Job Discussion Forums

[dynow]

that is a really strange avatar.

i "could give a million answers" to what you just wrote, but i'll stick to the highlights.

[Khrystene]

I do know the difficulties of leaning the language... and I know that many MANY expats are lazy and point blank refuse to learn it.

[Khrystene]

[echidna_of_doom]

I could see it being difficult to work in Poland if one is a 28-year-old ordinary-looking non-Polish woman. It is definitely one of many cultures which seem to require women to "settle down" in their 20s. That being said, I had a swell time in Krakow as a 21-year-old American (who was/is neither slovenly, loud, tatooed, or uncooth). I don't think the typical obnoxious American is readily excepted by anyone abroad - except by his English counterpart . I met Polish men to which the "dull" stereotype applied, and men who defied it. Of course, we have individuals, they have "culture", no?

Funny thing, though...I went to a Flogging Molly (celtic/punk) concert in Prague and the gender ratio was almost all male (mostly Czech, German, and Polish). Has anyone gone to a rock show in Poland and had a similar experience?

[dynow]

define, "learned Polish".

can they turn on a news channel or sit amongst a group of polish natives and understand everything that is being said, and respond back in correct grammar, at a normal speaking pace?

that's what I call someone who has "learned a language."

in my experience, when polish people tell me, "oh yeah, I know someone who speaks great Polish, you should meet them!.....".......once I meet them, they're nothing more than an advanced beginner, no concept of grammar.

polish people tell others all the time how well I speak Polish, but in actuality, my polish is still very weak, pre-intermediate at best.

i think for most polish people, just hearing someone who is not Polish so much as string together a 6 word sentence, good grammar or not, appears to be such an accomplishment for them that they greatly exaggerate how much someone can actually speak polish.

[dynow]

i don't care if it's Santa Clause, it's still a weird, and enormous avatar.

[Khrystene]

[sharter]

I met my ex-wife in Bournemouth in 95 and then went to Poland (Poznan). On arrival I was absolutely stunned by what I saw. I spent the next 3 years living the life of Riley, partying like a loon and taking full advantage of just about every Polish chick that was game on. Got the missus up the spout in 98, then did the decent thing. We made a go of it , but finally split in 2003.

Now aged 39 and still spending a lot of time in Poland every year, I've come to the following general conclusions;

-Polish women do look really good.
-Polish women are schemers.
-Polish women can get really boring once the' what am I doing here?' factor has waned.
-Polish women are materialistic.
-Fidelity in Poland is like a joke word.
-Polish women are programmed to get pregnant by a certain age, which isn't that advanced.
-Polish women get cheated on like hell by Polish blokes, which screws them up a bit and turns them into neurotic nutters.
-Polish women are conservative in the sack, but easy to get into it.
-POLISH WOMEN LIKE FOREIGN MEN BECAUSE THEY/WE ARE DIFFERENT.
-The language is a bstard and there are no decent books to help you learn it.
The whole country is now poor value for money.
-The situation with small change is laughable.
-The winters are shite.
-It was better in the 90's.
-Western female EFL teachers get blown away by the competition. I mean who wants and arsey, right on, Dr Martins and wooly jumper clad munter, when they can have someone who looks like a classy porn star every weekend:) ?

[Glenlivet]

[Khrystene]

[Khrystene]

... except I don't wear Docs, I wear Connies nowadays.

As Maanam sing: Żądzą Pieniądza.

[sharter]

Look...I'm not trying to be a devil's advocate or anything like that. It's just that people who interview for Gulf jobs and don't mention money are like expat blokes in Polska who don't mention women and Poland in the same sentence.

I truly believe that every lad who stays in gloomy old Polska is there for the totty as the beer ain't that cheap anymore. Americans will try and tell you that they're there cos some great grandad came from Skierniewice or something, but it's all bull. Every man I know in Poland is there because of a woman or because he can regularly get serviced by a hottie. Now that Ryan Air and Easy Jet have pitched up, yep you're right, expat blokes are gradually losing any pulling power they once had....ie it ain't so easy now.....but it's still much easier than in the UK/US. Me, I'm just a 'Shallow Hal'...I'll be honest about it. However, I am tired of having to talk to some Polish hottie all night just to get in there. I mean, most of them haven't exactly been anywhere or done anything...except for the odd one that's been to Wolverhampton for a year's work experience on a farm or the local 'Iceland'..

As for the OP about expat women and Poland......those who stay are extraordinary it must be said. And please don't mention 'Polish chivalry'....it's a freakin myth. The Polish blokes I know jump from girl to girl, think nothing of going to night clubs, leaving her indoors, well....indoors. Look about the bars and see the number of men on dates going to the bar separately. Unless the word chivalry now means devious dull and mean that is. The weird female expat stereotype is the one who leaves England for a year as some sort of test for her established relationship. She gets abused in Poland and decides that the English/US fella waiting at home ain't that bad after all. He of course is none the wiser.

Most EFL people I meet are weird, backstabbing,loser misfits or have otherwise underachieved, like myself. Polish girls don't get this. I've wondered for years how we've all got away with it again and again. In terms of salary I'm a TEFL star, but that's like being a Swiss navy admiral. Like everyone on this board, I'm a loser. Enough!UK men stay for tail and women for other reasons, but that's rare. As for Polish women? Well, as Jonny Thunder once sang;'All women are mad'. Nowhere is that truer than in Poland, where Rodney Trotter meets Angelina Jolie and somehow, for a while, it works. Angelina then goes off to marry someone her dad approves of and you ,Rodney go on to spend years boring your pals back home about all the poontang you were getting as an EFL teacher in Poland. Odd thing is, your mates don't believe you as they've spent years gawking at Lara from accounts' bum as she's done the photocopying in the office....that's as far as their imaginations have managed to wander. They also know that you're a cheese for becoming a TEFL teacher in the first place.

Another thing is that Polish women like really bad expat musicians who are in bands and people who sing. What's that all about?. I remember when just knowing the words made you a star in any woman's eyes in Polska.

Back to the op and English/expat women.When I worked for that trashy outfit IH back in 96..there was one funny trend:it was the old, female TEFL teacher and the very young (just happy to be getting it) thing that was going on. Both the DOS and the Business English Coordinator (she wore a tie) had boyfriends under 19. Meanwhile 2 of the blokes had girlfriends under 16.

Rambling now so bye.

[Glenlivet]

[Harry from NWE]

[Khrystene]