Work / Poland Work Permit / Study Visa Processing Times [191]

Another Japanese here.

It seems my prospective employer in Krakow has been through a serious amount of paperwork for my work permit.

The local work/employment/whatever office has even requested a proof of my English language ability even though I HAVE A PHD FROM MANCHSTER UNIVERSITY! Even the UK Home Office, God help them, hasn't asked for it.

Komatta mon desu na.

Anyway, it seems things will be sorted by 01/12 when my job is expected to start, and I'll be living in lovely Krakow. Uraaaaa.

Work / Poland Work Permit / Study Visa Processing Times [191]

I've been to Poland many times and have a lot of local friends, so I've heard quite a lot about red tapes there.

Knowing the way things (don't) work in Poland, I'd rather not think about the coming troubles, such as opening bank accounts, get registered at the local government office, have a residence card, then visa extension, then work permit extension......

I've been to Manggha once and I liked some, if not all, of their collection. They have some very good swords, for example.

Work / Poland Work Permit / Study Visa Processing Times [191]


I had the same problem, but, having heard of the nature of Polish bureaucracy from my Polish friends, I thought it was just another bureaucratic b#llocks. I asked my boss here (a university academic) to write a letter stating my job title and income level. I guess that was enough.


No, I don't think so. The British "Royal Mail" and DHL are much worse.

The company in Poland got my work permit a week ago. It took them a tad bit less than two months. They sent me the provisional work permit and a statement regarding my work there separately by DHL, but the delivery men "allegedly" came during my absence and went away without leaving any delivery notice. They attempted to deliver twice each for two items, so they failed four times.

So, I ended up in going to their depot twice and picking them up. That has been the single most annoyance in the entire process so far.

I went to the consulate in London yesterday and applied for my visa. It will take two weeks for them to give it to me, so I'll enjoy the last moments of my life in Manchester.

Work / Poland Work Permit / Study Visa Processing Times [191]


I've just moved into my flat here in Krakow. It's so much cheaper than in Manchester and the environment is much better. It's been a big UPWARD jump for me. Yes. It's somewhat depressing to think about doing it all over again in a year, but the HR department of my company has been extremely helpful, so I hope it remains so.

Work / Poland Work Permit / Study Visa Processing Times [191]

It went fairly smoothly for me. It just took some time, but not much longer than I expected.

News / Dalai Lama says: "POLAND HAS RETAINED ITS SPIRIT" [77]

What he wants is autonomy of Tibet. He just wants his people to be able to talk freely in Tibetan, teach their children Tibetan history and tradition, and, of course, Buddhism. He is NOT asking for Tibetan independence.

Is that too much to ask for? I don't think so.

Law / Polish EU Drivers Licence - can I get one the easy way (by paying for it)? [185]


Very untrue. Many non-EU/EEA countries have reciprocal agreements with, for example, Britain, Germany and France. I exchanged my Japanese licence with a British one, which I use in Poland now. My friend has exchanged her South African licence with a UK one. Another friend of mine had a Kenyan licence, which was also recognised by the British DVLA.

In Poland, you can exchange your licence if it has been issued by a signatory of the convention on road traffic 1968.

naukajazdy.pl/driving_licence_poland/driving_licence_exchange.html

Before the Japanese and Polish governments signed on the bi-lateral agreement recently, we had to take the theory test. Not anymore, thankfully.

Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

1. Post office
2. All the other public services
3. Some North Korean bullsh-t that filled this thread up.

Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

Well. Compared with some railway operators in the UK, I can say PKP is better in a certain way - they anyway run their trains.

The problem is that they tend to be way too slow. It takes about 10 hours from here to Szczecin.

The public transport within Krakow is quite all right.

Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

I think it's not about being upfront or direct.

Too many here too often try to outsmart the others for really petty things as if they have to prove something.

Why do people try to push others aside to get on a bus? Why do drivers run red only to be stopped by another red light just 30 metres or so down the same road?

Then, there's a general lack of enlightenment.

Why do so many people keep asking really pointless questions, such as "Can you see anything through such narrow eyes?" "Do the Chinese have trains? (and I haven't even been there at all)" "Is it true that the Japanese have a really small/big d-ck?"

And, why do they do the same elsewhere, such as in the UK?

But, to be fair, the same can be said about certain Southern European nations.

Travel / Hard Candy - Krakow, Poland - reviews? [131]

Avoid this place at all costs. I was talked up to by a group of three Russian women on Szewska last Friday, and we went there together. Stupid I know, but my usual bull*hit sensor didn't work after a few pints elsewhere with a good friend of mine.

I ordered a single Jameson, and the women some stupid cocktails. A moment later the bloody bill came to me. The price was 560zl.

Well. Of course they kept telling me to be a gentleman. I thought "Bol*ocks to that", but anyway I had to extract myself safely from the basement, so I went to a cash machine with one of the bouncers, and on the way I went straight to a cop van. The cops kindly accompanied me to the place and had some words with the management. I had to pay 60zl for the whisky, which is still a big pile of nonsense, but anyway that wasn't so much of an issue as the extra 500zl that couldn't really be attributed to me.