Real Estate / Plans and documents for a house (buy/sell) in Poland [3]

Nathans......thank you for your response

Life / Three Reasons Why Poles Are Not Regular Human Beings... [16]

Not sure whether this posting is really appropriate in all the circumstances....firstly the title seems to be quite provocative and unnecessary and secondly it does not relate to the substance of the posting.....it seems to be without any respect or courtesy to Polish people....the title could apply to any country to describe their failings...USA...UK...etc....so why waste time on the posting....not sure what you hope to achieve...?

Real Estate / Buying and renting an apartment in Poland (South-west of Wroclaw) [4]

cms neuf and Nathans ......

Thanks for your feedback on my post...your comments are appreciated.....there are of course a lot of things to consider....air quality seems to be much improved and not as bad as the Krakow area where I currently live.....all other information you have both provided is very helpful.

News / Schools in Poland to strike tomorrow [235]

It seems to me that the 500+ scheme is clearly beneficial to parents/couples having children but I wonder if this just encourages having babies to benefit from the payments..(not sure if this is the best way to increase the population...far better to improve the services so that people feel valued...)..I also wonder where this money is coming from and how long it can be sustained....It could be argued that there are other sections of society who are more deserving....perhaps social issues, for example improving the health system which in any society is essential if Poland wishes to provide a professional, efficient and caring service to those in need....Perhaps also financing infrastructure projects to supplement European funding...and financing increased regulation on rubbish dumping/clearance of rubbish, such as can be found in forests and ditches which is my view is unforgivable and a blot on the landscape.....

How on earth is Poland going to attract tourism (because of course there is so much to offer in Poland) if the countryside is full of rubbish and dogs on the loose.....I do wonder when the PIS are going to put their money where there mouth is when it comes to improving the lives of their citizens....will it be this year...next year....year after...? It doesn't seem very transparent and clear when listening to the news on TV..... Financing the 500+ project is short termism and unlikely to last so do the recipients of these payments realise this when it comes to voting in the forthcoming elections or will they blindly vote for PIS just to keep the payments they now rely on..? I have to agree that teachers do deserve a pay increase and also deserve more respect and understanding...It is said that there are good and bad teachers but of course this is the same in all professions....what I think needs to be understood is that teaching is an essential part of providing a stable educational starting point for students who are starting out in life.....Further teaching development training and more pro-active management support, would go a long way to address poor performers ..

Finally perhaps this spare cash could be spent on encouraging people to steer away from using coal for heating and making it user friendly for people to use gas or at least a cleaner fuel..(500 zl per family for fuel payments should go a long way...)....if money is being spent to encourage people to use cleaner fuel, it is not happening quick enough...they need to try harder....

News / Schools in Poland to strike tomorrow [235]

Yes that's correct I am a Brit......

News / Schools in Poland to strike tomorrow [235]

As an private English teacher I do have sympathy with main stream public school teachers. There has already been talk in this posting about the lack of creativity from teachers and I can say that like all teachers throughout the world, it is a necessity to be creative when planning lessons. It is fair to say that like any business there are good and not so good employees and this also applies to teachers. However be careful when judging teachers as I am sure there are many other professions/businesses who employ many no hopers and unproductive employees whose only objective is to work as little as possible for the salary their receive.

Not only is it necessary to plan and create lessons for students (often outside teaching hours and late into the night) that are stimulating but they need to carefully plan the delivery and timings of such lesson plans which can be difficult. In addition there is the added pressure of dealing with difficult and challenging children/students who so quickly make the lives of teachers stressful and are resistant to any form of encouragement or help offered. I am sure there are many more issues which are equally important and relevant to the current strike but unless you are a teacher it is really unrealistic to know how teachers feel and how difficult life can be when teaching. For teachers to earn as much as a KFC employee is obscene and a disgrace.

The public know that the teaching profession needs to employ the best teachers to ensure that students receive the best possible education to prepare them for life. It is right to say that there are good and not so good teachers. Perhaps increased regulation of teaching ability needs to be improved and new ideas, approaches adopted. In this way teachers can develop their skills further and add value to their current skills set. Money is not the sole solution to quality and improvement but teachers do deserve an increase in salary to bring them up to and exceed the salary of KFC employees...! At the end of the day teachers are the foundations on which a progressive society is based on and should be respected and rewarded where necessary. Like any business, teaching will positively progress if the right approach is used to develop and equip teachers with the right tools.

I only hope that my comments help to show some of the difficulties experienced by teachers.

News / Man Charged in Escape Room Deaths in Warsaw, Poland [8]

This is of course a complete tragedy for the families involved.....and must be terrible for them to comprehend the events....

It does seem to be a situation as other posts have mentioned that there were little or no regulation checks made.....so first of all there should always be health and safety inspections made for this type of business or for example food outlets. If checks were made then clearly the person/team responsible haven't been thorough enough. Consistent regulation is really the key here and whoever is responsible for public safety should really step up their game and as a priority ensure that businesses like this are consistently regulatedto prevent this tragedy from happening again. (I suspect that it will happen again, maybe not with an 'escape room' but probably with a club, disco, etc)

Like the terrible standard of driving on the roads or people burning plastic there appears to be little or no regulation and there is no excuse for non regulation. (I've never seen police target and stop a driver for driving dangerously close to the back of another car/lorry as frequently happens....perhaps they have but perhaps not often enough because bad driving still continues...perhaps it will take more deaths on the roads for someone to do something)

Whichever government department is responsible for overseeing health and safety inspections really need to improve their game.....training perhaps...looking at other countries to see how they do it....greater accountability....etc. I know that someone has been arrested and not sure what the current situation is.....nevertheless people should really turn their attention and focus on the people who are paid and responsible for health and safety inspections...these people are the ones who should be in the spotlight...lots of news stories about the man arrested but nothing on the health and safety inspectors....perhaps this will happen soon......take accountability if you can...!!

News / Poland blocks any action on climate change [569]

I think that there is really big point missed with all the discussions about coal reserves lasting 200 odd years, etc etc....and this is the effect that coal burning (and plastic rubbish) has on the population. I would like to see statistics on what percentage of the population suffers from breathing related conditions, asthma, cancer etc as a result of the toxic fumes and smoke produced by burning coal. This to me is the hidden scandal behind the use of coal and it doesn't matter how much the government support the burning of coal or renaming it as eco groszek, there is a real health hazard which I suspect is costing millions in medical treatment and reduced life expectancy.

The dangerous pollution levels created by burning coal are invisible and I think that if you could actually see it people would put more pressure on government to change things. Yes it is a cheap option for heating but sadly Poland needs to catch up with other countries who could see the health hazards associated with burning coal many years ago. I suspect that the real reason is that the government are protecting the coal industry to save jobs, keep their votes etc. They need to have the courage to change things. Think of the money that could be saved on medical bills.

UK, Ireland / Mixed feelings after moving from Poland to England [36]

Just to put the record straight, certain squads in the British police force are armed and operate in various situations. I think you will find that a high percentage of the public in the UK are reassured by the fact that not all police officers are armed and that they can rely on special units with armed officers to deal with particular situations. I think the UK public do not want to encourage a rise in gun crime by arming all police officers but having certain armed police units is really seen as sufficient support. At the end of the day the UK do not really want to see a situation arise such as in the USA where gun control seems to be out of control and where the gun lobby is an all powerful body preventing any attempt to reduce the sale of arms or make meaningful changes to gun law. In short most people in the UK do not want to see a situation arise where the general approach is 'my gun is bigger than yours'....its just asking for trouble. London is experiencing a rise in knife crime and some other areas and I can see that something needs to be done about it.....giving police officers guns is not really in my view the most effective way to supress crime, but would only serve to inflame it. As for British police 'finally growing a pair' I think you will find that they are respected worldwide for their professionalism and work under difficult circumstances.....these are brave and respected police officers who 'grew their pair' a long, long time ago.

Life / Settle in Poland, which city is best? [30]

If your pension is a civil service pension then you will have it taxed in the UK....as others have said if you have a state pension from the UK it would be taxed in Poland.

News / How will BREXIT affect the immigrants in UK and Poland. [1114]

johnny reb....


I actually thought the forum was for people living in Poland but if people can access it from different countries then that is fine...Is there a forum for people living in Poland....I am thinking of the AngloInfo business which provides information such as business set ups, selling/ buying property or personal items, advertising local events, forum for sharing ideas/information on living in a particular country, general information for anyone living or arriving in a particular country which helps them to settle in etc...

Thanks.....

Real Estate / Planning permission - buying a house in Poland [7]

Delphiandomine........Thank you for your advice on this matter...I tend to agree with your response and tempting as it is, in the future it may come back to bite me if the paperwork is not legalised and be expensive to put right if that is possible. Thanks again.

Real Estate / Planning permission - buying a house in Poland [7]

Thank you Atch for your helpful knowledge on this issue.....I agree that it is up to the seller to apply for the correct paperwork.....and yes I think using a solicitor is a sensible course of action or indeed an escrow account.....I thought about placing a fee with the estate agent to reserve the property, in an amount of 2000zl....I think that either the owner wants to know about my commitment to the sale or that the estate agent wants to secure a sale by pushing through signing of a first contract (there are two agencies selling the property so I guess that our agent wants to secure a sale before the other agency receives an offer from someone who is not worried about the paperwork....

Law / Poland's ZUS/NFZ payments for businesses [27]

Yes it is a question of how you replace lost revenue to ZUS but to be honest I would leave that to the politicians to work out. At the end of the day I am sure there are other ways to collect the lost revenue, and with small/large businesses no longer penalised with high ZUS/NFZ costs it would encourage entrepreneurs to set up businesses. As a result businesses would have better conditions in which to work in and would continue providing more choice to the consumer and go a long way to improving the economy.

It just needs the will of government to introduce a fairer system and realise the benefits of increasing the number of businesses. Successful small businesses grow into large businesses and continue to create jobs, revenue etc....but they need the right conditions.

Law / Poland's ZUS/NFZ payments for businesses [27]

My thought was to look at ways to encourage entrepreneurs/small businesses to set up a business be it small or large. In having a system of ZUS/NFZ business payments which is fair and based on earnings rather than just a set fee, would in my view help the Polish economy and so on. At present there is very little incentive for people to set up a business with such high ZUS/NFZ costs....I believe that small businesses are essential to improving the economy....the alternative is to sell goods at the market, which for some people is not something they wish to do and with limited returns and travel costs etc. I don't believe that big businesses are the only way forward.

Law / Polish certificate exam level B1 and institution / few questions about the Polish language [39]


I agree, the certificate would probably have to be issued by some government department, and yes private language schools do provide the space and resources to deliver lessons leading up to students taking the FCE Exam etc....I am perfectly aware that come the day of exam there are likely to be certified examiners overseeing things, but accredited private schools could possibly provide lessons to prepare the student to take the state exam given that something similar to accreditation for FCE level training/lessons, could be agreed. Just a thought.


Actually my suggestion was really for private language schools to provide the lessons to enable the student to take the state exam....that's all.

Law / Polish certificate exam level B1 and institution / few questions about the Polish language [39]

Well yes, so you agree that it could be possible for accredited private language schools to act as exam centres.....it may well be that the actual certificate is issued by the government department responsible for producing them....but it could be possible for this exam to be taken at a language school....

Law / Polish certificate exam level B1 and institution / few questions about the Polish language [39]

I think it depends on the reputation of the individual language school. The potential for fraud is equally valid elsewhere, wherever you take it....it all depends on the people overseeing the exam. If accredited language schools are properly run (as no doubt state exam centres are) then the potential for fraud is reduced.

Law / Polish certificate exam level B1 and institution / few questions about the Polish language [39]


As some private language school are accredited to offer courses and certificates for students to take the Cambridge Certificate Exam, FCE etc...then perhaps its possible to find a school who is accredited to run the 'state exam' to cut down on waiting time and to offer more places....

News / Road deaths increase in Poland [43]

As a car driver myself I have seen all sorts of stupid and reckless driving....such as:
- driving fast at dangerous speeds, just a metre or two behind another car on the dual carriageway.
- undertaking on dual carriageways because presumably the idiot driver cannot wait a few moments for traffic to clear in the fast lane.
- drivers just lurching out from a side road without checking for oncoming traffic
- drivers overtaking not just one car but two or three or more....they don't wait for the car in front to overtake (the lorry or whatever) but instead just go for it....

Next there are the pedestrians:
- suddenly turning onto a zebra crossing and expecting a driver to stop for them.
- walking across a zebra crossing whilst having a in depth conversation on their mobile phones
- walking across a zebra crossing without checking (not even a glimpse or a glance at the road) that just maybe there could be a car/lorry coming whose driver may not be super observant etc with the result that the said pedestrian could be run over....and why should a driver be expected to constantly check for idiot pedestrians who think that as have the legal right of way they can do what they like at zebra crossings in the belief that are immune to any repercussions.....probably yes but hopefully if the police have their sensible hats on they will take a balanced view....and not take the side of the pedestrian just because of their interpretation of the law.....let the criminal lawyers decide on whether there is a case or not...not others who believe they know the law..

Yes there is a duty of care by drivers but this also applies to pedestrians who should act responsibly.....sadly many don't (pedestrians can be just as dangerous as drivers).....so if the law favours the pedestrian then it is time to add an 'article' or two to traffic law in order to address the balance between dangerous driving and dangerous walking.....

I think that there needs to be a review of traffic law to look at the following:
- location of zebra crossings (absolutely useless if located at busy junctions...and there are often too many just a few metres from each other..why?.....far better to relocate them away from junctions with less chance of accidents

- change the law to address the imbalance between drivers and pedestrians rights.
- to impose a greater level of responsibility on pedestrians when crossing the road

I think that at the end of the day the high level of deaths on the roads is due to how the law was sold to the public.....someone somewhere has given out the wrong message and people have translated the law literally, without any measure of responsibility or common sense.... I suspect that it is a case of badly drafted traffic law which has led to people interpreting it themselves...completely unacceptable...but then there are more important things for the government like illegal logging in the B.Forest...

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


Not sure who that 'someone' is.....one person or many? You seem to believe that the illegal logging of B. Forest isn't a priority, as the issue is only occasionally raised and that it has been 'quite a while since they threatened any fines'.....I think you will find that there are people out there who do care about their environment and perhaps those in power are making use of the inability of the public to effectively complain about the illegal logging in the B. Forest.....don't worry too much but I think that the generosity of the EU will soon run out and Poland will be punished....in any event Poland is losing credibility as a country who were progressing well to one which is sinking in its own prima donna attitude....sad but that's the way it is....I just hope people will realise the damage which is being caused and try to change things for the better....

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]


I can understand that point of view, but laws, rules and regulations are made for a reason and can be changed or adapted in the normal course of government business....If of course the Polish people are unhappy with the laws/rules/regulations then then have the power of the vote, or complain to their political representative, not to try to adapt or bend the rules etc on 'a daily basis' as you say. This is not the wild west where anything goes, otherwise you have anarchy.....its quite straightforward really....you cannot just do what you like in life and expect to have a rewarding, satisfying and positive lifestyle, but what you will have is a demotivating, unsatisfied and negative population where people distrust each other and are all trying to out do each other at any cost, bending the rules and promoting an 'I'm all right Jack' attitude and sod the rest of you.

People may believe that bending the laws/rules etc is an acceptable approach to life but this behaviour will just continue to manifest and continue through the generations and inhibit any progress needed to improve the lifestyle of the Poles. Respect for the law is the way in which developed countries progress and Poland may not be quite there yet....lets hope that people start to understand that respect for the law is important for everyone to live in a happy and civilised society.

Turning a blind eye to the logging in the B. Forest is a good example of allowing an illegal activity to continue without any form of redress for the people who are guilty of allowing this to happen.

Travel / Białowieża National Park in Poland [461]

When Poland joined the EU it signed up to the rules and regulations required from member states....its a bit like a club, where members have to comply with the rules....its really that simple......its no good constantly trying to bend or adapt the rules to suit your needs....there is a protocol to follow and if you don't then penalties will eventually happen. Poland bas been given chance after chance to stop the illegal logging (in the hope of eliminating some bug/insect....I don't think so...) Everyone can see through this façade, and to be honest the EU have been very patient..... Poland has received substantial funding over recent years and the economy has improved as a result.....Yes Poland could leave the EU but of course they will have to repay their loan back to the EU.

People condoning the logging of the B. Forest are very short sighted in my view and fail to see the bigger picture which is that there are many more important issues to be resolved in Poland than to make a few quick zloty's from selling wood....issues like pollution, jobs, employment law, increasing the level of wages, etc... Not only is the logging illegal but if this happens once, it will happen again and again whenever someone decides its a good time to kill beetles and of course make some more money at the same time....it is not sustainable.....the government should focus on issues which will improve the overall lifestyles of the Polish people not selecting logging which only serves a minority of people connected to logging and is very short term in its nature.

I think many Polish people know that it is clearly wrong for this logging to continue in a protected forest.....why don't the government understand?

Work / Poland is not the best country to get part time job with study? [59]


If you don't speak Polish or Ukrainian, then no. Make your plans on the very safe assumption that you will never be able to earn a single penny during your stay in Poland. If you need to work to finance your studies or stay, then Poland is not the country for you.[/i]
I think it may be a good idea to ask the post whether he/she can speak Polish or Ukrainian and perhaps offer some support to his/her request......not sure why you are so abrasive to someone you have never met. Think you need to be a little more respectful to strangers who after studies, actually could have something to contribute to Poland's economy, because it may just be something which could eventually kick start the standard of living for many. I am sure you will agree that if you want to get on in life you need to speculate to accumulate, and moving abroad for many is the way forward. You may disagree but then we are all different and entitled to be heard and anybody is as equal as you when posting on this site.