cost.

The risks have been talked about for decades:

independent.co.uk/news/electricity-pylons-pose-health-risk-1167517.html

ELECTRICITY PYLONS and power lines do pose a cancer risk, a heavyweight panel of American experts has concluded. Their decision, announced yesterday, was welcomed by some British experts, but sparked renewed argument over a subject that has lingered on the fringes of scientific proof for 20 years.

Burying the pylons where they are too close to homes or schools etc, is probably a lot cheaper than rehousing people. So I don't think the issue of homelessness arises which on a brief read of a post above seems to be someone's concern.

Real Estate / The electricty company want to install another pylon on my farmland to support a 15Kw line [15]

I think it should be prohibited to build within 500m of them.

In Watford, there's a low rise block near Water Lane, if my memory serves me correctly the cables are directly over the flats.

Real Estate / The electricty company want to install another pylon on my farmland to support a 15Kw line [15]

Pretty smart reply there!

I hope the OP resolves it. Personally I don't like pylons
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4602315.stm
and any time I turn up to a rental here or in the UK that's near one, I prefer to walk on. Near Klecina, some of the flats are nearer to pylons than I'd personally accept.

Real Estate / Questions about what's standard or conventional in a tenancy agreement in Poland [21]

Thank you Sean, much appreciated.