life,s cross roads

Author
Discussion

theconrodkid

Original Poster:

372 posts

267 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
seeings as you on here are multinational and sometimes sensible i thought i,d ask some opinions.
i am 50 and have been in the motor trade all my life,last bit being self employed,my lease ran out in november and ive taken a year out to get my head together.the chances of getting a job at my age and experiance are pretty remote as i found out,my girlie lives in poland and is a teacher,she has invited me to live over there.
i can sell my place and buy a nice house there and still have about £100,000 left over so getting a job wouldnt be too important at the moment.her wages(take home)are about £38 a week
i know they are building industrial estates everywhere and foreign companies setting up all over the place just as companies here are shutting down and "outsourcing" to cheaper countries.
am i missing something?should i stay here and get no further up the food chain or go for broke and try to start a new life?
any sugestions,experiances,ideas welcome.

AlexHancock

466 posts

275 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
I always said to myself if I had no good reason/opportunity to stay in this country I'd leave and try something new. So...based on what you've said I'd go and see what opportunities there were. Rent out your house if possible and give your self a target to develop a business with x months so that you don't spend all of your capital. Good luck.

Eric Mc

122,858 posts

272 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
Have the Poles got a policy on immigration from other EU countries?

adrianr

822 posts

291 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
Sounds worthy of serious consideration. Questions that spring to mind are:

- how's your spoken/written Polish?
- do you want/need to work?
- what would you miss from over here?
- what happens when/if you retire/get ill/split up?


theconrodkid

Original Poster:

372 posts

267 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
i will need a work permit but i wont need to work for some years(if my calcs are correct)most jobs etc are done on the black market as well,ive been offered a job teaching the finer points of english already.
i wont miss much here,no family,only my dog and he can come with me with passport.
my girlie teaches english as well part time so learning the language shouldnt be a great prob,they have a NHS same as us,if we split up it,l be my house.
when i retire i can draw my pension as ive paid it here(private).
all seems too good to be true???
keeps the comments coming please.

Mutt K

3,961 posts

245 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
Presumably if you are a qualified motor mechanic, you should never be short of work anywhere!

Nightmare

5,230 posts

291 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
I think its a great idea.....

You have already stated that you arent really happy with what you're doing now - lets face it being a mechanic in winter aint great fun for starters - and mroe importantly that you can put yourself into a financial position of relative saftey over there.

Considerations - whats the worst that can happen?? It all goes wrong, you dont like the place, people, weather etc...so you come back and have to find somewhere to live. Hardly the end of the world is it?

As Mutt says, you are a mechanic - you'll always be able to make extra money if you need it. Worth also bearing in mind is the incredible explosion in finance from Russia and associated countries - so living in Poland may give all sorts of opportunities.....especially if you're any good at meeting people and making friends!

If you decide not to do it, you'll always wonder what it would have been like. If you do it and it goes wrong, you can always come back and effectively restart your normal existence.

cheers
Night

anniesdad

14,589 posts

245 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
Experience life to the fullest, Off you pop my old bean....

p.s. don't invest the equity, get yerself a nice Ferrari.

chim_girl

6,268 posts

266 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
theconrodkid said:
ive been offered a job teaching the finer points of english already.


If you plan to teach in Poland you may find it useful to do a TEFL Course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). You should find agencies that will offer you work because you have this well recognised qualification. If nothing else, it will help you to put together a method of teaching.

Good Luck

Phoenix

817 posts

291 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
Go for it. What have you got to loose?
If I were in your situation I would go for it.

'it is better to regret the things you have done than the things you have not done'

I sold my garage business in October 2003 and am still wondering what I will do next. Do I really want to go back into a dealership? Do I look at something different? I still don't know.

At the worst it will be a learning experience.

Eric Mc

122,858 posts

272 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
Conronkid - I don't want to cast aspersions on your English teaching skills, but I think you might be better sticking to teaching "English as she is spoken" rather than "Written" English

>> Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 29th September 19:47

theconrodkid

Original Poster:

372 posts

267 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
thanks for all your coments,i,m off there next month and will talk to some people,Eric,no offence taken, my spoken is better than my written and the job i was offered is group conversation based so hopefully not too much writing involved and spellcheck if needed,ill let you know how i get on.

Fer

7,734 posts

287 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
But can you get PH access? Surely that is more important that jobs, girlies and all non essential matters!

theconrodkid

Original Poster:

372 posts

267 months

Wednesday 29th September 2004
quotequote all
they all seem to have broadband supplied foc unless you live in a cave,its a lot more modern than you would think,£42 return from stanstead to krakow,eat for a week on £10,vodka £2-50 litre,tesco and lidl,sat tv,tobacco £2 a pack,what more ya need?

vixpy1

42,676 posts

271 months

Thursday 30th September 2004
quotequote all
There is serious money to be made out there.. Go, and don't look back.

Mutt K

3,961 posts

245 months

Thursday 30th September 2004
quotequote all
theconrodkid said:
they all seem to have broadband supplied foc unless you live in a cave,its a lot more modern than you would think,£42 return from stanstead to krakow,eat for a week on £10,vodka £2-50 litre,tesco and lidl,sat tv,tobacco £2 a pack,what more ya need?


Looks like you have answered your own dilemma; GFI!

mojocvh

16,837 posts

269 months

Saturday 2nd October 2004
quotequote all
Just an aside but the US Army is pulling out of Germany and moving en-masse into Poland and other former WP countries, and boy do they bring some $$$ with them...........

MoJo.

poorcardealer

8,542 posts

248 months

Thursday 7th October 2004
quotequote all


DO IT!! I would cash in my chips and go if It didnt leave my mother on her own.........some freinds are in NZ and are having a great life.

theconrodkid

Original Poster:

372 posts

267 months

Saturday 9th October 2004
quotequote all
hm interveiw monday afternoon