Life / Poland - what is your brand? [39]


Those are the ones! They call them pralines, not kugeln in Poland. Speaking of kugeln reminds me of the Mozart Kugeln, very popular in Poland. Not a favourite of mine though I love marzipan but who could resist the packaging!

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Life / Poland - what is your brand? [39]


It contains powdered milk - a big no, no in my view - it's not proper chocolate.


For me it would have to be Cadbury's Twirl - oh, the divine yumminess!!

It has to be Cadburys produced in Ireland though because the recipe is different and it's really, really good quality, proper chocolate made with lovely Irish dairy milk. I used to love Tiffin, do you remember it Jon? And the Cadbury's Turkish Delight bars, not the Fry's ones.

I like German chocolate better than Swiss. Lidl actually do some very good chocolate. But I love those Lindt chocolate ball thingees filled with more chocolate. I forget what they're called now.

Travel / What are the best countries to live in? [161]

The problem with that question is that it's quite subjective - and unless one has actually lived in the place, you can only imagine that you'd like living there. You can't know that you would until you do!

According to the United Nations Human Development Report the top ten best places to live are:

1 - Norway

2 - Ireland (tie)
2 - Switzerland (tie)

4 - Iceland (tie)
4 - Hong Kong (tie)

6 - Germany
7 - Sweden
8 - Australia (tie)
8 - Netherlands (tie)
10 - Denmark

And trotting along behind are:

13 - UK
17 - USA
35- Poland

The UN's HDR is one of the top resources for determining which countries have the happiest, healthiest, and most stable populations compared to everywhere else in the world.

USA, Canada / Moving to Poland from Canada [40]

I notice the OP hasn't returned to this thread and who can blame her.

@PlantMamaPol, the advice to listen to on this thread so far is from Jon (Brit), Maf (American) and me (Irish woman married to a Polish man). We all have the experience of living in Poland as 'foreigners' and adapting to the culture. Lenka is also a sensible person but as she's Polish, she obviously sees things from a different perspective ;) As for the rest, take them with a giant pinch of salt.

USA, Canada / Moving to Poland from Canada [40]

I'm afraid it must be pointed out as the OP has young children, that Poland is the most polluted country in Europe and the air quality is extremely toxic in many cities.

notesfrompoland.com/2020/10/13/dangerous-levels-of-air-pollution-in-polish-childrens-bodies-finds-study/

Work / Teaching English in Poland....CELTA or TESOL certificate? [66]

Ha, ha! :)) Because, oh innocent one, that's a simple fact of life :) You don't have to be drop-dead gorgeous but it helps ;) Seriously though, we're always judged on our appearance to some degree. Being well presented, well groomed etc never hurts and in a job where you're being hired to deal with a random selection of adult learners who vary in ability and motivation, your 'people skills' will be more important than your academic achievements. When you walk into the classroom for the first time, if you look 'nice' and friendly that often matters more to your students than your PHD.

Work / Teaching English in Poland....CELTA or TESOL certificate? [66]


Absolutely typical - not just in the TEFL world but in Polish business culture in general. They usually ignore unsolicited emails; they're a bit better at answering if they've had some dealings with you already, but not always. A phone call is always better or ideally a face-to-face meeting. It's usually easier and quicker to get things done in Poland if you visit in person.


At entry level, it really varies. A lot of the places hiring just want cheap labour. They don't want to pay higher rates for more highly qualified or experienced people. To be honest if you're nice looking, whether male or female, with a pleasant personality that will be as important as what's on your CV.

Work / Teaching English in Poland....CELTA or TESOL certificate? [66]



That ad, or one very similar, has been on there since before the pandemic in various forms! The vibe I get from Prowork is that they have a couple of bogus too-good-to-be-true ads on there to suck people in and then they try to offer candidates something not quite so good.

@janbe, as I said in my earlier post, if you don't have any training or experience in teaching/working with children, try to avoid it if you can. Cut your teeth with adults. Incidentally, as you're Polish by nationality, do you speak Polish? If so, why not look for some other kinds of jobs, not just teaching? There may be better opportunities for you in another field.

Work / Teaching English in Poland....CELTA or TESOL certificate? [66]

Gosh Jon, what a good person you are to write such a detailed reply - hope the OP appreciates it :)

Not much one could add but I'll just say in my experience intermediate level speakers are the most difficult group to teach. They have the basics but there is such a long, long way to go and always something new to learn. They can get a bit overwhelmed and it can be hard to keep them motivated and feeling that they're making progress.

I would also advise against teaching children under twelve and in particular pre-school kids (unless you're already a qualified elementary/kindergarten teacher) as it's a whole different set of skills and most private schools focus on parental expectations rather than following the child's needs/developmental level. If you want to teach children, get the CELTA for young learners and then try to get work from somewhere reputable like the British Council.

Work / Teaching English in Poland....CELTA or TESOL certificate? [66]

I agree with Jon. Go for CELTA or Trinity. Btw, things like language acquisition and socio-linguistics may sound impressive but they are of no practical use when you're teaching. I've studied linguistics myself at third level and while the subject is interesting, it's of very limited value to a TEFL teacher. The three modules you mention are simply pointless padding designed to stretch the course out and thus charge you more for it. The CELTA will give you an intensive training in the practical knowledge and skills you need to do the job.


Highly unlikely. They might give you some extra hours if they're available.

Life / Energy - Poland [71]

Fair enoughski :)

But as for water loss from mines, no I'm not confusing it with coal power stations. Most water used in coal mining can't be reused or put back in the system and then there's evaporation of water during mining operations. I don't remember the details because I read it ages ago and I'm not going to consult Dr Google as Jon calls him/her :))

It's a funny thing but I often wonder how many of us would be able to sustain any of these debates if we were down the pub with no smartphones :)

Life / Energy - Poland [71]


One of them is about 50km away from a coal mine which I don't think is very far considering the size of Poland.


I can only speak for Ireland and we're a weird lot - we don't like the term 'drought'. That would be far too extreme. It's called 'a dry spell' ;-)

Life / Energy - Poland [71]


Well there are a couple of coal mines in Małopolska and there are a couple of hydro electric power plants in the region too.


Depending on the way it's used a lot of it is lost in the cooling process.


Oddly enough, the total annual rainfall is the same but there are longer dry periods and there is a fair amount of water mismanagement - so we're back to the old incompetence thing again.

There are serious environmental issues in Poland, air quality, drought, destruction of the ecosystem - all these things will eventually impact the country economically and it won't take many more years either for that to happen. Meanwhile PIS fiddles while Rome burns.

Life / Energy - Poland [71]

In fact you don't even need dams - there are different ways to generate hydro electricity. But the right kind of natural geography makes a big differrence to the amount of energy you can generate through a hydro electric facility. It's a clean source of energy but it's not without impact on the environment. But that's true of any civil engineering project.


Ironically one of the reasons for drought in Poland is the amount of water used by the coal mining industry. Actually some hydro plants in Poland are located in mining regions so I wonder if it would be possible to re-employ former miners in the hydro field?

Anyway, hydro power on its own is not enough to supply all the nation's electricity. A mixture of sources would still be needed.

The major stumbling block to addressing sustainable energy issues in Poland is, as always, the politicians (and I include all parties in that) who spend half their time engaged in petty bickering, squabbling, exchanging personal insults and seeking to discredit each other. As for PIS the other half of their time is spent trying to create the impression that they're actually doing something by fiddling around with things that have already been done eg reforming the education system, reforming the courts, reforming abortion laws - all retrograde actions, cheap, quick, easy. No real thought, effort or planning required. Lazy, lazy, lazy and incompetent.

Real Estate / Kredyt Hipoteczny and Alimony [23]


Only on fixed rate mortgages and it seems to be more like 3% and frequently zero.I checked a few sources to find this information so perhaps things have changed since your last experience of mortgages.

polishmortgage.pl/2018/07/12/mortgage-prepayment-penalty-in-polish-banks/


As Cargo says it depends on how many years you want to take the mortgage for. As well as how much you earn, the bank will consider what kind of employment contract you have and how long you've been employed there and also how old you are. If you're nearer 40 than 30, you have fewer years left to pay off a debt so you'll get less favourable terms. Make an appointment with a few banks to see what their offers are. It's quite straightforward and quick. You'll know within a few days what you can theoretically borrow.

Work / Hi, I am Indian and will be shifting to Poland (diploma in Mechanical engineering) [47]


People sometimes get the impression that Poles know German as a second language and that you can get by in German if you visit Poland. For example this from Wikipedia:

There are German speakers throughout Poland, and most of the Germans live in the Opole Voivodship in Silesia. Bilingual signs are posted in some towns of the region. In addition, there are bilingual schools and German can be used instead of Polish in dealings with officials in several towns.

Of course that's somewhat misleading information for strangers because it doesn't really make it clear that this is for the convenience of those of German descent who live in a region that has strong historic links with Germany.


The company you're working for may provide free language lessons once you arrive in Poland or may make a contribution towards the cost of lessons. In the meantime you could use a free internet resource. I can't suggest any particular one because I learned Polish in Poland, not via internet. The only thing I can definitely recommend is that you learn how to pronounce each letter of the alphabet in Polish because the written language is phonetic and once you know the sounds you can read and correctly pronounce any word you see. Also buy a phrase book which contains lots of useful basic phrases.

Work / Hi, I am Indian and will be shifting to Poland (diploma in Mechanical engineering) [47]


German is not spoken by Polish people in everyday life and most people don't know any German at all. You need to learn basic Polish, not German, especially if you want to live in Poland for a few years.


You should concentrate most of your efforts on doing a good job for the company that hired you and perhaps they will renew your contract.

Real Estate / Getting a mortgage loan with girlfriend [18]


Well, you see that's what happens when you decide to have children with somebody. Having children is a huge financial commitment and in Poland you are liable to support your children until they are finished with full time education which means you may have to continue paying child support well into their twenties.

The truth is that regardless of what legal steps you take now, you will inevitably suffer some financial loss if you break up with the mother of your children at some point in the future. Why don't you just arrange 60/40 ownership instead of this 20% refund business? That would cover your deposit contribution if you decide to sell in the future.

Btw you're not the only one taking a risk here; she is also putting a lot of trust in you because if you disappear one day she will be legally liable for the entire mortgage debt.

Real Estate / Getting a mortgage loan with girlfriend [18]

Remember that regardless of what you sign with a notary, if you break up it may not be a simple case of selling the house and splitting the proceeds. Your girlfriend may want to stay on there with the children and may not have the funds to repay you part of that 90,000. The other way round it is to be 60/40 owners with you having the larger share of ownership.

I suggest you ask this guy. He's a mortgage broker. A bit of professional advice at this stage may cost a little extra but it's worth it in the long run.

polishmortgage.pl/2019/01/21/joint-mortgage-in-poland/

Off-Topic / Advice about a job offer abroad [9]


I wouldn't do that at this stage. It makes you look either pushy (too forceful) or needy/desperate which isn't good either. Wait until the beginning of next week and then you could call them if you feel you must. Presumably you made it clear to them at the interview that you were very keen to work for them - and if you didn't, you've learned a lesson to make sure you do next time you have an interview with a company you like!

As for Job A, I wouldn't relocate to another country to work for a company that I'm not so keen to work for. If you can financially afford to take a risk on getting option B and keep jobhunting if you don't get it, that's what I'd do. There are zillions of job opportunities out there. It's a big world. Don't sign the contract until next week anyway.

In Ireland, we have a saying 'What's for you won't pass you by' - in other words if you're meant to have Job B, you'll get it and if you don't it means that something else is meant for you :)) Good luck, hope it works out for you.

History / Question about interwar Poland [13]


Yes, two thirds of the population lived on the land and farms were often too small to support their owners.

Life / Where do the wealthy class live in Warsaw? [32]


But there are a lot of 'new rich' and a certain vulgarity that you won't see in Podkowa Leśna. Konstancin-Jeziorna is not historically a single unit with a history; it's a mish-mash of bits combined into a 'new town' whereas Podkowa Leśna was designed as a garden city, like Hamsptead Garden Suburb in London (where I lived for a time) which predates it by about twenty years and was also a kind of social experiment. Like HGS, the original design of PL was for all gardens to be open and free from fencing or walls, which many of the residents still prefer.

Life / Where do the wealthy class live in Warsaw? [32]

There isn't really a 'wealthy' district in Warsaw. There is a social mix in virtually every part of the city. Most of the more affluent people live on the west side of the river but the Saska Kępa district on the east bank has a few embassies and some lovely pre-war villas. It used to be an artist's colony before the war. Picasso visited there during his brief trip to Poland. On the west bank the 'best' districts are Żoliborz (Kaczynski lives there), Mokotów and maybe Ochota - but even these are very much a mixed bag with big swathes of social housing, horrendous noisy traffic etc.

On the outskirts of Warsaw, Podkowa Leśna (not part of Warsaw) is officially a 'rich' neighbourhood with not one tower block but has its hidden poor living in old crumbling villas taken over by the state during communist times.

History / Question about interwar Poland [13]

That would depend on what region of Poland they were living in, whether they lived in a town/city or the countryside and what social class they belonged to. It's a good question and a very interesting subject for a dissertation. I don't know of many books on the subject. I think you'd have to read quite a lot of different material from different sources and draw a few conclusions from them. This is a good site with different articles about all things Polish. You have to search for inter-war stuff though:

culture.pl/en/article/the-hussies-gentlemen-of-interwar-poland

culture.pl/en/article/polish-tangos-the-unique-interwar-soundtrack-to-polands-independence

culture.pl/en/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-polish-song

culture.pl/en/article/polish-cinema-interwar-period-film

If you know Polish and you can get hold of any old magazines it would be useful. Articles and ads can give you an insight into life at the time for the middle classes.

A book I've read is 'Polska Przedwojenna, Pre-war Poland' published by Bosz. I got it in a museum but you can buy it online. It has the Polish text on one side of the page and the English translation on the other. It's really more of a photographic record but there is quite a bit of information there and it does tackle 'ordinary' things like shopping, sports, leisure time etc.

gandalf.com.pl/b/polska-przedwojenna-pre-war-poland/

One thing I can tell you is that the largest single retail space in Poland in those years was the Hala Mirowska, an indoor/outdoor market in Warsaw which is still in business today. If you visited it and saw how small it is I think you'd be surprised.

Study / Can Szkoły policealne certificate be a substitute for B1 language certificate [10]


Yes.

migrant.poznan.uw.gov.pl/en/slownik-pojec/confirmation-knowledge-polish-language

Btw 'diplomat' is an English word and it's a person, not a thing :) A diplomat works for the government in foreign affairs/international relations. The employees of an embassy or consulate work in the diplomatic service.

The Polish word is 'dyplom' meaning diploma.

Study / Can Szkoły policealne certificate be a substitute for B1 language certificate [10]


Yes that's often the case with private colleges in Poland. All they care about is the fees and the standards are woeful. In the szkoły policealne the tutition is free so there isn't any incentive to fill the classes up with foreigners.


Yes they do :) and the standards are pretty high.


When the 'Leaving Certificate' exams are marked the candidates are only identified by a number. The person marking the exam doesn't know the nationality of the student.

To pass the traditional/regular Leaving Cert, the minimum requirement is to pass six subjects at Ordinary Level (for the less academic) or Higher Level (more demanding standards). You need higher level subjects to go to university. But there are two other versions of the Leaving for those who are non-academic, the Applied Leaving Cert and the Vocational Leaving Cert. Therefore when a student from Ireland tells you they have the Leaving Cert, they might have a very basic pass at the lowest academic level or they could have grade A in ten subjects at the highest level. The student who can hardly write in English may have done one of the less academic options and barely scraped a pass in that. Did they actually do the Leaving at all?


That's a really good resource especially as you can use the sub-titles function. I find it helpful to be able to read what the person is saying at the same time as hearing it. And of course if you're a complete beginner you can even slow down the speed a bit to hear the pronunciation more clearly.

Study / Can Szkoły policealne certificate be a substitute for B1 language certificate [10]


You mean to train in a profession through the Polish language? That would require a good standard of Polish language skills. You would need to speak, read and write Polish reasonably well before starting your studies.


Yes they do offer such courses. Why don't you look at their website? But studying a course such as makeup artist would definitely not be easier than doing your B1 certificate. There is simply no 'easy' way to learn Polish. But doing some kind of 'casual' evening class that doesn't require the pressure of exams or obtaining qualifications is a good idea for practising your Polish.

Travel / Krakow Christmas market 2021 [2]

This is the organizer's website. No updates about whether it's going ahead. Probably a bit too soon to say.

kiermasze.com.pl/o-firmie

Food / Best Polish vegetarian food and other general queries [21]


That's true, I should have mentioned that. I suppose it depends on how strictly vegetarian one is. If you're vegan it would be a complete 'no, no' of course. It's possible to make those soups using a vegetable stock and nowadays Polish recipes usually give that option but the restaurant probably just uses whatever is cheapest or what they have to hand on any given day.


Oh God, yes! That's true too. But if you order vegetarian pierogi, they sometimes serve the bacon bits and onion on a side plate.


There are quite a few vegetarian restaurants in Warsaw and of course there's always things like Chinese or Indian which will have more vegetarian dishes.

Food / Best Polish vegetarian food and other general queries [21]


Vegetables are very much a side dish in Polish cuisine but as a main course you could have pierogi stuffed with mushrooms and cabbage. There are a few different kinds of dumpling that don't contain meat but the range of fillings is pretty limited. There are also some soups like barszcz czerwony, a beetroot soup and mushroom soup. Then are a few potato dishes like krokiety (potato croquettes basically) but once again, the filling in them tends to consist of cabbage and mushroom.


Just ask for the food 'bez mięsa' - that's pronounced 'bez mee-eng-sa'.


If there is I've never noticed it :)