Job Discussion Forums

[sharter]

I was in the UK last week and am in Poland now. The prices are very similar.....very scary on a TEFL salary.

[hrvatski]

I'm sure for all the patient TEFL'ers Poland will turn out to be a great choice and you'll all be rolling in the Euros come... 2050... bwahahahahaha

[Zarny]

Even though i love Poland i cannot see it being better than living in Australia. At least i can see the sun in winter:) I lived in Poland for 3 years and managed to do pretty well but at the end of the day it got to depressing for me, weather, sluzba zdrowia which is a shocker etc...
Sharter always writes negative comments about Poland but i tend to agree with most of his posts but my life did not evolve around money so that wasn't an issue for me to live in Poland.
It was tough to leave but definitely the right decision. Im pretty sure hrvatski you are from oz and im sure you would agree. Couldn't be bothered going on and on but Poland is not for everyone. Maybe just for holidays. Even with adopting the euro Poland will never be a Germany, England, Australia or Usa.
Dobranoc

[sharter]

I don't think only negative things about Poland. There are many things I like ie the nature, the war history, the chicks, vodka and the cafe culture. I just fail to see how anyone can live here on a TEFL salary and do normal stuff like buy a house and have kids unless they have previous wealth or the Polish side of the family provides the flat. I was just pointing out in the OP that the place is crazy expensive for going out, which afterall is what most teachers tend to do. In fact, pub food in the UK is cheaper as are shorts. Flat prices in Poz haven't gone down despite this world crisis and come the footy hordes in 2012 and the Euro.....Jesus, I hate to think about it. I'm beginning to think that Poles are thin cos they can't afford to eat properly!!

[justflyingin]

[Jack Walker]

Mr.Sharter doesn't write negative comments,he simply writes truthful ones.

I like it here and have been here since late 2003, but when my contract is up in June,it's hasta la vista.This time it's for real. I simply can't afford to stay here anymore and when you get down to the brass tacks,the chicks are simply eye candy with serious psychological issues going on behind the scenes.

Time to move on and start over for me.

6-7 years ago,it was a ball to be here.Wads of cash and relatively reasonable prices.Well the times have changed.

[sharter]

I think it's fair to point out that I have a son in Poland fast approaching his teenage years. Anything, well-made/imported costs a bomb. Then there's the holiday issue. Now that I'm divorced, I have to come here, but I need a Middle East salary to do it.

I've been here 1 week and spent about 1000 pounds (GBP). Hotels are simply madness now. Just about everywhere I've been people have tried to keep my change and beg smokes. As usual going out with Poles is a one-sided round buying affair.

I agree that it's becoming unworkable for most EFL teachers......it's just what I see from my increasingly skint bunch of mates.

I will continue to come here as I've made a commitment to my son. You can't put a price on that.

[Jack Walker]

Yeah,I know what you mean.I spent last Saturday in Krakow with my female friend, and ended up spending 250zl for dinner,coffee and a few drinks in a pub at night. My 250 ml glass of guinness set me back 14zl....lol:)

[Zarny]

Yes Sharter does write truthful comments and as i said i agree with most of them. You can live ok in Poland and make good money if you are smart enough and try hard enough.
I will miss Poland and its culture and its mountains and its chicks:) when i first came here for a holiday in 2000, the girls blew me away. Ended up marrying as well and have a beautiful 3 year old girl now and that was a big part of me returning to oz. Just simply a better life here in oz.
Regarding skinny girls, most of them weren't brought up to eat fast food all the time and simply most cannot afford to buy it anyway. But its changing i think maybe in 10 to 20 years they maybe less appealing?
Good luck to all who will spend the rest of their lives here.

[dynow]

i still feel that the salaries here for a smart TEFL'er aren't half bad.......if you plan on leaving eventually. for someone planning to live here for a few years, get some experience, travel, etc., the salary isn't bad.

having a pair of kids and a wife, buying a car that was built in the 90's or later (2 cars....you will both need to work) along with an apt. bigger than a shoe box or heaven forbid a house somewhere.....no way.

i have my sights set on a house in America next year, 150-170 sq. meters, less than ten years old....and it is literally worth the same amount of money as my 50 sq. meter flat here in Wroclaw.

something is just wrong with that.

[hrvatski]

[lundjstuart]

[hrvatski]

[Jack Walker]

Well the streets and sidewalks/pavements have a big problem with dog feces everywhere.

It is one of the nasty things about life here.

Mind you,it is a lot better than it was 6-7 years ago.When I first came here, I would step into dog turds at least once a day!

A few years ago,I knew an older guy from California who would always come to work roaring about how he had just stepped into dog poop again.He had the stuff permanently attached to his shoes.

[bookishbloke]

Sharter, because the pound has devalued by about a third in recent years, I assumed that a zloty salary would be worth more against the pound. I think the zloty is pegged against the euro. I know the euro is weak at the moment too, but a pound here in Britain still only buys you about 1.11 euros. A few years ago that would have been at least 1.45. How are prices in Poland at the moment, are there marked regional variations?