Feedback / Warning for posters who have been changing the names of famous Polish politicians, celebrities, etc. [90]


And that's exactly why PF is such an uncivilised mess.

Law / What if a foreigner doesnt want to get retired in Poland ? Retirement money back? [16]


Untrue. Poland pays out from the very first contribution, regardless of where the person is resident. If you work 10 years in Poland, then you'll get a pension based on those contributions (which depends according to the amount contributed, rather than a fixed rate amount).

The difference is that in EU countries (and with other ones where Poland has signed an agreement), you can transfer the contributions. For instance, if you have contributed 100,000zł in PL, you can transfer that to another system as long as Poland has an agreement with that system.

News / Is pro-opposition Open Dialogue Foundation a cover for Russian interests [99]


Timothy Garton-Ash recounts being told to leave Poland within 48 hours in his excellent book about Solidarność, and mentions how other Western journalists were told the same.

News / Trump will hold Poland up as an example for other nations to follow [106]

Croatia is and will always have two political masters: Germany and the USA.

Feedback / Warning for posters who have been changing the names of famous Polish politicians, celebrities, etc. [90]


Bwahaha. Aren't you optimistic?!

I mean, we used to have mods that stuck to clear rules. PF was quite a friendly place then, but of course, someone got jealous and ruined everything.

News / Polish man tries to sell British mother into white slave trade [128]

Disgusting story. The tendency of Poles to get involved in human trafficking is quite disturbing, isn't it?

Harry, maybe you'll remember, but isn't Poland one of Europe's hotspots for human trafficking and slavery?

Real Estate / Buying an apartment at auction in Poland. Owners still present [11]

It's a terrible idea to get involved with any property that isn't vacated.

Essentially, if you win, you still need to get a court order to remove them. They will most likely not find alternative accommodation, so they will be allowed to stay until they have an address that they can be removed to. As you can imagine, this is not going to happen in a small town in Eastern Poland.

Feedback / Warning for posters who have been changing the names of famous Polish politicians, celebrities, etc. [90]


Like most PF rules, it probably only applies to those that aren't offensive.

Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]

That's my impression too.

The city has become incredibly cosmopolitan very quickly, and there are countless families out there speaking English to talk to. The OP even made it clear that he was looking for English speakers, not only Brits.

History / For what the Germans owe Poland one trillion U.S. dollars? [299]

It certainly would benefit Russia, which explains why gregy is pushing the idea so strongly.


It seems to me that the whole thing is a simple diversion to take attention away from the fact that Poland is now heading into dangerous territory with the EU.

News / Is pro-opposition Open Dialogue Foundation a cover for Russian interests [99]


There was an interview with the author a few days ago, and the complaint that Macierewicz was allegedly going to make to the prosecutor still hasn't been made. One can only wonder why he's so keen to avoid a court debate on the issue.

Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]

Why would he need English-medium schooling when his wife and child are both Polish? Furthermore, fees aren't anywhere near as high as you claim. A decent IB education at the International High School of Wrocław is only 1050zł a month for those paying taxes in Wrocław, which is hardly unaffordable when even a project manager with a couple years experience can take home 10k net.

More to the point, the child will speak Polish, meaning she can take advantage of a wealth of educational opportunities in Poland.


Except the wife is Polish and therefore is going to suss the local market very quickly. More to the point, you have no idea what the Swede expected - perhaps he wanted a nice apartment with a secure parking space and 24/7 security in a very good location.


Completely irrelevant in this case, as he has a Polish wife and family.

I'd quote more, but you are treating him like an expat sent on assignment rather than an immigrant looking to integrate into society. There's plenty of decent beef and other meat available in Poland, even in Biedronka these days.

Dominic, your advice may be valid for Indians who expect to continue a certain lifestyle here, but it's null and void for mixed Polish-other families who will integrate straight into society. There's a lot of them around, especially in Wrocław and Kraków. BTW - your statistics on foreigners is also out of the window, because most EU citizens simply don't bother to register.

Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]


I've met plenty of Americans who would argue otherwise, including several who have been in Europe for more than 10 years.


Perhaps in the highest corporate circles among genuine expats, but for most Europeans, it's a non-issue. I certainly know several people who value the slower pace of life in Poland.


He's only just moved to Poland, which means he probably hasn't had time to even look at what is on offer.

Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]


What's so important about them being from English speaking countries? He was talking about English speakers, and there are plenty of mixed couples in big cities in Poland where the common language is English at home. For instance, I know a Polish-Italian couple who use English exclusively at home. Their kids speak English as a first language, not Polish.


Not everyone is obsessed with schools offering 40 hours of science a week to the detriment of all else. There are plenty of good schools in Wrocław available for free or for a low price, many of which aren't so-called international schools, but which offer a quality education in Polish. I have a good friend there who teaches science in English in a public school, and the science programme is taken straight from the UK programme. The kids that finish the high school have the opportunity for doing the English A-level in the chosen science subject(s), all funded by the local government.

In his case, it really won't be difficult to find families where English is spoken at home.


There are plenty of good employment opportunities in cities these days.

Savings potential? I think we can all agree that other places offer high potential, but also offer a considerably worse quality of life. I could probably earn three times my salary in the US, but would I want 2 weeks holiday? No.

Social isolation? That's simply not an issue anymore in big cities. Poznan, Wrocław, Kraków and Warsaw all offer huge amounts of activities in English these days.

Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]

It's remarkable how much Polish cities have changed really. Dominic describes Poland when I first came here, but it bears absolutely no resemblance to the Poland of today.

Life / English family in Wroclaw! [70]


That's simply not true anymore. There are more and more, and Wroclaw is changing beyond recognition in this respect. Kraków is the same.


Nope, not true in the slightest. You are describing Wrocław in 2010, not 2017. The fact that the city can sustain several international schools is testament to just how much the city has changed. There are also plenty more out there with kids in ordinary schools.

News / Is pro-opposition Open Dialogue Foundation a cover for Russian interests [99]

Perhaps Polonius is in fact an expert on the subject, as witnessed by the fact that the Lower Silesian branch of the Polish Red Cross appears to have funded the election campaign of PiS in 2015.

News / The real Poland honoured Uprising at patriotic sing-song [34]


You seem to be completely obsessed with the idea of locking up political enemies. Could we say that it runs in the family?

News / The real Poland honoured Uprising at patriotic sing-song [34]


So, for the millionth time, why is there an SB snitch currently serving as the PiS ambassador to Germany?

News / The real Poland honoured Uprising at patriotic sing-song [34]


So you're saying that "true Poles" are the type to disrupt events like this?

History / Villas like the one Kaczynski was living in were given only to top party officials!!!! [10]


There's a funny list somewhere that basically accuses anyone that is anyone in Poland of being Jewish. Kaczyński's real name is supposed to be Kalkstein, if I remember correctly.

History / Villas like the one Kaczynski was living in were given only to top party officials!!!! [10]

Give him credit, he wouldn't get Daddy's name wrong.

The theory of Kaczyński's father being Russian and Jewish is quite widespread though in nationalist circles.

Work / Studies In Poland, is it easy to survive on part-time jobs? [259]

I think Cambridge are likely to drop what we know as "Cambridge" exams before long. There's just too much money to be made from IELTS, and someone passing CAE 10 years ago is no measure of their current ability in their language.

Work / Studies In Poland, is it easy to survive on part-time jobs? [259]


What, they have their own exams? I didn't know that!


The almost complete cutting of funds from the Foreign Office caused that. Pushing employees onto umowa o dzieło in Warsaw was a particularly dick move on their part.

Work / Opening a kindergarten / daycare business in Poland [12]


Does she have any experience working in a kindergarten/daycare facility? I would strongly advise her to get at least a year of experience before making the jump, because it can be a very tiring and draining experience. I've got plenty of friends who burnt out badly after 3-4 years working in one, particularly as the demands from parents were relentless.

I can tell you that it's a very easy business to break even in, but it's difficult to make a profit from it. Location is everything, and for instance, if you find a small town where public kindergarten provision is poor, then a public kindergarten (which will be funded 100% by the local authority) will be a very easy business to run compared to a private kindergarten.

All in all, you can start a nursery within 6 months of starting to plan for it, as long as you work full time on it.

Work / Opening a kindergarten / daycare business in Poland [12]


Contact the local government in the area in question. You'll get a monthly subsidy provided it meets the requirements to obtain the subsidy.


Roughly 25,000PLN per classroom minimum. The rest is your choice.


Many. Not impossible, but many. Ask the local authority and the MEN for more information.

About competition - yes, there's huge competition.

If you're serious about it, I'm willing to have a chat with you about it. I've been involved in founding a school and a kindergarten, and I'm now taking part in the formation of a brand new school.

News / Was Kaczyński behind the presidential veto? [65]


Doesn't that concern you? What would you do if PO win the next elections and decide to push through exactly the same legislation?

News / EU confirms it will take action against Poland over court reforms [554]


The large amount of money still unused from Poland's share of the EU budget is waiting, and there are some very hungry mouths to feed.

Law / Birth certificate for marriage in Poland [6]

She's right, unfortunately. The USC will want it, and if the court have retained it, you'll need another copy of it.

Having said that, there's no reason for the court to actually retain it in this case.

Off-Topic / What Poles know and eventually want to know about Slovenia and Slovenians ? [14]

Yes, it's the same in Croatia - where they invented endless words (especially post 1990) that simply aren't used in ordinary speech by most people, but are now part of the literary language. A great example is "zračna luka" - which isn't incorrect, but "aerodrom" continues to be the accepted word in speech.

Slovene is a really fascinating language though, because it also has the dual number on top of the traditional Slavic 1, 2-4 and 5+.

So, for instance, you have "en volk", "dva volkova", "trije volkovi" and "pet volkov". Insane.