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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

simon-porter00 wrote:

Quote:
Are you a politician? The reason I ask is that you seem to have an amazing ability to read a post and yet somehow completely misconstrue what the poster is writing e.g.:


How in the world can you accuse me of "misconstruing" when Delph is the absolute king in that category. He dodges question after question and I personally think the guy is full of pure $hit and I don't think sharter and maniak think any differently about the guy. Funny how I get the shalacking, though.

Richfilth wrote:

Quote:
You ran off from Poland with your bride in tow and your tail between your legs, and yet you still come on here to "give advice"?


How so? Is leaving a country for something much better cowardly? What should I have done, stuck it out living a life that was 1,000 steps down from what I could have in the USA for my wife, my future children and myself? This reminds me of all the Poles that think that the Poles that left for Chicago and Brooklyn are traitors for abandoning their country.

I spent 4 years in Poland. I taught myself to speak the language and speak it well. I freelanced for various companies/schools, had private students and had/have plenty of friends in Poland but hey, what the hell do I know. I'm the a$$hole that didn't force himself to keep living in Poland. Question
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Jack Walker



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 412

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey,I thought this thread was about old cars and oil changes!

As you were gentlemen! Laughing
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maniak



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 194

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, point by point again, but Im gonna say this is my last post to you as I dont have the time to argue about every nuance. I say life in Poland is expensive, difficult and maddening, you say the opposite. Fine.

delphian-domine wrote:

It's a great way to illustrate how utterly difficult life can be in Sweden on a practical level. I could go on if you want, such as how social insurance contributions are absolutely crippling for small businesses there. If you think the 20% in Poland for employers is high - 33% in Sweden is positively eyewatering.


Not being able to buy alcohol on a Saturday does not an "utterly difficult life" make. Living in Poland does. Id gladly pay the 33% tax if I lived in a place like Sweden. I pay 19% in Poland and get absolutely nothing in return. And again I dont know why you are comparing the two anyway, being taxed at a million percent in Sweden still provides you with one of the highest living standards in the world.

Quote:
1600zl for a 12 year old golf? Are you not being absolutely robbed there, unless you've got a dodgy driving history? Mine is roughly the same for a not-old Astra, fully comprehensive - including the lovely green card for every single country that's part of the scheme, unlike most Western insurers who either won't include them or will demand a lot more money. Try getting a green card for UA from a British insurer!


Not really, I checked the rates in over 7 insurers. Fully comprehensive OC/AC, theft, roadside assistance. The green card doesn't mean anything and hasn't been necessary for over a decade. I'm sure if I drove like a granny I could get 5L/100km, but then again I like to drive over 100kmh...

Quote:

Learn to speak Polish, and you won't pay such prices. Case in point : I just had some repairs done that took about 2 hours to fix - cost me 80zl in labour costs, and the job is well done. But then - I knew exactly what was wrong, how to fix it and had no interest in paying through the nose for it.


I am fluent in Polish, i pracuje jako tlumacz, czyli moglbym nawet stwierdzic ze jakos sobie radze po polsku. Somehow the entire population of Poland complains about getting ripped off by mechanics and whatnot, you luckily found a good one and quite quickly. Congrats, it took me 3 years to find someone somewhat reliable. Again Id say your specific circumstances are very individual and somewhat impossible for a foreigner to accomplish here in Poland.

Ah yea, the complexities of an oil/filter change, I've rebuilt engine blocks and restored cars before, but havent cleared this hurdle.. hmm... hmm.. wonder why.. hmm maybe I have nowhere to do it, I dont have the tools, and dont want to buy them if Im supposedly going to live here temporarily? As for the major suspension work, welcome to the roads of Lower Silesia. Go to Walbrzych, you'll see what I mean.

Quote:
And you think that they would bother to enforce the law on vignettes here if one existed?.


Again thats not the problem, I have no problem paying with tolls, even ones for highways that were built entirely by the taxpayers and then had concessions doled out to "manage" the highways, my problem is that the tolls as well as building the highways come out to be THE MOST EXPENSIVE IN EUROPE. http://www.se.pl/wydarzenia/kraj/mamy-najdrozsze-autostrady-w-europie-za-srednia-pensje-mozna-przejechac-12-400-km_192570.html

Quote:

I find in Poland, knowing what you want fixed and knowing the price of such repairs tends to be a good way ...


I agree with you here. You'll still get ripped off anyway. Just saW your other thread with somebody not paying you, that's happened to me three times already in Poland. Nothing new.

Quote:
As for needing in-depth mechanical knowledge - not really, cars aren't complicated things.


Oh yea very uncomplicated things, its just them new fangled electronics in cars, everything else is a piece of cake! Ok, since you can diagnose stuff pretty easily, Ive got a problem thats got everyone stumped, Im going to send you a PM and you figure it out for me since its so easy.

Quote:
You can't compare US and Europe prices, because they aren't comparable. Those $60 goggles are from someone who isn't paying payroll social taxes, who isn't paying sales tax, all the things that the allegro seller probably is.


I want you to really think about what you wrote here, let's analyze it because I have a felling you might just be insane. That the American business owner, in the country of America, you know, that rich Western country, that sold me a pair of goggles for $60, could afford to sell it to me at that price because he isnt paying the same amount of tax of the guy on allegro, in Poland. Lets even believe that the guy on allegro really does pay his taxes. So alllll of this together, means that his price must be marked up by... 300%. Are taxes 300% more than in America? Do we in Poland make 300% more than in America?

Quote:
What's with people trying to compare Europe and the US on here? Doing a more realistic comparison would be with Slovakia/Lithuania or maybe Germany.


Sure, which country and what do you want me to compare? That for example food, you know, food, bread milk sugar is cheaper in Germany than in Poland? Where'd you car come from? Oh Im sure not from Germany, where cars are cheaper. Oy vey...

Quote:
Anyway, 100zl a day is cheap for me, sure. Again - two people working.


Again, you missed the point, ski resorts in Austria are cheaper. Austria. Ski resots. Cheaper. Hello. Do you know the difference between Austrian and Polish ski resorts? Thats nice 100zl for a lift ticket for a dinky hill is cheap for you. So you have gotten ripped off before and apparently continually to do so.

Quote:

Most people living in 180m2 houses really aren't going to be too bothered by 1000zl a month in heating costs. Why would they, when they probably have a huge joint salary by Polish standards?


Umm, follow back to why I wrote what I wrote. You stated that buying a house in Poland is AFFORDABLE, you know "you can easily buy a house outside of Poznan for 60k'. I said its not by giving an example of heating costs. And then... wtf.. you say right here thats its NOT AFFORDABLE unless... you have a HUGE JOINT SALARY...

make up your find. is a house affordable in Poland or not.

[/i]
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maniak



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 194

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Delph I sent you a PM, please diagnosis my car trouble for me.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

maniak wrote:

Quote:
maybe I have nowhere to do it, I dont have the tools, and dont want to buy them if Im supposedly going to live here temporarily?


RIGHT ON.

Case and point why I was asking him to "walk me through it." Well maniak, I guess you could wait for some drunks to walk by and ask them to lift up your 3000 lb. car and "prosze potrzymac auto wlasnie tak przez nie wiem......40 minut, dobrze?".....haha, while you lay in the wet snow on the street.....unless wait....you've got a 2 1/2 ton floor jack in your apartment, right? Just drag that downstairs and do it up! Rolling Eyes

maniak wrote:

Quote:
Go to Walbrzych, you'll see what I mean.


oh man.....I did some work out there.....the streets of Walbrzych are some of the worst I've seen.

Delphian-domine wrote:

Quote:
Do we in Poland make 300% more than in America?


Delph makes 300% more money than you and therefore knows 300% more than you.

"You only see nonsense because you didn't earn enough in Poland to see how the "other" side lives." -Delphian-domine

sorry, I still can't get over how absurd that comment is.

Delph came to Poznan, right from day 1, with his hand being held by his Polish girlfriend-now wife, a successful business woman, and lived for 2+ years entirely rent free. This is not the Poland we experienced/are experiencing. Turn back the clock and stick him in Poznan having to fend for himself, pay through the nose for rent....you know, what we all did....and I can guarantee you you'd be reading different posts from Delphian-domine. BUT, even with ALL that said, I STILL can't believe how delirious some of his posts are. It's like listening to a salesman trying to sell......to sell......geeze.....Polish snake oil.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 4:32 am    Post subject: shucks Reply with quote

You mean that Polish snake oil doesn't work?

What was the OP again?-Ah yes, now I remember. IH pay cruddy money. The upshot of all of theis? Poland is an expensive country with low wages even if you run around like a blue-arsed fly. So let's be helpful.

Advice to people considering working in Poland.

1.-Bring some money
2.-Buy all your winter clothes and electronic goods before you come.
3.-Advertise private lessons on Gumtree, lamp posts, the BC notice board and the local uni notice board.
4.-Know that IH is just about the lowest payer on the market.
5.-Know that the supply of EFL teachers is way too high in some cities.
6.-Know that wages have been decreasing in real terms for years.
7.-Know that lots of schools have been closing recently.
8.-Be aware that Warsaw is a dreadful place in which to live relative to Wroclaw, Poznan, Sopot and a few other places I could mention.
9.-It's freaking freezing.
10.-Generally the non-Polish cuisine restaurants leave a lot to be desired.

But, the girls are beautiful and the shabby Polish beer is cheap, so ignore the above like every other male teaching in Poland and have a good time. You may get lucky like Delph and become a kept man.
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simon_porter00



Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 505
Location: Warsaw, Poland

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lets keep flogging that horse shall we? The old nag still has a few more furlongs to run.
(Please be advised that I live in Warsaw a place I know quite well, have been living for 5 years and a place that Sharter, even though he trots out the "what do I know, I've only lived in Poland for x years with multiple friends there etc etc", he avoids/hates/doesn't visit.)

Quote:
Advice to people considering working in Poland.
1.-Bring some money


Sensible advice, relevant for the whole world one would assume, so nothing special about Poland. I always ask people who contact me through my website (free plug: teachingenglishinpoland.com) to bring at least enough for 6 months.

Quote:
2.-Buy all your winter clothes and electronic goods before you come.

I would argue that if you want branded clothes then yes, if you want clothes that an average salary would buy, you can get clothes cheaply. The electronic goods argument may hold out, buy look at this - through ceneo.pl an apple ipad2, 32gb can be bought for 2398zł (460 gbp on today's shocking interest rate. This was also the first non USA import. A USA import would cost much less). On pricerunner.co.uk (UK cheap website) it's 477 gbp.
I'm not saying everything is cheaper, but suggesting that Poland as the "expensive hell hole to buy electronics" could now be a myth.

Quote:
3.-Advertise private lessons on Gumtree, lamp posts, the BC notice board and the local uni notice board.

BC won't allow you to do that, I know I work there. Gumtree your ad will get lost (on the Warsaw section) and lamp posts no-one will care. Local uni board - no idea but consider the fact you'll be advertising to students who have no money anyhow.

Once again, in order to build up a decent customer base, in most places in the world where there is a competitive English language teaching market place, it takes TIME. At least, as regards Warsaw, 1 year to 18 months. After this word of mouth takes over and you really start getting in touch with the people who have cash.

Quote:
4.-Know that IH is just about the lowest payer on the market.

Agree.

Quote:
5.-Know that the supply of EFL teachers is way too high in some cities.

Not in Warsaw. I would argue that this'll never be the case in Warsaw.

Quote:
6.-Know that wages have been decreasing in real terms for years.

Agree, but this doesn't affect Poland specifically. If you're clever there's no reason not to see year on year increases in real terms - I have.

Quote:
7.-Know that lots of schools have been closing recently.

Probably the case in Warsaw although i have no data to support this. Even if this was the case if I was a new entrepreneur in Warsaw, I'd be delighted about this.

Quote:
8.-Be aware that Warsaw is a dreadful place in which to live relative to Wroclaw, Poznan, Sopot and a few other places I could mention.


:yawn:
People will make of this what they will. Sharter should have said "I'n my opinion Warsaw ....". I think Warsaw is the best city in Poland. Not the most beautiful, not the most charming but it has plenty of reasons for someone to enjoy living there. Lots of things to see, lots of things to do, lots of places to visit, some of the best history (not just related to WW2), it really is a fascinating place.

Quote:
9.-It's freaking freezing.


(let me continue the sentence) so it is no different to the rest of Eastern Europe and this shouldn't be a reason not to come to Poland unless you are a fairy.

Quote:
10.-Generally the non-Polish cuisine restaurants leave a lot to be desired.


(let me continue the sentence) so it is no different to many other places in the world.

The girls are beautiful: true of any country, it also has it's munters.
Beer is awful: When I was in England, people complained the mainstream beer was awful. In America, the same. I'm sure this is the case all over the world. Yet, there are micro breweries in Poland as there are all over the world and their stuff is more and more available.
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Richfilth



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 225
Location: Warszawa

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 7:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

maniak wrote:
hmm... hmm.. wonder why.. hmm maybe I have nowhere to do it, I dont have the tools, and dont want to buy them if Im supposedly going to live here temporarily?


If your wages can't stretch to a single 17mm ring spanner, then I sympathise, and I'll lend you the money if you like.

Why do mechanics charge so much for simple jobs like changing a bulb? Because they've concluded (and correctly IMO) that if you can't even unclip a dead bulb and put a new one in, then you deserve to be robbed blind. If you think you need a 2.5tonne jack to change your oil, or that it's Poland's fault your suspension's f*cked because you drove over the speed limit on lumpy bumpy roads, then you're going to pay for your stupidity. That's a business model as valid here as it is anywhere in the West, in almost any industry.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:13 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

So you basically agree with most of what I've said. Now you've explained that you work for the BC, which has a cracking salary (if you're not part-time), some of the things you say make sense. How many people work at the BC and what percentage of people earn that salary as EFL teachers in Poland? I'd hazard a guess at about eight and 2% respectively. Not exactly speaking for the majority there are you.

I had a flat in Warsaw, lived in 3 different cities and have been all over the country. Warsaw is a dump....nice history yes but once you've done that?

I've worked for the BC...nice gig in Poland......pretty awful in the Middle East......very hit and miss these days. I worked for the BC studium in Poznan years ago when they were tied up with UAM on Slowackiego.
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simon_porter00



Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 505
Location: Warsaw, Poland

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I freelance at the BC and less then half of my working hours are spent there. To be honest the money I get from my other clients is as much and more then at the BC.

I agree with what you said but presented it in a light that isn't 'anti-Poland' which I felt (perhaps wrongly) your post was written.

I won't go into the ins and outs of the BC, but it is very different to what you suggest and seeing as you have links it shouldn't be difficult for you to find out the information for yourself.

I have repeated myself several times, that after working in Poland for 12-18months, every native language teacher in Poland (and I will say the whole of Poland) should be taking home 4k p/m easy. If you work for the BC it's easier, however there are several agencies that will pay you much better than schools and if you're self employed (even with ZUS contributions) it really is not difficult.

As regards Warsaw being a dump, you can think everywhere/anywhere is a dump after a certain time. No-one, unless you've got millions or are prepared to take a pay cut, will have brilliant vistas of the sea/mountain/forest or others. It is the truth all over the world. Warsaw is not special in that regard and I can't see why it's being singled out for special treatment.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:49 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

I'm not anti-Poland, I just think that people need to have a bit of reality. Even 4k is only 800 quid, which isn't much in Europe. However, I agree with your point that you should be earning more than that after a year or so. And, if you really look, it's easy to find the work. I couldn't live in the UK on 50 quid a day, so I can't live in Poland on that amount.

WRT-Warsaw, I just think that there are much nicer places where you can make the same amount of money when adjusted for cost of living.

I think I'm a realist not a negativist.
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maniak



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 194

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Richfilth wrote:


If your wages can't stretch to a single 17mm ring spanner, then I sympathise, and I'll lend you the money if you like.


Im sure anybodys wage can cover one spanner. If you work on your car you damn well know how many tools you need, so cut the BS. Btw, changing your oil is one thing, Im wondering how you guys change your brake pads on the side of the street. Im also wondering where delph throws away his used oil... probably pours in down the drain.

Quote:
Because they've concluded (and correctly IMO) that if you can't even unclip a dead bulb and put a new one in, then you deserve to be robbed blind. If yblahblahblah.


Look, what you wrote is so obvious I dont even know why you wrote it. Of course you'll get ripped off if you come in for a light bulb change. It wasnt me but someone I know, and he asked to them do it since they were changing his timing belt. And you should know that in some cars changing the front bulbs requires talking off half the frontend. I think this was on a Gen 1 Audi A4, involved the removal of the air filter and some other crap.

As for the suspension quip, yes my suspension is shot cause I drive too fast over bumpy roads, thats the only reason. It wasnt the fifty 15cm potholes on a 300m stretch of road. It wasnt the cobblestone roads that are completely falling apart. Do you even live in Poland????
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Richfilth



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 225
Location: Warszawa

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

of course I know what's Poland's like, and my comments were no more or less asinine than I hope yours were. The point being it's as ridiculous to pull out the 20zl bulb change as an example of "Real Poland" as it is to expect anyone to stick to the 90km/h speed limit.

What I object to is the ridiculous, singular examples bandied about as if that were the norm in Poland. BMW in the UK will charge 2 pounds - two whole pounds - for one copper nut that you can get on Allegro in Poland for a zloty. Does this signify that motoring in the UK is ten times more expensive? Not really, but we can all pull out anecdotal "evidence" that portrays any country in any light we like.

Still, if you need more than a 17mm spanner and a single screwdriver to change the oil, you're definitely doing something wrong.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Richfilth wrote:

Quote:
What I object to is the ridiculous, singular examples bandied about as if that were the norm in Poland.


couldn't agree more. it's just that we all seem to find different comments about Poland ridiculous.

Richfilth wrote:

Quote:
BMW in the UK will charge 2 pounds - two whole pounds - for one copper nut that you can get on Allegro in Poland for a zloty.


I get what you're saying about cherry picking and all.....but do you happen to know what BMW in Poland charges for that same copper nut?
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 6:42 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

A day's wages at IH?
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