Need Some Advice about life in Poland (vehicle, fuel)

Hey guys and girls,

So im thinking of moving back to Poland possibly for a year or longer. I got some questions about ever day life and work, so hopefully i can get some grass roots advice :p

My first concern is a vehicle. I have read via these forums as cars in general are stupidly over priced in Poland and have generally speaking a hard life due to the state of some Polish roads. So i have a friend in the UK who is holding his car for me. So my first question is the car is from the UK and i dont mind driving back each year, how much is MOT and how much is registration fees? I assume that registration fee depends on the displacement of the engine and also the number of cylinders? So the car in question is a 6L, 12 cylinder car. Can anyone tell me how much it will cost to have a full year of registration in the UK? After that i assume i can drive the vehicle just fine it Poland and every year have to make a trip back to the UK to pass MOT and registration?

My second question is in regards to fuel and general distance the average vehicle owner traverses per week? Currently i reside in Australia and do anything from 250km a week (lit load) to about 500kms a week. I assume that this would be drastically less considering things are a lot less spaced out unlike here in Australia? What would be the average kms traveled per week for the basics of food shopping and working near by to ones housing?

So that's the vehicle side of things addressed, now onto work and native speaker employment. So i was born in Poland, speak Polish fluently and can read and write although extremely slowly, however, i was brought up in Australia from the ages of 2.5 years old. My written and spoke English is very good (university level) and as i have read the UK English is what is preferred in a native speaker over the US variant which is how we are taught here in Aus. What i would like to know is as a native English speaker and also fluent in verbal Polish would achieving employment be somewhat easier as i can converse in both directions to students? Also i have a double degree in Biomedical Science, would i be better off going through the ESOL course (quite pricey at about $3000 AUD for 4 weeks) or if i were to do one year of additional university to achieve a Bachelors in Education would that be on equal par with the ESOL qualification wise for a native speaker position? Furthermore, how much would a ESOL course cost if i were to do it in Poland (Lodz or Wrocław)?

Lastly i read somewhere on these forums that Universities are seeking native English speakers for medical degrees? The post was quite vague however stated that Universities are looking for natives to teach the terminology in English. Is this true and would this be more financially prosperous over teaching just English? I would theoretically teach Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Microbiology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Genetics and Pharmacology. If anyone knows the pay rate for such work that would be great.

Lastly what are people options after reading the above about my work prospects in teaching English either at a school (primary or secondary), teaching at a language centre or teaching from home? Its quite possibly that i may have my accommodation free due to having family in Lodz, although i would prefer to live with either another English native or have accommodation provided by an employer.

Comments, criticisms, offers of getting drunk etc are all welcome :)

Ps. Will i get raped by fuel prices with a 6L, 12 cylinder car and how long before it will be on cinder blocks with its wheels missing? lol

Pss. Im also 25 years old, too young to be considered for such roles?

Is this thread serious?

No, it isn`t.


No, you won`t get raped. Raping starts from 12 litre, 24 cylinders, actually.

Why wouldnt it be?


Its a Audi A8 W12, why is that so hard to believe? Iam really passionate about cars and therefore not too fussed about paying extra on registration. Here in Australia i have 4 cars, one daily and 3 weekenders. So the Audi does 13L/100km which is more than acceptable for me (i have 600hp Supra that drinks more like 20L/100km.

Why is it so hard to get a straight answer? I have EU citizenship so staying however long isnt a problem. I dont know about UK registration (person who owns the car is in the gulf of Thailand for work). Other than that, the reading up ive done about native speakers is pretty consistent, however; i would like to know more so about native speaker mixed with medical focused subjects and whether or not that is a possibility. Accommodation wise i could live with family in Lodz but id rather have my own place so i can do as i please.

I dont see whats so hard to believe?

Also as a fluent Polish speaker what other employment opportunities are out there for multinational corporations. Seeing as i can read, write and converse in fluent English what else could i potentially also apply for?

Reason for the trip would be to reconnect with my heritage, family and generally a new pace of life. I really dont need to work whilst over there and could easily support myself without working. Having said that i would like to fill in the time with employment whilst living the life and seeing the sights.

if you worked in a city that beast would kill your wallet (unless you are a managing director of a bank branch) - second hand cars are not that expensive here -(we have this big German neighbour who love to sell us their old wheeled stuff) - if you go for a 15 year old VW Golf (a decent one can cost you around 5000 PLN which is like 1300 euro) you have plenty of reasonably cheap spares

my opinion is why should you settle for a language teaching job if you can work in your field (like teaching biosciences in English) - such a job definitely won't make you rich however (will teaching English do it?)

You can become Foreign Minister, then.

Sorry, don`t mind my jokes. I just can`t resist. Doctors told me last time I was able to control if I try hard it but it seems I am not.

Car wise i own and operate a successful multinational automotive design firm. I love cars and am very passionate about them so i would like to get something decent. Thus, im not fussed having to travel back to the UK to get MOT and registration done inorder to be able to drive a RHD vehicle. I would ideally like to bring over a Japanese high performance vehicle but just from reading about the state of the roads it would be horrendously impractical to do so. Racing suspension and pot holes are a back breaker and i know from my years doing so in Australia. So the Audi would be plenty performance to keep me happy, and wouldnt stick out like a heavily modified Japanese sports car. Therefore fuel isnt too much of a worry for me as i can enjoy this car for a lot less than i would have to pay in Australia (roughly $100K AUD +). So thats the reasoning about the car.

As for language teaching, as im not really over there to make a new life for myself but rather a holiday of extended period i would like to due something less demanding to my scientific career. Teaching bio-sciences in English would be ideal but i havent come across much information as to availability of work and pay scale. Thats something im definitely relying on input from you guy. Doing research would be out of the question as i travel and dont want the 12hours days seven times a week. Working for a multinational would also be great however it seems teaching as a native is better pay wise. Also another factor would be my inability to read or write in Polish at an adequate pace. Thus would relegate me to some sort of phone operator duties (i wouldnt want to work in a India style call centre thats for sure). Thus it seems teaching would best suit my personality, ambitions and goals whilst over there. Personally i would love to teach either from home (i like the laid back style) and thus having fun teaching English whilst also conveying grammar, punctuation, sentence structure etc in Polish. Ive tutored for a number of years 2nd and 3rd year university students so i have some kill in teaching. My question is would i be better off getting a Bachelors of Education rather than ESOL (or that other course which the name of escapes me at present). Would a Bachelors degree be qualification enough to teach or are the ESOL course a necessity to gain employment and credentials of your ability to teach effectively?

Ideally i would love to bring something like this over, however practicality on Polish roads aswell as the threat of theft would make it no a very suitable candidate :(

Out of curiosity how would the Polish police treat me with something like that, how are they about modifying car and race harnesses/roll cages etc? I have partaken in motorsport for a number of years and would love to bring that along with me. I know drifiting has had some events in Poznan and Lodz and a mate of mine (Luke Fink) was flown down to compete at an event in Poznan.

I see some major inconsistency here:

You claim



and at the same time you have such petty worries as fuel, what car to choose for Polish roads, whether to be a phone operator or English teacher.... etc etc.

What did your doctors tell you on the last stay? Are you able to control it while out, among people? :):):):)


They would certainly detain you and the court would sentence you to 1 year social work as a telephone operator!!!

I can't answer most of your questions tbh

as for importing sport cars of the Nissan kind you mentioned there was once a need for so called 'homologation' - the vehicle needed to approved by an official authority to be allowed to use public roads in Poland - I can think it is still valid for Japan (and US) made vehicles - it was a serious nuissance for Poles coming back from the US and bringing their cars with them (there is a cost involved)


I wouldn't worry about theft that much - more about intentional damage

yes practicallity would be a serious issue - that's why the better off Poles (especially those who live outside of big cities) tend to buy SUV's (the state of the roads)

I wont a business which started as i hobby years ago. I do medical research during the day and after hours/weekends i operate my business from home. I employ people, have an office, have a number of factories etc. So i could come over to Poland and live off that but i dont want to do the touristy things. Thus i would like to envelope myself amongst the culture and the Poles and although i wouldnt need to work because of a) have have enough savings to not have to do anything b) not touching my savings i make plenty per week from running my business which doesnt evolve my physical presence. Thus i could do nothing and sit around all day at my extended family's house whilst they worked all day (not my style) or i could run my business from over there (not much involved as ive pretty much automated the process) or i could live the life as a productive member of Poland and have something to talk about with expats and family about what happened that day. So money isnt a problem and im all for the experience thus why i would prefer to live on my own or with expats/students so i have to go food shopping and the normal everyday life things rather than have my aunt and uncle do it all for me.

pawian

Is that been serious? Again i cant tell as i would only thing that older people would think only a tool drives a car like that lol. But for example when i was over there in 2007 and during Australia day i walked around the neighborhood in board shorts and a singlet (-12 celius) and thongs/flip flops my old man said i was lucky that the police didnt arrive and detain me to a mental facility haha I believe my father was actually serious when he said that, while the reality of the situation is lost of my due to inconsistent accounts of Polish police.

Ps. are you Scottish as i dont get your sense of humour haha


Thats why i think my friend Audi A8 with air suspension would be much more suitable, however thats not generally how i do things :P If a car like than Nissan 200sx is something people would get a kick out of seeing driven around i would possibly also buy/build something of that nature. Im a bit of a people pleaser in that respect.


I wouldn't be importing anything from Australia or Japan, only buying something from the UK or Germany. Part of my business is importing Japanese cars and exotics from the UK and i know the costs and headaches involved. From what i figure is i could register say the Audi or the Nissan in the UK for 12 months an drive it the whole time in Poland. If stopped by the Police i would just say that i was visiting for a few weeks for a holiday and will return to the UK. Other than that is there such a thing in Poland as a 'trade plate', a number plate that is used for car dealers to be able to drive unregistered cars under one paid number plate? This is a way we use in Australia to get around driving heavily modified Japanese car on public roads. Perfectly legal but a bit of a hassle if pulled over.

I see. Now it sounds clear. Sorry for being suspicious about you, Mr Rockefeller. :):):)


No, I am half German, half Russian.

Mr Johnson and Johnson will do just fine :P

This Johnson? Oh my gee, it is so incredible, I cannot grasp it! Simply speaking, I am really impressed.

Where will you be driving. Ive driven in Poland and i didnt find the roads to be too bad and that was in a modified Integra DC5.

Where about in Aus are you from?Iim currently in Brisbane and am moving over to Warsaw in a few weeks.

Hey mate :)

Well ill have to drive anything across from the UK and the Western side of Poland to get across from the German border. Other than that ill be driving just locally around where ever i reside (Lodz, Wrocław or Jelenia Gora). Other than that probably a couple of times to Krakow and Warsawa and then to Karpacz for some skiing/snow boarding so 4wd on the Audi would be handy although sliding the Nissan would also be right up my alley for getting things side ways.

Im from Melbourne, please tell me your up for a kick of the footy rather than NRL haha. What are you going to be doing in Warsaw if you dont mind me asking? Your first time over or you going back?


Does that mean we can get pissed now?

Also can we stay on topic please as this is really important for me to find out about employment and the car situation. If you could like to know more about the motorsport side of things or my business jsut PM me. Im always happy to pass on what i have learned in life, free of charge and happy to help :)

AUSPOL - i never heard about 'trade plates' in Poland and after a read from wikipedia I don't believe there exist such in Poland

yes it is true that a car imported from the EU does not need a 'homologation' in Poland regardless of the car's country of origin (checked that on the web)

I think you should have no problems driving a UK-registered car while living in Poland (many poeple do from what I can gather)

still, somehow I don't believe you will enjoy driving a RHD sport car in Poland - it is not Germany that you can use an extensive net of autobahns - and overtaking on Polish roads in a RHD car can really prove to be a nuisance (and you should expect plenty of overtaking) - also the sparse motorways in Poland do have a speed limit in contrast to Germany (140 kmph)

Ahh, i reckon you should be okay. I did pretty much the same journey, London to Warsaw and didnt have too many problems.

Well, im actually English. Ive been over here for a few months visiting family and friends. But im off to Warsaw as my fiancee is Polish and thats where we are planning on living for a few years. Ive been to Poland many times, great country, im just a bit worried about how i'll make a living.

Oh and im definitely a footy fan, i saw Carlton Vs Richmond at the G when i was in Melbourne for the F1 a few weeks ago, great stadium!

If it were me id go for a fun jap car, everyone drives VAG's over there, be different :-)

The funny thing is that the Audi would be something different from my Lexus and Jap cars haha Though something tells me a 400hp+ rwd car will be a pain in the snow especially if i decide to go to Zakopane and Karpacz on unplowed roads.


From what i have read on wiki, the UK has the same thing but i highly doubt that UK registrations for car dealers would be applicable to other countries although with the EU i cant be certain. I guess you could argue the case that part of the EU means UK residence might need to drive a car back from say Spain or France for their car dealership. It will be something i will need to investigate as im not sure what MOT and larger turbos, injectors, aftermarket computers will mean for me. If anyone know please let me know. In Australia larger modification to cars are illegal for a number of silly reasons but never the less the car is not roadworthy.


See im not too fussed about over taking lorries/tiers (no sure of the spelling) however if they still have tractors on main roads then yes i would like to over take and thus a RHD car is less suitable for that, however, reading here people say you adjust to it RHD. There is also the possibility that ill be expanding my business in Germany (currently have stuff in Australia, North America and South America). Do you know of any German websites with cars for sale, auctions etc? Ideally a Audi A8 circa 2004-2008 with a 4.2 L V8 will do me just fine. How is the situation with speed cameras, road side police cameras and red light camera? I remember my uncle saying in 2007 that things had changed and he couldn't get away with a bribe after speeding. Mind you he is a multi millionaire and at the time had a BMW 7 series so he must have been flying. He said times have changed and people wont take bribes like they once did. Not that this would be something i would consider, im more concerned about the number of speed cameras etc as in Australia there are heaps just to produce revenue for the government (have no safety benefit and are fitted in the most congested of areas rather than death spots)


So what are you going to be doing in Warsaw work wise? and if you dont mind me asking how old are you?

If im ever down that way and you fancy a kick in the park of the footy to bemuse the Poles I am down for it :P

the number of these is constantly rising and is actually supposed to double this year and they are introducing new types that calculate your speed on a certain stretch of the road

you may find this link useful - mobile.de - I never used any such pages - just used google

Not quite figured that out yet mate, i'll possibly start my own business. Im 33 years old.

Ha, sounds good although football (soccer) is more my game.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Not those ******* bloody ****** average speed cameras!

I suggest doing celta or delta in Poland (in Krakow??). I believe it is cheaper than the course you suggested.

Our SUV gets about 6-7 km per liter. One liter of gasoline costs about 5 PLN.

Good luck!

Yeah we are getting more and more in Australia even though the death toll doesnt seem to be decrease with more and more cameras. In fact a lot of cameras cause injuries due to being on steel poles.


Whats the difference between Celta/Delta and ESOL? If they were happy with a bachelor of Education i would probably do that as these short courses would be useless other than teaching English.

As for fuel economy i would figure many Poles and Europeans for that matter drive cars with 2.0L or less capacity engines so they would be getting around 6-7L/100Kms so 12-13L/100Kms for me isnt too bad. I just want to know if i would get stupidly taxes with emissions due to the large displacement and number of cylinders.

Also whats the deal with fuel. Is 98 RON (octane) available widely? How about (E85) 85% ethanol and 15% petrol? How much more are these over 91 RON (octane) petrol?

MOT the car in UK and tax/insure it in UK...expensive but you can afford it and it is less hassle than Polish paperwork (expensive in stress and grey hair). This car will have a bigger engine than my U1300L Unimog (same vehicle as Australian army use)!!!!! I daren,t let my wife see this thread or she might work out how many miles per gallon the Unimog does/doesn,t!!!!!! the one bugbear will be having to go to UK once a year to get a fresh MOT, re-tax can be done over the internet as can insurance (there are threads on here concerning UK insurers that will give extended all EU countries insurance for surprisingly little extra money. Onc other small annoyance unless you have plenty of time to talk cars on your hands, is that you will attract guys every time you park anywhere who will want to know/tell you all about your 'different' car. Good luck...enjoy.