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Posts by Turtleonfire  

Joined: 9 Sep 2009 / Female ♀ 		Last Post: 4 Oct 2009
Threads: Total: 7 / In This Archive: 3
Posts: Total: 14 / In This Archive: 8 		From: England
Speaks Polish?: No
Interests: Music - metal/goth; travel; movies; books

Displayed posts: 11
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Turtleonfire   
18 Sep 2009
Love / What do Polish Guys Like Women to Wear? [64]

Hi, I'm going to stay with my new Polish boyfriend for the winter in his city-Krakow. We're both into metal and punk music and I dress accordingly..which often means big New Rock boots or Doc Martins, stretch jeans or little skirts...He wears casual clothes/band T-shirts and combats. But he didn't like my New Rock boots or my Doc Martins, kept laughing at me saying they were clumpy and unfeminine and I am feminine. I thought maybe he's not used to seeing them in Poland so I wore some strappy heels once and he said they 'were not me'....

In the end I just thought sod it and went back to the 'clumpy boots!' But now I'm going to Poland and looking on here it seems all Polish women are beautiful, feminine, dress well...etc etc etc. I don't want him to be embarassed with me and want to impress him....but I also don't want to teeter about on stilletoes because I'll be cold and walking around a lot. I have some (normal) black high heeled boots that I'm going to take but I was also going to take my black ugg boots because they're uber warm and I think they'll look cute with my little short skirts...

Then I read a post by a Polish woman saying that all Polish men think English women are 'ugly' because 'they wear cheap ugg boots'....

Do Polish men think ugg boots are ugly? And seriously, what the hell should I wear then?!!!!
Turtleonfire   
18 Sep 2009
Love / What do Polish Guys Like Women to Wear? [64]

I hope they do!!!!!

Aw that's a shame. Why do you hope they do? (find ugg boots ugly).
My last boyfriend thought they looked cute..he wasn't Polish but English-Cypriot...maybe Polish guys are way behind the rest of Europe? I mean, if women have to go around looking like high class escorts or something?
Turtleonfire   
30 Dec 2009
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Hi there,

Would appreciate any advice on the following:

I have been offered a job teaching English as a foreign language at a private language school. I have my CELTA (Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) and previous experience at summer schools in England.

They offer a salary of 50,00 PLN net (after tax) per teaching block (i.e. 80 minutes). Guaranteed monthly net income amounts to approximately 3,000 PLN.

Is 3,000 pln enough to live reasonbly comfortably on in Krakow?

(unfortunately the hours are from 3:20pm to 9:30pm so it's unlikely I'll be able to take on many (or any) private lessons, if it comes to that).

Another school has offered me 2,500 PLN per month for 25 hours work, so I assume that 3,000 is good?
Turtleonfire   
31 Dec 2009
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Ok, thanks guys.

I must admit, I'm a bit wary about asking for any more than that, because as you say, there is a lot of competition around at the moment and 3,000 seems to be the best wage I've found!!!! The accom isn't included - in Poland. I've been offered better wages with free accom and all kinds of other extras for a job in Turkey...but I've never felt the desire to go there.

It actually looks like they're going to offer me a job in Tychy actually. All my Polish friends are in Krakow but there isn't anything available in Krakow at the moment.

Anyone know what Tychy's like?
Turtleonfire   
31 Dec 2009
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Sheesh! I'm really scared now!

Can someone give me the address of a school that pays upwards from 50zl per lesson?!!

I have a CELTA grade 'B' and 5 summers of teaching experience!!!!
Turtleonfire   
31 Dec 2009
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Have a look at the adverts on tefl.com, and most importantly, think about somewhere other than Krakow.

This job (paying 3,000/m) was found on tefl.com...there are only two Polish schools advertising on there at the moment.

think about somewhere other than Krakow.

I know it's cheaper to live in Lublin than Krakow, I wouldn't mind living there and I've been offered accommodation in the form of a student friend's empty room while he's in Norway for a few months...but I have no idea about schools in Lublin.

3000 was the going rate in Warsaw ten years ago at a school who were not good payers.

Where are the schools that pay more than this now?
I'm not 'all about the pay', I really love teaching! Plus I do not have expensive tastes by any means; but there will be things I'll need to buy that extend to a bit more than frozen pierogi :)
Turtleonfire   
2 Jan 2010
Work / Salary for Teaching EFL in Krakow [120]

Maybe one day, the UK will wake up and realise that it's being abused on a huge scale by expats that aren't entitled to it, but as for now, nothing is being done.

Maybe you'd prefer it if I stayed in the UK on the dole, taking even more money from 'high-rate' taxpayers?? (I haven't been able to find a full time teaching job here during term time)
Turtleonfire   
4 Jan 2010
Life / Tattoos and Popular culture in Poland [51]

If you're starting a debate about what Polish people in particular think of tattoos, I think opinions are always going to vary regardless of the country.....but...

...I have a small(ish) tattoo on my lower back, which is not seen in normal circumstances.

One of the Polish teachers I worked with this summer started a conversation about a tattoo he would like to have across his back and I ended up showing mine to everybody...and everybody loved it (believe me, some of them would have told me straight if they didn't!)...and they were all Polish....the general concensus was if you've got a good body and the tattoo is tasteful and drawn well, it can be sexy and interesting.
Turtleonfire   
9 Jan 2010
Language / When do you use 'się'? And what does it mean? [37]

A Polish friend of mine recently explained 'się' to me, saying...and I quote,

'Się is a stupid Polish word that doesn't translate in English...you use it when you are refering to the word 'self', such as 'himself/herself'...e.g. "Ona zabije się" - "She will kill herself", but with "Ona zabije jego" - "She will kill him", you don't use it because there is no 'self'.'

So, I thought that explanation was pretty clear and fair...but then I read something another friend of mine had written....

"Weekend w górach, zapewne się dziś wieczorem opiję i znowu narobię głupot ;) Obudzę się w jakimś dziwnym psychodelicznym miejscu i nasunie się pytanie: "Co się stało się??"

I'm new to Polish so had to let 'google translate' tell me what it says as I don't want to bore her by asking constant language questions all the time :) ....

Well, google translate said that the last bit " Co się stało się??" means 'What happened?' .....so how does that relate to the use of the word 'self' ?

What is the use of the word się exactly?
Turtleonfire   
14 Apr 2010
Work / International House - Kracow school - any chances of being offered a job there [59]

I did my CELTA there. The tutors were amazing and the course was brilliant.

HOWEVER...there were some issues. The governing body who came to inspect us found that we hadn't observed enough of other teacher's lessons to tick their boxes.

Personally, I don't know where they would have fitted this into the course without taking out a useful input/tutorial session. Plus, watching the experienced teachers we did observe didn't actually help, because those teachers had obviously settled into their own styles of teaching and were actually doing things we were being told not to do on our course! - Good way to pick up bad habbits really!

Secondly, there were issues with being ripped off, because anyone who had come from abroad was made to pay more than they should have.

Thirdly, there were problems with the accommodation that the school owners didn't seem to care about. For example, in our flat the washing machine stopped working so money was taken out of our deposits for it, the cooker's extractor fell off the wall in the night ...and money was taken out of our deposits for that too! (We later found out from meeting a guy who'd been in the flat before us that the same thing had happened to him!)

In the guy's flat, one guy had a broken sofa bed to sleep on (ended up sleeping on the sofa in a girl's bedroom instead as it was so uncomfortable) and another guy got serious bed bugs from his bed!

We were virtually paying the same rent as we pay in England so it wasn't a good situation...but we can look back and laugh!
Turtleonfire   
14 Apr 2010
Work / I'm interested in teaching in Poland and I need some help. [33]

Does anyone know what the criteria for EFL language schools, accreditation by the Ministry of Education is?
I.e. what qualifications EFL Teachers are required to have by the MoE?

Unfortunately, I had to quit my degree years ago due to financial and family problems...so these days although I have my CELTA and a vast amount of experience to offer, it doesn't seem to be enough?

(Seems stupid, as I know people with degrees in English who's grammar is frankly s**t and who can't spell for toffee!)

I would very much like to move to Poland (my partner wants to move back there). I'm just wondering whether I should say I have a degree and hope for the best! I'm actually a bloody good teacher!