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Moving to Poland (from the UK) to take a teaching position. Tips?

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posts: 34

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 3, 10, 21:55 #1
Cześć! I hope to be moving to Poland (just north of Warszawa) within the week to take a teaching post. Are there any legal/financial/bureaucratic things I should do before I go, or anything I should take with me, or anything at all may have forgotten about? Just general tips (especially from Brit expats) would be useful. Cheers/Dziękuję!

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Oct 3, 10, 22:36 #2
SidWolf: Are there any legal/financial/bureaucratic things I should do before I go, or anything I should take with me, or anything at all may have forgotten about? Take your EHIC card - that's quite useful :)

wildroverThreads: 180 Posts: 8,188 Joined: Jun 7, 07 ♂	Oct 3, 10, 22:47 #3
Learn some Polish...

espanaThreads: 40 Posts: 2,233 Joined: Feb 28, 07 ♂	Oct 3, 10, 22:51 #4
SidWolf: anything I should take with me, or anything at all may have forgotten about? that is going to be difficult , but make sure they dont rip you off

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 3, 10, 23:48 #5
delphiandomine: Take your EHIC card - that's quite useful :) Got it, cheers ;) wildrover: Learn some Polish... OK, przyjaciel :) espana: that is going to be difficult , but make sure they dont rip you off How should I go about doing that? What constitutes "being ripped off"? I need to know what to watch out for.

peter_olsztynThreads: 8 Posts: 760 Joined: Apr 18, 07 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 01:58 #6
SidWolf: or anything at all may have forgotten about? Take you favourite pills with you. Even we have zillion pharmacies per km^2 we don't have drugs such as in the UK. I know it because I was searching through pharmacies in Devon once and they have only the others ;)

hague1cmaeronThreads: 21 Posts: 1,654 Joined: Mar 30, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 03:13 #7
SidWolf: How should I go about doing that? What constitutes "being ripped off"? I need to know what to watch out for. Just ignore him he is just a Spanish troll with a serious inferiority complex.

Wroclaw BoyThreads: 57 Posts: 5,478 Joined: Jul 3, 09 MEMBER ♂	Oct 4, 10, 08:01 #8
SidWolf: or anything I should take with me Euro plug adapters come in handy for your laptop and stuff, inform your credit/debit card issuer that youre going abroad to avoid them flagging your card, ID other than passport, decent marmalade and some gravy powder.

alexw68	Oct 4, 10, 09:00 #9
Marmite.

♂

Oct 4, 10, 11:17 #10

Coming for the cold bit!! Walking boots, dont change money in GB its a crap rate theres millions of independent kantors here, if your changing big money take a Pole and haggle. Its ******** that Polands a crime ridden hole, GB is far more dangerous, friday night in ....... uk. Its generaly just annoying beggars in warsaw train station(nie mam, and keep walking) or leaving things unattended (take your bag to the bog on the train) There generaly isnt drunken bordome crime like GB, just petty opetunist for money. Being ripped off, check your change!. Good luck teaching .

♂

Oct 4, 10, 11:27 #11

peter_olsztyn:

Take you favourite pills with you. Even we have zillion pharmacies per km^2
we don't have drugs such as in the UK. I know it because I was searching through
pharmacies in Devon once and they have only the others ;)

Will do. I think that's more of an American thing than British though. We have the pharmaceuticals available, sure, but we don't have quite the same culture of heavy usage most Americans I've met do. At least, the only thing I ever take is the occasional paracetamol (usually alcohol-related).

Wroclaw Boy:

Euro plug adapters come in handy for your laptop and stuff, inform your credit/debit card issuer that youre going abroad to avoid them flagging your card, ID other than passport, decent marmalade and some gravy powder.

Got it, plenty of food (well the basics, herbs/spices, jam and the like, to avoid too much expenditure). Actually gonna close my account as soon as I get my tax rebate, so the credit card tip is appreciated, but not necessary. Will take driving license (a lot of jobs here would like one anyway, and I might well stay on after this contract finishes to find another). Cheers.

alexw68:

Marmite.

You mean... I'll either love Poland or hate it? ;)

rabidbavib:

Wow, thanks for the tips. I've already changed some money (because of the job I was supposed to start 2 weeks ago), but I'll get more when i go over there. I've travelled around East Slavia before, on occasions alone, in the late hours of the night/early hours of the morning, and not seen anything approaching that you would see in the UK, so I'm not really worried about crime (but I am used to pickpocketing/train dangers). Thanks for the tip regarding change-checking, hadn't thought of that, and cheers, hope it goes well too.

alexw68	Oct 4, 10, 11:33 #12
SidWolf: You mean... I'll either love Poland or hate it? ;) Now you mention it, I don't recall too many of my acquaintances that were indifferent or blase about PL - always a strong reaction one way or t'other. I forgot to mention the Pataks curry paste. Essential if you're into that kind of thing.

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 11:49 #13
alexw68: I forgot to mention the Pataks curry paste. Essential if you're into that kind of thing. Definitely, but when I was in Hungary it was surprisingly easy to find curry pastes and the like. Is it a different matter in Poland?

alexw68	Oct 4, 10, 11:53 #14
SidWolf: Is it a different matter in Poland? In my part of it (Poznań) yes, entirely. Hungarian cuisine is generally more spicy than Polish so suspect that it is more widespread. 15 years ago they had a box of Pataks in my local supermarket in Gorzów WLKP. Seems I was the only one buying so they discontinued it...

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 13:00 #15
alexw68: Hungarian cuisine is generally more spicy than Polish so suspect that it is more widespread. True, I'll look into bringing some spicy stuff over with me then. Also, whats the best way of taking out contents insurance? Is that kind of thing even necessary, or is that typically over-cautious Anglo-Saxon thinking? ;)

Spaceman77Threads: 3 Posts: 73 Joined: Sep 12, 09 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 15:47 #16
Just good luck. Like every new road we take, this one will have bumps. You will just need to keep your head up and deal with little problems when they come. You will do just fine. So, again, good luck with your teaching. I hope you fall in love with Poland.

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 15:52 #17
Much appreciated, I've been in the area before (well not Masovia, but Poland), familiar with (and positive towards) the culture and so on, so thankfully I'm not going into it completely blind. Some bureaucratic/financial things might take a while to adapt to I guess, but... it'll be an experience, and therefore worthwhile.

VarsovianThreads: 91 Posts: 568 Joined: Nov 23, 06 ♂	Edited by: Varsovian Oct 4, 10, 17:01 #18
At least residency is no longer a pain in the butt. Warsaw - Marks and Spencers food section :) and Kuchnia Świata (cuisines of the world) No problem with those foods you don't want to do without. Poles are generally very friendly - much better than Brits!

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 17:15 #19
Varsovian: Warsaw - Marks and Spencers food section :) and Kuchnia Świata (cuisines of the world) Ahh thanks Varsovian, I'll make a note of that :)

agugu6210Threads: 3 Posts: 23 Joined: Mar 26, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 19:42 #20
SIDWOLF..YOU BETTER STAY WERE YOU ARE COMING TO POLAND???HHEHEHE I GUESS YOU WILL REGRET IT..ALL THE BEST

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 20:35 #21
Get used to the method as quick as possible. Ask your boss where your money is going and then ask a financial specialist and see how they differ. Some businessmen the world over are con artists but they are not as sly/smart as the Poles who make them look amateurish.

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 20:54 #22
Cheers Seanus, sound advice, I'll bear it in mind. Same to you agugu, can you elaborate on your input please? I'm intrigued.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 21:32 #23
Also, try to get a guarantee of hours. They never lose and teachers are always the first to do so. Otherwise, you will need to look for privates to cover your expenses.

richasisThreads: 5 Posts: 833 Joined: Jul 25, 09 ♂	Edited by: richasis Oct 4, 10, 22:22 #24
Seanus: Some businessmen the world over are con artists but they are not as sly/smart as the Poles who make them look amateurish. Many of the world's sly/smart con artists can trace their family lineages, however brief the stay, to Poland. Edit: :)

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,389 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Oct 4, 10, 23:32 #25
SidWolf: Just general tips (especially from Brit expats) would be useful. Cheers/Dziękuję! If you are planning on going back to the UK at christmas/new year book your flights now.

SidWolfThreads: 2 Posts: 39 Joined: Sep 23, 10 ♂	Oct 5, 10, 01:11 #26
Actually I'm planning on heading over to relatives in Sweden. Does the same still apply?

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,389 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Oct 5, 10, 22:50 #27
SidWolf: I'm planning on heading over to relatives in Sweden. Does the same still apply? There is always a run on flights towards the end of the year. If you are going to be traveling to sweden, check out this airline http://wizzair.com/ they are the cheapest from poland to scandinavia.

♂

Oct 6, 10, 10:35 #28

Wroclaw Boy:

inform your credit/debit card issuer that youre going abroad to avoid them flagging your card, ID other than passport, decent marmalade and some gravy powder.

Yeah, my RBS account is listed at my Polish address and they still occasionally block the card!

If you are thinking of staying long term, maybe inform any pensions/insurances you have.

Oh, get out of the British habit of saying 'thank you' at every cash transaction (until the end). If you say 'dziękuję' when you give a waitress/taxi driver etc money it basically means "keep the change".

Carry some loose change for public toilets.
Don't expect drivers to stop at zebras, and if one does, don't expect the next one too; he's too busy looking at the one who did stop and wondering why... while he drives across the crossing you are walking on.

If you have large baggage (suitcase, rucksack) you have to buy a ticket for it on the bus/tram.

♂

Oct 6, 10, 14:31 #29

Cheers Trevek and...

Trevek:

Oh, get out of the British habit of saying 'thank you' at every cash transaction (until the end). If you say 'dziękuję' when you give a waitress/taxi driver etc money it basically means "keep the change".

...yeah, I learnt that the hard way in Hungary, they seem to have the same custom. Many awkward moments were had with shopkeepers wondering why I was stood there staring blankly after an early "köszi".

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Oct 6, 10, 14:42 #30
Also, it's just not normal to say thank you at every step of the way. It's seen as OTT.

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