Job Discussion Forums

[Glenlivet]

I'm new to this forum and have been reading some of the threads with interest. I thought I might give my tuppence worth - please forgive any faux pas I might commit.

I've now lived in Poland, working with my wife teaching English, for three years. We spent the first two years working in Gliwice (the heart of industrial Poland, such a healthy place to live!) and are currently living and working in a small town in Malapolskie. Background given, main points to follow.

People. Generally Polish students are great, keen to learn and, with a few notable exceptions, polite and well behaved in class. These same polite, intelligent and reasonably sane people undergo some sort of non surgical lobotomy when seated in a motor vehicle. Never underestimate the ability of a Polish driver to create havoc and potentially lethal mayhem out of an everyday driving situation.

Food. Grey meat butchered in ways incomprehensible to the average Brit. There are only three things I miss being away from the UK, proper pubs, English newspapers and decent meat. Not only is the food generally unappetizing garbage, it is more expensive than real food in other countries.

Beer. Unlike other contributors, I quite like Zywiec and even Tyskie isn't too bad. Lech, however, gives me the most intense hangover which generally begins after the first drink. If you want the cafe culture lifesyle, i.e. sitting in the Rynek in the sun, be prepared to pay for the privilege. A small backstreet pub charges half what trendier places charge. For this reason alone I would hate to live in Krakow.

Service. Generally abysmal. I agree with all the comments about small change. The Poles (I don't consider this a disrespectful word) are completely anal about getting the correct change. Paying by card is the easiest way around this. Security guards in shops are a pain in the backside. Give an Eastern European a uniform and they immediately turn into Hitler's favourite nephew/niece. I've never had the intimidation of some other contributors, if they give me any undue attention I politely tell them to F off, first in English then, if necessary, in Polish (beggars get the same treatment, especially the aggressive teenage ones). Please do not try this unless you are 15 stone, tattooed, earringed and shaven headed This appearance has never been a problem when working although I do wear a suit for interviews! Service in restaurants varies from abysmal to acceptable. The problem is that Polish customers don't complain, they accept crap service as a national tradition.

Tolerance. Or lack of it. If you don't conform to Polish norms then you are probably in for a hard time. I drive an English car (i.e. wheel on the "wrong" side) and I sometimes think I've grown an extra head or turned green. I don't know about the more cosmopolitan cities, Krakow, Warsaw etc. but in the bits of Poland I've lived in being black, gay, Jewish or disabled wouldn't be much fun.

Language. Horrible to learn (I haven't really bothered apart from survival Polish) but not really a problem to be honest. Hungarian is a much nicer language and easier IMHO, at least it has a few vowels to ease the pronunciation. Polish friends help out when absolutely necessary (i.e. dealing with the heavyweight bureaucracy) but day to day living is pretty easy.

Cost of living. Huge increases in the last three years have left Poland as one of the most expensive countries to live in. Almost everything is cheaper in the UK, especially second hand cars which are half the price of Polish deathtraps (wrecks are bought from Germany, nailed back together and sold as genuine). We live pretty well, both working and earning 10-12000pln. The fluctuating exchange rate doesn't help us too much though.

Other stuff. To the guy who is planning to move out here after a few short visits - frustration in Poland is a slow, cumulative process, a bit like dripping tap torture. What starts off as "quaint" eventually becomes infuriating. I've now reached the end of my sanity and will depart this country for good when my current contract expires. Whinging is not in my nature, if a place doesn't suit you, get out. To the gentleman who wants to come and live here "on the social"- Plenty of bridges to sleep under, food might be more of a problem. Please don't try begging from me - see above. Social security is intended to stop people from starving while they find work, not as a convenient way of traveling around Europe. This sort of abuse is one of the reasons I quit the UK, We were sick of paying a fortune in tax and national insurance to keep idle people in luxury. This is one Western idea that hasn't taken root here, thank God.

If you're thinking of coming to work in Poland, come with low expectations and an open mind. You are likely to be pleasantly surprised. We've cut our teaching teeth here and the country has been good to us. The time has come, however, to find somewhere more civilized in culture, cuisine and climate.

[Jack Walker]

Very interesting post!

I don't undersatnd how anyone can drink Zywiec;but that topic's been beaten to death.

I also stare at your crazy British cars when I see them.You have to admit that the wheel is on the wrong side! I always shout,"hey no one is driving that car in front of us!!"

Most of the world drives on the right and sits on the left.

[Glenlivet]

[hrvatski]

So I take it you're from Australia, are you going to move back there / what are your thoughts about Australia?

[Glenlivet]

English, not Australian although I have been round Aus twice, once on a motorbike and once in a camper van. I love the place and would move there tomorrow if they'd have me

Fantastic people, food, scenery and WEATHER!

There is a TEFL scene there although they are very strict about qualifications and the country is already full of native speakers! At my age (46) my only chance is to win the lottery which seems somewhat of a longshot.

[Mike_2007]

[hrvatski]

[Glenlivet]

[Glenlivet]

[Harry from NWE]

[bfrog]

[Richfilth]

[bfrog]

[anospi]

[Glenlivet]

Did you notice that both me AND my wife work? This is a dual income - always better than a single as the cost of living isn't double but the salary is.