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Polish qualifications, what are they worth ?


OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #31
Nika

I noticed by your first post, but the thread is not false ( maybe you,ve taken it in the wrong context ).
I listed my experiences and therefore am asking a question. So its open to debate.
No offense intended.
Nika 2 | 507
24 Jan 2010 #32
It seems Poles tend to be proud of their education,
but what worth have their qualifications, when.............
There is not enough jobs for people educated in the same fields as one another.
Employment is bought with bribes.
When there is a closed-shop. ( employment given to family/friends, regardless of qualifications ).
The qualifications are not recognized abroad.

there isn't even one single question mark in your thread, how are you asking a question then?
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #33
Nika

Jesssssus Christ, Take four nails and crucify me !

Polish qualifications, what are they worth ? ( The title ).
SeanBM 35 | 5,797
24 Jan 2010 #34
The qualifications are not recognized abroad.

If this is true, why aren't they recognised?
Grzegorz_ 51 | 6,148
24 Jan 2010 #35
Polish qualifications, what are they worth ?

And your opinion is ?
Nika 2 | 507
24 Jan 2010 #36
Take four nails and crucify me !

I would if I could.
Your thread sounds like a statement how Polish education and qualifications are worth nothing at all, since even PL lawyers are menial cleaners. If you read through the posts, you will see that everybody else understood it the way I did.

Maybe next time you should be more clear in your threads/posts in order to not be misunderstood.
aphrodisiac 11 | 2,437
24 Jan 2010 #37
what is your education George and how transferable are your skills?

PS. Am I going to get a straight answer, am I going to get a straight answer? Am I ..........
waiting.
Amathyst 19 | 2,702
24 Jan 2010 #38
I don't know about engineers,

We've recently had several engineers at my company who came from two of our Polish offices, so Engineers are perfectly okay to work here in the UK with no need for any other quals than the ones they gained at Polish institutes.

and had to re-sit the appropriate English examinations

What qualifications did they possess?

I listed my experiences and therefore am asking a question.

Evidently your experience is quite limited - because you dont seem to have come across any professionals working in the UK.
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #39
The closest post to my opinion is.....

if one has transferable skills, one is successful in finding a job and that is what it often boils down to, plus the language.

If this is true, why aren't they recognised?

This is the question Poles are asking when they go abroad and can not get employment according to their qualifications.
For example what is the Polish equivalent to NVQ, GCSE, O,level, A,level, S,level, City and Guilds. So you see, if I were an employer in the UK, who would I employ ?

Plus another question I would be asking is, how competent is your knowledge of the English language ?

Now I was not asking about what these qualifications are worth abroad, but in general.
So what are they worth in Poland also ?
SeanBM 35 | 5,797
24 Jan 2010 #40
For example what is the Polish equivalent to NVQ, GCSE, O,level, A,level, S,level, City and Guilds. So you see, if I were an employer in the UK, who would I employ ?

I don't know, I am from Ireland and we have our own educational system.
I think GCSEs are what we call The Leaving Certificate but we have a very different curriculum to Britain.

I think the point here is people from any country outside of Britain have different words for educational levels, so how would anyone get employed in Britain if they are no ways of finding out what it all means.

I imagine many employees look to their experience, not just the qualifications.

Plus another question I would be asking is, how competent is your knowledge of the English language ?

That could be sorted out easily in the interview.

So what are they worth in Poland also ?

The same thing they are worth anywhere, outside of the very negative prospects you have pointed out, the best person for the job still applies here as everywhere.

The more qualified you are, the better your chances are of getting the job.
Amathyst 19 | 2,702
24 Jan 2010 #41
For example what is the Polish equivalent to NVQ, GCSE, O,level, A,level, S,level, City and Guilds.

All basic quals and certainly NOT professional qualificaitons so a Polish person possessing an equivalent to these shouldnt think they're going to gain anything better than a low level office job at best. Plus the quals you mentioned would not be recognised in any other country than in the UK. I thought you were talking about people with degrees?
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #42
the best person for the job

So with a list of qualifications or experience ?

Are the qualifications worth the paper they,re written on ?
SeanBM 35 | 5,797
24 Jan 2010 #43
So with a list of qualifications or experience ?

Yes, of course a Curriculum Vitae.

Are the qualifications worth the paper they,re written on ?

Why wouldn't they be?
Are you only talking about Poland?
Are you insinuating that all Polish people are liars?
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #44
I thought you were talking about people with degrees?

Do you know what " for example " means ?
stevepl 2 | 49
24 Jan 2010 #45
I imagine Polish qualifications have the same value as qualifications from most countries.

At best a qualification is a mandatory requirement for certain types of work, so it's a must have. But this qualification alone will only get you a position at entry level and the competition for most jobs is enormous.

Almost all employers are searching for people with experience (and qualifications if they are a must have).

I have been involved in the recruitment process several times in my working life and can honestly say that the least interesting thing on someones CV is what university they attended and what qualification they gained. Prior work history was always the most interesting.

Even when interviewing 'fresh starters' without prior work experience, the most interesting thing for me was whether they displayed a genuine interest in the type of work and what experience they had gained through summer jobs etc.

From my experience in Poland I can see that nepotism is still rife (probably an overspill from communistic times). Although in small private companies it's their choice and it's rife in all countries, hence the name family business.
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #46
Are the qualifications worth the paper they,re written on ?

Why wouldn't they be?
Are you only talking about Poland?
Are you insinuating that all Polish people are liars?

FOR EXAMPLE: A graduate structural engineer provides you with a "method statement", ( tells you how to go about doing a task ) on how to make safe a building prior to refurbishment. On paper back at the office this all looks very basic and away we go. But in practice the information he has provided puts many lives at risk, due to unforeseen hazards or hands on experience.

Is his qualification worth the paper it is written on ?
stevepl 2 | 49
24 Jan 2010 #47
Yes, his qualification is worth the paper it's written on.

But, you should only take advice for this type of work from a 'chartered engineer' certainly not a graduate engineer.

Chartered engineer = graduate engineer plus peer reviewed experience.
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #48
stevepl

Obviously the qualification only has its worth, once the individual has gained experience.
Hence:stevepl post #46, is very well written, many thanks sir.
mira - | 115
24 Jan 2010 #49
When there is a closed-shop. ( employment given to family/friends, regardless of qualifications ).

I have to agree with this one, though. I've heard about it, seen it, and even experienced it a few times.
stevepl 2 | 49
24 Jan 2010 #50
Honest George:
When there is a closed-shop. ( employment given to family/friends, regardless of qualifications ).

I don't want to be picky but 'closed shop' refers to the situation where you had to be a union member and remain a union member to be employed somewhere. This practise was made illegal in the UK in the 1990's. I don't know whether closed shops exist in Poland (maybe in the collieries) because the trade union movement doesn't appear to be so strong here.

Employing friends or family in preference to strangers is nepotism.

Mira is correct though, I also have direct experience and know it's very common here.
OP Honest George 1 | 105
24 Jan 2010 #51
Well put again steve, you,re a diamond mate, we will have to team up.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,131
24 Jan 2010 #52
I have to agree with this one, though. I've heard about it, seen it, and even experienced it a few times.

It is true, but it's the same in many countries.

For instance, I had some teaching hours that I didn't want. I could've advertised it, interviewed people, etc etc - but it was simply easier and more effective to give the hours to someone I already knew than to bother advertising it. Most schools operate the same way - and it's a sensible way to do things provided you make sure to check them out thoroughly anyway. It certainly saves time - I knew what the guy was capable of and knew that he would be a perfect fit - and that I wasn't likely to find anyone better for the price.
convex 20 | 3,928
24 Jan 2010 #53
For instance, I had some teaching hours that I didn't want. I could've advertised it, interviewed people, etc etc - but it was simply easier and more effective to give the hours to someone I already knew than to bother advertising it.

That is different from the situation where you need qualified labor for a position, and you instead give the position to someone who is unqualified, or underqualified, just because you know them.
polishcanuck 7 | 462
26 Jan 2010 #54
The qualifications are not recognized abroad.

False. Many qual's are recognised, although i think a polish masters degree is only a b.a. in other countries. Some qual's (like medicine) need to go through a special process to get certified (in canada at least). Others (like law) are obviously non-transferable.

There is not enough jobs for people educated in the same fields as one another.

I somewhat agree. It's not uncommon to see a shopkeeper with a masters degree in some useless subject area like travel & tourism, english lit., etc...

To be fair, this is common here in canada as well. Such people either work at walmart or go abroad to teach english.
Seanus 15 | 19,672
26 Jan 2010 #55
There has been a concerted drive to get every EU citizen on the same page with regards to the recognition of qualifications abroad. Oh, must go, my student is here.
jeetan 1 | 7
18 Feb 2010 #56
yes as compared to other countries, the education system here is not much developed.
z_darius 14 | 3,964
18 Feb 2010 #57
Myths.

Seeing how you struggle with English I'm pretty sure your Polish is even worse, so how would you be able to form an opinion about Poland's educational system without actually experiencing it?
MrBubbles 10 | 613
18 Feb 2010 #58
a polish masters degree is only a b.a. in other countries

Might be changing now thanks to the Bologna system...
1jola 14 | 1,879
18 Feb 2010 #59
i think a polish masters degree is only a b.a. in other countries.

You can't get a masters in Poland just by doing class work like in Canada, so what do you mean actually?
Harry
18 Feb 2010 #60
You can't get a masters in Poland just by doing class work like in Canada

I've never worked in the Canadian education system but I've worked with people who have. I remember two of them laughing at the requirements for the 'thesis' on the licencjat course we were all teaching. Apparently a Canadian BA student would face somewhat stiffer specifications.


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