Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

While there isn't any "correct" accent, there are certainly connotations attached to some whether we want them to or not. Perpetuated by movies, it's unfortunate that a teacher with a Brooklyn accent simply won't be able to sell his product (his Native Speaker status) as well as someone who sounds like Hugh Grant, no matter which of the accents is more authentic. Northern Irish is impenetrable for most, and no CEO wants to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of zloties to sound like a Somerset farmer.

The simplified version of the IPA that's used in most EFL coursebooks has changed in recent years. For those who've use it, How Now Brown Cow teaches pronunciation with a very strict adherence to the old Received Pronunciation (The Queen/Finchley Accent), but coursebooks like the Headway series from Oxford give a more Estuary English (Kent/Essex/East London) flavour to their pronunciation exercises. It's subtle, but when you're teaching elision and linking, it helps to know what a glottal stop is and when and when NOT to use it, rather than being a Cockney stereotype is and not knowing wha' a glo'al stop is anyway.

For the backpacking idiot fly-by-night teachers; I love them. It allows me to charge double for undoing all their mistakes. The ones who sell Conversation Classes, Native Speaker Sessions and Speech Training without knowing their articles from their elbows will only make those of us with experience, qualifications and professionalism that much more valuable to the market.

Which is why my hourly rate is in three figures.

Life / The Blame Game (Have you ever noticed that a Polish person is never wrong!?) [205]


Paul Grice wrote a wonderful theory about communication protocol, which he called his Maxims. It's worth looking at, since they're relevant here.

We make sweeping statements like "Poles are never wrong" because it's quicker and easier than saying "a significant number of Poles refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes more frequently than one would expect." We presume the listener has enough intelligence to infer our meaning, since it would be foolish to make such a sweeping generalisation without meeting every single Pole.

So to demand absolutely accuracy from a statement, when only a fool would understand the original sentence literally to start with, really shows who is being silly here.

Argue with the sentiment, but don't argue with the semantics.

UK, Ireland / Polish eligibility to claim benefits in the UK [30]


That's Polish Syndrome, not Living In London Disease. "It's all their fault I'm poor and jobless 22 years after Communism..."

To the OP, while she may not be eligible for state support, there are plenty of outreach centres and institutions to help people like your ex-fiance. I'm sure the Polish community in London will offer some decent advice.

Travel / What do you know about Torun, Poland? [30]

Torun is pretty much like any other mediaeval city. Just bounce around from restaurant to cafe to bar in the Old Town, stroll around, admire the renovation and ruin of the place. Keep your ear tuned, and you'll find a few quirky little places in the evening, but during summer when the students are away, the place can be a ghost town.

A one night stay in Torun would be rather charming, even romantic, but anything more than that would get boring quite quickly. You could always go off and explore the ring of derelict fortresses, although as a tourist I'm not sure how easy they are to get to, and climbing around in collapsing piles of brick isn't everyone's idea of fun.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toru%C5%84_Fortress

Work / Polish schoolteachers are being crushed by the system [24]

The general population treats Polish teachers with a certain amount of sympathy ("poor young women, having to work with those awful teenagers"), but justifies the low salaries with this idiotic lie of "they only work 18 hours."

That's 18 classroom hours. What about lesson planning, homework-marking, exam-grading, curriculum meetings, staff meetings, parents' meetings, organising the bloody studniowka, catch-up lessons for the students who missed key material because they were given time out to dance the f**king Polonnaise during class hours? 18 hours can easily turn into 30 or 40 depending on the exam season, and even with two months of holiday, 25k zlotys a YEAR is a criminally low salary.

It makes my blood boil how little respect teachers in this country get, and it saddens me to think that those with the best talents (patience, primarily) to help the most problematic and disadvantaged youths in this country, simply can't afford to do that work because of the awful surrounding conditions.

News / 10 km of a road in Poland costed... 2,3 bilions of PLN! [13]

This ten kilometres involved a triple-bridge construction at one end (the junction with Prymasa Tysiaclecia), then a new bridge over it 1km later, then another bridge, an undercut, the tram line being removed, rebuilt, removed and rebuilt again, then another undercut, another new bridge, a solution to an existing train line, another new bridge, then another new bridge, another, another and finally another, then the connection to the rest of the S8 that will be built afterwards.

So, 11 bridges, a new tram line, a new train line AND six lanes of asphalt, 2.3bn zlotys seems cheap.

Travel / Pot holes on Polish roads - to swerve or not to swerve [26]

Every day's a Pot Hole Day on Poland's roads.

Travel / Pot holes on Polish roads - to swerve or not to swerve [26]


Christ, I've had dozens of Escorts over the years, you can throw all sorts of stuff at them and they'll plough on and on, as long as it's not a light rain 'cos then the electrics cut out all over the place. But those old Mark V's are normally running 65% profile tyres, which helps a lot with the pothole problem.

Travel / Pot holes on Polish roads - to swerve or not to swerve [26]

One of them mashed up one of the classic alloys I'd just fitted to my car; couple of hundred zlots to have the rim bent back into shape and balanced again properly, which I wasn't happy about. Ach, to Polska.

I certainly wouldn't advocate ploughing into one at 80kmh; if it causes a problem to your car, it'll be a big one (collapsed suspension shock, broken rim, burst tyre) which will be far more problematic than giving the steering a little wiggle. Consider it Poland's version of the Elk Test.

Life / How many English native speakers in Poland? [28]


I think the numbers simply come from the regional Immigration Offices; one in Warsaw, one in Krakow. I have no idea whether there are other such government offices in, say, TriCity or Wroclaw, but I imagine a Brit finding himself in Swidnik or Zamosc will have to submit papers to an office which forwards them to Krakow to be processed, and in that way, it looks like there are 18,000 foreigners in that city, when they are in fact spread over the whole of Galicia.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]

I knew it was for a lot of towns, but didn't want to speak outside my field of experience ;)

To clarify again, for $3000 you'll live fine to Polish standards, but not to American standards. Clothes, tools, holidays, fuel, kids toys, electronic equipment and services all cost more here than they do across the pond. But if you can adapt to the Polish way of thinking, you'll manage fine.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]

for between 2000-3000PLN per month you will get a three-room (so two bedrooms) apartment in Gdynia around 100-120m2 (1075-1300sq ft). Remember that on top of the rent is something Poles call "czynsz", which covers water and heating charges, and may also have something called "fundusz remontowy" (general repairs fund) included, or it might be an additional cost. On an apartment of 100m2, this can be over 500zl per month.

In Warsaw, it was common for families of four or five to be squeezed into 40m2 (430sq ft) apartments for the whole duration of Communism, and for a decade afterwards.

Life / $3,000-$4,000 a month - would we have enough money to live in Poland? [273]


I had, not I've had. Past simple, not present perfect.

This forum is not the place to criticise other people's language abilities; the message is important, not the quality of spelling through which it is conveyed.

s2good2, if you've got an entrepreneurial spirit you might find a market for yourself in Poland, especially in Gdynia (which is one third of the TriCity/TroiMiasto of Gdynia, Gdansk and Sopot).

$3000 a month certainly won't give you an American standard of living, but you won't go hungry either. You'll simply be cutting down on luxury items like sports equipment, foreign holidays, nights out in fancy restaurants (if that's your kind of thing.) But if you can bring any capital over here as an investment, you mind find a niche that you can exploit.

News / Poland's atheist loonies have had their 5 minutes [239]


This is known as Russell's Teapot, but also as the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

Work / Native English speaker from the US better than from the UK to find a job in Poland? [24]


That's pretty much it, yes. Without a degree your first year here will be impoverished, overworked, hungry, cold, and ******** about all the things you had in the US that were better or cheaper. I've seen it too many times. Even with a degree, this happens a lot, and those guys move on to Spain or China or Saudi Arabia after a year here.

Consider it paying your dues. Once you've proved yourself and built up a network of students who contact you for private classes, classes for friends, classes in their wives' offices, your earnings will increase and your life will get easier. But that only comes with time. You have to rough it for your first year. After that, you'll have worked out which schools in your chosen city are worth working for, what Poles expect from a teacher, what the life of a teacher is like and whether you want to be part of what's going on here.

Work / Native English speaker from the US better than from the UK to find a job in Poland? [24]

To cover some areas:

a) Callan is a method. It is taught at Callan-approved private schools, and does not need a CELTA, a degree or to be a native speaker. Among EFL "professionals" it is often disregarded. Having Callan experience equates to having no experience, when it comes to applying to a "real" school.

b) Without a Masters degree, you will not be able to work for the Polish State Education system (so regular primary, middle or high schools.) You might be able to find a position with a State Approved private school, but those positions are extremely lucrative and with no degree or experience, you won't get that job. Therefore, you will most likely be working for a private language school, teaching classes in the afternoons and evenings, or very early mornings. Your schedule will be something like 7am-10am, then 3pm-10pm, depending on how much work there is for you.

c) Cities vs Small Towns. It's true that small towns don't have any competition, but they also don't have any money. The wage difference between provincial towns and the capital cities is vast; 15zl per hour compared to 60zl or more, depending on your target clientele. Even Toruń, a sizeable university town, does not pay private English Teachers much more than 25zl. If you think about the 850zl monthy insurance contribution you MUST make, that's 34 teaching hours gone immediately, and if you can pick up 100 hours a month in a place like that then you're a lucky man. So trying to start in a small town is VERY hard.

d) Your age. At 23 with no vocation, you don't have any niche value; you'll be completely out of your depth trying to teach Business classes, which is where the real money is (over 60zl per hour.) I moved here when I was 22, but I had a BA in Linguistics, and I had lengthy business experience in the UK. But that was a long time ago, and Poland has been inundated with backpacking teachers attracted by the cheap beer and gorgeous women. You'll have to find something that makes you different to them. A CELTA isn't enough.

Therefore, your best option is to email the big chain language schools in the big cities (Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Gdansk) and ask if they are interested in employing an American. Get them to tell you how interested they are, and what they will pay. But don't let your youthful exuberance lead you on; Poland is a tough country to start out in, and if you're not prepared for it you are in for a sharp shock.

Work / Native English speaker from the US better than from the UK to find a job in Poland? [24]

In terms of the classroom, it won't matter at all, there's arguments for both sides (US is the most popular variant globally, British is better for the region.)

What's far more important is the paperwork. Poland has a crippling level of bureaucracy, and as an American if you don't start dealing with it as soon as you arrive, you'll run out of time and have to leave the country again because you'll be in the Schengen Zone on just a tourist visa. It all depends on what sort of contract your employer offers you, and if they don't offer a contract at all and insist on paying you cash (which is common) then you'll be screwed within six months when you try to cross the border.

Because of this paperwork, many schools refuse to employ non-EU teachers because they don't want the bureaucracy-induced headache.

Love / Should I still go to my Polish ex boyfriends parents house for Christmas? [13]

Are you both 18 years old or something? Just walk away, if he treats you the same way he treated girls in the playground at school, then he's not worth another second of your time. There are plenty of men out there, you don't have to waste your time with boys.

Then eat your carp with a smile, knowing that his mother is destroying his ears in the way only a Polish mother can.

Life / During winter in Poland, does petrol in the car freezes [60]

Diesel can become waxy at low temperatures, but I've never heard of petrol freezing. As for frozen locks; every man is equipped with his own lock de-icer... just don't get too close to the metal door.

Law / Staly Meldunek / Karta Pobytu - achievable for an EU resident? [7]

Ok, dashing between the two offices, it seems that Zaswiadczenie O Zarejestrowaniu Pobytu is NOT stale, or permanent. It is, however "bezterminowy". Although the woman at the Urzad Gmina agreed that it was a stupid system, she couldn't give me stale meldunek based on this piece of paper.

So I went back to the Wydzial Spraw Cudziozemcow, to complain to the girl who issued me this paper, and in her snotty tone she asked me why I hadn't filled out the application form for "Dokumentu potwierdzajacego prawo stalego pobytu", which is the Permanent Residence Right card, which INCLUDES A PHOTO!

"You told me I could only have pobytu," I told her.

"No I didn't," she replied.

"Yes you did, that's why you gave me the other wniosek."

"That wasn't me."

"Can I see my other wniosek? The one in my file?" She gives it to me.

"Is this your signature at the bottom?" I ask.

At which point she gets upset, rants a lot in Polish that I don't understand, thrusts the four copies of the new form at me very quickly and says "Dzien dobry." Which seems very much like a pyrrhic victory.

UK, Ireland / Why British men move to Poland [63]

Especially when coupled with todays news story: bbc.co.uk/news/health-11935525

(Britain has the most fat people in Europe at 24.5%, Poland is half that at 12.5%)

Law / Staly Meldunek / Karta Pobytu - achievable for an EU resident? [7]

Yes, I had a friend call the Urzad Gmina to confirm this, and was told that the document I had was enough for Meldunek Stale. So the toxic old battleaxe who serves me every time I go there is wrong, but I'm not sure how I can avoid her when I go back, other than calling for her boss.

Law / Where to go in Warsaw to register your residency? [7]

Are you talking about Meldunek? If so, you have to go with the owner of the property, and a copy of the rental agreement or some other statement, to the Urzad Dzielnicy Zoliborz, which is at Slowackiego 6/8.

If you're talking about Foreigner's Registration in Polish Territory and you want a karta pobytu, that's the Wydzial Spraw Cudzociemcow at Dluga 5, in the Old Town, but you need to have Meldunek (and a load of other papers) to get to that stage.

Work / Cost of Living, Average Salaries and Job sites in Poland [263]


You're going to spend five years of your life over here, so that you can return home with an internationally worthless* degree in a subject that, outside its own field, is equally worthless.

Think carefully about what you want this degree for. If you really want to be a psychologist then go for it. If you're doing it just because university sounds like fun, and you need a certificate to get some sort of office job in the future, then seriously SERIOUSLY reconsider your options.

* in comparison to five-year degrees from Asian or Western universities

Love / Sexual diseases! Please tell me how I go about getting tested in Poland? [103]


You may be able to reduce your chances of catching an STD by not having sex, but you cannot prevent it utterly. As I mentioned, public toilets? Hotel bedsheets? Do you really trust the woman you pay 1.50zl to REALLY clean the cubicle each time its used in Dworzec Centralny toilets.

Of course, you won't catch HIV this way, but there are plenty other diseases out there just waiting to jump under your foreskin. Advising monogomy has NOTHING to do with preventing the infection of sexual diseases.

Love / Sexual diseases! Please tell me how I go about getting tested in Poland? [103]


The inherent stupidity of this statement leaves me breathless.


The original poster is being perfectly responsible in such activities, by looking for a place to get a regular medical check-up. There is no other course of action that would count more as being sexually responsible; as has been mentioned, condoms and other contraceptives do wholly protect against the transference of disease, and even if the poster agreed to a vow of abstinence or marriage (which are essentially the same thing) there are still ways for co-habiting adults to contract infections from the outside world (public toilets) and share them (bedsheets, baths etc.)

Advising ANY course of action as being better than regular medical tests with a qualified professional, when it comes to issues of health, is so downright naive, misinformed or idiotic as to be morally reprehensible.

Love / Sexual diseases! Please tell me how I go about getting tested in Poland? [103]

I'd suggest calling LuxMed, Medicover or any other private health service you've seen in Poland. Get through to the operator, ask for someone who speaks English, and tell them what you need. Be prepared to pay, but it'll be a better experience than anything the Polish health service (NFZ) can provide; with them you'll come out with more diseases than when you went in.

Travel / Bars and clubs in Warsaw and best district to stay [18]

Choldna 25 fits in the same category as Warszawa Powisle bar; great to look at, irritating clientele, good bottled beer but a steep price for it and it's always warm, and worst of all, sharing a sofa with a drainpipe-jeaned unshaven unlaced-Converse'd student talking rubbish about the high quality of Polanski's early films while waving his arms about, beads and wristbands clacking in the air.

*shudder*

I'm glad those bars are located in places that get no passing traffic whatsoever.

Travel / Bars and clubs in Warsaw and best district to stay [18]

Those sorts of places are mostly clustered in one place; the Pawiliony round the back of Nowy Swiat 23 (is it 23? I haven't been down there for ages.) At the farthest, darkest end it seems like a row of shuttered-up abandonned shops with smashed windows, but tug on a door and you'll gain entry into one of a dozen little bars, some with underground drinking dens too.

Other places are dotted around and you need to be sober to remember where they are; a nautical-themed place on Koszykowa (next to the Fish and Chip shop), or a rock bar with comfortable old armchairs on Al. Jana Pawla (next to the Sapaya asian restaurant) are the most recent ones I've visited where you can talk without shouting.