How good is your Polish Trevek?
Not great. I do have a few contacts who are researching this stuff too.
My wife does the occasional translation for me.
We taught them their ways :)
Indeed. There's a great wee book called "Agents of Change" about 19th Century Scots brought over by Polish szlachta to help reform the farming and factory systems.
amazon.com/Agents-Change-Scots-Poland-1800-1918/dp/1862320810
You're just creating a bad circle and teaching the youngsters that it's ok to move abroad to find a better "life". Most of the cases they wont find anything at all, and if they do find something it wont be anything that they were educated for in Poland.
Interesting, because that is what many Scots did in Poland. A large number emigrated and found success, a lot didn't and many died. Still, it is interesting hearing an American speak like this when this is a country built on migrants energy and 'pioneer spirit' (I'm not having a dig, I'm serious).
The problem in Poland is that many people cannot find jobs which they have been educated for and even if they do, the pay is appalling. I was offered a job (20 hours p/w) in a state school and the pay was not even 4 Euroes an hour as a 'beginning' teacher. In UK or Ireland I could get around twice that working in McD's. My daily bus fare would be about an hour's wages.
Like they wont struggle in the UK? you ain't even paying them fair wages...
They get paid at least a minimum wage. In fact, it is now the British who 'aint even paid a decent wage' because the migrant labour has driven the wages down in a lot of areas.
On the other hand, villages where I live in Poland have high unemployment, little chance of work, little access to higher education, high alcoholism and social problems and cases of teenage pregnancy, three/four generations living in one flat on the pensions of the grandparents.
Guess a stinky flat in UK and a daily wage, child benefit and potential for free education is a bit of a come down, isn't it?
Another Link.
The list of names in the last 6 documents might be of interest.
electricscotland.com/history/prussia/index.htm