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Supporting a Family
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:44 am    Post subject: kids, life and costs Reply with quote

Look you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig. Life in Poland is not easy because it's costly these days and more so with kids. Of all the veteran expat teachers I know only 3 have nippers and two of them moved to Saudi (BAe and KFUPM) respectively. People on this forum can say what they want but it is a fact that most TEFL teachers in Poland are young-ish men with no kids. They will tell you it's fine and you can live like a lord on 6,000 Zl a month. Like a lord, no but ok yep. Have a kid or two and that becomes much less likely unless you got helped out when you got married or can get credit, unless you are rich of course. Polish women tend to drop work for a while after childbirth too and that needs to be factored in as the one salary situation is not a good one to be in, especially in TEFL Poland. Do-able but not fun is my long-term prognosis. The lipstick will come off at some point.

Scott was the target of an offensive remark-not surprising on this forum. Some people just won't hear anything bad said about the place. They remind me of the Iraqi Information Minister who said on being told that the Americans had surrounded Baghdad;'We have them exactly where we want them.' Deluded. Even more bizarre is the ability of some of them to wax lyrical Wink about the Middle East when they have never set foot in the place. The ME is a great place for family life. Kids grow up in nice surroundings with children from all over the world. They grow up bi/tri lingual and fit as butcher's dogs due to the pool and beach life they experience. The expat schools are good, there are plenty of people to hang around with and many of the countries, including Saudi have bars. On a compound and some of these are many KMs across, you don't even feel like you are in the Middle East. You may strike gold and have good students too. It's not an easy adjustment for some but most see the benefits of financial stability and long-term career options pretty quickly.

There seems to be a latent, lefty faction here. Let them struggle upstream like salmon...ignorance is bliss. Having a foot in both worlds I find it hard re-adjusting to the poor dining experience that is Poland...not to mention the weather and lack of things to do there. I'd rather be waterskiing, scuba-diving, dune bashing, game fishing travelling around the world in my breaks and swimming every day than sitting in the 5Zl bar nightly, gawking at the net, streaming the footy and living in a flat in which everything is substandard. I certainly don't want my kids to be around that life.
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sparks



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 632

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've believe I've posted something similar before, but I'll post it again.... Smile This could all basically be summed up with: Some folks likes some things, other folks likes other things...Some folks likes some of the same things as others but... Not all folks likes all of the same things.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:33 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Didn't Bob Marley sing that?
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sparks



Joined: 20 Feb 2008
Posts: 632

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps you're thinking of Dr. Hook... Smile

" And some folks loves ham hocks and some folks loves pork chops and some folks love vegetable soup
And Roland the roadie loves Gertrude the groupie, but Gertrude the groupie loves groups"
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john123



Joined: 29 Jan 2012
Posts: 83

PostPosted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps I could have narrowed down my broadside. I just remember one poster complaining he had no money, but was more than happy to share the news of his new winter coat which set him back over 1000zl. The wanderers on here were frankly not prudent enough to cut the mustard in Poland and survive.

On a positive note, I had a student cancel a lesson today one minute before the scheduled start time because she 'left something at home for her job.' I really do need to draw up agreements in the future and charge for such clownish behaviour. You live and learn.
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Master Shake



Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

john123 wrote:
On a positive note, I had a student cancel a lesson today one minute before the scheduled start time because she 'left something at home for her job.' I really do need to draw up agreements in the future and charge for such clownish behaviour. You live and learn.
I've had privates pull similar bonehead maneuvers in the past. One of the reasons I don't teach many privates anymore.

On the plus side, when a student or group pulls a no-show and there IS a cancellation policy and you know you can go back to sleep and get paid anyway...

Few things in life are sweeter. It's a compelling reason to become an EFL teacher.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:51 am    Post subject: aaaah Reply with quote

I think the guy who complained about his winter jacket had plenty of money...his beef was that Poland didn't give you value for money anymore. Wonder where it is on the Economist's Big Mac index? Oh god...just looked...according to the Big Mac index, the PLN is 43% undervalued against the Dollar!!!!! Expect a rising Zloty! It's already crucifying my GBP salary if you look at the last six months......losing 2K PLN/month since last Fall. Luckily I'm well-paid.
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Master Shake



Joined: 03 Nov 2006
Posts: 1202
Location: Colorado, USA

PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 4:35 pm    Post subject: Re: aaaah Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
I think the guy who complained about his winter jacket had plenty of money...his beef was that Poland didn't give you value for money anymore. Wonder where it is on the Economist's Big Mac index? Oh god...just looked...according to the Big Mac index, the PLN is 43% undervalued against the Dollar!!!!! Expect a rising Zloty! It's already crucifying my GBP salary if you look at the last six months......losing 2K PLN/month since last Fall. Luckily I'm well-paid.
This is all sounding eerily familiar...

I think the point about the jacket is a valid one. How can you complain about value for money in Poland if you're getting ripped off right and left in Poland?

I paid 250zl for my winter jacket 3 years ago in Reserved and this wasn't on sale. It's still going strong.
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin

PostPosted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:14 pm    Post subject: ahem Reply with quote

I regularly spend time in Berlin as I fly in and out through there. Hotels are much cheaper in Berlin as is a good meal out and the quality isn't comparable...Polish 'gastronomie' isn't even in the same ball park. I'd rather buy clothes in KaDeWe than just about anywhere in Poland. The labels are about 25% cheaper in Berlin. I don't get why Poland is much costlier for such so many things. I'm no mug...have been in or around Poland longer than most on this forum. I just don't like cheap cr@p, which is all Poland does well...unlkess you consider. gofry, zapiekanka, pisy and pierogi haute cuisine. My Reserved jacket lasted 2 years but I prefer the goosedown one I have and paid for it...4 years and looks new. This forum and the characters on it aside....all my pals who live in Poland agree....especially on the clothes and electronics prices. I was looking at the Mamdom stats the other day and some cities have seen property prices decline by 25%...but when you look-it's still mostly overpriced rubbish. When I think of all the flats I've had there......only my current one is something comparable to a 'western' finish.....but 80m2 will cost you the best part of 160,000 British Pounds and that isn't even in Warsaw.
Anyhow...back to the op.......living in Poland with kids can be a real struggle...I know I've done it. There are many things you can write off straight away.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 2:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i gotta agree on product quality there. i would always wait to visit home to do my shopping, i'd bring an extra suitcase just to take clothing back.

my in laws were just here, they bought a ton of clothing and said several times that the quality is on a totally different level than in Poland and will be sure to take money for more shopping the next time they visit. it's just how it is, folks.
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Infinite



Joined: 05 Jan 2013
Posts: 235

PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the main problem is that for the most part, everyone on this board lives in cities where by default prices will be much higher than in small towns or villages. Of course, when you're young and all you care for is travel, puntang and booze, that's where you'd like to live. You shouldn't however expect anything spectacular, you're not a banker or a millionaire.
After moving out of the city area, I moved into a huge flat, with a view on mountains and a 30m deck... all that for less than what I was paying for a 45m flat in the city.
Again, it's what you crave, if you want to live in NYC for example, good luck! 17 years ago while I was renting a 25m flat in the lower east side, it was $1300 per month. Now, it tripled... nothing's changed, same building, same old crappy elevators, same roach motels under every piece of furniture and same rats in the shoot. Well... that's city living. I never complained because that's what it was - city living. If you want quite, cheap, modern etc etc... move to the country. You'll get your money's worth.
Now, quality of clothing and electronics in Poland is poop to say the least... but thank Gore for the Internets. Wink
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