UK, Ireland / From Hertfordshire, UK to Śląskie, Poland - Are we crazy? [35]

Oh yes, of course. I see what you mean now! Sorry! Yes you have a point but as he's married to a Polish citizen I doubt that they'd throw him out in the same way that Brits married to Poles are able to stay in Poland post-Brexit. Of course if he and his wife were to split up it might complicate matters so you have a good point there.

UK, Ireland / From Hertfordshire, UK to Śląskie, Poland - Are we crazy? [35]

Hi Wincig :) as the OP is Irish, and his kids were born in the UK they won't have a problem. Children born to Irish in the UK automatically acquire British citizenship. Ireland and the UK have a special arrangement where we have full rights in each other's countries even without citizenship. It's Polish citizenship for himself that he's concerned about.

UK, Ireland / From Hertfordshire, UK to Śląskie, Poland - Are we crazy? [35]


Ah come on now Mac, I'm Irish - we're known for it:))


Oh I definitely see the attraction of that. But, not unlike Ireland, your chances of getting a decent job outside of the main big cities are small at best. So even if you can manage to give up the UK job after a while, you're likely to be looking at a hefty commute on 'Europe's most dangerous roads'....or as you say yourself, working all over Europe with constant travelling. Would you consider buying an existing house/farm with some substantial outbuildings and going down the agrotourism route as a long term plan? There wouldn't be a fortune in it but you could build it up over the years. The only thing is the restrictions on ownership of agricultural land by foreigners. I don't know the full details but there are ways round it. But agrotourism is a growing area and I'm sure you could create something really special especially as you have a farming background. You would need the missus to be completely on board though.


Funnily enough I'm told that as well - 'ale Pani mowi bez aksentu!'. I put it down to my husband correcting me on the sounds in the early days. He said you have to get your sounds clear, you don't want to sound like you come from the village, which apparently is the greatest crime in Poland lol!


Well I know what you mean about the boggers :) but still, I think the Irish are very different to the Polish.


It's not just the altercations, it's the terrible accidents that occur as a result of excessive speed, drunk driving and lack of attention to road conditions. Bear in mind that 12 years from now your boys will be living out in the boonies and they'll want to learn to drive and get their licenses. You say you want a safer environment for them. Move back to Ireland - cleanest air in Europe, safest roads in Europe, move to Poland - exact opposite. Sorry Mac, I'm not trying to be a misery, just saying, make the move to Poland by all means if it's what you want to do, but be clear about the full implications and realities of it. Don't kid yourself that it's somehow 'better' because it isn't. It's just different.


It really isn't. But I'll leave you to find that out for yourself :)


The gymnasium was abolished in 2017 :)) Yes, that's right, overnight. Kids who were expecting to go there ended up back in primary school! And your wife, if she's in her mid thirties was educated under two different systems. Her primary school was under the old communist style system and her secondary school was after the 1999 reforms. Those reforms saw huge improvements in standards of literacy and numeracy in Polish kids but they were overturned by PIS in 2017 and they returned to the old structure from the communist years. Look, Mac, like I say, this is a post-communist country and don't underestimate how that continues to influence life here. It lacks the stability of countries like the UK and Ireland. When PIS are ousted, no doubt there will be more changes and it's actually impossible to say what kind of education system/curriculum your kids will experience. I'd advise you to take time to read the articles below

balkaninsight.com/2020/01/02/polish-parents-and-teachers-blast-political-education-reforms/

dw.com/en/poland-education-reform-to-slash-thousands-of-teachers-jobs/a-40333721

Now here's the viewpoint from a parent who supports the reforms and note her reasons why, Pretty weak argument don't you think?

visegradpost.com/en/2017/09/07/great-education-reform-in-poland-the-pis-fulfills-one-of-its-election-promises/

Anyway, there you have it, I'd better get going. Eight o'clock in the morning and not a child in the house washed ;))

UK, Ireland / From Hertfordshire, UK to Śląskie, Poland - Are we crazy? [35]


Six years this time round. I've lived here before some years ago, so I've lived under the PO and PIS governments. I can even remember Andrzej Leper :) Anyway my opinions have a foundation in fact.

UK, Ireland / From Hertfordshire, UK to Śląskie, Poland - Are we crazy? [35]

Hi Mac, I'll call you that for short if you don't mind :) I'm Irish, married to a Polish man and I've lived in Warsaw for over six years now so here's my bit of perspective for what it's worth. Being Irish, I tend to be a bit long winded so to avoid waffling I'll try to answer your points in a concise manner!

Regarding your reasons for moving, I would be cautious about two things. The slower pace of life is a dream for many but it's hard to achieve even in Poland. As for better and safer environment for your children, in what way better and safer? The education system in Poland is no great shakes, the air is the most toxic in the EU and the roads are the most dangerous. And your kids' future will be in the hands of political parties like PIS which doesn't bode too well. You have a border with Russia and Belarus and they're talking about building a wall to keep out refugees. Poland is very much a post-communist country and you'll become aware of that once you live in it. This is what's going on at the border at the moment:

dw.com/en/medics-leave-poland-belarus-border-without-reaching-migrants/a-60353514

As to your concerns:

Kids and the language in school. I was a primary school teacher in Ireland and taught many foreign kids. Don't worry. The boys will adapt. Academically they may struggle a bit for the first year but socially they should be fine. Kids tend to use play to communicate with each other and they can socialize with less need of language, especially boys :) However, the education system from what I've seen of it is a bit chalk and talk and doesn't encourage much in the way of developing thinking skills. The old education system was reformed by PO and the standards had risen considerably but PIS changed it back to the previous system.

Strain on your relationship - absolutely, there will be and not just on your relationship with your wife but it will undermine your relationship with your children too.

Moving in with mother-in-law .......................do you really need me to commnent?? The dynamic of your family will change utterly if you are living away from home at least half the time and the rest of it is spent in your mother-in-law's house and it won't be a short-term arrangement either. You're looking at a couple of years.

Citizenship for you - why would you want it?? You're Irish, you're an EU citizen, you don't need it. There would be no difficulties though if you wanted it as long as you pass the language requirement.

Taxation rules - what's your specific concern?

Your own concerns:

Your rights - oh Lord! that's a tough one. It's completely different to the UK and Ireland. It would take a whole thread in itself to discuss but basically it's heavily geared towards the mother of the kids and it can be very hard to enforce your visitation rights and child support can be any figure they pluck out of the air. They don't base it on your income and outgoings but on your potential earnings. If you admit fault in a divorce you're obliged to support your wife financially for the rest of her life unless she remarries.

Language - it's difficult. You won't learn it quickly and you'll have to be very consistent with keeping up the studying. It takes a lot of work but it's possible. It's quite possible to learn enough to cope with everyday life but your grammar will never be perfect. People won't mind though and they'll understand you anyway. However if you want to go for citizenship you'll have to work at the grammar if you want to pass the language exam.

Will you be accepted - yes, you will. The fact that you have 'Polish' children will be a help but speaking the language is key. If you speak the language people will accept you. but you must understand Mac, that the mindset in rural Poland is so different to the UK or rural Ireland :) your outlook and attitudes will be so different that you may find it hard to fit in. People in modern rural Ireland are fairly open minded, tolerant and are quite well informed. The Irish have always been an outward looking people despite being an island nation. Poles are quite insular and in rural areas they are pretty conservative compared to Ireland. So you may find that you don't have much in common with your neighbours and you might feel a bit isolated and lonely.

Will you be able to work in Poland - it depends on what your job is. You say 'business director' ; that's a bit vague. What area of business? To be honest without fluent Polish your options are limited unless it's a foreign company that specifically wants an English speaking manager who doesn't need to know Polish. And yes, Polish work culture is pretty different to the UK.


Why not?

To conclude I'll just say that there are plenty of Irish and English people who've moved to Poland and seem to be happy here and maybe you'll be one of them, but don't underestimate how difficult it is to adapt. Like many places, Poland is great for a holiday, but living here is a totally different kettle of fish and you're wise to have concerns. Go néirigh an t-ádh leat :))

Here's a couple of articles that you should read if you can find time. It's your future and your childrens' after all and you should go into it with your eyes open.

balkaninsight.com/2021/06/10/polish-ruling-partys-education-reforms-god-country/

polkong.com/driving-in-poland-surviving-on-europes-most-dangerous-roads/

notesfrompoland.com/2020/11/25/poland-has-eus-worst-air-pollution-shows-new-report/

notesfrompoland.com/2021/03/11/poland-is-worlds-most-autocratizing-country-finds-democracy-index/

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [450]

I've known lots of Jews too, in the UK. Many of them were fair skinned to the point of being pale, one even had red hair, blue eyes and freckles. Their noses were a mixed bag. I can only recall one guy with a typical Jewish nose and he was Israeli but he was fair haired with green eyes.

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [450]


That's not actually true. Many Turks are quite fair and many have quite unremarkable noses. And when it comes to Europeans, there is great diversity in our appearance including nose size. I'm Irish and we're not known for large noses but you'll still encounter some Irish people with a big nose. It really isn't that easy to get a simple answer to your question.

I don't find it odd that you or your family have bigger than average noses. What is odd is that you say everyone in your town of Polish extraction has similarly large noses. That would suggest that they all came from the same part of Poland where big noses prevailed which isn't at all likely. But I would suggest that rather than trying to find out about your own family, you should try to find out more about the history of the settlement of your town in the USA.

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [450]


Not on a large scale but there were definitely some Turks living in Poland .

Genealogy / Do Polish people have big noses? [450]


Do you mean everybody in your town has this nose or just in your family? What part of Poland did your family come from?


It's possible - all it would take is one Turkish ancestor. But is there is a typical Turkish nose?? I've known a few Turks and they had fairly ordinary noses and many Turks are quite fair and European looking.

News / Molested girl in Poland takes her own life [12]

That's really a tragic tale, poor child. Deeply ironic when you think of PIS and their so-called reform of the courts. If the courts functioned correctly she would have been removed to her aunt's home via emergency court order, pending investigation. If they're so keen on the sanctity of the family, the child had an aunt willing to care for her. It's a desperately sad story.

Real Estate / Documents to buy property (flat or home with land ) in Poland? [3]

The only thing you need is your ID or passport. You don't need a PESEL, NIP or anything else.

Law / Claiming Zachowek from Australia [11]

Forgot to say regarding the transfer, just give them the details of a transfer company of your choice instead of a bank and see what happens. Don't make an issue of it, just chance your arm. If they say 'ooh what's this now?' simply say it's the most commonly used method for large foreign currency transactions in Australia and seem surprised that they're surprised :)

Law / Claiming Zachowek from Australia [11]


Good point. Transaction price versus sale price is generally about 10 per cent less in Poland.


They can be a useful resource if you use them sensibly. I agree that lawyers will nearly always try to convince you that you need their services but it's possible to pick their brains for free to some extent :) On those 'ask a lawyer' sites in Poland they often give quite good answers in the free chat forum part where you post a question.

Law / Claiming Zachowek from Australia [11]


Only because you stumbled across the know-all of the forum :-D


Because of the poxy exchange rate and bank fees/commission, you might want to look into the best way to receive the money in order to get the maximum amount of Australian dollars.

Law / Claiming Zachowek from Australia [11]


Why is that?


As I understand it, your father left a will but didn't make provision for you in that will, therefore you're invoking zachowek (if he died without leaving a will you and your step-sibling would share the estate between you equally).Under zachowek, yes, you would get one quarter of his estate.

You mention real estate - you say your father had a 50% stake in it. That complicates matters a bit as his stake becomes part of his estate and you and your step sibling will each own a quarter share of the real estate but to get the cash value of it would require the cooperation of the surviving owner which is not a given.

As to how the money is transferred bank transfers are the usual method of payment these days in business transactions in Poland.

Law / Claiming Zachowek from Australia [11]


If you know Polish then you should really check on a Polish legal website. There are plenty of them, including 'ask a lawyer type' ones. Inheritance can be quite complex in Poland and I'm sure you're aware that you are also inheriting any debts your father may have had so even if there is money in the bank, or a property which is free of encumbrances/mortgage, there may be unpaid loans or credit agreements, or pending proceedings from a debt collection agency or bailiff that you're not yet aware of, so just be careful.

Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [281]

Is this where we put our Happy New Year wishes? :)) Hope it's a happy, healthy one for all us on the forum! :))

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News / Polish Pegasus Spyware Scandal [40]

It's just more of the usual nonsense isn't it? Regardless of who's in government a great deal of time and energy is always devoted to trying to discredit the opposition. Spying on them to try and unroot a 'skandal' is pretty much par for the course. It fills the gap left by the lack of any true political debate.

Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [281]

Best wishes to all at the forum from Atch :))

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Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [281]


X is Greek and is the abbreviation for Christ. When I was a kid we had a big cardboard box with 'Xmas Decorations' inscribed in my mother's handwriting :) also people would write it in recipes - Xmas cake/pudding etc. Nobody would say Merry Xmas though. As I say it was mostly used as an abbreviation when writing. Sometimes people would write it in Christmas cards or gift tags where there was little space.

Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [281]

Smacznego!

Life / All Things Christmassy in Poland [281]

Another thing to bear in mind of course is that Catholic countries all have different traditions. In Ireland Christmas Eve is a typically Irish mixture of Christian and Pagan, plenty of alcohol, as much meat as you like and midnight mass. The people who are going to mass may have a couple of drinks beforehand but they won't be drunk :) Christmas has never been associated with fasting or abstinence, actually quite the contrary.

Law / Emigrating to Poland - residency options advice needed [10]


No, there isn't.


As a UK citizen, even now, post-Brexit, you don't actually need a visa to enter Poland for a stay of up to 90 days so there's no point in applying for a three month visa. I wouldn't bother with the visa at all. If you make your application asap after arrival you should be fine and if your overrun the three months during the processing period they won't deport you :)

Law / Emigrating to Poland - residency options advice needed [10]


One thing you'll find about Poland when you live there, as opposed to visit for holidays, is that obtaining clear, concise information about 'official' matters is much more difficult than in the UK. Having said that ............. you're right that as the spouse of a Polish citizen you can get a temporary residence permit. After living in Poland for two years you can then apply for a permanent residence permit.

migrant.info.pl/the-legal-status-of-children.html

News / The ruling party in Poland tries to take American owned TV news station off the air [528]


One of their key features is that they are absolutely hopeless where international politics are concerned and don't understand how diplomacy works. They have no idea how to fight their corner and gain their objectives, wring concessions etc. It seems they offend , anger and upset everyone they come into contact to. The EU is still sitting on billions in Covid recovery funds that Poland won't see until PIS starts singing a different tune.

Travel / Places open in Poland on national holidays [23]


It's not Christmas yet so shops are trading during their usual hours. They're just not very good at answering calls or emails in Poland.

Study / Game industry studies in Poland. What university would be the best choice? Is it possible to study for free? [19]


Gosh, yes that's true. Actually the Polish language requirement that Polish universities have for foreigners might be waived in the case of students from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia? Because as you say they can become functional in Polish very quickly.

Study / Game industry studies in Poland. What university would be the best choice? Is it possible to study for free? [19]


Keep calm and make a plan :)
Short term plan - number one priority should be to stay out of the army. Best way to be certain of that is to remain in university for now. Your degree may be boring and obstructing your professional development but see it as a means to an end. Exploit it for what you can get, which is freedom from being drafted into the army. Even if that's the only reason to stay in university it's a very good reason!


Not really. You had a choice and you chose to stick with uni instead of taking a job. That's ok. We all have to make difficult choices sometimes and we may regret the road we took but you're young. You'll still find a way :) For what it's worth I think you made the right choice. I wouldn't give up university no matter how boring and irrelevant to work for a Russian games company. Do you really want a Russian employer? :)) Games companies, even the best ones, don't have a great reputation for how they treat their staff. It's an industry that really does chew people up and spit them out and there have been plenty of allegations by Mundfish staff that the company is a nightmare to work for. Your degree may be boring and irrelevant but it's a degree and that piece of paper is always worth having. The really useful learning is industry based and the first two years of working will be your true apprenticeship but for now, carrying on with your degree was a good decision.

I don't know if you're aware Ryan (I'll shorten you if you don't mind!) that games development right across the board, in every country, pays the lowest developer salaries and has the longest working hours and a lot of what's called 'crunches' where the team has to work for weeks at a time with no days off to meet crazy deadlines. These crunches happen partly because of incompetent management who don't know how to properly plan projects. But if you really want to be a game developer, then go for it and see where it takes you and very best of luck with it.

Anyway, you have two goals. One is get out of Belarus and the other is to work in the game development industry.


No, Polish Japanese Academy is one of the best of all, public or private. You won't regret studying there. But Mafketis is right that most Polish private universities offer worthless diplomas and degrees. The only issue I can see is that you don't have a certificate of competency in the Polish language and may have to choose the English language option. Maybe you should start studying Polish more intensely now with a view to passing that exam.

If you've decided on Poland for study, then do things the Polish way. Forget about free studies. Most Polish students only study part time and they pay their tuition fees by working. The courses are delivered at weekends. Aim to get yourself an entry level, junior developer job in Warsaw (młodszy programista). Most junior developers are still studying so it's quite possible to get a job long before you finish your studies. On your CV say that you intend to apply to transfer your studies to Poland. You just want to earn money to support yourself in the first stage of your plan. If you're not having any luck with developer roles, try for games tester. There are plenty of opportunities there though salaries are not as good but it's a start. Junior developer salaries tend start at around 4,000zl per month in Warsaw for somebody without a degree or experience, games tester around 3,000zl but the developer salaries increase quite quickly and also if you're under 26, you won't have to pay tax on such a low salary. It will be a struggle at first but it's do-able.

Here is a link to a site showing living costs in Warsaw. It's fairly accurate. But as for rent, your best option to save money on that is to just rent a room in an apartment shared with others. Basically you get a bedroom with a lock and you share the kitchen and bathrooms.

numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Warsaw

Here's an example of a room to rent in the city centre. Rent is 700 and there could be extra bills so budget for 1,000zl:

morizon.pl/oferta/wynajem-mieszkanie-warszawa-srodmiescie-bednarska-20m2-mzn2039284040

Apply to the Polish Japanese Academy next year (don't worry about how you can pay for it, just apply!) When you get accepted it will look good on job applications 'currently in second year of studies in Belarus, accepted for Polish Japanese Academy blah, blah etc etc). Fees can be paid in monthly installments btw. And just keep looking for a job. If you find one, move to Poland (don't take a remote job if you can avoid it. It's very hard to work remotely on a first job in the industry and you want to get yourself physically to Poland asap!). And yes you apply sometime around May for Polish universities. However they usually continue accepting applications up until late August for the part time study options.


That's brilliant! :)) That's exactly the approach to take. Keep going on small projects and it will pay off. I'd suggest that for your next project maybe consider designing a bigger game and then making one playable level of it and try to ensure that you will learn something new from each project. Create a profile on LinkedIn if you don't already have one as other recruiters may find you and it makes you look professional. I assume you've already made some kind of website to showcase yourself and your work. You have lots of passion which really comes across in your communication and you are obviously a very hard worker. Somebody will recognize that and you will get your chance :))

Btw you mentioned CD Project Red, but do you know this other Polish company, People Can Fly? They made The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, a really beautiful game.

peoplecanfly.com/career/#how-we-fly

Finally here's a Polish programmer's forum which you may find useful:

//4programmers.net/

That's all I think of for the moment :))

History / The reasons of Polish pride? [112]

This is a useful site:

culture.pl/en

Study / Game industry studies in Poland. What university would be the best choice? Is it possible to study for free? [19]


You can learn to use this yourself by simply downloading it (it's free). Create a simple game to explore the functionalities and possibilities of it and put the completed article into your portfolio of work.

You can also learn C++ yourself. Using Bjarne Stroustrup's book 'The C++ Programming Language' you can learn the basics of C++ in six months.

Don't wait to get accepted to your dream university - take action yourself now. Small, consistent efforts will pay off. A year from now you will be further along the path to where you want to be. If you just wait, nothing will change.

Also, no university anywhere in the world is going to provide the kind of degree you describe. All they do is cover a lot of general stuff and the rest is up to you.


You need to contact the individual college that interests you and ask them or check on their website. Every college has different policies in that respect. The term you're looking for is 'advanced entry' btw :)


gov.pl/web/polishaid/solidarity-with-belarus---nawa-scholarships-for-students-scientists-and-teachers

If you want to study in Poland a good university for you if you want to work in games development is the Polsko-Japońska Akademia Technik Komputerowych (Polish Japanese Academy of Technology). If you take your Bachelors in computer science with them, they have a games development specialisation option in your final year. They have a good reputation and there is plenty of practical work. You'll study both Java and C++. Salary surveys show that their graduates are paid the most of all computer science graduates in Poland. They have discounts for students from Belarus. They have colleges in Warsaw and Gdansk.