Food / Russia vs Poland Vodka war [73]

[Moved from]: In which countries is Polish vodka very popular?

I know for sure in The UK,The Netherlands,Brazil and Australia they love Polish vodka especially Żubrówka.
Are there any countries you guys have been to where they love Polish vodka?
Thank you.

Life / The "I am never wrong" phenom - is it the Polish thing? [63]


Pip, I feel you woman- i really do!
Been married to one for a long time now and sometimes I'm at my wits' end with such behaviour.
For me ,unfortunately, it runs in the wife's family-she takes after her father!
They are never wrong and apology is not a way of getting along but seen as a sign of weakness.
The way of solving a problem is sweeping it under the carpet and hope it somehow disappears even though it remains visible.
Accountability does not exsist.My experience is that the ones who live in the 10 big cities are quite different from the ones that are scattered around the

country in small towns and villages.The good thing is when u get to know them they will even tell you that people in Warsaw are not real Poles coz they're all

after money. The ones who are at least receptive are those who have looked at themselves from an outsider's point of view.
Those who are too much of themselves are the most difficult. In the workplaces- it's a nightmare!
One worker wouldn't even admit responsibility for coming to work drunk- it wasn't his fault. The list is endless.
Not all are like this but i think i am right to say that most are because most of them will admit that it's typical Polish behaviour.

Law / Opening a Polish Bank Account by a foreigner in Poland. Recommendations. [299]


So, you mean to say u're below 26?

Life / Sending SMS / text message online from/to Poland? [22]

Right now from the web I'm using ''pinger.com/textfree/'' it works 100% sending sms to any Cellphone company in Poland, Once you get androidphone you can send sms international getting app from android market.

To el_easy: Just out of curiosity- how can it be free if it requires an internet or data connection?

Work / Proofreading - What is the going rate in Warsaw? [40]

Merged: Proofreading charges.

I would like to know from people doing translation and proofreading.
What do you guys charge for proofreading and rearranging sentences to make them sensible for local government documents per page?
I have no clue and hope some of you will give me an insight into this.
Thank you.

Work / Proofreading - What is the going rate in Warsaw? [40]


Translating is quite cheap. If he looks around it is possible to get someone who can do it for 50zl a page.
My experience is this: it's cheaper to translate documents from English to Polish- especially documents for government departments.
On the other hand, it's very expensive to translate from Polish to English.
Reason why proofreading is required is because direct translation from Polish to English never really makes much sense.
If you want to see how difficult it is try reading a Polish website that has an English version.
For this reason proofreading usually is more expensive than translating.

Work / Proofreading - What is the going rate in Warsaw? [40]


If you are an English native speaker, who has mastered the Polish language, and you are good at picking up the right words as you translate then you are the real thing when it comes to translating. To a certain extend you are an interpreter and not a translator.

There aren't many English native speakers who can do like you do.
Hence most of the translating is done by Polish sworn in translators who then hand it over to English native speakers for proofreading.
Proofreading becomes a hassle for a native English speaker because most Polish translators are not worried about if their translation is
readable or sensible. Then for the proofreader it ends up as not just correcting a few errors but more like translating from scratch.
For this reason proofreaders can charge up to 150zl per 1500 to 1800 characters.
If you are translating or proofreading, business proposals, technical and legal documents it's possible to charge such amounts.
But the Polish way of cutting corners will force proofreaders to charge per page and most probably less than 150zl because that's what most

people or organisations demand these days.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]

Simple answer: No!
This question is mainly asked by people who don't live in the country or who are totally disillusioned about the benefits
of being part of the E.U. No A8 country will ever contemplate such an idea.
The risks far outweigh the benefits. Here are some of the statistics that many people overlook:
1.Nearly 1million Poles would be expelled from the UK - that according to Mr Tusk, himself, would be an economic disaster for a country
that has been exporting unemployment.
2. Much needed funding from the E.U for modernising, infrastructure, public institutions (including schools and hospitals), residential and recreational areas
would be stopped and that would adversely affect the development of the country.
3. Then there is funding for different projects that help to bridge the gap between the poor and the rich.
The list is endless.If you live in Poland, go to your local council or municipality website and look for funds that are coming from the E.U

Then there is the state or federal government- just check the responsible ministry websites and you will see how important E.U funding is to this country.

The develpoment we have seen in this country, in the last 10years ,would have never been realized in 20 to 30 years if Poland was not in the E.U.

There are some countries that don't need the E.U and then there are those that depend on handouts.
Sad to say, but that is a fact.

News / Should Poland exit the EU immediately? [377]


I think you having a bit of a laugh. Quoting parts of sentences that you misinterpret and summing it up as pro EU propaganda...


If you live in Poland, tell me exactly where you live, then I can direct you to someone you can speak to
in your local government about EU funding and how fundamental it is to almost every town or city.
You started this topic and maybe or maybe not you have a different agenda and also quite indefferent to the reality of life in Poland.

Poland and other A8 countries, as it stands right now, can not afford to leave the E.U.
The risks far outweigh the benefits.

Work / Discrimination at work in Poland - teaching experience from the UK not taken into account? [7]


That's only in theory, Delphi. The education ministry will endorse your qualifications and in theory you should work
in both public and private schools who might need your services. If you are coming to teach English it's normally the case but other

subjects it's totally different. Your qualifications might be recognised at ministry level but not many headteachers will employ you.
A dear friend who came over, and has UK qualifications, was told by many headteachers that for her to teach English they
needed her to have Polish qualifications as well. This is the case in most Podstawowy and Gimnazjum schools.
She was later employed by a Liceum school, for one year, and told by the headteacher that for her to get the best contract
with a better salary she needed to get a Polish qualification. She was also told to improve her Polish
as it is needed to communicate with the headteacher and staff- most who speak only Polish.
She is now training for the Polish qualification.

Law / Working in Poland while being self employed in the UK and paying tax and in there [24]


I guess you are asking because when you move here with your family, you will need to access NFZ and kids will have to go to school- right? First of all the taxes and insurance contributions here are quite high.

It would help if your wife were to get a job here first. After that register a company.
This would reduce the monthly contributions to ZUS. For the income tax, you can declare minimum earnings and you won't have to pay.Your wife will be able to register you and the children for NFZ and then you can always go back home and check on your business.

My neighbour works in Germany but his family is here in Poland.
His wife works and she has him registered here for NFZ incase he falls ill.
He pays taxes in Germany but spends more time here because they are extending their house. The only disadvantage is that his pension contributions are in Germany.

Law / Working in Poland while being self employed in the UK and paying tax and in there [24]


I didn't say he has to work for his wife's company- why would he have to?
If, and that is only "if" he is registered as an employee, then they will have to pay full ZUS for him.
The minimum earnings are declared by the owner of the campany- his wife, who is also employed somewhere.
If she declares minimum earnings for a company she is running while employed somewhere, they are not too bothered about her husband who,in this case, will be unemployed in Poland.

This is not theoratical. It's based on the experience of my colleagues I live with in my area.


He works in Germany and he pays his taxes there.
How he spends his money between Germany and Poland, is up to him.
10 years on- no one has has ever knocked on his door to ask if he is paying Polish tax on the money he earns in Germany.

To the OP: if you or your wife have friends or relatives who are self employed in the UK and also spend time in Poland, ask them how it's done.

Real Estate / Buying property in Poland [41]

Someone I know who is about to retire just bought a property together with his missus. They bought theirs in the area around Kielce
for a bargain directly from the landlord. If you are not buying commercial property stay far away from nieruchomosci.
The person I know simply bought the property together with his wife and were never asked all those questions.
Getting a mortgage is a different story altogether. It depends on how much you need to top up.
If it's less than 15% of the total value a personal loan might be something worth considering.
I bought my first flat, 10 years ago, from someone who was in arrears with spóldzielnia fees.
It still remains the best property deal I've ever done up to now.

Real Estate / Buying property in Poland [41]

To Braveheart:
Like your name says- you sure are brave!
Keep on plugging away and never give into them bureaucratic lot.
Very soon you will purchase your property with the missus.


That's not correct at all. 20 000zl in the 80's was like 20zl today and you could buy only
a nice coffee table with that. During that time individuals couldn't legally buy and sell land.

Real Estate / Buying property in Poland [41]

To Braveheart: Seems like you almost there mate. Just a word of caution, though- initial approval without the hard
copies of all the required documents, especially in your case, doesn't mean anything.
I never used estate agents and would never recommend paying any deposits to them before you get the positive decision from the bank.
Otherwise, Polishinvestor has nailed it for you.
Let us know how it goes, mate!

Real Estate / Buying a residential flat/apt in Poland as a foreigner [24]


If u're buying cash- yeah! If u're lookin to get a mortgage, like u mentioned- I don't think so.
Don't know your status but I don't think any bank would offer you a mortgage.
U need to be at least permanent res for a mortgage.
Interest rates now vary depending, mainly, on deposit raised from as low as 2,9% to as high as 5,2% ( It could be more
coz there are too many banks in Poland) With 20% deposit you are better off. With 10% it's still possible but your interest
rate will be very high till you reach the remaining 10% through your monthly installments.Then there are provisional charges which
they charge for the mortgage. Best deals are in PKO Bank Polskie and Bank Pekao but this is based on you getting a packaged deal

with at least 3 of their products- top of the list being a bank account with them.


On what bases?
I wonder how old you are. There is MDM but that is for young Poles and the money dwindles
quickly around this time every year.

Real Estate / What is the process involved in selling a house in Poland from abroad? [17]


You sound pretty desperate and stressed at the same time. Property business in Poland is not like the UK.
If I was buying property like yours I would have made an offer. If you are Polish, get back here and try to look for a buyer- it is possible someone might buy it but be aware that the price will be very low.

On the negative side- if the plot "dzialka" is not numbered, there might be previous issues and that might scare away potential buyers. You also need to take into consideration that when legalizing the sale of that property the plot number is very important. If the buyer is getting a mortgage then the banks require the number as well.

Do the other plots near yours have numbers- if by any chance you know some of the neighbours.
In the end, you will need to get back invest some time and money to sort it out and hopefully sell it.
I know it's quite painful but that might be the best way of solving it. Considering there won't be any previous issues, theoratically it is not a difficult process. You will just have to wait for the normal processing time.

Real Estate / Valuation of Inherited Real Estate in Poland for tax purposes? [14]

@Mojo79 If you don't mind me asking- was that £7000 or 7000zl and were you taxed on the actual value you sold the flat for back in 2016 or you were taxed

on their estimated value? And how much did you sell it for in zl?

Classifieds / Random Classifieds Ads Poland [261]

[Moved from]: Looking for Bangladeshi bag manufacturers

I have an urgent order for reusable carry bags required by a company as part of its giveaways to its customers and suppliers.
Manufacturer should be able to produce a large amount from different materials in a very short space of time.
If you are a manufacturer and interested in this - please PM me for full details. Thank you.