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Are trains cheap?
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Richfilth



Joined: 24 Sep 2007
Posts: 225
Location: Warszawa

PostPosted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dynow wrote:


i've never met anyone in poland that teaches english and consistently pulls 8000zl net per month and I knew people that literally drove around teaching lessons from sun up to sun down, Monday through Saturday.


I've not worked Saturdays since 2005, and I've not made less than 10k a month since 2009. All that with my own flat, my own car, my expensive hobbies and no help from any Polish in-laws. And I only work past 5pm one day a week.

It's out there if you're prepared to stop whinging from behind your keyboard and actually work for it.
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maniak



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 194

PostPosted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

delphian-domine wrote:


The real question is with physical health - I know I wouldn't be able to do it, and I don't think many people could. The guy I'm talking about above must surely be constantly stressed, what with commuting in traffic all day and leaving home at 6:00 and not getting home until 10:00.



Tell me about it. A few days ago I almost collapsed from exhaustion.
For the past 6 months I've been working like this: Tues-Weds-Thurs 9-12 in a school, 12:30 private lesson, finish at 2, then 4-9pm again in a school, so about 8.5 hours of teaching-teaching a day. Friday through Monday was filled up with lesson prep/proofreading/translating and a bit of relaxing. I hit 10k last month for example... and for me it wasn't worth it. Even though I did it and could continue doing it, working that hard imo aint worth it, strained relationships, ruined healthy sleep/eating habits, constant stress...

I'm quitting my schools, cutting my hours down to 10 a week, increasing my prices, and am gonna concentrate more on translation as thats where the real money is and going to enjoy life a bit more. And quite honestly I would love to sponge off my parents or marry well, who wouldn't??
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lundjstuart



Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 211
Location: Warsaw, Poland

PostPosted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

maniak wrote:
delphian-domine wrote:


The real question is with physical health - I know I wouldn't be able to do it, and I don't think many people could. The guy I'm talking about above must surely be constantly stressed, what with commuting in traffic all day and leaving home at 6:00 and not getting home until 10:00.



Tell me about it. A few days ago I almost collapsed from exhaustion.
For the past 6 months I've been working like this: Tues-Weds-Thurs 9-12 in a school, 12:30 private lesson, finish at 2, then 4-9pm again in a school, so about 8.5 hours of teaching-teaching a day. Friday through Monday was filled up with lesson prep/proofreading/translating and a bit of relaxing. I hit 10k last month for example... and for me it wasn't worth it. Even though I did it and could continue doing it, working that hard imo aint worth it, strained relationships, ruined healthy sleep/eating habits, constant stress...

I'm quitting my schools, cutting my hours down to 10 a week, increasing my prices, and am gonna concentrate more on translation as thats where the real money is and going to enjoy life a bit more. And quite honestly I would love to sponge off my parents or marry well, who wouldn't??


I work M-F 8am until 2pm and then start back up around 4 or so. I'm not stressed out, I drive over 40k km a year in the city and know the city better than 99% of my clients.

Work now and play later or play now and work later.
Idea Idea Idea
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 8:16 am    Post subject: harrumph Reply with quote

I made 4k last week and didn't teach a lesson.....beach this afternoon in 40oc heat. Go for a curry later, then footie.
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Master Shake



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

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 9:18 am    Post subject: Re: harrumph Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
I made 4k last week and didn't teach a lesson.....beach this afternoon in 40oc heat. Go for a curry later, then footie.


You can enjoy the same in Gdansk in less oppressive heat and actually enjoy a beer and see some amazing women in bkinis.

Honestly, assuming you made enough money in either location, where would you rather be, Poland or the Middle East?

As many others have posted, you CAN live in Poland on a TEFL-er's wages and afford a lot more than 'the minimum.'

The Middle East would have to pay me a boatload for me to put up with the social oppression, draconian laws, and sexual frustration there.
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:29 am    Post subject: wtf Reply with quote

What social oppression? In Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait you can pretty much do what you want.

Sexual frustration? Was married status in Qatar, there are women here and then there's Bahrain if you're truly desperate. Smile

Grog is everywhere out here.

Sure you'd prefer to be in Poland if you could earn the same money but the reality is that you can't, so it's a pointless question.

The truth is that both places have their pro's and cons. I think the Gulf suits older people better.
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delphian-domine



Joined: 11 Mar 2011
Posts: 674

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:50 pm    Post subject: Re: wtf Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
What social oppression? In Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait you can pretty much do what you want.


Can you? Plenty of Brits in Dubai found out to their expense that it wasn't as liberal as it pretends to be. Kuwait is dry (yes, you can find it, but still officially dry) - no idea about Qatar, though - but it's not like there's much going on there.

Quote:
Sure you'd prefer to be in Poland if you could earn the same money but the reality is that you can't, so it's a pointless question.


Well, let's look at the maths - you can earn 10k a month here. Or you can earn 16k in the ME. So, yes, you can earn what, over 50% more there? But at the same time, you can't just hop in your car and head to different places - for instance, if I feel like coffee in Vienna, it's an easy 6-7 hour drive there. Or what about breakfast in the Berlin TV tower? Easy 3 hour drive, soon to be less.

Quote:
The truth is that both places have their pro's and cons. I think the Gulf suits older people better.


Or more accurately, it would be better to say that it suits those who are merely interested in the bottom line and who are willing to put up with the hardships out there. I know one guy out there - and his repeating theme is "you do what you're told".

[quote=Richfilth]It's out there if you're prepared to stop whinging from behind your keyboard and actually work for it.[/quote]

Exactly. But a lot of it is just personal responsibility - no-one will hand you 10k a month, but it's definitely there. The examples I quoted were even on the low side - getting over 100PLN/90min from a company isn't that difficult.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

delphian-domine wrote:

Quote:

Well, let's look at the maths - you can earn 10k a month here. Or you can earn 16k in the ME.


this is bad math for the simple fact that VERY few people, including yourself, make 10K a month in Poland yet any poor shlub, right off the plane, is making handfuls of cash in the ME.

also, ask sharter how many months of paid vacation he has, how many hours he has to put in for that money....or if he even pays for his flat. i've yet to see a TEFL contract in the middle east not include housing and often times other things like a cell phone and a car.

50%? hardly man.
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:57 pm    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

Oh yeah forgot to mention the free housing and transport and the 6 return flights per year I enjoy in my usual job or the 18 weeks paid vacation or the BUPA health coverage or the 4 hour teaching days....sorry.

I have lived in Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi and Libya. No problems drinking, no probs meeting the opposite sex and an outdoor lifestyle.

Expats who get caught out here usually deserve it cos they do stupid things.

I repeat, I love Poland but to earn you have to forget free time and scramble around for work, which is a pain in the rear end.

Yes, you have to do what you're told and maybe that's a good thing in a work context. Outside work the locals don't bother you unless you are drunk in the open or start fondling your gal on the beach. Even then, they warn you to pack it in first-I know it's happened to me!!
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gwiazda



Joined: 07 May 2010
Posts: 13
Location: Poland

PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 7:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The point isn't about what is available in the Middle East, but what the situation is in Poland...

Quote:
to earn you have to forget free time and scramble around for work


and this just isn't true. You need to be good at your job and invest a little time building up a good base of clients and then you'll be able to work as much (or as little) as you want.
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dynow



Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 1080

PostPosted: Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hey sharter, I'm curious.....what kind of flat do you get through your school out there in the ME? how big is it? location? ammenities?
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Jack Walker



Joined: 23 Oct 2008
Posts: 412

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 1:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just found a pic of Sharter's flat Dynow.I like what he's done with the kitchen!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/david_wilmot/2067083748/ Laughing
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sharter



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

PostPosted: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:15 am    Post subject: the flat Reply with quote

My current flat is new and fully furnished. I didn't need to buy a single thing when moving in. Washer, dryer, flatscreen satellite TV, fridge, cooker, microwave, internet, 2 doubles, two bathrooms, 2 balconies, lounge diner. All the cutlery and bedding was there and we even have a free maid. There's also a small gym, pool table and you can sunbathe on the roof. There's a gym 100 yards away and a huge 24-hour supermarket.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that in my usual job the food was also provided!!

Regarding Poland, I tried to move back there in September 2005. I lasted 6 months. I made 6k a month at a language school teaching 38 hours a week, 8 of which were on a Saturday. I then quit as I was headhunted to be the personal tutor to a Polish tycoon. He paid me 7.5k a month net and paid all my bills. He also gave me a beautiful two-bedroom flat in Warsaw for free next to Zamek. The money simply wasn't enough. My flat in Poznan was 1.5k a month and my child support was 1.5k a month. In my first job that left me with 100Zl a day, in my second 150Zl a day. Like I said, a box of Lego is 350Zl, a trip to the cinema with sonny 100Zl by the time you've done the popcorn etc. A bottle of wine in a restaurant anything upto 150Zl. Mini-golf at Malta plus a sazlyk 80Zl. Sorry just couldn't do it. Maybe, if I had a wife/partner who was working, then yeah.

I would love to spend every day with my son but life didn't work out like that. We just have to do the best we can. I'm not rich now because I like travelling and spend fortunes.....life is short. However, I can always replace the cash fairly quickly. I know if I had stayed in Poznan, I would never have anything. Those who bought flats there and got lucky with the house price inflation may feel richer but actually...what have you got and where would you go if you moved? My beef is with TEFL Europe in general, I just know a lot about Poland after 16 years of living, working and being there. I've just spent the whole summer there and don't even want to tell you what I spent in hotels and restaurants.....it was just insane.

When I worked in Poland previously in the 90's I taught at uni, wrote for a magazine, did voiceovers every week, was a Cambridge examiner and also taught at a business school. I made 6k a month then, when life was cheap and times were great. I wouldn't want to be there now.

Before I get the usual tirade from the younger, less experienced teachers, I will tell you this; life really was better in the 90's in Poland. My Polish friends, of whom I have hundreds, by and large, agree with me. It's not just about the money or how easy it was to find a beautiful girlfriend; a lot of the really Polish things have disappeared and have been replaced by overpriced tat.
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Master Shake



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

PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:43 am    Post subject: Re: the flat Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
When I worked in Poland previously in the 90's I taught at uni, wrote for a magazine, did voiceovers every week, was a Cambridge examiner and also taught at a business school. I made 6k a month then, when life was cheap and times were great. I wouldn't want to be there now.

Before I get the usual tirade from the younger, less experienced teachers, I will tell you this; life really was better in the 90's in Poland. My Polish friends, of whom I have hundreds, by and large, agree with me. It's not just about the money or how easy it was to find a beautiful girlfriend; a lot of the really Polish things have disappeared and have been replaced by overpriced tat.


Sure, it would have been great to be here in the '90's (I've heard some stories). But I didn't come here until the end of 2006 so I don't miss what I never experienced.

Any country that modernizes as fast as Poland has is going to lose some of its cultural charm. It's inevitable.

The fact is, Poland still seems pretty Polish to me Wink
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scottie1113



Joined: 25 Oct 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Gdansk

PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 8:07 pm    Post subject: Re: the flat Reply with quote

[quote="Master Shake"]
sharter wrote:



The fact is, Poland still seems pretty Polish to me Wink


As it does to me. In the 90's I was still living in San Diego and doing very well. I make a lot less money here in Poland, but I still love the experience of living and working here. It's not better or worse, just different, and that's why I came here.

Perhaps it's because I'm a lot older than the rest of you.
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