Job Discussion Forums

[gicor]

[Kymro]

[Kymro]

[Dan The Chainsawman]

Sounds like Korea....

Falling down on the platform will leave you half dead from being trampled.

[Brooks]

Lodz is not that bad. No reason to avoid it.
The economy there wasn`t doing very well, which is why lots of people left for Warsaw.
Unemployment was about 3% in Warsaw but about 20% in Lodz.

As for crime, a friend had his cell phone almost stolen on a Warsaw tram by a Vietnamese man.

The only time I have been a crime victim in my life was in Warsaw. I came home one night to find that a Sony Discman I had borrowed had been stolen. The thief climbed through a window. My flatmate had apparently left his window unlocked or slighly ajar. We thought a construction worker was the thief, but had no proof. He had some money stolen. The doors to our rooms had all been kicked in with muddy boots.
The police report took over two hours. I don`t think I got to bed before 2 a.m. that night.

[cheeseandegg]

Poland is the safest country I've visited in Europe. If you are from England, the US or any big city in Ireland, Scotland or Wales then you'll find Poland to be extremely safe. Poles will tell you that crime is a problem but they haven't experienced the UK or USA!

Even as a foreigner you are very safe. Burglary rates are very low, muggings and assaults are also very low. Car crime is a problem especially so for foreigners.

[paulmanser]

I found the central railway station to be dodgy in Warsaw.

There is one thing that makes me iffy though and thats alot of graffiti in Poland including on Torun university. In the UK/USA graffiti area means trouble and ROUGH and Poland is the norm near enough eevrywhere. Just off putting thats all. Certianly wont put me off Poland. The only reason WHY im heading their is friends.

[Pollux]

[gregoryfromcali]

[biffinbridge]

Don't really get where you're coming from Mr.Fomcali as I haven't lived in England for over 12 years.I merely stated the fact that many of those under 30 are too young to have been moulded by communism.Waste of space eh?My ex-wife might agree but few others.
Getting back to the thing about safety....I agree with the post about Poland being safe.Petty theft is the only thing you really have to watch out for.I've been in and out of Poland since 95 and I've never been mugged but I have been robbed.I've lost several mobiles and the wallet twice in all that time.Usually it was cos I wasn't paying attention...ie was pished.
As for the loser/stunning girlfriend jibe...there was actually an article about that in the Guardian a while back.I think anyone who's been here more than a few months can't fail to be astounded by the Delboy dates Keira Knightly phenomenon.I'm not complaining.ha ha.
I'll stick by what I said though;For the large part,Poles are rude,they don't smile enough and they are not honest when it comes to money. This isn't an anti foreign thing,it's the way they are with everyone.(That said,I have a few good Polish friends.)

[simon_porter00]

agree and disagree with biffinbridge here:

yes Polish people genrally have a problem with smiling, especially my missus' father who seems to think its some kind of sport to look as miserable as possible in photo's.
Mind you offer them a shot of vodka and that changes.

Generally speaking as someone who has extensive family in Poland and been in and out of Poland for the last few years it can be difficult 'adjusting' to Poles. Yes, some of them will try to gain from you but then again how easy it to say No? UK/USA people will have a problem in refusing people 'cos its not in our nature and we feel we may offend the other person. Rest assured, due to x years of communism Polish people don't have that worry. Yes, Polish people are demanding but then they work hard and have lived through adversity so expect people to have the same expectations/desire as them.

However, a Pole is a good friend, who will do anything for you and offer unrivalled hospitality. Should any of you people going to Poland be lucky enough to go round for dinner with a Polish persons family, take a small gift and you'll have a great time

[gregoryfromcali]

Double Post

[gregoryfromcali]

Alright, fair enough.

I agree there are some miserable Poles out there.

Complaining is a national sport for some and if they can't find something to complain about then they'll find something to worry about.

I actually remember one of my students telling me she wanted to become pessimist because she thought it was cool.

But saying that I do believe there are lots of exceptions, but unfortunately complaining and worrying seems to be the "choosen" language a number of Poles.

I remember someone once saying, "In England every conversation starts with a comment about the weather, in Poland every conversation starts with a complaint."

Yes, Poles have their bad habits too and some more than others. But I don't think they're anymore dishonest than people anywhere else. I just think you may run things on ocassion like people trying to short change you, demanding more from their English teachers and not paying for the next round because their wages are so low. But what can you expect when some people are making 5zl an hour?

I realize that communism is a thing of the past, but the effects of almost half a century of it aren't going to disappear over night.

Besides at the end of the day, birds of a feather flock together. So if you don't like the people you find yourself around, maybe it's not Poland maybe it's you.

[philobedo]

Clearly some of you have had some bad experiences but writing off 'Poles' as dishonest, miserable or unfriendly is totally over the top.

Yeah most people in shops aren't friendly like you would find in the UK for example. Yeah there are some arseholes about, some gold-diggers, some users. But that doesn't mean most Poles and it's certainly not the ones I know. I've found Poles to be as least as, if not more generous, more willing to do you a favour than Brits on the whole.

They're not just a nation out for what they can get from you. Let's keep things in perspective.

[Khrystene]