Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]


This always puzzles me - who are these methodologists that some schools use and isn't every qualified teacher a methodologist?


Agreed.

Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]

Which is more frequent, native or a non-native being a 'lead teacher'?


This is pretty standard. Out of interest, who does the observations?

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


In his youth he was, however the party stopped describing themselves as socialist before he stood for election as prime-minister. If people wanted socialism they had ample chance during the previous 17 years to vote for Old Labour.


Brits and Aussies are different too.


Somehow I doubt that.

History / Lech Kaczynski - was he a good leader? [88]


Exactly the same, not one iota more or less than someone did when they were still living and breathibg - after all we judge someone by what they do/did rather than the fact that they are no longer doing it. Lenin for example was a foul individual - should we respect him more now that he's on a slab being gawped at by tourists?

History / Lech Kaczynski - was he a good leader? [88]


As a mule. I wonder what JK does for fun, except stroke his cats.

Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]


Loads of them mostly from the US, living hand to mouth.

I agree with you about the Spain thing, but was wondering a moment ago if Polish EFL might go a bit like Italy. An oversupply in the beauty spots, the good jobs countrywide being done by people with a second income, the university/private school work being done by a mix of the posh and exchange students and the in-company work in industrial centres being the only half stuff money-wise and even that hard to get.

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


Actually it was Tony Blair who removed Clause Four from the party's constitution and didn't ever use the word 'socialist' abut himself while he was party leader. But don't let facts get in the way of your emotions.


I don't. There were never 2 million Poles in the UK.


Great answer, but being a cultural melting pot with great weather, a high level of personal freedom, relatively high wages in relation to real estate prices has a lot to do with it. Nothing to do with 'oxon's premise that he is hinting at...

History / Lech Kaczynski - was he a good leader? [88]

Erm, you do know the thread isn't about his evil twin. Nor is Jaroslaw (Tinkerbell) Kaczynski even mentioned on this page.

As for him retiring, I suspect the decision will be made for him.

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


+1

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


No there isn't.


This doesn't really make any sense.


And the other EU member states threw their doors open to us. Do you know how many British people are living round Europe.


Communism ended in 1989 and even before that, 80-90% of Poles were decidedly not communists.


Interesting where you got that statistic from, about 2 million Poles, Latvians and 'god knows what else' being homeless.


No it isn't!


A lovely place actually. You should come here.


You seem to have an unfailingly negative view. I gues things are not going well for you on a personal level.

Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]


Dunno. I just know that they offered a friend (who is an very experienced teacher -high quality stuff, really) 37zl and were surprised when he refused.


It's destroyed the market in so many other places - the question is, will the EFL market in Poland become closer to that of Spain or of Sweden.


This is a bit of a scam. It enables schools to cover half the lessons with a poorly-paid Polish teacher and the other half with some random foreigner who doesn't need to have teaching skills. At the same time touting it as some sort of 'dual method' as if there was actually some real methodology rather than business strategy behind it.

News / Police and priests save homeless in Poland [29]


Much better that using dirty needles in some empty flat with neighbours around. They're going to do it anyway, so why not be practical about it and let them do it safely?


Like a form of slavery you mean? If they were going to be any good at that, they probably wouldn't be tramps, would they?

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]


No, 'youknowwho' (and btw, we do know). I suspect you've never waited at the Wizzair gate at Gdansk for a flight to Warsaw or you wouldn't come out with such nonsense.


Thousands of others have. When I fly, one leg of my journey is usually from Poland, the other legs between different places. The difference is obvious.


And coaches too.

Genealogy / Being ashamed of Polish ancestry? [156]

Not long ago I met somebody who, though probably not ashamed of anything, pretended not to be Polish. This person is in their forties and has been out of PL for only around ten years. I really can't figure out why someone would do that, even going to such lengths as anglicising their name and refusing to speak Polish, even when other Poles address them in that language.

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]

Actually, 'youknowwho' the lady was walking slowly with a stick after having sat peacefully for a while. So stop trolling.

The bizarre behaviour of Poles at airport gates is something I have heard people comment on time after time. The fact that it happens isn't in dispute, the question is why it happens.

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]

What fainting due to being crushed in a stampede?

Remember I've flown to and from Poland, including transatlantic flights, probably far more often than you ever will, Angry Person, and have seen this bizarre behaviour every time without exception.

Study / Top Language Schools to Work for in Warsaw? [32]


No worries about that, since the issue is still current.

Friends in EFL tell me the market has dried up a bit in Warsaw, with good schools and in-company training providers losing big contracts and unscrupulous schools like Polanglo offering 37zl per unit. Some blame it on a flood of younger, unqualified 'teachers' turning up to be with girlfriends, wives etc or just to study. These people just need to earn pin money and are easy meat for the worst schools. Others say that the core of the work in Warsaw, in-company lessons, are far fewer as companies tighten their training budgets and also recruit people who already have a high (or adequate) standard of lessons.

Life / Of Polish Descent - Looking for Background Information on Poland for a School Paper [5]


Very much so.


Very often.

Interesting though that the woman is usually still expected to cook and clean, even after a hard day at work.


I know of such families but they are relatively rare.


Very common in Poland.

Travel / Why does everyone seem to hate LOT Polish Airlines? [380]

I caught a flight to Warsaw recently from an airport (Ataturk) where a lot of the gates are quite close together and lead off a long concourse. Right at the start of the concourse, from several hundred metres away, I could see which was the one for the Warsaw flight.

Before people even needed to go to the gate, most of the passengers were standing in a huge scrum as if they were trying to force their way through. Almost all the passengers were standing, despite there being plenty of seats at the gate. This was over an hour before take-off. This is not unusual. I have caught well over a hundred flights to Poland down the years and see this every time.

I've often wondered why people do this - perhaps they think there won't be enough seats and the plane will go without them or someone will have to stand. You used to get the same (and even sometimes far worse) at Victoria Coach Station until they had to move departures to Poland to part of the station where that behaviour was less of a safety risk. This only concerned journeys to Poland.

By the time we got on the plane, tempers were already flaring and by the time people got on the plane a couple were almost fighting over stowed luggage. During the flight too, some of them were giving the flight attendants hassle over meals, drinks etc. And yes, some of them clapped when the plane landed.

This was a strong example (especially the onboard stuff) but the thing about airport gates is entirely normal in my experience of flights to and from Poland. By far the worst are cheap flights on low-cost airlines. This always happens and is not only deeply uncomfortable but is also dangerous. My elderly mother was caught up in such a scrum at the gates at Gdansk airport not long ago and fainted. The staff were very helpful and forced people back to give first aid etc, but the passengers would just have trampled over her in their insane panic if the staff hadn't intervened.

The question is, why does this happen? What is the psychology behind this strange and annoying behaviour that makes a straightforward journey far worse?

Australia / Australian citizen wanting to go to Poland for as long as possible - needs Polish Visa [49]


Easy.


Difficult.


It doesn't.


It can help.


Ambasada Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w Canberze

canberra.polemb.net

History / Lech Kaczynski - was he a good leader? [88]


Em, you do know he's no longer alive?

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


Isn't that just what you're doing?


You know, the folks who went from Poland to the UK got jobs that were on offer already, without takers. The reason so many employers breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Poles came wasn't because of the low wages (they were already low) it was because they could actually fill vacancies. I don't see many youngsters being 'undermined' because they can't get a job sorting strawberries or doing the night shift in the Tesco warehouse.


The least you can do for your country is not to be so darn silly.


Well....


Never a good idea to align yourself with right-wing extremists.

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


Fascism has always been notoriously difficult to define however Theodore Adorno's definition is usually accepted as definitive The NDSAP fit that perfectly.


The basics of his job and the bye-laws regarding public transport in London. By the same logic a Pakistani shopworker, fresh from Karachi wouldn't have a right to stop an English girl from shoplifting...


Dear me no! Plenty of people I happen to disagree with are perfect gentlemen. Griffin is not. He is a thug. And among the officials of his numpty nazi party there are dozens of people with long and unsavoury personal histories. There's even a thread about it on here if you care to use the search function.


Yes. Do you like Lanchester's fiction?

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


Because they were very much that.


And here in Poland anyone, schoolgirl or not, would be taken off the bus and fined 120zl for not being able to produce the card. I wonder why you mention that the driver was Polish - would a driver of another nationality follow a different rulebook?


No. He isn't. He is a raving nutter with a very nasty streak. He was when I first met him 20-odd years ago and in my (and the voters) opinion he is still a raving nutter with a very nasty streak.


Well, interesting of you to make assumptions about my reading habits, but what sort of media would you prefer I read?

News / Becoming non-EUnuch -> giving up your share of handouts. [36]

They've had at least as much chance as Germany has to do so already, but I don't see half as many factories.

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


Who is praising a neo-nazi organisation!!


The 'word' of what?


There is still most definitely left and right, and Conservative (& historically Liberal) front benches tend not to be made up of middle-income people. Who would you rather have in government - someone successful and intelligent or Griffin and his goony band of thugs and losers?

Yes. An extremist and a hotheaded one.

News / Becoming non-EUnuch -> giving up your share of handouts. [36]


Don't forget retsina, bazookis and Demis Roussos.

History / Poland did reasonably well in land terms out of the postwar settlement [270]

Subtract Poznan from the equation or swap it for Zielona Gora - the premise is still as true as the moment I posted it.

Now stop trolling!

UK, Ireland / WHAT IS IT ABOUT POLISH PEOPLE THAT MAKES THEM THINK THAT UK WANTS THEM? [309]


So what you're saying is that you're an inconsistent extremist.


I'm not sure how Polish people can affect that one way or the other.


We never did. Young Aussies in particular had a shocking reputation for living 20 to a house, trashing things, wild parties etc.


Really?


It's one of the great cities of the world.


Numpty nazis with more violent criminals and enduringly mentally ill people among their 'activists' than any other group. And were trounced in the last elections, losing badly in every seat they could scratch together the money to field 'candidate' in.


OUR country, and just how will you fight? Nail bombs?

History / A little reminder for those Brits that ***** about Poles [143]


This forum is about Poland.


Their contribution is remembered and recognised.

Aha. There's a big danger in overstating the contribution of Poles and other nationalities, but it seems to me that there's a bigger danger in understating it.