Moving and working in PL as a teacher (near Zory/Katowice)

Okay ... hopefully my wife doesn't read this, but here's my two pennies worth.

I moved here on June 1st, also because the missus wanted to be close to her family and friends again. I gave up a career as a Lt.Col. and now work as a Sr. Project Manager in Wroclaw. In the evenings I also teach languages, mainly Dutch (there is a Dutch faculty at the university here), German and some French. I sold my house in the Netherlands, so I have nothing to go back to.

Believe me, I would NEVER EVER do it again. Maybe in my case it is a bit different, cause I not only had to adapt to living in a country which is completely different than the Netherlands, but also because I am having to adapt to civilian life. Don't, under any circumstance, give up everything YOU have. It's a recipe for disaster, in my opinion. One of the partners will have his or her way, the other one is left without anything. I don't have to remind you what happens if things go haywire, and you are left on your own in a country where you don't know the lingo and you are pretty much on your own.

Well ... that's just my opinion. Having said that, tomjustyna, all the best to you both. Hope for you it works out, no matter which decision you make in the end.

it must have been difficult for you Stu, but then it's only been 6 months, it's no time at all really. Maybe you will feel different in another 6 months or so?


sorry rybnik but from my experience I would not trust a Polish in law as far as I could throw them.....maybe that is just in laws in genearl?

Well, mate! What I can say is that do whatever you think is the best for you and your family. Because you know your situation whereas none of us knows anything about.

My best wishes with you and your family!

The time for foreigners making a fortune off the back of Poland has long gone. If you bring something to Poland or have very deep pockets, then it is possible to make a good living. Poland is cheap today for those who earn in Euro or now Dollars, earning in PLN is like watching your disposable diminish week by week. I personally like Poland and have a good life, for people like Tom - you must remind them it is 2011 not 2000. You have guys on PF that know the English language business inside out, they survive only because they have established a solid database.

If you do decide to go for it, here are a few things that might keep you sane. The cinema's in the main shopping center in Katowice show some films(maybe most of them) in English with Polish subtitle's.

RTE now stream all of the Irish football on line, also the GAA matches.

If you work hard, and take on extra lessons yourself, then maybe you make a bit of money.

Can I ask if you are qualified in anything, if not, could you study for ACCA exams in Poland. English teaching would be okay for a few years, but it would help you to have a plan to have a job that you like instead of just for the money.

I'am in Dublin at the moment, if you want to meet and have a chat about life in Poland for a irish guy let me know.

I am in contact with a former member of this site. He is English and had a Polish wife. Thye had a kid but his MIL interfered so much tha it ended in divorce. He has to stay here now just to be able to see his son. Think before u move here

I want to thank everyone for their comments good and bad both sides expressing views which i take on board.
I will still be going after christmas as looking at things here I will take a chance on poland, I have nothing to lose as I have nothing here.

Many thanks again to you all.
Please continue to comment.

Happy Christmas to you all.

Hey maybe you should bring some guinness with you to break the ice. Any way the best of luck, Iam in Katowice in Apirl and Krakow about every month if you want to meet for a pint and talk english for a change let me know.

Just do not buy a fiat 127, its scary to drive. Happy christmas to you and hopefully a great new year in a new country. I will be moving to Krakow maybe in two months time.

irishguy
thanks that would be great

It will prob be around the 10th or 13th of April that I will be katowice, so you can pm me around then to see exactly what date i will be there. I normally only spend 2 days in katowice and then move on to Krakow.

Well - one reason to choose Poland is that there is much more opportunity here than elsewhere.

I'm head of an English department here - it wouldn't have happened so quickly in Switzerland or the Scandinavian countries. I value position more than money - so for me, Poland makes sense now.


Or got lucky (I make no bones about it - my current job was through being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing for the right people).


Where's cms? Would doing ACCA without working in the job actually be worth anything?

If so, I wouldn't mind trying it just for something different to do. I did quite a few modules on finance in the past, and the past papers don't look too difficult.

Hi Delph, I mentioned ACCA because a number of Poles including my wife studied ACCA over here in Ireland and got very good jobs with it in Ireland and then Poland. I'am not sure what cms is.

hey Delph, Thanks for your comments I take onboard what everyone says, I would never be the type of person to preach what is right and what is not.

I was just saying that studying ACCA while doing something else would give you better prospects. You do not need to work in accounts to do the ACCA, but to get fully qualified you do need to have 3 years of work in accounts.

When I posted I wasn't thinking of teaching English, I was thinking of many other jobs that he may qualify for that will pay more than in Poland. I've moved about a half a dozen times and every time you do you have to establish yourself all over again, and it takes time, money and effort. IMO if you're going to move and go through the all this you might as well pick somewhere that has the highest chance of rewards in terms of financial security and a quality of life. Besides the quality of life issues, the Scandinavian languages would probably be the easiest to learn for a native English speaker, IMO something he needs to think about. The language issue would be easiest in Scandinavia but

Switzerland is probably more accustomed dealing with immigrants. Here's more links he should think about before making his move: nav.no/English
immi.se/migration/control.htm
ci-is.com

Tom, taking a course or re education is not sitting on the dole.


I don't know your FIL and would not question his integrity, although anyone who lives in Poland will have more than a handful of stories to tell you about bent cops here, it is considered quite the norm.

Do they actually teach ACCA in English down there mate????

if you can not find a class in english, you can do online/distant learning which is what I done.tyr bpp.com or just google it

He doesn't have a choice - his wife wants back and that's that.

Don't forget that while you can earn very well in those countries, the cost of living is also astronomical.

some friends came back from Norway
the minimum wage is 60 zl per hour

I found it pricey but not astronomical when I used to go to Sweden on business
beer was unbelievably expensive 15 zl for a tinny from a supermarket and 40 zl for a 400 ml beer in a nightclub
however I am not sure if that is such a bad thing. less A&E admissions, more tax revenue for the government, less liver failure blah, blah, blah

the price of houses is dirt cheap and far less than in Poland I seem to remember when watching one of those property prn shows prior to the crash

Wedle
i know cops corrupt as ****, thats well known

Delph, i don't disagree with you (but excluding the wife's wishes of course). You're right if one is an entrepreneur and has a bit of stash and has an idea for a business, I would choose an emerging market like Poland. But if one is looking for "A JOB" which is how it sounds with our current subject, than one should look to a developed market economy such as the ones i mentioned. Heck I should've included Australia and Canada.

Oh, without a doubt.

Poland is fine if you're starting a career, because you can be promoted far quicker here - but I wouldn't move here "with baggage" so to speak, with the pressure of finding something and so on.