Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

My last visit to Poland was in December 1967/January 1968.

When I pay a visit next year - after 40 years - what changes will I see ?

[simon_porter00]

things that will be the same - customer service, the weather, no-one smiling
things that will be different - the variety of shops, macdonlads, kfc etc etc modern/ish buses (depending on where you go) a little bit of colour on buildings

[YakTamer]

[Richfilth]

The driving style is the same, but the Fiat 126p is now the Fiat 126p BIS.

[scot47]

When I was there the motorways all went in the wrong direction - towards Berlin.

[Harry from NWE]

[scot47]

One memory from that time is how terrible the Poles were at learning foreign languages.

[TwinCentre]

Even in the mere 2.5 years I have been here in Warsaw, I've seen a fair amount of changes...I get the feeling Warsaw really is on the move. Not all is for the better though, customer service is getting worse as all the good service people have gone off to UK.

[Kymro]

Scot, it would be really interesting if you were to write a long post describing Poland back then.

[bje]

[scot47]

It is not a question of resources. It is a question of will. I have taught in rural secondary schools in Africa where resources were extremely limited.
The level achieved by the students was higher than in the Middle East where the students have access to language labs, computer-assisted learning and every resource money can buy.

[bje]

[biffinbridge]

The Polish state education system is very good. As a consequence of this, Poles generally have good study skills. Combine these skills with motivation and you get good learners. Most Poles are hungry to get on in life and language skills enable them to do that. Polish english language students have been the best I have ever taught. Forget all the CALL and bollox from the ME, I'm in Saudi now....all that stuff is 'gimmickry'; all a motivated student needs is a good teacher, practice and good/relevant materials.

The sadness is that there's such a good time to be had in Polska that you have to come here, (Saudi), to pay for it all sometimes . I know salaries are good if you're prepared to do privates etc but god, life is expensive there now! I go to Poland 2 or 3 times a year as my son is Polish and cheap hotels are now in the 200zl /night bracket; 2 years ago they were about 80zl. Likewise, restaurants, clothes, electrical goods and house prices ae also crazy, not to mention the world's most expensive mobile phone tariffs. My ex-wife makes about 4,000 a month, lives at home and is really struggling but then again....ex-wives generally say that don't they?

[YakTamer]

I read a news item recently that stated that Warsaw is now the most expensive city in the world for buying electronic goods.

Not sure about that but I know I can get electronic kit, and clothes (!) much cheaper back in the UK than here in WaWa.

The rapidly appreciating currency, and rapidly rising domestic prices even in the superstrong Zloty (which should make stuff cheaper), are making Poland significantly more expensive, even compared to what it was a year ago (see the Zloty thread). It's not quite Switzerland yet, but a few more crazy years like the last and it won't be far off.

Apartment prices higher in Warsaw than Berlin and Vienna - something has to be wrong there.

Wages rose 11% last year across Poland... I'm guessing they didn't include English teachers in that! That statistic certainly seems to have escaped the attention of English schools, several of which I know actually tried cutting wages at the start of the new academic year (and I was told in two interviews in September that 'rates for English teachers had fallen')

Inflation is supposedly 3-3.5% but anything you care to buy seems to have gone up by at least 15% (another fact which seems to have escaped the attention of the schools).

[Harry from NWE]