Czech it out

We regularly receive emails from friendly Eastern Europeans looking for work. Here's a typical one which dropped into our inbox about ten minutes ago:

...We are students of university. We are from Slovak republic. Our english is good, but it isn´t very good. But we don´t afraid the work. We have many experienses with many kind of works... ...Do you have some work for us? Thank you

Well, no actually. But thanks for asking. The number of Poles and Czechs in Edinburgh has increased enormously in recent years and it isn't at all difficult to see why. I don't have exact figures to hand, but if someone's on full benefits with child allowances, the works, we would have to pay them around £17K a year to make it worth their while to work for us.

There's a lot of drivel talked about dole scroungers who don't want to work. Mainly in the Daily Mail it seems. But if you could earn roughly the same working 16 hours a week as you could staying at home, what would you do? Be honest now.

East Europeans don't get all these benefits and the salaries in the hospitality industry, though not high, are well ahead of what they get at home. Our Polish friend Magda is an English teacher, but earns much more working as a waitress at a local hotel.