Im thinking of relocating to Poland possibly for six months with my job (Maybe Wroclaw or Poznan). I visited Poznan and Zakopane last month with my Polish boyfriend and loved it!
He's obviously all for the move being Polish but Im a little apprehensive as I have very little Polish and Im not sure how Id settle in generally, would love some advice/feedback on your own experienes folks!!
I'm planning the same but moving to Gdansk for 6 months, I'm not going for a few months yet but I'm planning already to ensure the transition goes smoothly.
Here are a few of the things I've taken care of so far, this mainly applies to people from the UK.
European Health Insurance Card:
You may know it as E111, this has now been replaced by the EHIC, simply apply online and they sent you out a credit card style plastic card with your details on.
"An International Driving Permit (IDP) allows you to drive a private motor vehicle overseas when accompanied by a valid UK driving licence. IDPs are valid for 12 months from the date of issue."
Just take your current drivers licence to Post Office that offers the IDP service and complete the form and play a small admin fee.
Info here: theaa.com/getaway/idp/motidp002.html
Polish Bank Account
I've spoken to MBank who appear to be a popular online bank, it seems you need to be in Poland for them to open you an account, the way it works is an agent comes to visit you, takes some ID and forms and confirms your identity and your application is sent for processing.
I've arranged on my next short trip for this to happen, hopefully it will go smoothly.
mbank.com.pl/eng/index.html
Euro Visa Card
As well as my normal visa card I've gone for a pre-paid Euro credit card from Lloyds TSB, I can top it up from my online account and the fees are relatively low.
My Polish isn't too bad, I'm enrolling at the Sopot Polish school for a few months of lessons, there are plenty of programs online that can help. The best one I've found is at byki.com just download the Polish version for free.
I've been in Krakow these last two weeks if you've never really studied Polish you might be in for a shock
I came to Krakow only knowing some basic Polish I thought I would be quite good after a couple of weeks but really struggled but you may be a quick learner so don't let me put you off!
I wish I had another couple of weeks here then I think my Polish might be a lot better
