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


A race war? Who mentioned race?


So if you're not British, what qualifies you to talk so authoritatively about the driving system in the UK?


So you don't actually have any sources or statistics to back up your claims?

Thought so.


On evidence of driver training systems in the EU, the UK is way behind many other states. The UK even allows drink drivers to drive after their disqualification - many EU states will demand psychological testing to be done and a re-test taken.

Or should we talk about how the UK allows a very high amount of alcohol to be taken before a positive test can be registered compared to most other EU states?

As for the Britain vs Poland stuff - let's be honest, the UK is simply inferior to most of the EU when it comes to driving standards and laws. Even the speed limits in the UK are ridiculously low - 112km/h on motorways? Even Ireland has 120km/h!

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


Improved? I struggle to see what 'improvement' was made when the DSA introduced the swerve test into motorbike testing without considering the consequences if the test was carried out in adverse weather conditions.

Or what about the Hazard Perception part of the theory test which actually punishes you for noticing too many hazards?

Or should we talk about how the UK (unlike Poland!) hasn't got cameras in the examination cars, thus leading to a situation where examiners can fail people with absolutely no consequences?

Or we could even talk about how it's possible for someone to pass their driving test without any driving lessons whatsoever, unlike the superior Polish system which demands that all drivers undergo 30 hours of theory and 30 hours of practical training before being allowed to sit the test.


The UK criteria is actually one of the weaker elements in the EU. There's no compulsory medical checks, there's no compulsory training, and the theory test is weaker than countries such as Spain. And let's not forget that in the UK, there's no standardised test car, unlike in Poland.


Do you have a source for that outlandish claim? I find it hard to believe that at least 50% of accidents and deaths in the UK are caused by those without valid driving licences...


You don't need lessons to pass your test in the UK. They're compulsory in many parts of Europe. I wonder which system is safer?


Oh yes you can. The amount of awful new drivers on UK roads are testament to the fact that while the DSA criteria gets people to drive in a way that they deem 'safe' - those very same drivers are actually dangerous because they've been taught to pass an exam, not taught to drive safely. The amount of accidents from young drivers is proof of this - if the system taught good drivers, they wouldn't be crashing, would they?


Are you suggesting that DSA examiners are completely fair? Of course they aren't. There's plenty of evidence suggesting that as long as there's no way of recording the test, DSA examiners aren't honest. And let's be honest, why would they want to be? As I've said, they have an implicit pressure to not pass too many people - as there'll be redundancies as a result.


That's one way to ensure the impartiality of the examiner. However, plenty of people don't avail of this. Of course, the examiner can still fail someone and without documentary evidence, there's no way of proving him/her wrong. The Polish system is far superior to the UK system in this respect.


It would be much easier to simply install cameras.

Ahh, just another Brit with an over-inflated sense of their importance in the world :)

Food / Can you do online food shopping in Poland? Supermarkets. [42]

you finally learnt the proper spelling :D

Life / Driving test, English speaking driving school in Warsaw? [95]

Why do you want to sit the B1 licence to begin with?

From what I know, sitting the B1 licence is virtually impossible in Poland if you don't speak the language - because it's nearly impossible to find something in the B1 category that can accomodate you, the examiner and a sworn translator. There are English speaking schools, but as B1 is a somewhat esoteric licence to obtain, I think you'll struggle to find a school that has the relevant vehicles AND offers English tuition.

Why not just wait a year?

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


So put yourself in the shoes of a UK driving examiner. You know that if you pass too little people, there'll be questions over you - but you also know that if you pass too many, then some examiners may be made redundant, which may include you. Therefore, there's an implicit pressure to fail people for trivial things or simply to overly nitpick at their driving.

Brilliant system of driving? You must be joking. I could pass my test in the Shetland Islands and receive a licence which allows me to drive *anywhere* - how is this brilliant when I would have absolutely no training on dual carriageways, motorways or otherwise?

Safe? See above. Our Shetlandic driver would receive a licence which allows him to drive on the M25 at rush hour without any extra training, even though he clearly would be dangerous in such a situation.

Responsible and considerate? Yes, because the UK is well known for considerate White Van Men and sales reps, aren't they? :) That would also be why young drivers have such incredibly high insurance premiums, because the system is producing responsible and considerate drivers...err...wait a second.


Dearie me, yet another Daily Mail reader. If you actually knew anything about Europe, you'd know that it's nigh on impossible to 'buy' a licence from an EU country. It might be possible to get a fake, but any Brit driving around with a foreign licence is going to be scruntinised very, very carefully.


No. It forces you to drive to pass an exam. It doesn't take into consideration *many* of the skills needed - such as driving at 70mph, overtaking on 60mph limit roads, driving in terrible conditions, what to do in the event of a blowout at 70mph and so on. It only teaches you how to drive according to what the DSA want - and this isn't producing safe drivers!


Clearly you haven't been reading what I've been saying.

Buying a licence is idiotic and you deserve to be ripped off. But the UK system is equally rubbish at producing good drivers - how is it logical that on the basis of a theory test and a 40 minute practical test, someone is qualified to drive a 7 seat MPV at over 100mph on the Autobahn in Germany? Simple answer - they're not!

News / RHD cars in Poland - my campaign to change the rules in Poland [128]

The point is that your current ride was built by Poles, for Poles :P

News / RHD cars in Poland - my campaign to change the rules in Poland [128]


The situation's changed anyway - Poland has now agreed to recognise foreign car test certificates and to allow registration of them based on that. thenews.pl is down, but a date of late September is mentioned on there...

It would be *very* interesting if Poland continues to deny RHD cars with valid test documentation...

Life / Prices of cars in Poland? [88]

With the impending change in the law to recognise foreign test certificates for the car, it's likely that second hand car prices will go down quite a bit - especially as it should now be possible to register RHD cars with none of the fuss from before.

Food / Can you do online food shopping in Poland? Supermarkets. [42]


Pah, you should ask the expert, me, first ;)

Piotr i Paweł do delivery...but why, don't you think your car is big enough to carry all the shopping? ;)

Law / What can I do with 250000$? [33]

Funny, the Poznan one is still going strong and isn't looking like closing anytime soon.


Would there really be the demand in Poland for that sort of thing when most people's needs can be met by Empik or likewise?

Law / Poland - Temporary Residence card - Karta pobytu - required documents [142]


But what for?

It's certainly not needed for residency here if you're an EU citizen.

Law / Poland - Temporary Residence card - Karta pobytu - required documents [142]

Why do they need a certificate?

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]


Is this paid employment, or is this academic?


No. You'll still have the problem of trying to get a visa - you'll be competing against native speakers (and indeed, Polish nationals) who don't require the school to sponsor their visa. This is where the crucial difference is - it's just not worth the hassle or the time for the school to sponsor your visa.

There's also the issue that as an Indian national, you'll have to be flawless - and I can see that you're making several mistakes in your written English. You really will have to be exceptional for a school to take a chance on you - or you'll have to work incredibly cheap.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

To be brutally honest, you don't have much hope in Poland. There is a mindset among many Poles that an Indian teacher just doesn't have the right accent or way of speaking - and while you might have got on fine with an exchange programme, it's a different story with paid employment.

It's also incredibly unlikely that any school will go to the effort of sponsoring your visa - they can get Brits/Irish/Australians/Americans without needing to sponsor a visa and they have the benefit of seeing them in person first - you don't have that luxury, I'm afraid.

It's simply not worth the hassle for schools - English speakers aren't difficult to find here, and customers wouldn't be too happy with someone that they percieved to be inferior.

Work / TEFL Jobs in Poland - your success story? [16]

Going there and handing it over face to face, without a shadow of a doubt. The TEFL employment websites are as good as useless in my opinion, I don't know anyone that's actually landed a job through one - or at least a job that's worth doing.

Life / Exam for Drivers License in Poland; English? [99]

I think that Americans are allowed to solely sit the theory test, which is available in English. You'll have an exemption from the practical test as you've got an American license. I'm not sure if you'll have to complete the 30 hours mandatory theory training first, but it's possible to do this in English in major cities.

Course materials are another question - I've never found English language materials, but it's possible that they do exist.

As for the commercial categories - it may be that you'll be allowed to simply sit the theory tests for those, too. But I'm not at all certain on this point.

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]

Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego w Poznaniu
ul. Wilczak 53
61-623 Poznań
61 829 01 80

Call them and ask them if you need a PESEL to sit a driving test. They'll say 'yes'. End of story.

De facto, someone with the required residency papers will have a PESEL. Why do you keep trying to insist on proof of this? It may very well be that other driving centres (particularly in Warsaw) are being more flexible, but if you can't put a PESEL on the form, then they won't accept it in Poznan.

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]


Why don't you call Poznan WORD and ask them for yourself? The information I have came straight from the horses mouth there.

But other people are suggesting that the relevant residency documents are enough - although anyone with them should have a PESEL generated for them automatically anyway (though I'm not certain if non-EU citizens will have it done?) . The exception may be Polish non-residents - but they'll be obliged to gain an ID card when they move to Poland anyway, thus a PESEL will be generated there too.

Oh, and there's the simple fact that the application form *asks* for it. While individual offices may be doing things differently, it's still asked for officially.


Groan...

You'll have to obtain the relevant residency documents to fufil the 185 days criteria. It's not enough to have a EU passport and a contract for 9 months work - you need to be legally resident in Poland under the 5 year stamp for EU citizens. Once you fufil all the criteria, you'll have a PESEL automatically generated, which will be requested on the application form.


You really don't understand the residency situation, do you?

Poland has a system where you must legalise your stay within 4 days of arrival on the territory of the RP. For EU citizens, this process can be abused because no-one cares less - BUT - certain things depend on having legal residency. You can live and work here happily without having a registered address, but certain things are barred to you, and one of those things is obtaining a driving licence.

You have to be in possession of the EU 5 year residency permit in Poland in order to sit a driving test. You'll only get this once you've been here for 3 months already, and the process can take quite a while as it involves police checks and so on. Once you've done all this, a PESEL will be automatically registered for you - and the driving licence application form explictly asks for it. They may be able to override it - but I stress may, and it'll be up to the discretion of each driving centre. They also won't override the requirement to have valid residency documents - because these are the proof that you've been here for 185 days.


I suggest that instead of relying on websites that may be incorrect, you rely on what they're actually *practicing* in Poland. You certainly won't get very far in Poland by waving English-language information around.

You do also know that Poland has mandatory 30 hours of theory learning and 30 hours of driving practice before you can take a test? Even if you only need the theory part, you'll still have to do the 30 hours before you can take the test.

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]


It's straight from Poznan WORD, so it can't really be more authoritative than that. They simply won't accept an application to sit the test if you don't have the number. But of course, other places may interpret it differently.


I wonder if Poland has an agreement with the UAE to allow a year on the UAE licence?


What you've said here actually backs up the PESEL point - to be legally in Poland for 185 days/year, you'll have to prove that you have legal residency. So while you might not actually *need* the number, one will probably be generated for you regardless once you legalise your stay.


Basically, you have to have either the residence card for non-EU citizens or the 5 year EU residency stamp. Renting a flat/etc won't be enough - you'll have to have legal residence in Poland for that period of time.

I'm not sure if they'll be so strict as to enforce the 'you must be here for at least 185 days' rule in terms of sitting the test before 185 days, but you must be here legally and for more than 185 days.

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]

How did you manage that? The Poznan WORD won't accept an application without a valid PESEL...

(as for getting one, it's easy!)

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]

There's not much opinion needed - unless you have a PESEL and valid residence documents, you can't sit any form of driving test in Poland.

The 185 day rule isn't really relevant - it's the ability to give a PESEL that matters.

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]


The defining factor is that you have to have a PESEL to get a driving licence in Poland - if you don't have this, then you won't get a licence.

Law / Can I take the Polish written test and obtain a Polish driving licence? [28]


Not true - as long as you're living in the UK, you can obtain a driving licence. There's no systematic register of who lives where in the UK (at least for the moment!) - so a driving licence is easily obtainable by anyone who lives legally in the UK.

Life / Wholesale beer prices in Poland [10]


It won't cut the price, because you'll have to pay VAT on the purchase with no prospect of a refund. You wouldn't have to charge VAT on the sale - but any advantage is lost with having to pay VAT to the Polish side of things.

Plus you'll have to have the money to pay the excise taxes upfront - the latest thing I found is saying that you'll pay around 1EUR per bottle of your average Polish beer. Let's say you can get the stuff for 0.60EUR a bottle - you're upto 1.60EUR up front before you even consider transportation costs.

Law / POLISH BEER IMPORT TO UK [37]

I don't think it's actually that difficult - you just have to sort out the payment of excise duties when the stuff is imported. There's things such as bonded warehouses where the goods can be stored upon importation without duty being payable - but when they're removed, you have to pay.

Life / Things that annoy you in Poland. [114]


Tastes vile, but I've never heard of anyone getting ill from drinking it. To be honest, it's no worse than the water from Essex or other parts of England where the water is heavily treated.

Law / Old Polish money banknotes - what's their value today? [414]


They're worth about 1 cent US - for all three.

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]


Hmm...I live in Rataje, so I'm not very familiar with that side of the city - my suggestion is to type 'jezyk szkola poznan' into google and go from there :) I know there's a few schools around Mickiewicza, but these aren't really 'close'.


I don't know of any, but basically, any school advertising Callan or any method that doesn't have coursebooks will be the direct method. The money isn't so good at these schools, but they involve *much* less preparation - in fact, you can pretty much get away with turning up 15 minutes before the class without actually having seen the material before.


Yep, CV/Resume, same thing :) In Poland, they'll also expect a cover letter (or motivation letter, as they call it here) and a photograph with the CV.

As for public transport - pick up a KomKarta and load it with a monthly pass - it makes life much, much easier as there's no hassle with validating tickets :)

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

It's *very* rare for schools to actually advertise for teachers in Poznan - don't wait to see advertisements, you'll have to go out there armed with copies of your CV and convince your way into meeting the directors in person. If I'm right, you might not need to get a work permit if you're here based on marriage, so stress this when talking to potential directors as most will assume that you need a work permit. There's a *lot* of schools in Poznan, and it shouldn't be hard for you to get something.

What I'd personally recommend is going for one of the 'direct method' schools - they're a nice introduction to teaching, and they should be quite happy to take you on without any formal qualifications.

I'm in Poznan, so I can give you advice about teaching here :)

Work / Is easy to get call center jobs in Poland if is how much zl they can pay [3]

I know of someone working in the Easyjet call centre. She's getting around 1200zl/month for full time work, and this is with knowing English and German on top of Polish.

Call centres will demand Polish as well as other languages.