To ask what you think of Eastern Europeans living in the UK?

[Bananasinpjs7]

I have lived in the UK for almost 10 years which is pretty much a 1/3 of my life. I never thought I’d stay this long but met my partner here and decided to build a career in an industry that we don’t really have in my home country... yet.
I’m trying my best... language wise I think I’m pretty fluent. English is the language I speak 95% of the time.
I try to fit in as much as possible, learn as much as I can about the UK to understand it’s history and culture...
But I feel extremely left out ... I feel people look at me and think ‘she is from eastern eu’ as if it has some sort of stigma. It feels like if you are from somewhere glamorous like France or Scandinavian countries you are much more accepted... I’m so tired of constantly feeling like this

Yes I am starting to imagine a bit more.....

No offence to OP but racism within the 'Eastern European' community is a problem.

To deny this and just concentrate on how nasty British people are and how generally wonderful Polish people are...seems a bit....well....myopic.

I actually think Brexit happened because of the decision to expand the EU to include Eastern European countries. Sad but true.
I don’t know many unfortunately, aside from my cleaner and the team of builders who did some work on my house but most that I have come across work hard to make a better life for themselves. It’s why most people move here, I imagine, it certainly ain’t the weather! ☔️

I am sorry do you lot not see how fake all this is. Everyone tripping over themselves to say how wonderful their Polish cleaner is , how 'eastern euro' kids are model pupils...how 'ignorant' all the 'other' brits are...
It's completely fake and done for some kind of virtue signal grab.

Every Polish person I have come across has been polite and hard working. There are a few Polish people who have local businesses and I'm always happy to use them.

Unfortunately op I think it’s because people for Eastern Europe are seen as economic workers

But how would someone know that a Swedish person isn’t

They don’t know but agree many would view them differently

I don't care where anyone is from but in my personal experience my Eastern European friends are the warmest, bubbliest, kind and most outgoing people I've met. This was the case both here in the UK and when I lived abroad so I'd be surprised if it's a coincidence! I'm sorry you are feeling this way!

I think it’s a massive compliment to the UK that so many people want to make it their home. I think that maybe there was a sense of curiosity/fear about easterb European migrants back 10/15 years or so ago when There was a sudden influx in terms of what would happen to wages etc. but I don’t sense that anymore. People from Eastern Eu countries are not a novelty just accepted as part of British society. I hope the many lovely lovely Eastern Eu people I have crossed paths with choose to stay despite the unwelcome rhetoric that’s been more obvious ove the last few years.

Every Polish person I have come across has been polite

I genuinely find these comments really odd. I've met lots of polite Polish people and some rude. Same as British people, French people, Spanish people...insert any nationality or race. People are people, some are nice, some are nasty. You can say that, it's not racist. It's only racist if you try to say they're nasty because of their nationality or race.

I am amazed by how many people have met only hardworking and wonderful Eastern Europeans. My experience is much more varied, as with every nationality under the sun. And I am Eastern European myself.

They are like anyone else. I have several wonderful eastern european friends mostly from Poland. I'm glad I don't have to learn polish, it's really hard!!
In other places it's a problem with gangs and so on but it's the same with our own people and everybody else.

Yes exactly good and bad people come in every nationality. It's just stupid to say 'lala lala they are all wonderful' when - probably - you don't even speak their language.! This is virtue signalling at its worst.
I do agree that the vast majority of Polish and Baltic people are hard workers.

No offence to OP but racism within the 'Eastern European' community is a problem.
This is, unfortunately, true. Very often a mum who asks opinion on schools in EE parenting groups on Facebook will also ask about "how black the school is". Shameful, but true.
But also, there's no such thing as a uniform "Eastern European" community. There are different countries there and there are many old feuds and fault lines.

I have a couple of friends from Poland - both have settled really well in the UK and have lived here for a long time now. They're nice, smart ladies and good fun. Both have really good work ethic and morals and have done well at work.

Central Europe countries are: Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland.

I’m Polish and whenever (not that often ) I say to people Poland is in Central Europe they don’t believe me 🤷‍♀️
I think they assume it’s a way of separating myself from the term “Eastern European” but it’s just a geographical fact.

I know a Polish woman who has lived in London for the best part of 20 years, raising her kids, and is still saying stuff I won't actually repeat here.

Hard working and I have liked all those that I have met.

It’s strange to hear that people comment on your accent in London. It seems to me that listening to accented English is not unusual enough to justify comment. These people may be just looking for an axe to grind. I have been introduced to ‘British’ people her (in Scandinavia), only to discover that they have lived her for 40+ years, have a Scandi parent, and citizenship. Nowt as strange as folk. I hope you feel better soon 💐

Thanks for that drink feck arse. ...some of us know about this .....it does get blank looks I know. ..

I have lots of friends from Poland and Czech Republic. They are lovely. My children wouldn't exist if not for a Polish refugee.

However I have also worked with a large group of Polish women. Judgemental, bullying racists every one of them. I saw and heard it everyday.

My dh who is black and I were at a party and an EE guy was chatting to us... Literally saying the n word in conversation like it's was socially acceptable....I was completely

Meh.

I'm a Brit living abroad in a foreign country, trying to speak the native language and people have the same reactionto me.

If you move abroad, you'll ALWAYS be the foreigner.

My experience with Eastern European people is they are hard working. I'd much rather have a trade person do work on my house from this part of the world! They come on time, when they say they will, do a good job with hood attention to detail and don't talk crap to you about other work you're gonna need! So yeah much more positive experience than British trades people.

I've had a few polish colleagues over the years and they have all been lovely people. Quite friendly but also a sting work ethic sticks out. I don't want to be too stereotypical! I'm happy for Eastern European people to be here. I really don't think they are taking jobs from British people! I know far right politics is an issue across Europe and in Eastern Europe so I worry about that. But we have our fair share here!

Destroyedpeople yep, blank looks 😂.

“Baltic” people/ countries - another nice, and correct, distinction.

The OP didn’t ask ‘Share your stereotypes here’! Finding this post incredibly uncomfortable. I’m part Polish. Polish people are just people. Varied. Please stop with the generalisations.

@formerbabe

Every Polish person I have come across has been polite

I genuinely find these comments really odd. I've met lots of polite Polish people and some rude. Same as British people, French people, Spanish people...insert any nationality or race. People are people, some are nice, some are nasty. You can say that, it's not racist. It's only racist if you try to say they're nasty because of their nationality or race.

I find them odd too.

It makes me assume that person doesn't know many people of that nationality, or at least not in any kind of close way.