Work / Working in Poland without speaking Polish [75]


Those with "pretty good salaries" are either working for foreign forms at foreign rates, or are project managers or above. In either case, "pretty good salaries" demand solid qualifications and ample experience.

Work / What is life like in Poland for a student? [26]

If he's Ukranian, with English is as good as it is, he should consider studying in other countries besides Poland.

Study / What is the best medical school in Poland? [33]


I have to agree with delphiandomine here. While there are good medical schools in Poland, their English programs are of very low quality. You may end up wasting years of your life getting a diploma that means little if anything on the job market. My advice would be to forget about studying in Poland, and get your degree in the States. If you're good, you can get financial help, and even a full scholarship. That's what I did.

As for the rest of your question, the best cities are, in approximate order, Wrocław, Kraków, Poznań, Gdansk, Toruń and Warsaw. The second tier would include Szczecin, Białystok, Lublin, Rzeszów, Katowice and £ódź. An American would have no problem adjusting to life in those cities. The best medical school, however, is in Białystok. I'm always impressed when I visit the medical school there. In my opinion, it's the only medical school in Poland that comes close to American standards. However, like everywhere else, the English program there is a joke.

There is no haggling in Poland, and Polish shopkeepers are honest in dealing with foreigners.

Language / When to use biernik? When to use dopełniacz... Narzędnik? [4]

No there is no easy distinction. learning how to use them correctly is difficult even for advanced students and takes a lot of study and practice. These cases are all explained in detail in grammars of the Polish language, like Oscar Swan's. He has put a short version of his grammar on his website here: polish.slavic.pitt.edu/firstyear/nutshell.pdf

Law / U.S. Citizen Moving to Poland - opening business? [36]

Eleven years. Went to Prep and the U. If your house in Shamokin was standing in 1977, I was in it. I used to work during the summers for PG&W as a flat rate inspector, and I personally inspected all the homes in Shamokin.

I live in Wrocław now. It's a great city and the whole Lower Silesia area is really interesting. You'll like it here.

You might want to contact Barbara and John Alaszewski to find out more about starting a business in Bolesławiec. Read about them here:

discoverpl.polacy.co.uk/art,life_in_poland_8211_the_blue_beetroot,3677.html

This is their e-mail: johnandbarbara@o2.pl

It's worth flying out to Poland and staying a couple of weeks in the area. That will help you get oriented and make contacts.

Between Marian Piasecki and this couple, you'll get lots of good leads into business possibilities in the area. Like I said above, the tourist potential of the area is an oyster just waiting to be opened up. You could really make a difference and a good living to boot. Good luck!

Travel / Youth Cities to enjoy in Poland [6]


Leave out £ódż, and spend more time in the other four, if you have 15 days, or in three of the other four, if you only have ten days. Yes, those would be the best "youth" cities, but only after the semester starts up at the beginning of October. Until then, a lot of the students leave these cities and go to their hometowns. However, all of those cities also have a lot of young tourists during the summer and fall, from Poland and from other countries.

If you absolutely are hell bent on seeing £ódż, you can easily do it as a day trip from Warsaw. It's only two hours away by train. Other easy day trips from Warsaw include Kazimierz Dolny, and from Kraków, Auschwitz and Zakopane.

Travel / Opinion on which cities in Poland to spend the most days in. [21]


Again, with only seven days, these three cities are not a good idea. The train trips from Warsaw to Gdańsk and from Gdańsk to Poznan are going to consume a lot of time. Best to cut Gdańsk and spend more time in the other two, with maybe a day trip from Warsaw to Kazimierz Dolny or £ódź.

If you're hellbent on seeing Gdańsk, too, take a night train and get a sleeping berth for both trips. Otherwise you're going to waste the better part of two days on travel alone. Flying won't save enough time to make it worth the hassle.

Law / U.S. Citizen Moving to Poland - opening business? [36]

Came here on a sabbatical, and liked it so much I decided to stay for another year, and then a third, and so on. I made a lot of great professional contacts here, and some very close friends, too. Although I'm not making the money I used to make in the States by a long shot, I have a lot of freedom about how I do science, and I can dabble in things I never would do if I remained in the States. I've done a lot of interesting stuff since I've been here in all areas of biology and medicine. I'm also filling a big need helping Polish scientists get their work published in good journals. I also mentor highschool students who want to study in the west, and that's personally satisfying as well. I've gotten students accepted to top schools like London School of Economics, Stanford, Brown and Bates, among others. Getting one student ready to study diplomacy at Georgetown, and trying my best to get one into Harvey Mudd.

By the way, I was walking in the town square in Wrocław with a student once, and heard these two people walking behind us speaking English with a thick valley accent laced with plenty of henna's. Turned out they were from Dickson City, and we did know people in common. That is a small world.

I see you're coming to visit Poland soon. I've answered on your thread. You'll enjoy Poznan. Cool town square, and everything worth seeing is really close together. Plenty of good food, too. The Indonesian restaurant right off the square on ul. Żydowska is a personal favorite (it's called Warung Bali). The animated model of the city in the Franciscan Monastery is a must see (there's actually two models, and they're both worth seeing). The National Museum has a great art colection. And of course, the little goats on the tower of the town hall at noon are great. Walking around Malta, Poznan's Central Park, is cool, too. Although I advised you not to go to Gdańsk, there's plenty to see there, too. Take a boatride to Westerplatte, where the first shots of WWII were fired.

Study / Living in Poland for students - is any chance to earn money and pay tuition fees to university? [13]

Agree. Don't waste your time. It's not gonna happen.

Work / Volunteer Visa (teacher position in Poland) [6]

Where are you from? If you're in the States, the visa is granted the day you apply. Unless things have changed, the whole process takes about 30 minutes, most of which is spent filling out the application. Just make sure you have the photos taken in the right pose.

Travel / Youth Cities to enjoy in Poland [6]

Same here in Wrocław. Was driving with a friend during "rush hour" yesterday and she said how much she likes summer because the traffic is light. The tourist crowd is predominantly older Germans. Young tourists are usally from Italy, Rumania and the Netherlands. I don't see as many Brits as I used to seven years ago.

Work / Volunteer Visa (teacher position in Poland) [6]

Long stay visa of the type that you are applying for. Just go to the embassy/consulate with your passport and the letter of invitation, and they will put a visa sticker in your passport.

Genealogy / Chadaczow - Searching for town or village that might have had name changed [5]

It's spelt "Chodaczów", and Wikipedia has an article about it:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chodacz%C3%B3w

Maria Bucia, from the next village (Tryńcza), was 99 years old last year, and still may be alive. You probably have other family there, but if you want to know more, Maria is the most valuable resource that you can imagine and you should consider pumping her for information before she goes. When she does, a very large amount of valuable information will be lost forever.

Genealogy / Chadaczow - Searching for town or village that might have had name changed [5]

You can see exactly where the village is using google maps. Just type in "Chodaczów" and it will show you exactly where it is. It is east and a good stretch from Kraków. Nearest larger town is Rzeszów. It lies east of Rzeszów halfway between Leżajsk and Jarosław.

I found out about Maria from a simple Google search with "Chodaczów" and "Bucia". It's in this link:

tryncza.eu/gazetka/echa9.pdf

Which should download as a pdf file. That's all it says about her, though, that he was 99 in 2012 and would be celebrating her 100th birthday in May the next year.

Dollars to donuts, she doesn't know any English. Dollars to donuts, if she has any great-grandchildren still in the area, they can at least communicate at a basic level in English.

If you want to find out more, write to the parish priest here:

Proboszcz parafii MB Nieustającej Pomocy
Chodaczów 112
37-306 Grodzisko Dolne
Poland

and here:

Proboszcz parafii Św. Jadwigi Królowej w Jagielle
Jagiełła 103,
37-203 Gniewczyna £ańcucka
Poland

I couldn't find any e-mail addresses for them.

Might be worth finding a friend to translate the letter into Polish first, though. Not all priests know English, especially in the countryside.

Hurry up. The clock is ticking.

CHECK BACK IN A WHILE FOR MORE INFORMATION

This person has done some geneological research on the area and mentions that he also has information about the Bucia family there. Contact him as well:

Arkadiusz Ogryzek
kosiarz111@interia.eu

He might be able to help you.

His post to a geneological board can be seen here:
genealodzy.pl/PNphpBB2-printview-t-10114-start-0.phtml

Study / Living in Poland for students - is any chance to earn money and pay tuition fees to university? [13]


A million to one, or more. Might as well play the lottery. Forget about it. There is no hope.

Life / Is 10500 monthly is enough for a family to live in Warsaw Poland [136]


Baloney. You'll live VERY comfortably. Even by western standards.

Work / I'm Bangladeshi - Want to work and live in Poland - MotorCycle Mechanic [4]

Just about impossible. Forget about it.

Work / Want to move back to Poland after graduating high school to study more [7]


A very likely scenario. The most probable, in fact, and the one you should base your plans on.


By your age, you should have at least a general idea. Speak to your guidance counselor. That's what they are paid for. There are good vocational tests that will help you decice.

However, avoid the following: humanities (literature, history, philosophy, etc.), psychology, sociology, teaching (except for science and math), journalism, political science, economics, business, administration, marketing, law and tourism and recreation, UNLESS you are a top student and go to a top school. There is a glut of graduates in these majors and finding work in these fields is difficult because of the competition. A degree from a second or third rate school doesn't mean much on the job market, whether in Poland, the States or anywhere else, especially in these majors.

The more science and math, the better.


Nope. You can a great education for very little at state colleges and universities. Berkeley, UCLA and UCSD cost almost nothing for California residents, for example. Even out-of-staters only have to pay for the first year until they establish residency in California. Do your research. Not all of the top schools are expensive private schools.

Also, a degree from a unversity in the States will help you a lot more in Poland than a degree from Poland will help you in the States.


Most young people have some difficulty striking out on their own. But most of them survive just fine and become stronger individuals.

Law / Non-Polish Fathers rights for child in Poland [19]

The only person who can answer your questions is your own lawyer. You're wasting your time asking a bunch of unqualified clowns on some internet forum for professional legal advice, and it is exceedingly unlikely that any of the answers you will receive here are at all accurate or useful in your particular case.

Food / A snack at Bob Beans - could sure use some info. [4]

Dollars to doughnuts it's because it too hot for them. Fava beans are a cool-weather crop, and do not tolerate temperatures over 80 degrees fahrenheit. Google "growing fava bean in (wherever you live)" for more specific advice. In Poland, the strategy is to plant them as early as possible in spring so that they mature before temperatures get too high.

Work / Electrician seeking work in Warsaw. Is it in demand in Poland? [16]

There's a good reason why qualified electricians from Poland go to seek work in the UK, and not the other way around. Yes, the job market is a lot tighter in Poland than in the UK.

Without knowing Polish, you are going to have great difficulty finding work. Starting your own business is pretty much out of the question. You'll have to take all of the relevant exams in Polish. You probably won't be able to operate as an independent contractor.

Your only chance is to find work with a western company, probably a construction firm. Unfortunately, the construction market in Poland has slowed down, and jobs there are scarce. Consruction firms are generally not hiring at the moment. You could try to find another English speaker who already has his own company and join up with them. But that's not going to be easy.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but by moving to Poland, you'd be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. No matter how bad the employment situation may seem in the UK, it is a lot worse in Poland, expecially for someone who does not know the native language. Your chances of finding gainful employment are much higher in the UK than in Poland. Norway is another possibility you should consider.

Why are you considering moving to Poland in the first place?

Work / Electrician seeking work in Warsaw. Is it in demand in Poland? [16]


Both. Jobs are tight and wages are low, and there's plenty of people who are willing to work for peanuts. There's little point in moving to Warsaw if you are not going to earn a decent wage.


Her chances of finding a good job at good wages in the UK far, far exceed your chances of finding same in Poland.


Your chances of finding gainful employment are higher as an electrician than as an English teacher in Warsaw, the most competitive market in the country. There are scads of wannabe English teachers in Warsaw, many much more qualified than you. Sorry, but that boat has sailed long ago, and even established teachers are having a hard time of it. The best you'd be able to find is a lousy job in a lousy school for lousy pay under lousy conditions. Without solid qualifications and experience, the good jobs are out of your reach. If you're thinking about private teaching, forget about it. The competition is far too stiff, and the rate you'd be able to earn is far too low to make a move even worth considering.


Believe me, you are going to get tired very quickly of ending up in a low paid, dead end job yourself. Especially if you can barely provide for yourself, if at all. And she will get tired of it, too. Especially if she has to support you.

Sorry, but barring getting hired by a western company for western wages, I don't see much hope. And generally, those jobs are for highly qualified, highly experienced professionals, not for ordinary electricians. Give it a try, but don't hold your breath, and make your plans on the very safe assumption that you will not be able to find a good job at decent wages in Poland.

Basically, the ball is in her court. If she is not willing to relocate to the UK, it's probably not going to work out between you two. It might be time to consider whether this relationship has a future, and whether it is worth investing more time in. What kind of job does she have in Warsaw? And how much is she earning compared to you?

USA, Canada / Pol-Am citizen wanting to move to Poland - documentations of my Polish ancestors? [14]

Polish citizenship doesn't have many more advantages than permanent residency. After five years of temporary residency, you can apply for permanent residency. How do you plan to support yourself in Poland?

Travel / What's worth seeing in Poznań? [17]

I take my students on day rips to Poznań. This is our itnerary for the day:

1) Walk through Stary Browar shopping center.
2) Kościół Farny: incredible Jesuit church recently restored to its original splendor.
3) Coffee on the square or nearby, followed by Koziołki at noon sharp at he Ratusz (Town Hall), a must-see that will probably become a daily ritual. I took my very-hard-to-impress brothers to see this, and thought they would clobber me, but the loved it and wanted to come back the next day. And the next.

4) Makieta Dawnego Poznania. (animated models of the city), in the Klasztor Franciszkanów. It's a half hour show. See the Medieval City model, it's a bit more interesting than the Old Slavic Fortress model. Some shows are in English, and for those that aren't, there are headphones with English translation available.

5) Muzeum Narodowe. National museum. Excellent collection of paintings. A big hit with my students. I can barely get them out of there.
6) Slow walk to Ostrów Tumski to see the Cathedral, stopping at Plac Wielkopolski to buy some fruit at the open market. Make sure to see the Golden Chapel (it's worth paying to have the lights turned on- it makes the Gold really shine), and the crypts.

7) Either the Muzeum Instrumentów Muzycznych (Museum of Musical Instruments) or the Muzeum Archeologiczne (Archeological Museum).
8) Dinner at Warung Bali Indonesian restaurant just of the square on ul. Żydowska 1.

The best thing is that Poznań is so compact, that there is little walking involved in the above tour, and no need to take public transport.

Life / Polish Dubbing in Star Wars ? [2]


Dubbing practically doesn't exist at all in Poland, except for animated films for children. There is hardly any popular demand for dubbed live-action films in Poland.


Yes, it exists, and is for sale: merlin.pl/Star-Wars-Gwiezdne-wojny-kompletna-saga-czesci-I-VI_George-Lucas/browse/product/2,918857.html


Apparently, the dubbing was cringe-worthy, inept, amateurish and ridiculous, and aimed at children, at best. Every comment about it that I could find was EXREMELY negative, to say the least, and absolutely no one had a nice word to say about it. The translation was jarring, and the voices of the voice actors were distracting, and in some cases (Hans Solo, for instance), just plain ghastly. A question frequently asked is why they even bothered with dubbing in the first place.

Doing dubbing right is exceedingly expensive and requires a huge pool of very experienced translators, voice actors and technicians, which simply doesn't exist in Poland at all (except for animated films, but that's a different world altogether from films with live actors).

Bottom line, if you intend to watch the dubbed version for comic effect and guffaws, try to find a used version on Alegro, or download it from torrents or such. It's certainly not worth paying the full price for.

UK, Ireland / Advice on child support (Irish with my Polish husband) [106]

You're farting in the wind, honey. 350 PLN is obscenely low for child support, and 1000 PLN is very far from unreasonable, and it's certainly not "obscene". 150 PLN is a slap in the face, and the court is not going to look on that kindly. If you are unhappy, tough cookies. NOBODY cares about your happiness, especially because you brought it upon yourself. Your husband will just have to take on another job, and probably you, too, as well. His first and foremost obligation is to his children from the first marriage, and that comes before you and your children. No court, Polish or otherwise, is going to see that differently. You knew that he had obligations before you married him. You were supremely stupid to marry a man with prior obigations and limited earning potential, and even more stupid to have a child with him. Whether the kids like him or not is only his problem and his problem alone. It has absolutely no bearing on child support, and the court won't take it into account. And nobody give a **** about how you or your husband feel about it. If you take your feelings into a court room, the judge will just laugh in your face. As for visitation rights, your husband can petition the court to enforce them. There's little else he can do, unless he wants to shell out the bucks for a good lawyer.

I feel sorry for your children , but that does not absolve your husband from paying child support, or diminish his responsibility in any way.

Life / Now more restaurants than banks in Warsaw? [11]


Exactly. I can also see the change in Wrocław. Banks and credit agencies closing branch offices, and more restaurants and cafes popping up, even in residential areas. And existing cafes and restaurants have a larger clientele, as well. God, there are a LOT of sushi restaurants alone in Wrocław, and not all of them are in the center. And pizzerias are almost as common as cockroaches. I have noticed a drop in the number of kebab places, though. I think that market was way oversaturated. Still a drastic shortage of good mid-range restaurants, though, even in the center.

Life / Now more restaurants than banks in Warsaw? [11]

Polonius3

Yes, there are still about a dozen left, though most, if not all, have meat dishes as well. I don't think any are any meatless bary meleczne left. There is at least one real deal bar mleczny, Bar Mewa. I feel guity going there because the prices are obviously subsidized by the state, and the clientele is the true poor of the city (and, unfortunately, they often smell horrible). However, they have the best pierogi in the city. No competition. But they serve them only at 13:00, and you have to be in line well before then. The line is quite long. The surówki are the best I've ever had in any restaurant, and they cost less than a złoty. See: gastronauci.pl/pl/6314-bar-mleczny-mewa-wroclaw

UK, Ireland / Advice on child support (Irish with my Polish husband) [106]


I wouldn't try that without expert legal advice and guidance. Courts do not deal kindly with selfish, greedy clowns trying to pull evasive shenannigans. Could backfire unless done exactly right.


The court will not even listen to anything having to do with to "emotional stress", especially to third parties like the OP and her children. The court won't be in the slightest interested in the quality of the relationship between the husband and his ex-wife and their child. Best not to even bring it up and risk p*ssing off the judge. This is a case about cold hard cash and parental responsibility between the husband and his ex-wife. Emotions have nothing whatsoever to do with it, least of all those of his new wife, who really nobody gives a flying duck about. The only thing that will be taken into account is his assets and income, and possibly also his financial obligations to his new child, whose needs are subordinate to those of the first child.


By far the wisest thing to do. Or at least not alienate then even more. They can make his life a lot more miserable than it already is. He has another ten years of child support to pay before the kid turns 18. And an Irish court will enforce a Polish court order.

UK, Ireland / Advice on child support (Irish with my Polish husband) [106]


The court doesn't care about any of that. At all. Not in the least. You're simply farting in the wind.


If you believe that, you're even stupider than I thought.


Then why did you do it? What did you expect when you married a loser with financial obligations for another child? Lobster by candlelight, with a string quartet?


No, you're not. You're very unhappy and not able to meet even very modest financial obligations.

As far as the rest of what you've written, call your mom. She's the only possible person who might give a sh*t. No one else does, least of all a judge.


Or to take on a second job, both of you. Staying with this loser is just digging yourself in deeper. You'll NEVER be happy with him, because his ex and their child will always come before you and your children in EVERYBODY'S eyes but your own.