Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

The problem with booking in advance is that we can't be sure about when we'd arrive in Olsztyn. The flight could be delayed or our train from Warsaw to Olsztyn could be delayed. I'd rather pay a bit more for the flexibility. Based on your experience, what would you say is the maximum a bus ticket from Olsztyn to Mragowo could cost per person if purchased at the station immediately before departure?

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

OK. Is it easy to catch a bus from Olsztyn to Mragowo? Do the buses leave from the Olsztyn train station? What bus service is the best and how can I see the departure times and prices? Thanks!

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Why is that road so dangerous? We will be driving during daylight hours on a Sunday. What is the safest route to drive to get to Mragowo. I'd be willing to take a longer route for better safety.

Travel / Travel Within Poland - from Warsaw airport to Mragowo [49]

Thanks for the information. We're going to look into getting a car. I'll have to ask whether a child carseat is provided by the rental car company.

What about the best way to exchange euros for zlotys? Is there a bank at the airport with an ATM?

Life / Why are the lines in supermarkets the slowest and the longest in Europe? Usually only very few employees work [18]

Have you ever been to a store in Germany? I'd be happy to only wait in line for 20 minutes.

Law / Poland's Laws and Regulations: Health and Safety, Licensing, Crowd Management, etc. [11]

Merged: Health and Safety in Poland

How would you assess Poland with regard to health and safety regulations and their actual enforcement in practice? What about smoke detectors, circuit breakers, quality of electrical wiring, lead in water, bans on burning garbage, contaminated foods, etc.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Russia has a 13% flat income tax, one of the best in Europe. Poland has a marginal rate of 32%. That's a huge difference, especially given that both countries are fairly poor.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Kündigungsschutz it's called. Kündigungsfrist is the notice period the employee must provide when quitting.
There are a number of Germans who abuse the rule, taking 6 weeks or more of paid sick leave every year in addition to their 6 weeks vacation. It's nearly impossible to fire some who is lazy but thick skinned and can withstand harassment aimed at making him quit. The system in the US us ok, no protection but really high pay. Poland unfortunately seems to have the worst of both worlds.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

What the hell is the point of having a 3-month probation period at all if an employee can be fired just as easily thereafter?
It's unlikely that Mr. Trump follows Polish Forums, but if he did, he'd tell you you're hired.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Looks like they'll be making me an offer of around €5,000/month, which everyone keeps saying is like 5 or 6 times what the average Pole earns. Nevertheless, 5k is not really that much in a country like Germany, and especially not in the US. Prices in Poland aren't really that much cheaper than Germany I've found by researching. About 1/3 cheaper I'd say, which is nowhere near enough to justify the low wages being talked about on this forum. I'm really willing to give Poland a shot, but I'd need about €7,500/month to be worth it. We'll see what happens.

I know a guy who passed out drunk in the client's parking garage with a bottle in hand and needed to be taken to the hospital. He wasn't fired.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Point taken. In other countries with similarly high taxes like Germany, however, simply sucking is rarely sufficient for dismissal. I would expect high taxes and high job security to go hand in hand.

Could someone with experience working in both Poland and Germany give their take on this please?

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

So you're saying an employee who has passed the three-month probation period can still be fired or let go for any reason, but the employer has to provide a one-month or three-month notice period? That doesn't sound like very good job security.

Life / Working life in Poland [18]

Thanks, my company will be taking care of all that for me. Any thoughts on the "permanent" employment contract? I just saw some nice apartment ads in Wroclaw offering air conditioning! That's impossible to find in Germany.

Life / Polish people and Politeness [84]

Hey, thanks for your helpful comment!

Life / Polish people and Politeness [84]

I speak fluent German. Once they realize they can speak German to me, they are able to express their ignorant opinions more easily.

I'm not shy about getting into an lively discussion, but I don't see the point in arguing about politics or current events with every person I meet. I'm from the US. Germans could not be any more ignorant about life in America, yet they see it as their duty to constantly state their opinion about it. Most of these people have never even visited. What's more, Germans are incredibly sensitive and defensive about any perceived criticism of their own culture or system. They also have their backward views about air conditioning or moving air making people sick. As a result, indoor temperatures in Germany are usually about 25+ degrees C, even in the winter (with no ventilation). Could this really be any worse in Poland? Do Poles always insist that Poland is better than the country of the person they're talking to?

Life / Polish people and Politeness [84]

Merged: Politeness/Rudeness in Poland

I must say I'm getting quite sick of living in Germany. Most people I meet here have an incredibly arrogant and rude attitude and consider themselves absolute experts on all affairs foreign and domestic. I don't want my son to turn out to be this way. I'd love to move somewhere else to escape this, even if it meant getting the same salary as I do here. Now I may have an opportunity to do exactly this in Poland.

Are Poles rude like this too? Everyone I've ever met from Poland has been friendly and down to earth and has not attempted to instigate a political argument, but I don't know too many Poles.

Work / Some questions about average wages and hiring a cleaning woman/maid in Poland [23]

Merged: Live-in maid

I'd like to hire a live-in maid or au pair to help with chores and help my wife and kid get adjusted to Poland. How much would this cost and how would I go about getting one?

Real Estate / Astounded by the poor value of residential property here in Wroclaw [92]

I got a job offer for 5,000€/month in wroclaw (gross). Is that enough for a family if 3 to live well in wroclaw?

Real Estate / Best residential areas in Wroclaw to live in? [27]

Merged: Nicest areas of Wroclaw

Could someone with knowledge of Wroclaw please tell me what the nicest regions of Wroclaw are? We're looking to move to a neighborhood with nice new houses and/or apartment buildings where the neighbors have good jobs and are family friendly. Ideally, this would be an area with clean air, meaning a very low level of cigarette smoking and wood/coal smoke from neighbors' chimneys and factories. Any ideas?

Is there such a thing in Poland as a non-smoking apartment building where no smoking at all is allowed anywhere on the premises?