Life / Potential move to Poland [6]

Hi, I have been living in Prague now for roughly three years however now it has become even more materialistic than the West and I am getting fed up with it and want to move somewhere further East. Poland seems like a natural choice because my Mother's parents are Polish. My Grandmother is from Krakow and grandfather from Warsaw. This has made me interested in exploring my roots.

I am now in a position where I am 50/50 on whether to move to Poland or to Ostrava in the Eastern part of the Czech Republic near the Polish border. Within Poland I would not want to live in Warsaw as I have heard that it is not the most beautiful city. Krakow sounds interesting, but it seems popular with English teachers and I do not have a TEFL so am not sure on my chances of finding work even with my experiance. Right now the main places of interest are Lodz, Poznan, Lublin and Katowice (inc Chorzow, Zabrze, Gliwice etc...)

I want to ask those with experiance of living in Poland a few questions in order to help me make a decision on what to do before I begin to apply for positions....

Firstly I want to know what type of salary an English teacher can earn and what the cost of living is in terms of both essential items such as rent, food, public transport etc... as well as non-essentials such as beer, gym membership, clothes etc....

Prague is probably the safest city I have ever lived in. I have heard that Poland is pretty much the opposite. I tend to hang out in working man type bars a lot and also enjoy going to watch football. Are these relatively safe things to do? I know about Poland's football hooligan problem and have seen them first hand when Katowice fans come to Ostrava games, but are there problems with violence in day to day life also? Also would Polish fans have a problem with me being at games in their ultras end? In the Czech Republic I've never had problems with this.

While on the subject of sport, what is Poland like for cycling? Here we have an excellent sign-posted cycle network, but I know nothing about the cycling culture of Poland. It is quite important to me as it is my main interest and form of exercise, especially during the summer.

What is the country like for young people culturally? When I first came to Prague three years ago life was about having fun, but now it has become about buying things rather than doing things you enjoy without caring about being judged. This has really put me off living here. Is Poland the same or is it less obsessed with brands and perceptions of wealth?

Finally out of the cities I listed previously, which do you find to be the nicest? Also which would be easiest to adjust to for an English person? Reading this site I can understand quite a lot of what is written in Polish because it is similar to Czech, but my language skills will be really bad at first. This is a slight worry if I am living outside of the capital.

Would also appreciate any advice on top of my questions if you think there's anything important I missed!

Thanks,

Ed