How many English native speakers in Poland?

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jan 15, 11, 15:12 #1
Does anyone know how many natvie speakers of Polish are currently residing in Poland? Even a rough estimate would be appreciated? Has the number grown significantly over the past two decades? It there a steady increase or has it levelled off or even begun to recede?

terriThreads: 1 Posts: 385 Joined: May 3, 09 ♀	Jan 15, 11, 15:17 #2
English native speakers approx 45,000 number has grown significantly over the last 5 years still increasing

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,385 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Jan 15, 11, 15:18 #3
Polonius3: Has the number grown significantly over the past two decades? Without doubt. Polonius3: It there a steady increase or has it levelled off or even begun to recede? Based on this forum alone, I would say " increasing"

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jan 15, 11, 23:00 #4
45,000 sounds plausible countrywide. Few years ago I heard there were 10,000 or so in Warsaw alone. That probably figures because the ratio is undoubtedfly much lower in Jelenia Góra, Łomża or Sanok, innit?

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Jan 15, 11, 23:06 #5
Lots more Brits and Irish have moved over with wives since the big Polish immigration. Guessing that growth might start to drop off.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Jan 15, 11, 23:37 #6
It's hard to believe these numbers, 21000 Americans in Warsaw? 18000 in Cracow? http://www.overseasdigest.com/amcit_nu2.htm

saschaThreads: 13 Posts: 3,850 Joined: Jun 10, 10 ♂	Jan 15, 11, 23:37 #7
terri: English native speakers approx 45,000 number has grown significantly over the last 5 years still increasing Any explanations? Just work? Family connections? convex: Guessing that growth might start to drop off. Why that? Back in UK it's also not that nice, to be polite... ;-)

TeffleThreads: 28 Posts: 2,105 Joined: Aug 26, 10 ♂	Jan 15, 11, 23:43 #8
sascha: Why that? Back in UK it's also not that nice, to be polite... ;-) Fewer wives available to go there with more likely : )

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08 ♂	Jan 16, 11, 00:33 #9
I think you need to distinguish between people sent for a couple of months or years by some multi-national (and who don't interact much with the local population except to order people around), those for other kinds of short term goals and long term residents who actually live in normal Polish reality.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Jan 16, 11, 02:14 #10
convex: Lots more Brits and Irish have moved over with wives since the big Polish immigration. Guessing that growth might start to drop off. Especially once the marriages start breaking up - especially the ones who have gone to rural areas. I've already heard of several marriages having broken up in a rather nasty way.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Jan 16, 11, 02:55 #11
delphiandomine: Especially once the marriages start breaking up Why are the marriages breaking up? The Brits "are Slavs" just like the Poles (anyway according to this forum), so the mentality shouldn't be a problem. What is it then?

♂ [Suspended]

Edited by: delphiandomine Jan 16, 11, 02:58 #12

guesswho:

Why are the marriages breaking up? The Brits "are Slavs" just like the Poles (anyway according to this forum), so the mentality shouldn't be a problem. What is it then?

Oh, many reasons. One big problem is that the average Brit can't find himself too well here - the language isn't easy, there's not much call for them and the winters are much harsher - as well as much warmer summers.

One couple I know broke up after the Polish mother-in-law kept interfering to the point of driving the Brit mad. And don't forget - it's not exactly easy to go from earning (for instance) 500 euro a week to earning 750 euro a month.

The problem very often is that the Brit is only going because the wife wants to. It's not a good recipe for success, at all.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Jan 16, 11, 03:01 #13
delphiandomine: One big problem is that the average Brit can't find himself too well here - the language isn't easy, there's not much call for them and the winters are much harsher - as well as much warmer summers. So you can't even depend on the Slavic blood connection anymore, that's sad.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Jan 16, 11, 03:38 #14
guesswho: So you can't even depend on the Slavic blood connection anymore, that's sad. What Slavic blood connection? Brits are Germanic, Celtic or Nordic.

guesswhoThreads: 23 Posts: 3,326 Joined: Mar 17, 10 ♀	Jan 16, 11, 03:42 #15
delphiandomine: What Slavic blood connection? Well, Crow and few others here have provided some "facts" on PF about the Slavic blood connection, practically allover Europe. Hey, I don't know, I'm just "learning" here. Do you think that the Chinese might have some Slavic blood in them too?

♂

Edited by: cms Jan 16, 11, 12:17 #16

mafketis:

I think you need to distinguish between people sent for a couple of months or years by some multi-national (and who don't interact much with the local population except to order people around), those for other kinds of short term goals and long term residents who actually live in normal Polish reality.

I would say the people here with multinationals are actually much more welcome - they provide jobs, expertise, informal language training and spend lots in the bars and restaurants they frequent.

The people who have moved over since 2004 to be with the wives they met working as chambermaids and farmhands in the UK are quite different - mostly unqualified with little prospects apart from teaching TEFL, generally poor at Polish language, no spare cash and very naive about Poland.

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Jan 16, 11, 12:31 #17

cms:

The people who have moved over since 2004 to be with the wives they met working as chambermaids and farmhands in the UK are quite different - mostly unqualified with little prospects apart from teaching TEFL, generally poor at Polish language, no spare cash and very naive about Poland.

Indeed, it's actually a point that I don't know any TEFL teachers who are actually actively taking Polish lessons. I was talking about this to my Polish teacher just on Friday - that many foreigners just don't have the will to actually learn.

I notice quite a few people on here are posting about moving to Eastern Poland and building a house with their wife - these are such obvious candidates for divorce down the line, and I think many of them have little idea of what they're getting into.

♂

Edited by: hague1cmaeron Jan 16, 11, 12:36 #18

delphiandomine:

as well as much warmer summers.

Surely that can't be a very big problem(:

delphiandomine:

I notice quite a few people on here are posting about moving to Eastern Poland and building a house with their wife - these are such obvious candidates for divorce down the line, and I think many of them have little idea of what they're getting into.

Some will fail, and some will succeed, was always thus and thus will be.

Migrating to any country isn't easy, even if it is English speaking.

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Jan 16, 11, 12:51 #19

hague1cmaeron:

Surely that can't be a very big problem(:

Oh it is ;) It leaves you absolutely lifeless in summer!

hague1cmaeron:

Migrating to any country isn't easy, even if it is English speaking.

Without a doubt. Moving to a big city is easy enough - like from Poznan, you're about 70 minutes by train away from Germany. But moving to a village in Eastern Poland - nice places to visit, but I can imagine the feeling of being trapped could happen very quickly.

♂

Jan 16, 11, 14:55 #20

delphiandomine:

Oh it is ;) It leaves you absolutely lifeless in summer!

I understand the only way to recoup is to sit on the main square, hide behind your shades, drink a cold one and watch the local talent strut their stuff in front of you. In fact I know of one American in Warsaw that refuses to go on vacation during the months of June to September. He parks himself on Nowy Swiat and the rest is history.

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 ♂ [Suspended]	Jan 16, 11, 15:34 #21
warszawski: In fact I know of one American in Warsaw that refuses to go on vacation during the months of June to September. He parks himself on Nowy Swiat and the rest is history. Summer weekends are one of my favourite times in Warsaw. The city empties out as tens of thousands of people try to kill each other on the roads to the sea and the lakes.

♂

Jan 16, 11, 15:36 #22

Polonius3:

45,000 sounds plausible countrywide. Few years ago I heard there were 10,000 or so in Warsaw alone. That probably figures because the ratio is undoubtedfly much lower in Jelenia Góra, Łomża or Sanok, innit?

I think the numbers simply come from the regional Immigration Offices; one in Warsaw, one in Krakow. I have no idea whether there are other such government offices in, say, TriCity or Wroclaw, but I imagine a Brit finding himself in Swidnik or Zamosc will have to submit papers to an office which forwards them to Krakow to be processed, and in that way, it looks like there are 18,000 foreigners in that city, when they are in fact spread over the whole of Galicia.

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Jan 16, 11, 15:51 #23

Richfilth:

I think the numbers simply come from the regional Immigration Offices; one in Warsaw, one in Krakow. I have no idea whether there are other such government offices in, say, TriCity or Wroclaw, but I imagine a Brit finding himself in Swidnik or Zamosc will have to submit papers to an office which forwards them to Krakow to be processed, and in that way, it looks like there are 18,000 foreigners in that city, when they are in fact spread over the whole of Galicia.

No. That number of 18,000 Americans in Krakow comes from the US embassy in Warsaw (and may well explain why they maintain a consulate in Krakow). Also, a Brit in Zamosc or Swidnik would have his papers processed in Lublin.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,833 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jan 16, 11, 17:02 #24
Can anyone more or less reliably (?) guesstimate the breakdown of Americans in Poland: students, businessmen, professionals, diplomats, OAPs, others?

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 ♂ [Suspended]	Jan 16, 11, 17:03 #25
Polonius3: Can anyone more or less reliably (?) guesstimate the breakdown of Americans in Poland: students, businessmen, professionals, diplomats, OAPs, others? No: the figures for that wouldn't exist (other than the number of diplomats).

hague1cmaeronThreads: 21 Posts: 1,649 Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♂	Jan 17, 11, 06:03 #26
delphiandomine: Oh it is ;) It leaves you absolutely lifeless in summer! That is the way i would describe the weather here in Australia, 2-3 days straight of 40/Celsius is not all that unusual. At least the humidity is not that bad where I live, it is mostly associated with dry heat. I guess in Poland the humidity would be more of a problem.

convexThreads: 46 Posts: 7,185 Joined: Nov 25, 09 ♂	Jan 17, 11, 07:05 #27
Richfilth: I think the numbers simply come from the regional Immigration Offices They're from the people that voluntarily registered with the US embassy/consulate, 10 years ago. Most people don't bother.

hague1cmaeronThreads: 21 Posts: 1,649 Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♂	Edited by: hague1cmaeron Jan 17, 11, 08:10 #28
The last few years have been quite hot in Poland, with the temperature somewhere around 35 Celsius, and coupled with the humidity that must be quite a bad combination. But i guess that was the case for a lot of other European countries.

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