Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]


It's a tiny and insignificant part of the Polish economy. We can live without propping up incredibly wealthy fur barons who make a fortune from mistreating animals.

Travel / Wildlife photography tips in surrounds (within 1hr from Krakow?) [2]

There's a railway station called "Tunel" about an hour north of Kraków that's worth a visit - it's next to a mountain called Biała Góra, and it's very remote and sparsely populated.

Life / Polish Ice Hockey [17]


Yep, I support Oceláři Třinec. They've got plenty of Polish supporters from both Zaolzie and Poland, and the atmosphere is second to none.

Life / Polish Ice Hockey [17]

(sorry for the double post mods)

I've been thinking more, and one thing that really surprises me here is just how poorly the whole product is presented. I've just watched a game from the top league ( youtube.com/watch?v=L_pMBD4z0Ds ) and it's such poor presentation - the commentator sucks, the ice logos are barely visible, and the standard of play itself is really, really poor.

To compare: this is the presentation of two of the strongest teams in the Czech Extraliga: youtube.com/watch?v=gIrlPgaAMfY

While I appreciate that the sport isn't so popular here, it really seems as if hockey in Poland is run for the benefit of a few moustaches and not for people. From what I can see, most teams are relying heavily on municipal funding, so it's the same problem as other sports, yet the presentation just seems so poor in comparison. Even the UK EIHL presentation is superior, and that's a really poor league.

News / 11th November Independence Day in Poland [71]

For the purposes of full disclosure, perhaps Bieganski can tell us when he last celebrated the 11th November in Poland.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

Still, though I'm completely fed up with remote learning and seriously thinking about changing careers because I've had enough. I don't blame the government for closing schools, I think they did the right thing with the winter holidays, but it's just got to the point where I'm fed up. It's because of teaching styles - I rely on a lot of interaction and games, and it just doesn't work well remotely.

We'll see, I'll decide at Christmas. I've got a three month notice period, but the boss says she'll release me early if I find someone to replace me.


Well, Pawian spent time in the US and clearly knows English to a high level, so he might not have needed to do such a thing. That sort of thing was always done by bad teachers who would change grades in exchange for someone taking private classes with them. I remember stories about how high schools that had subjective entry exams were the worst for it, though.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]

Probably not. From speaking to Pawian quite a bit about teaching, he knows what he's doing and gets results. People like that are worth their weight in gold, and they don't need to be dishonest or dishonourable.

Work / What is a good monthly salary for an English teacher in Poland? [124]


Right now is a paradise for private teaching. I have a friend who gets results with teenagers, and she's working flat out with groups from midday onwards. Each group is paying her at least 150zł an hour, if not more. She's experienced, so her prep time is minimal. After tax, she's clearing in excess of 15k a month.

If the school closures continue, private tutors will be even more in demand.

To give an idea: I know of very weak "teachers" that are still getting 60-70zł an hour, because there's simply so much demand.


Completely unethical. I know of it happening, but most schools regard it as a breach of professional ethics. My friend has a blanket rule that she cannot provide any private tutoring to a student or a family member of a student to avoid any accusations of "pay for grades".

Travel / Poland in photo riddles - part 2 [1680]


Could it be linked to the Armed Forces Day, not Corpus Christi? There's a place near Poznań which used to offer tank rides, and part of their 'offer' included grochówka afterwards. So, my guess would be that it was served at some military parade/display?

Law / Can dependent Visa holders take up employment in Poland? [51]


Depends on what her decision says. You need to read the decision to see if it specifically gives access, as some Blue Cards are issued without such rights.

News / Thousands of Polish women attend Czarny Piątek rally in Warsaw [780]


Konfederacja are in real trouble. They've lost part of their electorate because of the abortion issue, and Bosak has really plunged in the approval ratings as a result. They really need to move away from the abortion issue - which I think they will, especially after seeing the damage done to their ratings.

Incidentally, Bosak is demanding the resignation of Morawiecki.

News / Thousands of Polish women attend Czarny Piątek rally in Warsaw [780]


Latest polls are showing that things have are changing. November's polls show on average:

PiS: 31.7% / 194
PO: 23.9% / 135
P2050: 15.2% / 69
Lewica: 8.6% / 33
Konfederacja: 6.4% / 31
PSL: 4.8% / 0

Left/Centre = 235-237
Right = 223-225

PiS are losing a lot of the moderate Catholics to Hołownia, and it's hard to see what they can do to win them back now.

Food / Is Społem popular in Poland [8]


You have to be careful with them, because some of them are now for-profit businesses with similar branding to other ones.

For what it's worth, I don't really value them. They're overpriced compared to other supermarkets, the service is usually lousy, the products are pretty bland... meh, pass. I rather prefer the eko-shops that have opened up everywhere in the last few years.

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1158]


I do wonder how many PiS fanboys have been to Budapest to see the slums for themselves. Budapest has charm and plenty of fascinating dive bars, but it's very much run down and the infrastructure is awful.

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1158]


Hahahaha. I was there a year ago, and it's a slum compared to Warsaw, Prague or Bratislava. Visited Budapest-Keleti recently? It's certainly not a welcoming place, even in the middle of the day.

Orban has redirected cash for infrastructure into things such as building stadiums and railway lines to the village that he was brought up in.

News / Years of Poland in the EU - assessment of pros and cons [1158]


Actually, it isn't. PiS have a very strange way of organising the party which isn't found in other parties in Poland.

wyborcza.pl/7,75968,26493550,ksiega-zapowiedzianej-dyktatury-co-kryje-statut-pis.html


Not true. The Basic Law was adopted by the individual states, which were democratically elected. Their individual state parliaments decided to join the Federal Republic and adopt the Basic Law, which they were empowered to do so by their state constitutions. The Basic Law itself was created by a delegation of parliamentarians from the individual states, and it was then ratified by the states individually (with one exception, but they agreed to join the Federal Republic if all the others did anyway).

In the case of East Germany, a constitutional majority in the Volkshammer there agreed to join the Federal Republic after free elections. The individual states no longer existed in East Germany, hence the Volkshammer was the only institution capable of making such a decision.


Yep, there's plenty of examples in Europe where parliamentary assemblies or even international treaties have established constitutions. Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia all have constitutions that were passed by their national parliaments, not by the people through popular vote.

Law / CAN SOME ONE GIVE ME FREE POLISH LEGAL ADVICE ON BANKRUPTCY? [22]


Kind of. The thing is that the bailiff will order your income to be frozen in order to pay your debts, so for instance, let's say your brother in law gets a job as a truck driver. They'll ask the employer to freeze xxxx PLN monthly, based on the minimum needed to live.

Having said that, if you can get me a statement of who they owe money to and how much, I can give you some advice about how to negotiate with them. Smaller companies in particular are much easier to negotiate with, and they may well agree to a deal such as 50% in 12 months time.

(PS; in the meantime, the BIL should get a job in Amazon over Christmas. You can work 12-14 hour days there every day if you wish...)

Law / CAN SOME ONE GIVE ME FREE POLISH LEGAL ADVICE ON BANKRUPTCY? [22]


The creditors will take them to court individually. If they get a ruling against them, then the creditors can appoint a balliff to retrieve what they can, which can include forcibly selling the apartment and other property. The police won't get involved unless they obstruct the work of the balliff.


What was the legal form of the company? If they declared bankruptcy within 30 days of knowing that a limited liability company was insolvent, then they aren't liable for the debts.

Law / CAN SOME ONE GIVE ME FREE POLISH LEGAL ADVICE ON BANKRUPTCY? [22]


First things first: make sure that your own assets are secured. Blood is thicker than water, and you wouldn't be the first one to have his assets stolen for the benefit of the family. Your wife and the family will be expected to help in any way, particularly if they have assets that can be used to help the brother. So, no matter how much you trust your wife - move any spare cash into an account that she has no access to, and make sure to check the title deeds online of any property that you own in case a loan gets secured against the property.

Secondly, bankruptcy is only available if the circumstances were beyond their control. So, the court will take a close look at the operations of their company before deciding if bankruptcy can be offered.

Thirdly, if bankruptcy is offered, then the conditions are strict. The court will analyse their assets and decide which will be sold, which normally includes property. They then have to submit monthly accounts to the court, showing their precise financial situation. The court will decide on a repayment plan for these debts, taking into account their income and expenses. They can expect to live a very basic lifestyle for the period of repayment, including only being allowed to rent a very small property and to only have a car for commuting purposes only.

News / New European Council's report: "Poland oasis of racism, xenophobia and homophobia" ... [343]


Let's not forget that they lost the Senate.

By the way, pawian is perhaps a textbook Pole: patriotic, hard working and deeply committed to his family and work.

You? Let's hear your contribution to Poland. Writing in English on an internet forum visited by barely anyone hardly counts.

News / 11th November Independence Day in Poland [71]


There is another reason for that. After Bąkiewicz (main organiser of the march) assaulted that woman a couple of weeks ago, a lot of the ultras/hooligan groups explicitly said that they were against violence towards women. As a result, they've heavily boycotted this march.

Real Estate / If you pay a property reservation fee in Poland, can they sell it from under you? [10]

The only thing that matters is if it's a valid pre-sale contract with the seller. Your agreement with the estate agent - well, of course they'd have to return the fees, but I doubt they'd be liable for anything else. They could simply say that the seller refused to sell to you, after all.

Love / How Do You Feel About a Black man marrying Polish Women? [157]


Oh but it does. There are plenty of Polish women in such relationships, complete with children.

History / Warsaw Rising 1944 - National Disaster or Triumph of Spirit ? [515]


Wow, people still wear those "patriotic" clothes.

USA, Canada / Is Poland accepting incoming airplanes coming from the USA? [18]


Good luck getting your money back...

History / "Poland Syndrome" should be renamed [45]


Alas, dear Pawian, there is but a problem. I've just realised that there is such a thing as "French polishing", which presents us with a true dilemma indeed.

History / Roman Dmowski-Patriot, Nationalist, Anti-Semite? [251]


UAM recently apologised for their part in this, which I think was the right thing to do.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]


I do partially blame schools for this. It shouldn't have been difficult for headteachers to sit down with the Rada Pedagogiczna to come up with something viable and consistent, but it seems that many of them ducked out of their responsibilities. I've seen one article recently where a woman stated that she was 100% behind teachers until she saw how bad things were, and the thing that broke her was seeing the vice-director shopping during the school day in a shopping mall when the kids didn't have any online lessons at all.


Ours won't have a choice, as they'll be told that these are the sanitary regulations and that anyone breaking them will be punished. I have a realm of annoying punishments for kids, including my favourite Scottish tradition - the punishment homework ;) The older ones will probably push it as per usual, but well, they better comply or else :D


Hmm. I think so, though the concept doesn't really exist in British English - it would be an after-school club if anything. Common rooms are usually only for the oldest kids in high school. For instance, our high school common room was only for the oldest kids (16-18), while those in the first four years were banned from using it. There weren't any teachers there, but there were cameras.

It looked a bit like this: media.lalschools.com/picture.php?/1048 - and we would use it if we had a free period, or 'window' as you call them here. We had a lot of them - for instance, in my 5th year of high school, I had something like 6 windows throughout the week, and in the 6th year, I had one day where I had a lesson from 9-10:20, then I was free until 2:40, then another class until 16:00. Usually in winter, I'd just stay in the common room because it was too cold to walk home.

News / Thousands of Polish women attend Czarny Piątek rally in Warsaw [780]

Usual PiS tactic with controversial stuff. It does seem clear from news reports that this was very much a Ziobro initiative and that others within PiS are furious at him for trying to push this through.