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Posts by tonykenny  

Joined: 4 Aug 2008 / Male ♂
Last Post: 7 Apr 2009
Threads: Total: 18 / Live: 4 / Archived: 14
Posts: Total: 131 / Live: 54 / Archived: 77
From: Gdansk
Speaks Polish?: Some

Displayed posts: 58 / page 2 of 2
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tonykenny   
27 Jan 2009
Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]

Sorry to rain on your parade, but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Really? I'm surprised! I've not experienced this in recent years in England, they usually bend over backwards to help. But then if they don't, I'm the first to customer services speaking to the manager!

As for PC world.. no surprise there... as for their knowledge of PCs, zero. Last time I was in I only wanted to buy a game, they were not interested in helping me find it unless I was going to spend a lot of money. So, here I am, 1 desktop and 2 laptops, digital camer and various other items later... and not one of them from PC world all because of this one act of arrogance.

But i'm still surprised about your experiences with supermarkets. Aldi, lidl, I expect it, but not from Tesco/Asda.

Worcestershire sauce?

Bought this at tesco but it was hella expensive. I also saw British baked beans there one too, but that shelf has been empty ever since.

As for the bacon, if you're lucky, you can select a good bacon in the butchers and then slice it real thin yourself. It's the same stuff, just not sliced. But I look for the stuff with less fat on it.

Proper milk is also available in most shops. I hate UHT and never touch it.

Most other things I make myself, cornish pasties, yorkshir pudding, quiche (is that even british?) and the like.

Tony
tonykenny   
25 Jan 2009
Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]

paying top price for a meal...at a great restaurant....with great atmosphere..only to have it ruined by some 'idiotic' muppet smoking sucks!

I have to agree with this. In one restaurant in England, some girl was blowing her smoke directly at our table! I was thinking if she doesn't want her smoke and doesn't want to blow it at her friends why the bloody hell blow it at us! I bet she'd really complain if I visited her table and farted! At least that wont destroy her lungs!

And another exclamation mark just make a point !

The comment about bisto gravy.. ewwww. no, I always made my own and it was much better! OK, sometimes I'd settle for bisto when in a rush... or wanting a salt overdose.

So, what would I introduce from the UK to Poland? hmmmm,
1. Companies paying salaries at the end of the month, not 10 days later
2. Emplyee rights.. they seem to have none in Poland, including this 'pact with the devil' contract that many have to sign.
3. Government documents in various languages - would make likfe a lot easier
4. Motorways!
5. Me. oh, I'm already here! :)

T

.. I forgot to mention 'customer services'.

I see the Tesco brand has been introduced to Poland but without the customer service I would expect. Twice now I have tried to buy products just to have them thrown to one side at the checkout because the computer could not read the barcode!

In England, the cashier would get of their arse, or ask a supervisor to get the correct code or customer service would give you the product for free!

When trying to purchase electrical good in the same store, twice we had to wait about 10-15 minutes for somebody to even attend the department. Asking the girls on the next department and they just told us that there should be somebody there.

In short, staff in Poland don't give a sh*t. This alone is a good reason to learn Polish because my girlfriend is unwilling to translate for me to make formal complaints :)

T
tonykenny   
16 Jan 2009
Law / Poland residency permit / registration questions. [23]

Harry,

Yes, I was on an o dzielo, dodgy as hell and no ZUS.

once again, more stories about bad schools, make me want to open my own and get it right :) Need a few more years teaching experience first though.

T
tonykenny   
15 Jan 2009
Law / Poland residency permit / registration questions. [23]

The only good schools I've seen are run by British natives who are teachers themselves.
When I mean good, I mean those who appear good to the staff.

To be honest, there's nothing I want more than to go and work for International House in Krakow, but, they simply don't pay enough to live on :(

I enjoyed my teacher training there and I'm sure I would enjoy working for them with the constant supervision of the teacher trainers to help me grow.

Teaching is in my heart but IT is in my wallet. An awful situation.

T
tonykenny   
15 Jan 2009
Law / Poland residency permit / registration questions. [23]

just remind them that you can happily show the taxman your contract.

When I was supposed to go and apply for a NIP, they were very insistant that I must not show my contract or mention about my type of work with the school. Dodgy as hell!

I only had a contract in English, they were not happy when I demanded a version in Polish after pointing out the English version is not legal in Poland, which I signed but was never returned signed from head office.

The whole TEFL world seems dodgy as hell.
tonykenny   
15 Jan 2009
Law / Poland residency permit / registration questions. [23]

Registering a car is something I'm going to need soon, which is the main reason I'm registering and my partner needs it so she can travel in the Schengen zone :)
tonykenny   
15 Jan 2009
Law / Poland residency permit / registration questions. [23]

Wow, that's a big post. Thank you so much, it's very useful.

I'll visit the local office and get the paperwork and see if my partner can register at my address. Maybe they'll have the new system in place and make things easier.

You're right about the EU thing, I can just claim to have stepped over the border to Germany and the 90 days starts again. In the meantime, I have my stamp from the Ukraine border on Sunday so that gives me another 90 days.

As for the not paying tax thing, the last school I worked for took tax from my salary, even though I had no NIP and no registration, so how does that work?

Thanks again for all the advice

Tony
tonykenny   
14 Jan 2009
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

1/ there ignorant people

I couldn't disagree more. I am sure there are some people who would match some of these descriptions, in fact I could name a couple, but, they are in no way indicative of the Polish people on the whole.

OH, but one thing... they cant' seem to organise a piss-up in a brewery!! and that does seem indicative of the people as a whole - in my humble opinion of course!

T

PS. They're, there & their. I can offer some lessons at my standard rate if you like (wink) :)
tonykenny   
14 Jan 2009
Law / Poland residency permit / registration questions. [23]

Hi,
I'm sure these questions are answered somewhere, but this whole subject seems to be a minefield. I have questions about residency and registration.

1. Is it right that I can only register if my landlady gives permission for that address?
2. If she does not give permission, can I register at an address other than that at which I live?
3. A friend of mine has her permit but has moved flats, does she now have to change the address on her registration? What is the penalty is she does not?

4. My partner's landlady is refusing to let her register at her flat, can she register at my flat even if she doesn't live with me?

I've heard the process in my area is quite painless, so, I'll keep my thumbs and try.

T
tonykenny   
12 Jan 2009
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

Foreigner4:
Harry If you're sick of dealing with "tossy little teachers", perhaps you should stop hiring "tossy little teachers". Although hiring decent teachers would cost more than hiring the dross, which would eat into your profit margin and we can't have that, can we?!

So true. Well said!

Are you sure?

Think about what youre actually saying

Can you explain? I'm not sure I understand your response, VaFunkoolo. Surely hiring better teachers will cost more and eat into profit? On the other hand, hiring better teachers will cost attract more students and increase reputation and profit.

I've given up teaching as a job because I can mare more money in IT, in fact twice as much. This gives me time to teach privately and do some voluntary teaching and enjoy it more. I love teaching so this will become a 'professional hobby'.

Toy
tonykenny   
19 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

(which I don't understand! I'd go mad if someone was correcting my Polish constantly...)

I identify with this and yet I partialy disagree. There is a time to correct and a time not to correct. My foreign friends insist that I must correct them all the time. I gently suggest that they allow me to choose when to do so because sometimes communication is more important than accuracy, as we well know. Not only that, if I've just finished a 12 hour day, the last thing I want to do is explain grammar!

On the other hand, when I was on a Polish course and reading out my homework to the class, the teacher would stop at EVERY SINGLE BLOODY ERROR! This was so annoying that nobody actually heard what I had written and the whole point was lost. My manager even asked me to correct grammar at the end of EVERY SENTENCE! Instead, I allow the student to finish what they are saying and help with error when they finish speaking. This allows for them to actually communicate and feel better about doing so. I keep paper handy and have learned to write some errors without losing eye contact with the student. A neat trick if you can manage it so they don't notice you're writing - oh and don't retract the nib on your pen.. that 'click-click' alerts them to the fact you're about to make a note!

You're right, sombody correcting every other word really p*sses you off and you lose confidence too quickly.

T
(this soo needed a new thread)
tonykenny   
18 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

VaFunkoolo,
Thank you for your input. I am sure there are as many bad teachers are there are schools. I for one would _not_ moan about being overworked on a 25 hour contract. Even if it takes me 30 minutes to prepare each lesson, that is no more than a standard full time job. However, I do object to this then being annexed by an additional 5/10 hours per week of unpaid work!

I most certainly do not claim that things would be better if I were in charge (and I'm not suggesting you made such an allegation). I am an inexperienced teacher simply wanting a fair deal and an opportunity to grow professionaly. Yes, this includes some simple ideals such as being able to observe experienced teachers and to expect a basic level of respect from my manager which does not include being shouted at accross the length of the school for simply abiding by the student's (AKA customer's) wishes! Maybe these ideals are naive, if so then I'm certainly in the wrong trade.

This would also incluce some basic assistance from the school in matters where I don't speak the language, such as getting a NIP and a bank account. Oh and also, when I have a contract for a guaranteed minimum monthly income, I don't expect an email telling me "by the way, December is special so we're cutting your pay by a third" !! Needless to say, I was not happy and got this resolved pretty damn quick! Which, of course, left my manage not speaking to me for 2 weeks! Except to shout if she thought I breathed at the wrong time!

This is the kind of thing that is annoying. I have no naive ideals of grandure, runing my own school with rows of happy smiling students paying very little and the happiest teachers earning millions. I simply expect some basics which are largely based around mutual respect.

As it happens, I've returned to working in IT building on my 10 years experience in the industry, where I will also teach the staff in the company. This means I can teach privately in the evenings and also do the volunteer work that I really want to do!

kaching! My twopennorth.
tonykenny   
17 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

I've heard many similar stories from the TEFL world, so many 'schools' realyl ripping the teachers off. They don't seems to realise that if they have happy teachers, they have happy students who come back.

I also had interviews recently, one school seemed really good, but, my instinct told me not to go near them. They said that they must give a good quality of service because they 'are expensive', but then offered the worst rates ever! Ok, not as bad as IH, but pretty bad. Then they offered a self employed options where they boasted one person had earned 5000 gross in one month. By my calculation, this person could have not slept that month. oh,, then there was the looong list of activities that I must perform *without pay*. Such as lesson prep (ok, that's standard), exam supervision, student assesment, weekely meetings (possibly an entire afternoon) and more.. Sorry, but I don't work for free! If you want me, you pay me, there's plenty of companies out there willing to do just that.

So, I'm a little disillussioned with the TEFL world. The only way to make a living is to own a school and I don't yet have the experience to do this. Maybe it's an easier living in a country that's no so expensive. It's back to IT for me and private teaching in the evening - which, lets face it, I'll make more on evening private lessons than in a full time teaching job.

phew. maybe we needed a new thread for this?
tonykenny   
16 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

I was happy to give extra and I usually do, but the student wanted to move on to another lesson so I complied with their request.

What I didn't appreciate was the manager shouting at me from the reception desk along the full length of the school! She has been a total b*t** since I told her I would not be seeking to renew my (barely legal) contract. If she has an issue with any aspect of my performance, the more acceptible way to deal with this would be to speak to me in private. She also did not listen to my explanation, nor that of the student who requested to finish early.

As the student mentioned in the next lesson, the manager's conduct was less than professional and did not protray a favourable image of the school.

On the other hand, maybe she's annoyed at my leaving because now she has to find a new native, over the Xmas period, in an area where there is a shortage (I have several job offers and interview requests in the last 2 weeks) and also that I'm leaving and so many students enjoy my lessons and appear to be quite literally queuing to join them!

One thing I have noticed for native speakers with CELTA in this area, the interviews often simply consist of "when can you start?"

Still, I'm going to enjoy my life in IT and will really enjoy teaching for a charity where I can concentrate on the quality of the teaching without worrying about money or managers :)

T
tonykenny   
16 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

hahaha, sounds like it, yes, the 'hotshots' from warsaw seem to be high school students of English!
What's really sad is that we're not permitted to modify the lesson plans to correct the obvious errors, even when there are obvious mistakes.

I only teach level 7 and above.. and only for 2 more weeks when I return to work in IT and only teach private and voluntary work.

Did you try asking for peer observations at your branch? I tried and oh boy I was nicely verbally assualted via email from the manager. This school obviously do not want their teachers to improve in any way! Sad really, because then on the other had I get shouted at for finishing a lesson a few minutes early and not giving the clients a good enough quality of service (despite finishing all the material, plus extras with the student getting nothing wrong!)

2 weeks to 'freedom' ! I will also be teaching in the IT company and will revert to CELTA methods! :))

T
tonykenny   
16 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

Ready made plans were initially an attractive concept because I had 2 jobs on the go and time was scarce. However, they often proved to be more of a curse for several reasons.

1. Blocking lexis was rarely introduced, any useful lexis was introduced poorly or there were too many, about 45 in one lesson
2. The plans were full of basic English errors that intermediate students would point out
3. The main aim of the lesson was rarely clear
4. The steps of the lesson rarely followed the same theme or language focus
5. The times for the steps of the lesson were often unacheivable (revise/introduce 50 lexis items in categories in 10 minutes?!)
6. The homework rarely revised the material from the lesson, usually it was completely unrelated.
...the list goes on..

I had one lesson recently about music which introduced musical terms that even a native speaker would not know unless they had studied music theory. Thankfully, I had, so I knew what an 'accidental' was (and other such terminology). I bet other teachers thought this was a mistake a musician makes! A great lesson, I'm sure, for students who want to go to another country to study music, but for my group that day, totally useless.
tonykenny   
16 Dec 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

Yes, some characters try my patience too. Like one who insists on answering all questions, despite my directing them, by name, to a specific student. She hogs all the time, refusing to let others answer or think, proudly giving the answer if the named student takes more than a microsecond!

I just had to tell her to allow the other students time to answer because I need to hear them speak!

But generally, I don't have problems with students, like you say, the teacher's job is more to facilitate their conversations and learning. I can't wait to get back to teaching using all the CELTA methods instead of these horrible ready-made plans at my school (from which I have just resigned)

Tony
tonykenny   
15 Dec 2008
Language / Does anybody know of a list of Polish-English False Friends and True Friends? [60]

yeah, i've come across this one where a friend said somebody was making her nervous, she really meant annoyed. Of course, similar problem i had a year ago explaining to somebody in Polish I was too nerwowy to speak... meaning nervous.. oops!

Maybe I should set up an online false-friend database.
tonykenny   
15 Dec 2008
Language / Does anybody know of a list of Polish-English False Friends and True Friends? [60]

Hi,
Does anybody know of a list of Polish-English false friends and true friends.

For those not up on the terminology, a false friend is a word that sounds the same in the 2 languages but has a different meaning. For example, as a Pole for a preservative and see what you get! :) More of a 'preventative' is what you will receive :)

I'm looking for the list of false friends to prevent such mistakes but, the list of true friends will be incredibly useful as a way to boost my vocab very quickly indeed. For example, mailować, surfować, powokować are such true friends that are easy to remember.

In the meantime, I have a race with a friend to completely memorise all the verbs in "301 Polish verbs" but thakfully not all the conjucations and perfectives.

dziękuję bardzo za pomóc.

Tony
tonykenny   
7 Nov 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

My post arrived pretty quick from England too, in fact about 3 days. It was a packer contained 4 poppies that I'd asked a friend to send. It arrived intact and very quickly.

As for the English mail... between folding items with "DO NOT BEND" all over them... folding CDs (!) and refusing to attempt delivery of an "incorrectly addressed" item to the ONLY street in the village (incidentally, the address was from the Royal Mail database!!)... oh and finally, illiterate postmen who cant read the street name or number... but then nothing is perfect i suppose..
tonykenny   
5 Nov 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

OK, let me add one or two...

1) When you work for a languge school as a 'native speaker' and then they tell you on signing the contract "by the way, you're not employed, you're a contractor and we pay you 20 days AFTER the end of the month"

2) At the same time, the tell you that the rate they told you net, is actually now the gross rate.

3) When you come to submit your bill after a month's hard work, they proudly announce "by the way, you need a NIP" and the ONLY assistance they offer is to tell you the street that the tax office is on. No building number, not even the words I need in Polish to identify the building, let alone know what a NIP is or which type i need. I have seen on one forum that a NIP is NOT required... but try and explain that to you manager...

4) To find that to obtain a NIP or registration I will need certain documents... but there is no information regarding which documents or if I need a PESEL (except the very kind forum postings) - and to learn that some offices know what they are doing but not do not... so it's pot-luck as to whether I'm going to get what I need today and actually get paid!

So... to the friendly person who kindly suggested I get on a plane and leave... trust me, I'm this close [show thumb and forefinger about a millimeter apart)

The only saving grace is that since before my arrival in Poland I made a Polish business acquaintance who has been the most helpful person I have met and he continues to be so. If it wasn't for him, I'd have gone a long time ago. So, thank-you Jacek! I'm expecting to start working for him full time soon; then I can tell the school where to go.

Me
tonykenny   
9 Oct 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

Why don't you just get on the next plane that leaves Poland then and do us all a favour.

Because there are many more 'cons' about the UK, for example so many people who just like to flame on the internet when somebody states their opinion.

My list is simply a list of likes and dislikes, this does not mean I hate the country. On the contrary, I find the difficulties I am experiencing in this country to be character building and are giving me a true insight into the country and culture. As I settle into Polish life and summer returns, no doubt there will be many more good things I see.

Oh, I forgot to mention architecture as a good point!

No, coming to the point of promoting Poland. Do we want dictatorship style propogander or honest personal opinions and discussions? Personally, I feel the discussions are much more powerful. I may see something as bad, somebody else may see it as good. Through intelligent, mature discussion, we can find a common ground. If we all thought the same, what a boring world this would be. Communism anybody?

T
tonykenny   
8 Oct 2008
Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

oh hell... don't get me started....

1. The fact that parking restriction signs are very well hidden (like facing the wrong way on a one way street with no road markings) then you get a clamp!

2. The fact that to do anything you have to jump through hoops, the right hoops, in the right order... or start all over again..
3. That I work to the end of the month then have to wait until 20th of the following month to get paid! (turns out the 'job' I was given in a private school is actually a contractor 'job')

4. That everything is so bloody expensive! I have to have 2 jobs, working 12 hours/day just to cover the basics
5. The beggars, ok, we get them everywhere, but these ones even walking around inside KFC asking for money/food and the staff do nothing. Don't misunderstand me, I'm happy to give to the charities that help the needy and have done a lot of charity work, but the number of people asking for money in Poland is unbelievable... and many of them quite clearly not needy! (i.e. perfectly clean, presse clothes, new shoes and very fat in one case)

6. The leaftlets... my goodness.. try working through krakow on a summer's day and see how many times you have to dodge leaflets
7. The roads! (it needs no more explanation)

OK, so let's be fair and give a brief mention to all the things I do like

1. The food (contrary to somebody else's comments)
2. The culture. Yes, there is some culture here and I find it interesting
3. The hospitality shown by the Poles. I have always been made to feel welcome everywhere - almost everybody is friendly and most are very helpful

4. The girls... ok, I won't be shy, Polish women are beautiful and it brightens the day to see a beautiful women with a wonderful smile.

5. The fact that there is so much work for a native speaker English teacher, even if the pay is poor and I have no hours left in the day to do it.

oh dear... the cons list is longer than the pros list.... but I'm just grumpy tonight maybe :p

enjoy!