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Posts by AdrianK9  

Joined: 16 Feb 2016 / Male ♂
Warnings: 4 - QAAA
[Suspended]		 Last Post: 30 May 2016
Threads: 6
Posts: 364 		From: Chicago, Il
Speaks Polish?: Yes
Interests: Poland, Music, Cars, Racing, Investments, Real Estate, Construction,

Displayed posts: 370 / page 1 of 13
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AdrianK9   
16 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

Hello Everyone,

I first wanted to say that I love this website and was a regular member of it for about 2 years under the username trancespottingp. Unfortunately, I forgot my password which was registered at the email address of my last job which I no longer have access to.

I wanted to ask the communities' advice on the topic of expatriating to Poland. I am at a point in my career where I have a little money saved up, a decent job, a bachelor's degree, and I am planning on furthering my career but want to move abroad. I'm kind of at a point where I can either use my money to get an MBA in the U.S. or move to Poland and start a new life and also do an MBA at a lower cost although typically Polish business schools are not highly regarded outside of Poland. Since my entire family is in Poland and the countries surrounding it, I know that I will eventually move and retire to Poland. So if I did do an MBA in Poland I would most likely stay there afterward. I don't know how US MBA's are regarded in Poland but I'd assume with US corporations they'd be accepted.

I have a Bachelor's degree with a double major in International Business and Marketing. I am fluent in Polish and English and I know Spanish and Russian pretty well too. I also have dual US/Poland citizenship. I've been in sales about 7 years now and that's most likely what I'd continue to do since it seems to pay a bit better than a lot of other careers namely because of a commission. It's very easy for me to get a good paying job in the US but I don't know how it would be in Poland as I hear there is a lot of competition amongst recent grads. By the way, I'm 27. I'm sure that the fact I'm from the US and have a degree from a very reputable US college would help but I still feel I'd face a lot more competition that I do even here.

Anyway, I looked for a job in Poland like a year ago out of curiosity to see what I could get. I was offered 2 positions one with Google in Wroclaw with a salary of $24,000 annually + commission basically selling ad services and the other paying 30,000 Euro a year + commission in Gdansk selling cargo transport services. I was really interested in the position in Gdansk (actually was with a British company) but didn't really have the resources to move to Poland at the time. I think that this would be sufficient for me as a single male with no kids. Now I do have the resources to move and can realistically expatriate to Poland, of course if I felt it was a worthwhile move for my career. I don't expect to make like $100k a year in Poland but I do want to at least have a comfortable lifestyle.

I wanted to ask - what are the popular high paying industries/companies in Poland now? Any people on this forum with experience working in Poland as a salesperson or similar position? Do typically the Western companies pay higher salaries than the Polish ones or is it about equal? Any other experiences you can share with expatriating or working in Poland? Do you think $100k is enough to move to Poland for a single male if you're not buying a house and planning on renting?

Thanks everyone!
AdrianK9   
17 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

My cousins and family in Poland told me that both of those jobs offered me a generous compensation package. They stated that most families with two working adults survive on far less. It boggles my mind because many things like clothes, cars, gas, real estate, etc. are the same price as in Chicago yet people make substantially less. I really don't know how people in Poland manage to do it. I wouldn't go to Poland to make my millions nor grow my savings account. If I were going to expatriate to a country to do that I'd chose a wealthy Arab country or even Kazakhstan which is paying $80,000 annually for native English teachers now (10% income tax) to teach at their one of their dozen or so schools for the 'elite' of the country. I did some research and it seems like living in Poland may be more realistic for retirement than at a young age. I think a young adult would be better off even in Germany or even Czech Rep. if they want to save some money. Of course there are exceptions.

I was in Poland a few months ago because well, long story short, a construction company illegally dug an enormous hole on our property and was filling it with rubble. We have 1.3 Ha outside of Wroclaw and some company was hired by the city to do some work on canals or something with the Odra river but instead of properly disposed of the waste the people tore up our entire property. We had like 100+ apple trees on the property and the land value was worth quite a bit of money. It's more the sentimental value though because that was my grandma's house from my mom's side, would've been my parents' house for retirement, and then eventually mine. That house survived WW2 but some company managed to destroy it in 3 months. Now the land is a giant hole with rubble everywhere - it literally looks like a SCUD or something landed on our yard. So yeah, I was there to start a very long and tedious battle against the construction company. I may add also, if you ever are in a legal dispute hire a private investigator and a good lawyer (lots of young lawyer in Poland - but oftentimes their ambition makes up for their inexperience) because the PL cops at least in my experience with this are very lazy.

Anyway, while I was there I saw new German cars and even Harley motorcycles as well as Starbucks, Armani stores, etc. Although, I may add while these stores were full it looked like most people were window shopping as few actually had bags with purchases. I bought a pair of shoes for like 300 zloty which is about $75 which isn't too bad but for an average Pole that's a lot of money. However, even like with the cars I just don't understand how someone could afford a $20,000 VW Golf let alone even $70k BMW/Mercedes if most people are living on $1k-$2k a month. I wondered if a lot of these people work abroad or have like their main bread winner working abroad because their lifestyle just didn't justify what the incomes tend to be in Poland.

Top execs, politicians, and the top 5% seem to make like 15k-25k+ zloty a month. I read that the PM gets paid like 20k or 25k Zloty a month - that's like 5k-6k USD since the dollar is strong and zloty is weak at the moment.
AdrianK9   
17 Feb 2016
Language / How well do Polish people understand Slovak? [88]

I agree with KPC21...

In my opinion, Polish is far different from the other Slav languages of the regions i.e. Ukranian, Russia, Czech, Slovak, Serbian, etc. When I hear one of those languages, I can understand Serbian actually the most of out all of them since a lot of words are identical but of course the alphabet is Cyrillic. Ukranian and Russian are pretty similar to each other but a Polish person will have trouble understanding those. Czech and Slovak are a bit more similar to Polish than Ukranian and Russian though.
AdrianK9   
17 Feb 2016
Work / Popular expat jobs in Poland [14]

So I've been entertaining the idea of living and working in Poland lately and I wanted to find out what the popular jobs for native expats are in Poland. I do see there a lot of IT jobs and quite a few English teaching jobs. Unfortunately, the English speaking jobs pay next to nothing from the postings I have seen.

Does anyone here have experience working in Poland in a position other than teaching/IT or perhaps know someone that does? Care to share your experience? I'd especially be interested in people's experiences in sales, management, marketing, pharma, etc. Thanks!
AdrianK9   
18 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

And for the comment of selling the polish economy to foreigners, sorry to say that is just not a intelligent comment.. I'm sure that the money I pay in tax and the money I put in the economy is better than nothing. So in a global world you will never be able to prevent this.. And especially as a pole it's basically something you shouldn't say out loud..

A lot of Polish people think this because oftentimes it appears that the politicians, especially in the previous government, seemed to be more concerned with satisfying foreign investors than the local population. However, that is the effect of globalization. If Poland didn't open up their economies at all we'd be in a situation like Cuba or North Korea.

The foreign companies come to Poland because of the abundant highly educated, highly skilled labor force where the wages are relatively low compared to say Germany, France, England, etc. It's both a blessing and a curse.

The economy is very strong in Poland - that's a fact. However, a lot of average people state that despite the overall economic situation being much better, their own situations are not improving. Again, it has to do with labor costs.

And delphiandomine you're right a lot of people do 'moonlight' like that and I think it has to do with the old communist mentality. Also, Polish people are very good at saving money and not living beyond their means. They do small things that add up like paint their own house, use public transport, etc. I don't currently live in Poland but my entire family (aside from mom and dad) do and I visit Poland regularly. If I found a job where I could make at least like $35k-$40k a year I'd move right away. However, I feel that this may be unrealistic for say a sales manager or med device/pharma salesman.
AdrianK9   
18 Feb 2016
Work / Popular expat jobs in Poland [14]

Thanks... my apologies by expatriate I just meant in general a person moving to another country to work there... so immigrant I guess would be more correct. Also, with native I should've elaborated - I meant native English speaker I forgot to type in 'English.' I am able to speak, write, and read fluently in Polish. Although the company I currently work for has like 35 sales offices around the world unfortunately Poland isn't one of them. They are in Denmark, Spain, England, Italy, and Russia though. I work in a pseudo call center now so believe me the last thing I'd want to do is move from a US call center to one in Poland. I make great money especially for a recent grad but it is so boring.

I was looking mostly into doing something along the lines of pharmaceutical or medical device sales or managing a sales team. I'd be open to other jobs but would prefer something in sales as that's where I have the most experience. I don't know how the labor market is in Poland for those kinds of jobs. I have gone through my 2nd interview at a company called PNA - Polish National Alliance which is a Polish fraternal organization but they also sell life insurance and annuities. They run like a lot of retreats, Polish language weekend schools, dances, and stuff like that. If I do get the job (I find out tomorrow) I think it would really help me make some contacts in Poland as my position would involve travel around the US and also to Poland. They're very close with the PiS government as well as various US politicians. If I do end up with that job, I think it would really help me network and open some doors in the future if I ever wanted to work for the Polish government or something. I guess I'll see what happens. With the company I'm at right now the only international assignment I'll have is a few weeks in Tel Aviv every year.

Management - always doable if you have the right skills, though the days of people being hired in good positions just because they're a foreigner with an MBA are over.... damn lol

Sales - easy to get if you know what you're doing. Companies are pretty much open to anyone that is willing to build a market for them, especially in the UK or Ireland. I spotted one post a while ago that offered a starting salary of 10k + commission for the right candidate. that's at least good news though since most of my background has been in sales. Just wondering, was that salary of 10k in zloty, dollars, euro also was it monthly, annual? 10k zloty plus commission a month would seem realistic and I think I could live on that since I'm single and no kids plus I'd take about $80k in savings with me just in case. 10k dollars + commission would probably only be possible for like a sales director. Also, would you mind sharing where you saw that post or perhaps any other websites?
AdrianK9   
18 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

Thanks Delphi I will check it out for sure.

I do know for a fact that some small business owners have become very financially successful. I have two family members that run small businesses and are wealthy even by western standards. Although I would love to open a small business, even like a deli or convenience store or something, it would be much more realistic to do in the US than in Poland. For Poland, I'd want to first learn the business laws and bureaucracy before investing in something like that.
AdrianK9   
18 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

Pol Attorney - yes Poland has been backstabbed and sold out many times throughout history. Even worse, many times it has been by its own government. I do see where you are coming from though and I do agree but I just didn't want to stir up a storm here. It is sad that a country with a GDP of $1 trillion and ranking in 20/21st place in terms of GDP has such low wages when compared to Western Countries.

As far as the small businesses, I believe it - my grandparents from my dads side own a few small business and are wealthy even by western standards. They're definetely $1mil USD in net worth but yet some of the cheapest, most frugal people you'll ever meet. They have a metal fabrication shop, a deli/small food store, and a stall in the 'targ' that sells meats, sausages, etc. Basically the targ is like a big open air bazaar where people sell clothes, food, home items, etc. You can find great things for a fraction of the price compared to a retail store in the city center. A lot of the money they made was actually back in Communism when meat was considered a luxury and was rationed out. My uncle on the hand from my mom's family owns a fairly large hotel by Polish standards in Tychy called Hotel Piramida which is I believe 9 stories and it looks like a big glass pyramid, hence it's name. The rest of my family is pretty average though.

Unfortunately, I have only about $80k in savings so although I would perhaps have enough to rent a space, buy some inventory, hire some staff, etc. I feel it would be very risky to go into a country where although I know the language I know next to nothing about the business laws. I'm kind of at the point where I'm debating whether to go the mundane route and do an MBA in the US or finally do something I want and go to Poland. I wouldn't plan on like spending it and I'd still work but I'd want to at least keep it saved up in case things don't work out, I get fired, or whatever else may happen. Once I understood the business climate and laws, I would be willing to invest in a small business venture but I think think it would be too risky at this point. I think it would be much safer at least in my position to first get a job and feel out the situation and identify a need in the market. One of my good friends in the US who is jeweler makes a nice supplemental income purchasing Rolex's from pawn shops and craigslist in the US and reselling them to Poland. He also sends a lot of shoes especially Nike's, Jordan's, Adidas, etc. He actually makes a couple grand a month doing this and oftentimes he can't find enough Rolex's here at a good price to resell. I have noticed that many products and services popular in the US have started popping up in Poland - micro breweries, liquor stores selling tequila, scotch, and other imports, internet advertising and marketing firms, Harley motorcycles, internet auction sites, concert promoters, etc. I'd probably go the more traditional and safer route and just open up a kiosk with some cigarrettes and beer or a little convenience store near a university though.
AdrianK9   
19 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

Yes there are still a ton of those old 'bloki' left - good suggestion!! I have looked into opening up a c store in the states and it can be very profitable especially if you have a liquor license. Those can be a bit tricky to obtain for a new business, at least in and around Chicago, but I was looking more into purchasing an existing location and remodeling it myself (My father is a contractor and he taught me carpentry, electricity, plumbing, etc. since a young age).

Everything adds up in a c store - the atm machine, cigarettes, alcohol, lottery, and of course the highest profits (at least here) from the chips, sodas, coffees, etc.

I don't think I'd be able to purchase much with $80k-$100k BUT perhaps doing a lease, $20k or so in inventory, 1 part time person to help out... that would be more realistic.

It may sound stupid because like when people say in terms of business dreams like oh I want to make a successful tech start-up, I want to open a fine French restaurant, whatever. Me? I'm more simple.. as lame as it sounds my dream is to open up a convenience store and then if the cash flow is good from it perhaps another location or even a gas station.

One thing that really surprised me is when I went to college in Cincinnati they had a ton of like 'drive thru' convenience stores. So basically, you stay in your car, tell the attendant what you want, he loads it up in a bag, you pay, and leave. You never get out of your car. I've only seen one of those here in Chicago. Although novel, I don't think that would work in Poland as walking and using public transport is much more common.

If you don't mind me asking, what part of Poland did you run this type of business? Was it in the city, suburbs, or more rural area? I'd primarily be looking in Wroclaw as that's the city I am most familiar with. The c store that my grandma ran was mostly like a deli - meats, cheeses, etc. but they also had like basic soft drinks like Pepsi. It was very successful because it was really the only store of it's kind in the area. They live in Oborniki Slaskie which is about 45 mins or so outside of Wroclaw and has about 20k or so inhabitants.

I'll never forget one of the times I was Poland and bought like a small glass bottle of Coke. I started walking out with it and the lady stops me she's like no you have to drink it here! I'm like well that's crazy I want to drink it at home or in my car. She couldn't believe I'd be willing to pay the 5, 10 groszy or whatever it was for the convenience of taking it with me instead of standing in the store and drinking it. Ah the culture differences...
AdrianK9   
19 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

Yes here the application is $25,000 for a liquor license here. I did see one liquor store for sale in a suburb outside of Chicago (Round Lake) for $120k with about $15k of inventory included. The location wasn't the best but it didn't really have much competition in the surrounding area.

I will go back to Poland this summer so I'll look a bit more into it. Real estate is very expensive in Wroclaw as well as the other major cities in Poland so I'd probably have to rent if I did something like that.

I have considered also opening up like an import/export business as I have noticed a lot of western goods we have in Poland are in very high demand but the prices are even higher than in the US. Electronics, iphones, ipads, luxury watches, etc. On the other hand, I have noticed that leather and sheepskin is very high quality in Poland and popular in the US but very expensive if you want something quality and even then it's often hard to find. My friend Mark gave me the idea since like I wrote earlier he makes a decent passive income (about $2k a month) sending Rolexes and basketball shoes to Poland. This would be a great online business and I wouldn't necessarily need a brick and mortar location but I don't think that websites like ebay, craigslist, etc. are as widely used in Poland as they are in the US. That would really be the main limiting factor. I could be wrong though.
AdrianK9   
19 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

It was just a thought. If I were to go into something like that I would use ebay or craigslist to avoid taxes. I also wouldn't like have a ton of advertising and stuff to keep a low profile. More of just like a small online presence on perhaps the PL equivalent of Craigslist, a stall in the bazaar, and perhaps a newspaper ad advertising cheap electronics. I do know that when my friend Mark ships items, again mainly Rolex watches and basketball shoes, he's never had a problem. However, he ships it to friends and family who then meet the buyers for him.

Like say the IPad example. I purchase say 10 on Amazon for $2,400. I sent them to Poland (costs about $2.50 a pound with the shipping company we use) so maybe $100 or so or about $10 a machine (I'm guessing the Ipad probably doesn't weigh more than 4 pounds each). If the going rate is $316 plus tax, I don't think I'd have trouble selling them for even $300 with no tax in the bazaar or online. I could make about $40-$50 per Ipad sold and with 10 Ipads that is $400-$500. Of course this is a very basic napkin calculate but I do think it would work. I wouldn't have like a storefront reselling this stuff. If I did go that route, I'd do like a pawnshop which could be a novel idea as I have never seen one in Poland yet.

With the Rolex example with my friend Mark he purchases used Rolex Submariners most commonly for anywhere from as low as $2,000 to $3,500 - depending on the color, materials, age, condition, etc. He has a lot of contacts with pawn shops (especially in rural Indiana) that's why he's able to get these kind of prices. Usually he pays $2.5k for a standard stainless steel men's submariner with a black dial give or take a few hundred although every so often he'll get lucky and get it for $2k. Anyway, he will ship it to Poland with insurance and will sell them for $3,500 to $4,000 which is still a great deal considering Rolexes are much rarer in Poland, as expensive in the US, and it is hard to find a quality pre-owned/used one for a decent price. It is more difficult for him to meet demand than anything else. He will profit anywhere from $500 to as high as $1,500 per watch and usually ships like 2, 3, or 4 in a month. I don't think he's ever shipped more than 6 in a single month. He profits a bit over $2k a month with this. Not bad for a few hours of work on Saturdays.

He has recently gotten into shoes - Jordan's, Nike's, Converse, etc. He just started doing this about a year ago but he sees about $20 to $50 profit per paid and ships around 6-10 pairs a month.

However, you are correct - having a store front and redistributing US items would not be worthwhile as the taxes, custom fees, and all that would not be worth it. A stall in the targ selling Ipads, laptops, etc. at US prices with no tax would be viable though. One of the first millionaires in Russia after the fall of communism actually made his money by importing used computers from the US and reselling them. He couldn't believe how many Russians were willing to fork out like $2k for a used computer. He amassed a net worth of over $100 mil by doing this.
AdrianK9   
19 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

I don't think you would have to pay an import tax if you're claiming to send 'gifts' to family/friends through the mail. I could be wrong. I'm sure it's different if you're a business and importing products as part of inventory but I don't think the same laws apply if you're a private person shipping a small amount of goods to another private person. I could be wrong though.
AdrianK9   
19 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

Also, I don't do much shopping but whenever I bought items off ebay (granted far and few - like maybe 10 items purchased total off ebay in my life) I've never had to pay any tax - only shipping if it wasn't included in the price already. I'm just hesitant to give out credit card numbers on the computer or the phone. I did see on the news like a year ago that there was some sort of law that was suppose to get passed to get people to pay taxes on ebay though. I haven't made any purchases online since like September of last year and I don't recall paying taxes on that item. That's also why I purchase cars off Craigslist because it saves quite a bit of money as opposed to paying taxes at the dealership. I'm pretty handy with cars though so I know when I'm getting a bargain or not and if the car is going to be reliable or a lemon.

I don't know exactly how VAT and import taxes would apply in this case but I'll have to ask him. This is what I do know though: These items that are being sent are in small quantities and through the mail. It's not like he has a giant container that he loads on the docks onto a barge or something like most consumer goods where they are checked by a custom's officer. There is no formal company selling/shipping these goods - it is a private individual shipping to another individual. I do know the way that he does it more or less. He has a mix of customers - some that are brokers, dealers, jewelry store owners, etc. and some that are simply buying it for themselves or for another as a gift. He will ship the item usually through Polamer. A lot of people use Polamer to send clothes and gifts as it is customary when visiting family and friends in Poland to brings gifts from the US. Most people ship the items instead of putting them in the luggage as it is oftentimes cheaper to ship than pay the Lot fees for extra luggage. Last time I flew, Lot tried to charge me like $180 for being 8kg overweight. Anyway, Mark usually ships to his friend from high school, guy named Darek usually 1 watch at a time. Now he's at the point where he has quite a bit of customers but before he would do word of mouth advertising, call up jewelry stores that purchase jewelry as well, etc. They buyer in Poland will contact my friend Mark and Mark will let them know what he has on stock, what he can get, the costs, etc. Mark will then give the customer's information to his friend Darek. Once Darek has received the package, he will meet with the customer and sell the item. Darek will then paypal the money back to Mark, put it onto a reloadable Visa, or send a traveler's check, etc. I will see Mark over the weekend so I'll ask him more detail though about the shipping but to my understanding when we spoke about this he just ships it like a normal package as if he were sending his friend a gift through Polamer. I may add that his most common item is the men's Rolex Submariner and he's been a jeweler for 25+ years and can spot the difference between a real Rolex and a fake. Even some of the highest quality replicas that cost well over $1k will have even the same exact movement inside the watch and everything BUT even those replicas are unable to duplicate the movement of the bezel. A real Rolex's bezel has I believe 120 different positions and that is the one part of the watch even the most professional replica makers are unable to master.

Trade, barter, and bazaars have been in Poland's history for ages. Even during Communism, many guys would make their living exchanging Zlotys for US Dollars and Deutsche Marks. My family ran a meat business and would often trade meat for cash or Levi's Jeans, western movies and music, Marlboro cigarretes, or any other items that were rare for that time period. It was a common practice and very rarely did the Police or any tax officials bother people about it even though it was technically illegal. It would be very difficult for the tax authorities to clamp down on all the people selling hand picked blueberries on the side of the highway, the guy selling cd's on the corner, the caricature painters in the city square, and like 75% of the people in the bazaar. Also, I may add that in the bazaars all sorts of items are sold from cheap foods like potatoes all the way to clothes (I've always wondered if the Adidas, Nike, etc. is legit or a knockoff because it looks dead on but it so much cheaper than the prices in the retail stores) to cell phones to German car parts and rims and everything in between. Perhaps a 65' OLED TV would be harder to sell but an Ipad or cheaper laptop not so much. Electronics are sold there but mostly audio equipment, DVD players, etc. from my experience.

And no, lol it was just a thought - something I was considering because a good friend of mine has been doing it for sometime. I will have to research it a bit more to see how he does it exactly and how he deals with import taxes, vat, and all that other stuff...

By the way, is import tax the same thing as 'clo' or is clo just a regular tax? I do see 'VAT' a lot of times on the cars and such like those imported from Germany. They'll have like the sticker price and then say 'PLUS VAT' under it. I can't say that I've seen it at like department stores for foods, clothes, electronics, etc. which I'm assuming much are imported unless the VAT is already calculated into that price or it's added when you go to the register.
AdrianK9   
22 Feb 2016
Work / Expatriating to Poland... good career move for a young male? [50]

WOW I did not know that the tax authorities were that harsh in Poland... and here I thought the IRS was hardcore... So what you're telling me is that in the targ (aka bazaar) now the vendors have cash registers that are registered with the Tax Bureau? Wow.... that is insane! Is it the same for services? Like say if you get a haircut, take your car for a tune-up, etc.?

I did ask my friend about the whole shipping thing - he will usually send it in a package with clothes like say jeans, t shirt, and like a box of chocolate and the watch will be in the pocket or something. Sometimes it is shipped in parts so like the bracelet will be in 1 package and the mechanism in the other. He did have his package held by customs one time and had to pay the VAT plus a fine. He said that lately business has been extremely slow since the Zloty to Dollar rate make imported products, especially US ones, very very expensive. But yeah, for the most part it's been pretty easy for him to just ship the package as present of clothes for a friend with the watch inside. He stated he does take a risk though by not insuring the package but he has not had any issues with confiscation yet. Also, sometimes he will pay someone to fly to Poland or go himself with the watches but with this he'll usually have them take 2-3.

I'd also like to add when I flew to Poland recently the price was VERY cheap. Last time I flew in the summer I believe the tickets themselves $1800 for a round trip from Chicago to Warsaw to Wroclaw. This time I paid $1,650 for roundtrip PLUS 10 nights at a 4 star hotel in Wroclaw. I couldn't believe how cheap it was.

Yes if I did move to Poland I would definitely rent at first. I really want to leave the US for a while, perhaps even permanently and add some international work experience to my resume. I have a bachelor's with a dual major in International Business and Marketing but most of the jobs I've had since graduating were all sales. It's mainly because I could make much more money as a salesperson than say like a marketing associate or whatever. I don't necessarily enjoy it but weirdly enough I am good at it. I'm not going to make money although I want to make enough to live on and perhaps save some. It'd be more for experience and adventure and also to add something unique to my resume. Of course, having a good salary doesn't hurt but it's not a requirement.

If I did move to Poland I'd have to most likely continue in sales as it looks like I wouldn't earn nearly as much money teaching English. I think it would be rather difficult to live on a teacher's salary in Poland. I have looked into teaching in other countries though - mainly S. Korea, China, Japan, and Kazakhstan. Surprisingly, there's a group of elite schools in Kazakhstan and they actually pay English teachers the most out of this group - $80k USD annually with 10% income tax. The jobs in S. Korea were very attractive and it seems as long as you're a native speaker, have a 4 year degree, and a TOEFL certificate you're good. Although the average salaries are higher in countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, etc. I don't think I'd like living there very much. I have considered teaching English in Germany or working in another profession especially if the job was close to the Polish border although with all the changes in Germany I wouldn't want to go there anymore. Czech Republic is still an option. Prague is actually my favorite city in Europe. I absolutely love it! If I could find a job in Poland that even paid $30k a year I'd move right away but it's been a challenge finding a job that pays this let alone getting an interview and offer.

On another note, I did get a job offer from a large Polish fraternal organization/insurance company with their hq in Chicago and I am considering taking it. They are in 35 states in the US and have a lot of contacts in D.C. as well as Poland. They frequently have dinners, galas, dances, etc. If I accept this job I know I'll be able to make a lot of contacts in high places, especially within the PiS government as they are very friendly with this organization, and that could perhaps open some doors to good jobs in Poland.
AdrianK9   
22 Feb 2016
News / Polish magazine causes outrage with cover showing white woman being sexually attacked by 'migrants' [57]

Polish people are terrified of an Islamic invasion like in Belgium, Germany, etc. They do not believe that the migrants will assimilate and they do not want to pay to support families where there's like 10 people to one household and only 1 or 2 breadwinners, if that.

Quite frankly, I am happy Poland has this attitude. What is happening in Europe is an invasion. It brings tears to my eyes when I see beautiful cities I have visited like Cologne, Vienna, London, Paris, etc. full of ghettos. Even Churches are being told to remove crosses so as not to offend the Muslim migrants... it is sad. 100% Cultural and religious suicide.
AdrianK9   
24 Feb 2016
News / Polish magazine causes outrage with cover showing white woman being sexually attacked by 'migrants' [57]

Jews also push for their rights all the time, they are a problem as well, and yet every year hundreds of them receive Polish citizenship with no trouble at all.

That is a BIG issue that does not go reported... hmmm... wonder why? Perhaps it is because 4/5 top media outlets are owned by Zionists - the exception being Rupert Murdoch who is as pro-Israel as any of the others.. Even though the community of Jews is rather small in Poland (I believe around 20k or so) many do hold the top spots in media and government. There are lots who have changed their names to more Polish sounding ones:

youtube.com/watch?v=0IF9y5d5fe8

I am not anti-Semitic. I am 100% for a two state solution as I do believe the Jews and the Palestinians deserve a homeland just as the Poles deserved one after WW1. (Hopefully, the Kurds get one too after this whole mess in Iraq and Syria although I feel the US will once again betray them). In fact, my girlfriend was brought up as an Orthodox Jew. She even has a hardcore Jewish name (Shoshana). The issue that bugs me is the Israel-Palestine conflict. There are so many UN violations that Israel and the IDF has committed it is ridiculous. Any other country would've had sanctions by now. The demolishing of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, the indiscriminate bombing in Gaza that murders scores of women and children, the English journalist who was run over by an IDF bulldozer because she protesting the demolishing of a home, the total apartheid of the West Bank where Palestinians are not allowed to go on certain streets and zones, the fact that Israelis can carry weapons but Palestinians can not, the shooting of teenagers because they threw a rock at a tank, the total blockade of Gaza by land, air, and sea then complaining when they dig tunels - which yes are sometimes used for attacks but generally used to bring in goods like construction materials which are greatly lacking, the total disregard of UN resolutions preventing Israel from building settlements, I mean I can on and on... It is a case of an abused child becoming an abuser... I digress though as this is polish forums and not palestine israel forums..

Plenty of people who want to know the truth that is being hidden by left wing governments, we know you're not one of them.

Europe has been invaded and it is pretty much over for Belgium and Germany perhaps for Austria, Sweden, Holland and Denmark as well - we'll have to see. Unfortunately the government refuses to publish real statistics because they are concerned it will offend the migrants. Sweden does not publish the race of a criminal (although it seems like for whites this is often an exception), Germany converts old churches to shelters and asks that churches do not display Christian iconography, schools ask that girls do not wear skirts anymore, over 100 people in dortmund (one of which was my aunt) lost their job because the government took over a 4-star hotel and converted it into a migrant shelter - my aunt worked there for over 10 years and lost her job overnight while these people get to live in 4 star accommodations with pools, spas, hair salons, etc. for FREE and now she has to struggle to pay her bills, in Holland nearly half of students in elementary school are Muslim, in France Sweden and Belgium and increasingly now in Germany there are no-go zones where even the police, fire, and EMTs are too scared to go into - these areas are notorious for breeding terrorists and harboring arms and drug dealers. The mastermind of the attack in Paris came from one of these no-go zones in Belgium. Countless seniors and people who rely on their pensions are being forcibly removed from their homes by the government so that their apartments can be GIVEN to migrants. It is sickening what is happening. Greece and Italy asked for help in securing their borders - since no one offered to help them they said screw it and let them pass through since they knew few of these migrants actually wanted to stay in Greece or Italy where God forbid they'd actually have to work and assimilate instead of getting a handout.

It bothers me that Israel tells the Europeans to be multicultural - allow more in, be decent human beings help the migrants! Yet Israel does not allow them in and is doing everything it possibly can to acquire the Palestinian territories and make the lives of those already living there a total hell. Furthermore, the Arab countries aren't letting any of these migrants in. Do you know how many refugees Saudi Arabia let in? Less than 12! Turkey and Lebanon are the only two countries actually caring for their Muslim brothers and sisters although their resources are stretched and the state can only provide so much that is why these people chose to go to the socialist liberal welfare states of Sweden and Germany as their first choice. One of the few outlets that reports on all these issue is actually a Russian state network - RT.

Atleast there is hope namely in Australia who is not letting in migrants and of course the Visegard 4 - of which Poland is a member.

I don't have a problem with people moving to look for a better life. My family and myself are an example - we left Communist Poland with perhaps $400 and 2 suitcases to make the American dream. We went from being dirt poor, not knowing the language, living in a roach infested apartment complex where nearly everyone was on SNAP and welfare and just stayed at home getting drunk and high all day to learning the language, working and saving followed by more working and saving followed by yet more working and saving till we are now able to live comfortably, have a large home in an expensive suburb, have nice cars and belongings but most importantly are happy and healthy and proud of our accomplishments. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these migrants will not assimiliate, they will just demand money and free housing. Many will not learn the language and refuse to become part of the society. Even worse, a significant percentage will attempt to change the society and laws and impose Sharia. There are 'Sharia' groups in nearly every western European country now - Sharia for UK, Sharia for Belgium, Sharia for Germany, etc. Some of the mosques are KNOWN to be terrorist recruiting centers and many of the mosque leaders openly preach the destruction of democracy and support for terrorist groups. This is not of course every migrant but at least 50% fall into the category of economic refugees looking for a handout. It is a FACT that most aren't even from Syria - even the liberal media acknowledges that. I've met plenty of Turks in Germany who are hard working family oriented good people. Those are the kind we want in Europe. Unfortunately, we are getting the very bottom of the barrel.

Poland the Visegard 4 must resist this invasion at all costs! Do not believe that this modern wave of multiculturalism is a good thing.
AdrianK9   
24 Feb 2016
Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

I love Poland because nearly my entire family lives there and it is where I was born (Wroclaw). I love Poland because of the beautiful culture and traditions although I am not a big fan of the food. I love our beautiful Polish women. I love that Polish people truly take pride in whatever they do - if it is a restaurateur he or she will make the place look amazing and have great food yet charge low prices. I love Polish hospitality and how warm people are - although you have to be careful as many are rather wise and cunning and will pretend to be your friend to use you.

I feel that Poland as a country and Polish goods and services are like a 'best kept secret' in a way.
AdrianK9   
24 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

So there are plenty of reasons to absolute love Poland and it's people - the history, the culture, the beautiful girls, the high quality vodka, the parks, museums, and countless landmarks, the amazing scenery with everything from mountains in Zakopane to the Baltic sea port of Gdansk, etc. The list can go on and on of how amazing Poland is and how awesome Polish people are...

BUT...

What are the things you don't like? For me it's a few:

The food - I'm not a big fan of Polish food. I like placki ziemniaczane, rosol, bigos, biala ryba, and kotlety schabowe (although that's rather generic) I cannot stand some of the others like golabki (ground meat covered in cabbage with some sauce that I believe is made out of tomatoes) or galatera (basically jello with meat inside of it).

The people - there's really two categories - the Poles in Poland and the immigrant Poles living in the US or other countries. While Polish in general people are very friendly and hospitable, some are very cunning and manipulative. Oftentimes, people will pretend to be your friend to use you. Middle aged women are notorious for being gossipers and will try to 'ciagnac jezyk' which means 'pull your tongue' - basically get information from you like about your family, your income, etc. so they can gossip about it. I find that this is more common amongst Polish immigrant communities in the US more so than in Poland. In Poland, although the trend is diminishing a bit, the people think that if you are from the US that you are automatically a millionaire. While some will be happy for your financial situation, others will attempt to exploit it. One thing that also bothers me, although I do understand the reasons, is when you go to a Polish persons house they automatically put a ton of food on the table and expect you to eat it all. It is often rude if you do not. That means that sometimes you could have just came back from a big lunch or dinner to visit a person and despite politely saying No Thank you and Please, I am stuffed I cannot eat anymore many times they will nonetheless put a ton of food on the table. If you do not eat it or do not eat much they will ask you if you don't like their cooking when in reality you're are just totally stuffed. It is a nice gesture but sometimes goes way too far.

Closed mindedness - Polish people make crazy assumptions and have some really wacky ideas. They will also tell their kids crazy things like if you play with fire you will pee yourself at night. That's rather innocent kid stuff but some of the ideas they have are relevant to adult life. For example, a lot of Polish people are ultra religious and hence believe that you should under no circumstances get divorced, you should not have sex before marriage, and so on. I know several Polish women who have an alcoholic abusive husband but will never get divorced because they believe their religion does not condone when in fact a priest can annul a marriage in certain circumstance. Nonetheless, many Poles often use a rather strict interpretation of Catholicism to guide their lives. The Polish will often also make crazy generalizations especially about people and races. For example, many Poles view Russians or Jews as inherently evil. Also, they will use the word 'Russian' to frequently describe something as 'low quality' - i.e. ten samochod chodzi jak Ruski traktor - this car is running like a Russian tractor.They believe that being gay is a moral deficiency and is a threat to their homogeneous Christian society. (I personally don't support gays and I do not like that our society propagates gay ideals but that does not mean I hate gay people or will go out and beat them up. I in fact have two friends that are gay but these friends do not like blatantly advertise their gayness or pick arguments with those who have different ideas and beliefs than their own). A lot of Polish people, in both the US and in Poland, tend to be rather racist and xenophobic and I think that mentality comes from a history of partitions, war, and exploitation of the Polish land and race.

Immigrant attitude - I have noticed there is a HUGE difference between the Poles living in Poland and the immigrant Poles - at least in the US as I can't speak to those in England or other countries. The immigrants in the US tend to be much less cultured, much less polite, much more conniving and manipulative (especially the women who love to engage in gossip with others in their parish or community over a cup of coffee) and have a general arrogant attitude of 'like they own the place.' They have also acquired a very materialistic mindset while live in the US. Perhaps because they grew up and lived most of their lives through communism (of course I am referring to the middle aged immigrants in this case) and came to the US because they believed that you can become instantly rich here. I am of course generalizing - but this is something that I have seen A LOT especially since I grew up on the North side of Chicago in a majority Polish area, went to a majority Polish school, and most of the people my family would associate with were also Polish. The men will frequently work in the construction industry and the women will frequently work as maids. The men will often wear socks with sandals in the summer - something you rarely see other people do.This is changing gradually now as that generation's children is much more sophisticated and oftentimes college educated. The good thing though is the immigrants are very hard working and really strive to put their family in a better situation. Also, they are very hospitable and will always be willing to cook for your and have a meal together. The immigrants work their butts off in physical jobs so they can purchase a nice home and put their kids through college. Gradually, this attitude and behavior is changing as the immigrants from the late 80's, 90's and early 2000's has now lived here for a while and also learned a lot from their own children. The younger immigrants, those in their teens, 20's or even early 30's tend not to really have a lot of these negative characteristics. They are much more open minded and are often more educated than the generations before them. A lot have already experienced the 'Western culture' in post Communist Poland so the US culture isn't as much of a shock to them as those that came from Communist Poland to the US like 20, 25, 30 plus years ago.

That's about it for now as far as the people are concerned. Some of the things that bug me about Poland are the following:

Low wages, high real estate prices (in the city center of Wroclaw a 3 bedroom condo can go for easily $400k if not more), expensive gasoline, taxes on engine size, expensive electronics, overly fierce competition in the work place, highly educated young workforce that is either unemployed or stuck working at a fast food restaurant or security guard at a mall for 8 zloty an hour, bad roads (although they are getting better gradually), crazy drivers - speeding 140 km/h in a Fiat Cinquento down a country rode so they can pass people up (first car I ever learned how to drive by the way - 70 horsepower 3 cyl engine - oh ya baby!!), small apartments in the city, depressing looking 'bloki' complexes from the communist era, paying to use the bathroom in many places, paying extra if you buy a Coca Cola in a glass bottle in a small convenience store and want to take it home otherwise you have to drink it on the spot if you don't want to pay the extra 10 groszy or whatever it is, and that's about it = )

I love Poland, I truly do. I was born there, have vacationed there many times, and I plan to go back there and my wish is to be buried in Poland. There are good and bad things in every country and every race. In summary, Poland and it's people have countless wonderful things about them. Poland is a beautiful country and has beautiful people - both on the outside and the inside. No one can ever say that a Pole was not hospitable to them. They will invite you into their home for a homemade obiad and continue to put more and more food and drink in front of you despite your pleas because they are just genuinely hospitable.
AdrianK9   
24 Feb 2016
News / Polish magazine causes outrage with cover showing white woman being sexually attacked by 'migrants' [57]

And this is about Poland because Polish people are terrified that they are going to be the next country that has to deal with a flood of migrant Muslims. They are scared their women will be raped like in Germany, hence the cover of the magazine, that churches will have to remove crosses, that they will have to foot the bill for the families with 1 working adult and perhaps 1-4 wives and enough kids for a basketball team where the man has little to no skills of value, and then these people are going to be marching down the streets of Warsaw and Krakow demanding Sharia and more money and benefits.

So hopefully, Poland and it's government along with the Visegard 4 will be wise enough to understand what is happening to the West of them.

Also, Poland currently has a rather significant Muslim population in the East like around Bialystok. These are the old Tatars but they are fully assimilated - they work, they respect the prevailing Catholic customs of Poland, they don't try to impose Sharia, they don't rely on welfare and hand outs, and they don't rape Polish women.

In Poland there are already a few mosques in Warsaw and 1 in Wroclaw (my city). The population is rather small but they are assimilated and they get along well with the other Poles. The Poles are scared of the migrants who claim to be from 'Syria' and will create a situation like that in Belgium or Germany.

And yes, I have seen what has happened in Germany with my own eyes. My own Aunt lost her job of over 10 years working at a hotel because one day the government appropriated it and gave it to the migrants to live in for FREE. So here she is working so she can support her daughter, living in a small apartment in the old style blocks, and suddenly she goes to work one morning just to find out not only that she lost her job but that the migrants will live in a 4 star hotel for FREE and have access to the pool, the spa, and all the other amenities. They get free lodging in relative luxury, free food, a small cash stipend, access to a nice swimming pool and then during the day groups of men chant Sharia for Germany and look for women to rape. Wouldn't that upset you? While they're doing all that my aunt now has to figure out how to get a job right away so that the electricity isn't turned off, the daughter has everything she needs for school, and she doesn't get kicked out of her place for not paying rent. My aunt should just tan her skin, buy some brown contacts, put on a burqa, and pretend to be from Syria - then all her troubles would go away.
AdrianK9   
24 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

Again it's a generalization.

I was in Poland just a few months ago in Wroclaw. The reason why is because we own a plot of land about 1.3 Ha in Psie Pole. Long story short, a construction company snuck onto our land, dug an enormous hole, and put in a bunch of dirt and rubble. Anyway, this property with the house (rather average 2 story house - nice, but needed a lot of remodeling) was worth 4 million zloty when it was appraised in 2015. This was actually down about 500k zloty from a few years ago when the properties were really booming. Nonetheless, the prices for real estate are very high relative to the earnings of Polish people. Yes, there are condos that can be purchased for $30k, $80k, and even $100-$150k for a nice fairly large place. However, if you want something in a hot area that is over 3,600 square feet you will pay at least $300k. I have seen several listings in Wroclaw of very pretty homes that were $600k and even as high as $1.3 mil - they were of course cheaper than say a house in London of France of the same type but actually the housing prices for what you get in Wroclaw are rather similar to that in Chicago.

Yes, the young loved John Paul II and ignored the moral sex teachings. I was referring more towards older generations - i.e. those born in the 50's, 60's, early 70's. Those born after the mid-late 70s both those born in Poland and who have stayed there and those have immigrated to the US have a much more open world view and are not nearly as religious as those of the aforementioned older generations.

Not true as well. Anyone highly educated that's unemployed in Poland is unemployable.

Youth unemployment consistently hovers over 20%. By youth, usually this criteria refers to those 18 to 25. Yes, educated Polish people CAN get a job - but it is very difficult for them to get a good, high paying job especially if they only have a bachelors. In Poland, or at least in Wroclaw, to be a bank teller you need to have a bachelor's degree. This is why so many young Polish people leave for England, the US, and Germany. They simply don't feel that they can get a good paying job in Poland.

tradingeconomics.com/poland/youth-unemployment-rate
AdrianK9   
24 Feb 2016
Life / Why Do You Love Poland? [907]

I feel Poland is like a 'best kept secret.' All the beautiful castles like Wawel, cathedrals like Ostrow Tumski, hiking and enjoying the hot springs in Zakopane... I love everything about Poland...

Just wish wages were a bit higher or at least on par with Germany, France, England, etc.
AdrianK9   
25 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

stop judging Polish people in accordance with your western way of thinking

Actually I am fluent in Polish and was born in Poland - I am merely pointing out that there is a huge difference between the immigrant Poles, at least those in the US and the Poles in Poland... I clearly stated this is a generalization - it does not apply to every single Polish lady in Chicago... I am stating what I PERSONALLY observed.
AdrianK9   
25 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

How did they get to be rich? by exploiting and killing people, that is how

How can you make an assumption like that? I come from a wealthy family but we made our money through being frugal, saving, investing, and hard work. We never exploited or killed anyone. If anything, now we're the evil ones because instead of living it up on credit cards we paid for everything with cash and lived in a roach infested apartment till we were able to afford better.

Also, again this will be a generalization based on my own personal observations, but it appears to me that the Poles in Poland are infinitely more cultured and sophisticated than their counterparts in the US. It's like they get dumbed down when they come here.. Przepraszam Marek, ale naprawde, twoja Honda Civic z body kit i naklejkami nie wyglada zajebiscie'
AdrianK9   
25 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

some Poles have embraced materialism too easily and have forgotten or abandoned tradition and nation.

So true. This was much more prevalent in post-communist Poland. There was of course materialism in communist Poland as wanting to have nice things, envying your neighbors new car, etc. is just human. The people were a bit more equal though than they are now so the materialism wasn't as prevalent. Ah I remember the trouble my dad would go through to get AC DC and Black Sabbath Records, VCRs, Levis Jeans, etc. He was a jeweler in communist Poland and my grandparents (his parents) ran a meat business which they still do. By communist standards they were pretty damn well off and had a lot of foreign currency, especially German, hidden away. I remember when I had my first Holy Communion they gave me $1,000 USD as a present. This was a lot of money at the time in the US let alone in Poland. People were shocked that a young kid could be given so much money as a gift.

The class distinction and inequality is crazy in Poland and I would argue that is just as bad, if not possibly worse than in the US. (Yes there is more extreme wealthy people in the US but at least the poor here have access to things like welfare, food stamps, CHIP, rent assistance, etc. In Poland, the welfare is tiny I believe its like 80 or 100 or 120 Eu a month or something like that. I remember reading an article about 'the only Brit' in Poland on welfare.)

Anyway, I'll use my family as a specific example from both mom and dad's side. They run the whole gambit of poor village dwellers to millionaires. Some are very well educated and others are simply extremely cunning and street smart.

Lower class - Agricultural family in a small village - My great aunt from my moms side lives on a farm outside of Walbrzych. She lives on a large pig farm. Although she does have electricity, she did not have indoor plumbing until the late 80s/early 90s. She is poor but since her and her husband run a farm and have a lot of land they are able to eat a lot of the food that they grow and the animals they raise. However, obtaining even a 10 year old car would unrealistic as would taking a vacation outside the country or being able to retire without working and continuing to run the farm. They own a Maluch which her husband actually won in some raffle or something. No formal education.

Middle class - family in a suburb/small town outside of Wroclaw - My cousins live on a farm in Prusice (outside of Wroclaw) and my uncle works for Dolpasz which I believe is a fertilizer company. They are I'd say middle to upper middle class. They have a large multigenerational home, a decent bit of land with a small amount of ducks, chickens, rabbits, goat, geese, etc. They have an older car and most of their belongings are rather old as well. However, they are a very happy family and they do not have to worry where their next meal will come from. They have enough to survive on but they are unable to afford say like a BMW 3-series or a new 60' Samsung. They are able to afford taking local vacations in Poland but a vacation to like Paris or London would be a bit of out their reach unless they saved for it for a long time. The parents are not educated but all the children have graduated college and are working in entry level post-college jobs.

Middle Class #2 - Major in the military - My uncle is a Major in the land forces. When I was a child he took me to his base and I got to ride in a BMP, shoot the ak-47s, sit in a MiG 29 (on the ground of course), etc. I have a ton of pictures from this and it was one of my best memories as a child. Anyway, he lives with his family in a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in the bloki. He is a very intelligent individual and invented a revolutionary kidney dialysis machine for which he was awarded quite a bit of money as many of the hospitals in Poland and around the world use it. However, after purchasing this condo in the bloki and supporting his childrens' education he has little left. He is of course happy though but his salary as a major does not allow him much luxuries in life. He has an 'average' car and a clean cozy condo but is by no means living in luxury or wealth. My uncle has a magister degree and his children have gone to colleges in Poland.

Rich Class #1 - My grandparents from my fathers side are very wealthy but they do not display their wealth at all. They began amassing wealth during communism as they ran a meat business and of course meat was rationed out. They were able to sell their meat for foreign currency or trade it for items that were rare at the time in Poland like Japanese stereo equipment, Levis jeans, records from the US, etc. They now own a deli/convenience store, metal fabrication shop, a stall in the bazaar (targ) where they sell meat, a hair salon, and several residential properties. Although they do not really display their wealth and live in a pretty average home in Oborniki Slaskie (outside of Wroclaw), they are able to afford quality foreign items that would be too expensive for an average Pole. For example, they are able to afford to travel to the US and Western Europe whereas most Poles will stick to trips to Ukraine and the Black sea, the Balkans, Egypt, Morocco, and other countries that aren't as expensive. They own a turbo diesel Honda CRV (which is a small suv), an older Mercedes 300TD station wagon and also a Mercedes Vito which is basically like a cross between a minivan and a cargo van. The Honda SUV would be considered a luxury item for most Poles. They would be able to afford a million plus dollar home and the newest Mercedes or Bmw but they like to keep a bit lower profile. My grandma still wears her clothes from the 70s and even pantyhose that has holes in it because quite frankly she doesn't care and is more focused on running the businesses. She is more the brains behind the operation. They do not have any formal education but are very very business savvy.

Rich Class #2 - My uncle owns a large hotel in Tychy called Hotel Piramida. It is I believe 9 stories and is shaped like a glass pyramid. This family is definitely in the 1% of Poland. They have a variety of foreign cars like a Land Rover Range Rover and a Porsche Carrerra as a summer car. The uncle was able to afford to send his children to London for a better education. They are able to afford just about anything whereas for an average Pole sending their kids to a private school in London would be a thought that doesn't even occur. My uncle is not educated but his children are.

So there's the whole gambit. I have more examples but you get the point. Like in every society, there is rich and poor. In Poland the inequality is very high when compared to the Nordic Countries or even some of the Baltic Countries. Poland is kind of that middle ground where the people tend to make lower income than say like in England, Germany, and Sweden but are more equal and make more of an average income than say those in Ukraine, Albania, or Russia. We are classified by the CIA as an 'upper middle' income country. Here is a small chart of average GDP per capita - I personally think this is rather high but then of course a person like my uncle who owns a hotel probably makes as much as like 100 people like my poor great aunt.

data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD

dolnoslask what city are you from? I am from Wroclaw and have family in Oborniki Slaskie, Trzemnica, Prusice, and Walbrzych.
AdrianK9   
25 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

Adrian, just a small suggestion : this forum is pretty much united by a common loathing of Party members that took advantage of their connections during Communism to amass

No one in my family was in the Communist party and the only person with any contacts in the government is my uncle who is a Major.
AdrianK9   
25 Feb 2016
Life / What don't you like about Poland or Polish People? [117]

You are correct, that is unless a bribe was paid or meat was given to them. Also, this was done in secret and not in the open. Bribes were very common in those times and would range from a small bribe of several dollars (or the equivalent) so that the doctor sees you right away or writes a note excusing you from work to a 'medium size bribe' of perhaps $50, $100 or so to allow for goods from Western Germany to be brought in without being confiscated, to a substantial several thousand dollar bribe to obtain a visa to leave Poland.

It is kind of like the cinkciarzy - the individuals who openly traded and sold dollars and marks. The authorities knew what they were doing but would usually look the other way, especially if a small bribe was paid.