Polish is a hard language to learn on your own, esp. if you are starting w/no skill/fluency at all, have no Polish heritage and did not grow up around Polish speakers. You will need in-person "feedback" and guidance, to help with accent, syllable stress, etc.
Some ideas:
Check with The British Council group. They may be able to give you referrals to locals/native speakers who can help you. Sometimes they have lists of local staff or volunteers who give Polish lessons in exchange for English conversation sessions.
Church groups from the US and the UK, often Protestant church groups run by missionary families, offer religious services in Polish and English. I have heard of a Pole who learned English by sitting thru both services every Sunday, for one year. Try it in reverse and maybe pick up Polish this way!
Ask at your consulate or embassy: they often have notice boards with people looking to give Polish lessons in exchange for English and they may also have a lending library, which might include cd sets for language learning. It may be free to UK citizens to use. And local consular staff, ie: native Poles, often work in the library and in outreach services and may be able to help you.
Krakow has had for 20 years a group called The English Language Club. It meets once per week, for 2 hrs, for 2 pln pr visit. People just randomly show up to join in and conversation pairs form from there. Not just English is spoken, but French, German, etc. There are many regulars there who can advise you. They may not have such a group in your city but if not, why not start a group of this kind on your own?!
Try posting at MeetUp.com for language groups/casual help groups in your city. Maybe you can sign up to join an arts or soccer or beer drinkers group, meet a native Pole who shares your interest and learn Polish from them as you craft, work or play together.
Rosetta Stone Polish is great for beginners, IMHO--at least for me it was. I'm an American, w/no Polish heritage/experience. Yes, the grammar gets messed up BUT as Polish is such a difficult language for all non-Slavics to pick up, you will mess up the grammar anyway, for a long, long time, even taking paid lessons. I say use whatever tools you can get your hands on.
Instant Immersion also makes decent cd sets, very cheap compared to the Rosetta series--and Amazon.DE and Amazon.UK carry both of these. Both also ship here to Poland, but it's pricey to do that. So ask a friend or family member to bring them over to you, or pick them up on your next trip home.
If you have never learned Latin or French and do not understand gender and declension issues, try a language program of this type out first just to see how easily you do get it, before you spend the cash.
Gumtree ads online for your city often display ads for language lessons and free exchanges. Occasionally a seller may also offer used copies of language CDs.
And don't forget to try Allegro.pl and ebay.pl if you can get a friend to help you decipher the sites.
Good luck!
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