Work / 2000 zloty in Katowice as a teacher - worth moving there? [33]


No teaching job in Poland will pay you that much, so coming to Poland to teach will entail a major downgrade in wages. Even at the best schools, we're talking a mere $1000 USD a month after taxes for 7.5 months of work during the year. And, for you as a first-year foreigner from the West, the lower wages are not going to be offset by the cost of living.

Coming to Poland on the expectation that you will be able to earn decent money or make a career out of it is not realistic anymore. Maybe 15, 20 years ago, but that boat has long sailed. There is a huge glut of desperate unqualified and marginally qualified "Native Speakers" from the UK and Ireland who are willing to work for peanuts on "garbage contracts", and they drive wages down a lot for the qualified teachers. Few schools offer real full-time work contracts anymore, and pay teachers as private contractors on "garbage contracts". Real wages for ESL teachers have plummeted substantially in terms of purchasing power over the last ten years.

Sorry to be so blunt, but your best option by far would be to stay in Canada while taking advantage of all it has to offer in terms of building up your qualifications. There will be nothing you can do in this regard in Poland.

Another, and perhaps even better, option would be to reschool into a field where job prospects are better than in teaching, like petroleum, geological or biomedical engineering, actuarial sciences, econometrics or financial mathematics. Something useful and salable that involves lots of advanced applied mathematics.

Otherwise, the only justification that I can see for you to come to Poland for is for vacation, and from what you write, it doesn't look like this a good point in your career to take a year-long vacation.

What are your long-term plans, and how, realistically, do you expect a year in Poland to help you achieve them?

Real Estate / Can I rent a studio in Wroclaw in range from 500 to 1000 PLN ? [10]


A bit more if all fees and bills are included. Anything cheaper is going to be in a bad area or bad building, or the apartment will be very run down. A ROOM in a student apartment would cost you between 500 and 1000 PLN. Studio apartments are in very big demand in Wrocław, and are almost as expensive as one-bedroom apartments. Wrocław is not a cheap city. It's one of the most expensive cities in Poland. It's a wonderful city to live in if you have lots of money. If not, it can be just as depressing as Katowice or £ódź, the ugliest big cities in Poland.


The best way is to get the apartment AFTER you come to Poland. I wouldn't recommend you doing it from your country.

It doesn't sound like you are ready to come to Poland in three months. You are behind on your research.

Language / Going to learn the Polish Genitive Case [28]


Keep at it, look up every word, and the pace will eventually pick up. Learning vocabulary is 99% of the work of learning any language. Grammar is only 1% of the work, even with a language like Polish.

Language / Going to learn the Polish Genitive Case [28]

My guess is that you have bigger fish to fry than a relative subtlety like this at the moment, particularly in terms of vocabulary. When you've read your twentieth or thirtieth book in Polish, you will have a better feel for this. Until then, it's pretty much icing on the cake.

Work / 2000 zloty in Katowice as a teacher - worth moving there? [33]


First of all, realize that you are only going to be paid for 30 weeks out of the year. You will not be paid for holidays, and it is extremely unlikely that you will be paid full-rate for the summer, if anything at all. So that means that you will be making only 1154 after taxes per month when averaged over twelve months, or a mere 14,000 PLN a year, about $3752 US, or 3345 Euro, or 2459 Pounds per year after taxes.

Second of all, after you deduct your travel expenses and visa and residence permit fees, you will be making substantially less than 1154 after taxes per month, far too little to survive as a foreigner in Katowice.

Third of all, regardless of what anyone says, experience as an English teacher in Poland is worth just about nothing on your resume.

Sorry, but like Smurf said, you'd need about double that to make a move to Poland worthwhile, and then only marginally so.

Life / Traditional Folk Costume for those from Warsaw [16]


No. This was done in 1999, and had nothing to do with communism.

Someone (probably some schoolchild somewhere) just got it in their head that resurrecting the historical names of regions that had long ceased to exist would be a good idea, somehow, kinda sorta, and the sejm just kinda sorta said, like, ok, without putting much thought into it. No one actually remembers who, how or why. And now we're stuck with those silly names.

Can ALL posters keep to the topic please, the discussion is about traditional Polish costumes.

Life / Traditional Folk Costume for those from Warsaw [16]

£owicz is rather unusual in Poland as far as folk culture and costumes are concerned. And very few people who live in "Mazovia" nowadays refer to themselves as "Mazovians". The same is true for almost all other regions in Poland, except Kashubians, some (upper) Silesians, and some mountaineers in Podhale. In the rest of Poland, identification with historical regions is very low, and people just consider themselves "Poles". The borders of the modern Województwa were arbitrarily drawn and often do not coincide with the historical regions. Mazowieckie includes areas that have never been "Mazovian", and excludes core Mazovian centers like £owicz, Skierniewice, Rawa Mazowiecka and £ódź.

Life / Traditional Folk Costume for those from Warsaw [16]

You would have to do your research into the historical costume of the particular village you are interested in, and have a tailor or seamstress make it for you. Cities generally did not have folk costumes. Folk costumes are actually of recent origin, having become popular especially in the 1800's. Until then, people could not afford the cloth or the dyes for elaborate, colorful and uniform costumes like the £owicz one.

Language / Instrumental and byc - Polish grammar issue [46]

To jest + nominative.
Anything else jest nominative free-standing adjective.
Anything else jest instrumental noun.
Anything else jest Instrumental adjective + instrumental noun.
Jest + adverb for things like weather and some others: Jest chłodno,jest ciemno, jest dobrze, jest pożno.

Life / Traditional Folk Costume for those from Warsaw [16]

It's specific for £owicz. Except for £owicz and a few areas in the far south in Podhale, folk costumes have almost entirely fallen out of use in Poland. Even in £owicz, they are used only for certain religious festivals, especially Corpus Christi, and for folk music concerts and similar cultural events.

Work / What is the salary of a cleaner in queen boutique hotel in Krakow or in any other restaurant or hotel? [17]


It is very low. Too low for you to be able to live and to pay off your airfare to Poland and your visa fees. But that is beside the point. You would never get a visa, because no hotel or restaurant is going to go through the trouble and expense of getting work permission for a lowly housekeeper or waiter from Bangladesh, and the work office will not issue work permission because there are already tons of unemployed Polish people who would be eager to take the job. So you would never be granted a visa to Poland. You would be wasting your money even trying.

Sorry, but your plan of coming to Poland is completely unrealistic. Forget about it. Wages in Poland are far too low to make such a move worthwhile.

Genealogy / Berent, Jaroszewski - Looking for relatives in Mostowo in Mlawa County [6]


Don't count on it. It often comes out as complete nonsense. You are better off writing in English.

Work / Salary for Business Internship Position in Poland? [16]


If you cook almost exclusively at home, and stick to the Polish poor-folks' staples of potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, cabbage, carrots, onions, beans, pickles, apples, eggs, dairy products and tea with a little cheap pork, sausage, chicken or fish occasionally thrown in for protein, together with sundry household supplies and laundry done at home, you could theoretically get by on 400 PLN a month, as the bulk of students and young workers do.

But face it, you're probably not going to put up with a bland, monotonous and time-consuming diet like this for too long, and you're going to be spending substantially more than that, especially eating out three times a week (that will cost you 240 PLN at least in itself). Bank on 1000 PLN, and probably more if you drink coffee or tea in cafes, or soft drinks and snacks away from home.

That, together with your other living expenses, will exceed 2000 PLN if you manage to find a cheap student room.

Alcohol and nightlife can be very expensive indeed. Again, that depends on your tastes and how disciplined you are, but can easily exceed 1000 PLN in itself.

You still have travel and other entertainment expenses to consider, plus your phone and internet bills.

And then you have to take your airfare and visa costs into account.

Looks like you will have to chip in from your own savings to cover your expenses. How much depends on how monkish you are willing to live, but from the lifestyle you described above, you'll probably need at least 1000 PLN beyond the 2000 net you will be receiving.

Work / Salary for Business Internship Position in Poland? [16]


That's 650 to 1000 PLN for a ROOM in a student apartment.


You could try airbnb.com. Their apartments tend to be more expensive for visiting businessmen. But Gumtree has A LOT more apartments listed, and is in Polish only.

Work / Salary for Business Internship Position in Poland? [16]

Studio: 1500 PLN all inclusive (rent, admistration fees and ustilities) in Wrocław and Kraków, and a bit more that that in Warsaw, if you want near city center.

One bedroom is 1900 in Wrocław and Kraków, and a bit more than that in Warsaw.

Room in a student apartment would be anywhere from 650 to 1000 all inclusive.

Finding an apartment is going to be difficult if you are not in Poland, and if you do not speak Polish. The site to check on is Gumtree.pl. If you see an apartment that is unusually cheap, there is almost always a good reason for that (old, rundown, bad location, bad neighbors, bad windows (which can drastically increase your heating bill). Generally, make sure that you always go with an experienced (older) Pole to check out the apartment, especially the windows and heating, and let them do the talking.

You might want to ask your employer for help. A lot of these companies have their own apartments for workers or have special arrangements with local landlords.

Genealogy / Berent, Jaroszewski - Looking for relatives in Mostowo in Mlawa County [6]

Mariusz Berent still lives in Mostowo and owns a garden supply shop. Here is the contact information:

Dan-Mar. PPHU. Berent D.M.
06-550 Mostowo 34
Cell phone: 508 319 319
Telephone: 23 652 70 00
koraogrodowa.pl
koraogrodowa@wp.pl

You might try sending him an email, in Polish, if possible. If he can't help you, he can direct you to someone else in the family who can.

Work / Salary for Business Internship Position in Poland? [16]

The lifestyle you describe is very far from that which the "average student" leads in Poland. For many of them, and for junior workers, too, even buying a beer represents a significant financial outlay that requires serious deliberation and sacrifice. The wage required to live the lifestyle you portray is that earned by junior engineers and senior non-engineers. That's about the wages for a senior university professor or senior staff physician in a hospital. Even for engineers, topping 5000 PLN gross is not common until they gain serious experience and become project or regional directors or higher level consultants.

I'm sorry, but I have to concur with Monitor that your expectations are a bit over the top, and not likely to meet with approval. As Pigsy says, you can try. But I wouldn't hold my breath. You'd be extremely lucky to get half that. Also, like Pigsy said, you will very likely have to foot a good part of the bill for that lifestyle from your own funds. If they are not compensating you for your airfare and visa fees, that can well top $10,000 Canadian for the year.

Sorry, but I think you are living in a dream world.

Work / Salary for Business Internship Position in Poland? [16]

I highly doubt that they will pay you anywhere near close enough to lead the lifestyle you desire unless you are being compensated at Western rates.

Internships in Poland are generally unpaid, and when paid, are very poorly paid. For the lifestyle you describe, you'll need at the very least 4000 PLN a month net, 6000 gross, taking into account your airfare and visa costs. A Pole would be extremely lucky to get half that, for a full-time permanent junior position.

Study / What are the steps for a stay permit (due to studies in Poland)? [14]

Why, in God's name, do you want to study in Poland, of all places? Frankly, it sounds like you don't have the faintest clue or even a hint of a plan, which is a very bad thing indeed. Sounds like you are more interested in sneaking into the EU than in actually studying. Sorry, but that's the impression they are going to get at the embassy, too.

Work / Salary Expectation for HCL Senior JAVA Developer with 4 years experience in Poland [66]


With some discipline, you could theoretically do it on 4000 PLN net, but you're probably going to be spending more like 5000 to 6000.


More like 8000 PLN net.

That means you will be able to save 2000 to 3000 PLN a month, or $700 to $1000 USD. If it's substantial savings you are after, Poland is not the place for you. The cost of living is high relative to wages for foreigners. It may be worth considering leaving the wife and kid at home, and coming alone. That would almost double your ability to save. Or taking a job in a richer country where the savings potential is higher.

If you come to Poland planning to spend the "bare minimum", you wife will soon grow to hate you. Remember, she is going to be stranded in a country where she does not know the language or culture, and where there is no significant Indian population beyond your colleagues and their wives. With a six-month old child, she would be a prime candidate for cabin fever, and you are going to have to spend money on keeping her diverted, entertained and mentally active, otherwise she's going to lose it. That can be quite costly if it involves flights back to India.

Love / Do I need to be Confirmed in order to get married in the Catholic church in Poland? [41]


No. It is not possible for two non-Catholics to get married in a Catholic church, no matter how much tehy pay the priest. A Catholic in good standing may marry a non-Catholic, but regardless of what bs you've been told, it sure ain't "easy", and it requires permission from the bishop, as well as the pastor.

From the point of view of the one party, it is actually a lot more difficult for a Catholic, lapsed or not, to marry in the church than an atheist. An atheist has no obligations toward the church; the other party takes on all responsibility. A Catholic, lapsed or not, has to play by the rules.

As for a Church wedding being easier than a civil ceremony, that is complete bollocks, because, in Poland, EVERY church wedding involves both civil and religious marriage, so it has to fulfill the requirements of both the Church and the state. And the requirements for a church marriage are MUCH more onerous than those for a civil marriage, by far. It is impossible to have a church marriage in Poland without having a civil marriage at the same time.

Love / Do I need to be Confirmed in order to get married in the Catholic church in Poland? [41]


That has nothing whatsoever to do with this case. Nor is it as easy to do as you seem to think, as it requires dispensation from the Bishop, meaning extra hoops to jump through.


Not an option if she wishes to get married in her home parish.They have to deal with her pastor on his terms. And he has to follow the rules of his bishop. Also, bribes don't always work.


It's quite likely, especially in a sacramental marriage between two Catholics, in which the witnesses are supposed to represent the faithful of the Church. Nor will lying do any good. He will probably also have to provide a letter from his pastor, as well.


The only thing that matters is what the pastor of the church they will be getting married in requires, and between Catholics, this type of letter is the rule, rather than the exception. Again, bribery does not always work, and might backfire, which means that they will have to find another parish in which to get married, which will require an explanation.

This is her pastor's game and she has no choice but to play by his rules. He is not obligated to marry them if they do not fulfill his requirements.

This isn't some protestant or civil marriage where anything goes.

Love / Do I need to be Confirmed in order to get married in the Catholic church in Poland? [41]


You would need a glowing letter from the pastor of the parish which you currently attend, stating that you attend regularly, contribute your fair share and actively participate in parish activities. Notify your pastor now of your intention to marry inside the Church so that he at least knows who you are.

As for the best man, that also comes down to the discretion of the priest. Some will insist that he be a Catholic in good standing, while others won't. Check with your fiancee's pastor to make sure.

Really, your fiancee should have a thorough discussion with her pastor about all this NOW.

Love / Do I need to be Confirmed in order to get married in the Catholic church in Poland? [41]


That gives you plenty of time to obtain the documents, get them translated and submit them to the proper offices. Just don't slack off and leave anything to the last minute.

Confirmation is probably going to be easier for you to get in the UK. It is generally administered by a bishop, so contact your diocesan chancellery. There is often a course and series of devotions that you have to attend. You also have to provide your baptismal and birth certificates.

One other thing you missed is that you might require a letter from your home pastor that you are a regular practicing Catholic in good standing. In Poland, many priests require a "report card" with stamps that you attended mass every Sunday, as well as all sessions of the pre-Cana course. They might also require one of you, as well. Some priests can be excruciatingly demanding. Others, on the other hand, are extremely lax, especially when cold hard cash is offered in abundance.

Work / How to find work in Warsaw "if u don't speak Polish" ! [176]

What can you offer on the Polish job market that an EU citizen cannot? I'm not seeing much of anything useful there. Chances are very low that any language school is going to go through the hassle of getting work permission for an inexperienced non-EU citizen for a full time job, and you will need a full-time job contract to get permission to stay.

Work / Can I take accreditation easily in Poland? [3]

Without a letter of invitation from a Polish university and a promise of financial support, there is little to discuss here. You're talking in such vague and speculative terms that it is impossible to give a useful answer.

As for getting permission to practice dentistry in Poland, chances are very slim that you will find an employer willing to go through the hassle of hiring you, that the work office will be willing to accept your documentation, and that nostrification will not be frustratingly difficult and drawn out so that you eventually give up.

As for part-time work, forget about it. That just ain't gonna happen.

Sorry, but from the way your question is written, you have invested very little time in finding out about these questions on your own, to the point that you are completely unable to ask questions here that can receive useful answers.

As a general answer, it is highly unlikely that you will be allowed to practice dentistry in Poland without going through a very long, very difficult, very costly and very frustrating nostrification process. Nor is it likely that, even after going through that process, anyone will go through the hassle and expense of getting work permission for you.

As for academic research in dentistry that does not involve actually practicing dentistry, you would have to apply for a grant on your own to do research in Poland, or find some professor in Poland who is willing to apply for a grant for you, or let you share in their own limited grant funding.

The place to start is with dental associations in Turkey. They should have grant advisors on staff to help you with the process. The dean's office at your university in Turkey may also be able to answer some questions, or direct you to someone who can.

Last of all, you have to arrange all of this BEFORE you come to Poland, and it could take months, or even years.

Love / Do I need to be Confirmed in order to get married in the Catholic church in Poland? [41]


I'm going to cut this short and tell you that this is not the place to ask these questions, nor will you receive any useful answers here.

The place to ask is at the parish you plan to get married at. It's basically up to the discretion of that particular pastor whether he will marry you or not, and what hoops you have to jump through to satisfy him. There is an enormous variation among pastors in this regard, so any general answer wouldn't be useful at all to any of the questions you posed. Some pastors are very strict, and others are more lax.

So have your fiancee get in touch with the pastor ASAP to determine what has to be done, and where it can be done. His are the only answers that count.

Real Estate / What are possible price ranges (rent) for studio and 1 bedroom apartments in Krakow? [20]


You're going to have a very hard time finding anything cheaper than that in a good area of Kraków. Take it. It's a deal.

Yes, Housing in Kraków is much more expensive than in £ódź.

Travel / First vacation in Poland [15]

I lived in Poland for twelve years, but in Wrocław, so I don't know about the food scene in Kraków or Gdańsk. However, I do know that there are plenty of good restaurants in the old towns of both cities. I've had good meals in both cities, though I don't remember the names of the restaurants. Check tour guides for up to date information.

Actually, there is one that I do remember, and that is Pierogarnia u Dzika in front of the Kościół Mariacki in Gdańsk. I'm not sure if it's still open, but they had a wide selection of all different kinds of pierogi, and you could order a sampler platter for several people with a good selection.

Also forgot Częstochowa and Toruń on the list of towns the PAT tour visits.

If you are not going on the tour, then be much more modest in the number of places you visit. You will not be able to cover the territory that the PAT tour does on your own, and travel, whether by train or by rented car, can be very tiring in Poland, especially for an American.

If you like wild places, then the Szlak Orłów and Park Ojcowski between Kraków and Częstochowa is fantastic if you are renting a car. You are aware that Kraków and Gdańsk are at opposite ends of the country, and that will consume two whole days of travel? Three if you are landing in and taking off from Warsaw.

Since this is your first trip, I recommend going on the tour. It is a lot more relaxing than trying to do all that traveling on your own. Or stick to two cities, Kraków with Wieliczka, Gdańsk with Malbork, and Warsaw and Toruń along the way. A common mistake Americans make is trying to see too much in a short time, and that can be very exhausting.

My advice is to pass on Auschwitz unless you know the history about it very, very well. Well enough to know where things were and exactly what happened there, especially at Birkenau where little remains except a vast, open expanse of meadow. It is impressive if you could point out where all the missing pieces used to be, just because of its sheer size. If you don't know a lot about the history, though, the effect is lost. The main camp is too museumy and sanitized for my taste. It did not convey the horror of the events that happened there, at least to me. The prisoners there were constantly covered in a thick layer of $hit and lice, walking in a deep swamp of $hit and pi$$, and that doesn't come across at the site.

My mom was also disappointed with Częstochowa. My brother called it "Catholic Disneyland". I agree that there is little of interest there unless you are a fervent, traditionalist Catholic. There are much better religious shrines to visit in Poland, like Wambierzyce and Bardo near Wrocław, for example, that don't have a tacky touristy feel to them. There are bound to be others near Kraków and Gdańsk, or along the route between them. Avoid, however, Stary Licheń, the tackiest shrine of them all. That really is a Disneyland.

Kraków and Gdańsk have plenty to see, and it's rather easy to get around either city. Less so with Warsaw, which I never particularly cared for. While I am sure other posters here sill disagree with me, I think it lacks the charm of the other cities in Poland. Toruń has a charming old town that is good for a day or two.

Not really much to see in Wadowice, either. And I find Zakopane tacky, touristy and overpriced.

Malbork and Wieliczka are the true gems you should see.

If you're not particularly attached to seeing Gdańsk, then you can do Wrocław and Poznań instead. They have really nice old towns and plenty to see, and are a lot closer to Kraków than Gdańsk.

Travel / First vacation in Poland [15]


My mom, my brother and I have been on that tour twice, and loved it. They cover quite a bit of territory: Warsaw, Gdansk/Gdynia, Olsztyn, Malbork, Warsaw again, then a killer one-day drive to Auschwitz, Wadowice and Zakopane, Kraków with Wieliczka, and back to Warsaw.

The good thing is that you get preferred treatment at Malbork and Wieliczka, the two must-sees on the trip. The guides we had were excellent, and the hotels were all more than satisfactory.

Personally, I would have dropped Auschwitz, Wadowice and Zakopane from the itinerary. That's a bit too much. You could take the train from Warsaw yourself to Krakow and spend an extra day there before meeting up with the tour again. But maybe it isn't so bad now as the roads are in better shape than when we went.