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Posts by Sminti  

Joined: 23 May 2011 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: -
Threads: Total: 2 / In This Archive: 2
Posts: Total: 11 / In This Archive: 11 		From: Zakopane & Donegal (Ireland)
Speaks Polish?: No - just started to learn - trohe rozumiem
Interests: architecture, learning Polish

Displayed posts: 13
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Sminti   
23 May 2011
Study / Anyone know anyone/ any school that teaches Polish in/around Zakopane? [6]

Hi,

Can anyone help?

I'm moving to Zakopane for all of July, Aug and Sept 2011 and want to learn Polish on a daily basis....but I've failed to find anyone/school that teaches. Can anyone help?

I'm a complete beginner (I know just a few words at present), and am looking for intensive instruction. I've googled for hours looking for language schools in Zakopane but have failed to find anything?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Greg
Sminti   
23 May 2011
Travel / Irish Couple getting married in Zakopane. A nice hotel? [15]

Hi

I'm from Donegal and have just spent a week touring the restaurants of Zakopane as I'm interested in food. This involved seeing most of the best hotels. I can tell you the result of my search - the best hotel for food by FAR Hotel Bukowina in Bukowina Tatrzanska - just outside Zakopane. Amazing views, has unbelievable spa next door. Staff speak great English. Hotel only opened in December - but the food was fabulous - I'd give it a Michelin Star, and yet only same price as pub food in Ireland. Rooms not the cheapest, but look good.

Otherwise there are three other notable hotels:

Crocus
Koneser
Nosalowy Dwor

Or if you want a nice, smaller (can feed up to 100) stylish log-cabin restaurant I can thoroughly recommend Ziebowka in Witow. My partner has just got a job there and it is truly lovely (and a better price than the big hotels). Hope that helps

Greg
Sminti   
29 May 2011
Study / Anyone know anyone/ any school that teaches Polish in/around Zakopane? [6]

cheers guys - will follow up the leads. so far learning the basics at busuu.com which is fun
G

Still looking for an experienced teacher of Polish in Zakopane if anyone knows one?

Maybe a school teacher that has some spare time over the summer? I'm looking for a couple of hours a day 3 >5 days a week - I really need to learn, and work through a syllabus/ book etc.

I'm not really looking for skype tuition unless as a last resort

thanks
Greg
greg@underthethatch.co.uk

still looking for english speakers/ Polish tutors in Zakopane if anyone knows one, or even someone who just fancies a coffee and a chat! :) Greg

see me on my facebook profile - facebook.com/ilovedonegal
Sminti   
2 Jul 2011
Real Estate / Foreigner buying house with 'Rolna'/Rural land in Poland - ever possible? Advice/help. [38]

I'm a UK national living in Poland, with no formal family connections to the country. I own a small flat in Krakow, but I'm desperately trying to find a way to purchase an old farmhouse near Tarnow.

The problem is the house comes with 30,700m2 of land, and as a foreigner (with no Polish wife/family) I'm technically not allowed to buy a house that has Rolna/ Rural land attached. I can't buy the house without the land as the Gmina don't want to seperate it. The house has been empty for years, is decaying fast, and despite being the cheapest thing by far in the area, there is no local interest in it (so in no way would my purchase be preventing a local person finding a home) . The main reason is that it will be a long and expensive restoration (log cabin, thatch roof etc). I'm a specialist building conservator and as so few of these untouched farmhouses are left I'm willing to put in the time, money and effort to rescue the building (it will cost more than its value to restore). But I'm not allowed to buy Rolna land.

Any ideas? What if I set up a company in Poland (happy to do this)? Does anyone know a good property lawyer who speaks English?

I run a company in the UK and would love the opportunity to start a restoration company here in Poland but the regulation about foreigners not buying foreign land is preventing me. I've tried emailing the relevent person at the Polish ministry for development (who was English speaking) but didn't even get a reply.

Thank you for your time/advice

Greg
Sminti   
3 Jul 2011
Real Estate / Foreigner buying house with 'Rolna'/Rural land in Poland - ever possible? Advice/help. [38]

Thanks for the replies guys

The law stands until Spring 2016 I'm afraid.

You have to apply for a permit but you only get them if you can demonstrate strong Polish connections, which I don't have.

I tried to apply for a permit which is a long, slow and expensive process. Halfway through they wrote to me telling me I had no chance of getting a permit as I had no Polish connections, and that I'd be wise to retract my application unless I could evidence a Polish wife or parent/grandparent. :(

The sad thing is that the area is going to lose its last thatched traditional farmhouse - nobody local has any interest in it (not even when the price halved) as it will be a difficult restoration. I have the skills and money to do it, but am unable to purchase the property.

Anyone know a way around the system? Or can anyone recommend a good property lawyer who speaks English?

Thanks for your help
G
Sminti   
7 Jul 2011
Real Estate / Foreigner buying house with 'Rolna'/Rural land in Poland - ever possible? Advice/help. [38]

thanks for the advice

I heard that simply becoming a resident won't help me get the permit - I'd still need the family connection which I don't have.

I'd happily become resident as I live here anyway (currently employed in UK via internet, but live and work here) and I own my flat in Krakow.

will investigate the company option - even at 50% ownership by Polish friend is better than 0% in just giving the money to a friend to buy in their name. the problem with that last option is the restoration will cost more than double the price of the house, so there would be a considerable capital increase in value by the time the law changes to allow foreigners to buy in 2016.

G
Sminti   
16 Jul 2011
Real Estate / Foreigner buying house with 'Rolna'/Rural land in Poland - ever possible? Advice/help. [38]

in case it helps others in future - it seems the best solution is to

1. try and buy the plot of 'budowlana' outright in normal way - ie just the house and immediate garden
2. sign a contract on the 'rolna' until 2016 to rent it, with a pre-arranged purchase price of the land in 2016.

note that whenever you buy anything in Poland the government checks the value of it after if it seems to be too cheap (in case you've avoided tax), so not to arrange too low a value on the land.

it took me 2 years to get to understand this, so hope it saves someone else the hassle I've been through!

thanks everyone for your advice.
Sminti   
16 Jul 2011
Work / How hard is to find head chef jobs in Poland? [37]

In my experience it isn't hard to find a job as a chef in Poland, as there is a real shortage of good, qualified, properly trained chefs here. The fac you are coming in from abroad may well be seen as an advantage. The main problem is the terrible wages - the food may retail at say 25% less than UK (or in some places equal to or more than UK) yet the wages are around 50% of UK - often under. For example I know head chefs in good-quality small regional restaurants (retailing food at around 40pln for a 3 course meal, or 25 PLN a main course) that get paid only 12PLN an hour (about €3!).

Another problem is that the lack of training many staff have means you may be working with untrained colleagues who don't for eg have the basic skills in food management/ health & safety.

Another issue is so many restaurants have ridiculously long menus based on frozen and preprepared foods. The restaurants that have short daily 'specials' menu of fresh food aren't common.

Hope that helps.
Greg
Sminti   
27 Jul 2011
Real Estate / Question about a POLISH HOUSE PRICE (total cost?) [11]

there are many small rural houses around this price in Poland - I've noticed that there isn't much demand for them, and they tend to sell cheap. You'll need to pay the estate agent c3% and another c5% in taxes and notaire fees. Note if any house has 'rolna' rural land with it then as a foreigner you'll be refused permission to buy unless you have a permit (only available if you can prove direct Polish family roots). Greg