Should Polish immigrants learn English to work in the UK?

Because that would be a violation of very basic EU rules...

these things can be easily picked up - if they wish to. How can our culture be enriched by other cultures though if those moving here follow our ways of life? Really, there are too many styles of living to actually collate us all together anyway in that way, as Osiol points out.

what??? what rules are these, are you going to throw the human rights book at me, are you another softly softly approach guy?? pat everybody on the head and let them through, no matter what :)

There doesn't seem to be much availability of English courses, even for those who want it.
Especially for people working shifts at odd hours or having one job in the daytime, another in the evening.


Not human rights - EU rights.

Well I do. There's a real harm in people who have no interest in even learning the language. Why shouldn't you learn the language if you have every intention of staying here in the long term. Imagine yourself in Poland long term, without knowing much Polish.



I reckon Admin edited the title...

Who could this affect but yourself though?

i.e I don't see who, other than the people in quesiton who are not wishing to learn, it affects


I see! lol

Anyone you were trying to communicate with?

thats a fair point but how about learning some before you get here :)
then you can learn the rest by speaking with english people, thats what some of my Polish friends did and others took the courses that you mentioned.

Torny, really... Didn't they tell you to wear a helmet when you were a kid ?

not my flavour of the month :)


if you were working in poland it could affect the people you are working for, with and serving :)


i totally agree dolly you've got my backing even though you don't need it :)


what ever they are they are nonsense :(

Tornado1066, you can work in any EU country.

You don't legally need to learn the language.

it's not really a problem to that person though - is it? It won't matter if you can't understand what the person was trying to say, it would only matter to them for they won't get what they want/need. If that was the case, they would maybe be encouraged to learn. Otherwise, if they are living happily without knowing the language...?

to me its not a matter of legal or non legal its principal, it just makes things more difficult for the individual themselves and everybody else around them who dosen't happen to speak the obscure language of a former soviet state for example :)

Yes good late edit. Still my original answer remains. If you don't know the native language of the country you are living in then communication, even at the very basic, affects those who you wish to communicate with.

Ah -well I don't know about over there, but in my job you must pass a basic literacy and numeracy test (and supposedly have certain grades) to be accepted into the job. If it is the same case there- the employer would not have to hire me! That would be incentive for me to learn - but really does not affect the employer if they need not hire me. I don't know if this is the case here, but I say it in point of the case where I am, in reverse situation. It would still only be the perosn unwilling to learn it would affect for the boss would just not hire them.

thats half of my point, if you can't understand anybody how are you going to get a job, on the other side of the coin you may be very skilled but cannot be employed due to lack of language skills :)

yeah the edit wasn't placed to change my meaning, only to add to it so I did not make a new post which would have meant waiting longer

only if they wish to communicate with you - I only see it as those (who won't learn) who are losing out

I agree with the principle that you should learn the language of the country you live in to a certain degree.

I couldn't live in another country without having some knowledge of the language spoken there.
I would expect to need it.

Many Poles in the UK only work with other Poles and find that learning English is not essential for earning money.
You can't force them to learn English.
There can't be legislation made to that effect.
The UK does, however, put too many resources into providing translations for just about everything - for non-English speakers, including those not from the EU; and not enough into providing English language courses.

Alright, let me bring up something I vowed I wouldn't , my profession. Lets just say I decide to go to Poland at the end of the year and work in my field of palliative care - ok. I know fine well my command of the Polish language is poor, very poor actually. But I'll go in December or January. My first week in a terminal ward and I meet a seventy-odd year old Polish lady who is suffering like hell from a disease. She's trying to tell me, in Polish, what is wrong with her and how much pain she is in...but I can't understand her (she doesn't speak English because she's never been out of Poland and this is her country). How is this acceptable that I can't understand her because I haven't bothered to learn Polish well enough?

I know many might find this extreme but it's an example. It can be swapped to someone from Poland who speaks no English coming to Britain and ending up in hospital. How can they explain how they feel?

no you can't but you should be in control whether they enter the country or not :)


there could be its just that the people in brussels are soft a you know what :)


spot on, sod the translations and spend the money on language schools and classes for people to learn the queens english

then that may act as your incentive - I've expressed that I think it would benefit the person to learn it, for it is they who will suffer if not. Or perhaps they don't need to if they have the luxury of not needing a job where they have to know english (i.e no need for a job at all [[lucky, and I don't see it, or perhaps they have someone who pays their way]], or some job which would not require knwoing - don't ask me what, but a lot of people in my job, who must have passed that test, seem to have learned the job through being shown instead of knowing what the word for things are)

I know that you'd rather not be in the EU, but we are in.


One has come from Poland.
So what to you do?

That is different - you know that to do your job you have to have a command over the language to do it properly if you live there. That is more to do with job-requirements for another country rather than entry requirements.
I know the title of the thread before it is pointed out, but people here are speaking in terms of entry so...

i don't really care about the individual, i care about those who have to suffer when they need something done, like in hospital, shopping centres, everyday situations where they need to communicate, my goodness even on a bus.


thats all well and good them learning a job through watching and learning, having a job is not my point, my point is being able to communicate and live with those around them.

what under EU law or under my revised immigration laws?? :)

Somewhat.

What I also know is that to live in another country, regardless of career, I must have a command of that language.

Do you seriously think it's acceptable to begin a life in another country (a country in which you would presume to make your life and living) without having a basic grasp of the language?

Tornado(number), have you worked with monolingual Polish speakers?

It is possible.

I'm not saying that they shouldn't learn English,
but their not speaking English does not make it impossible.

But you know that many of them could do better for themselves if they could.

your right to work you don't have to speak english but to be part of britain you should :)


exactly

maybe they do - with other people who speak their language. Not all Brits speak to those around them, you get poeple who don't speak to others at all and they do speak the same language!

and that is why they should learn the language - but that is on their own heads, they must know the risk if they do not learn it, it is still they who it will affect. I feel it would be better, and I like Osiol's point where more money should be put into classes for it

I don't find it sensible - but acceptable yes. As it seems does the EU