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RELOCATING TO GDYNIA, Poland - salary question [42]
@Nikki2
Well, budget at least 1500 PLN a month for your own basic apartment, all inclusive. That leaves 1000 PLN left over for food and all other expenses. It's going to be tight. You'll survive, but it won't be much fun. And forget about savings. If this is the only job you can find, then perhaps it is worth considering. Entry-level wages all over Europe are very low, and Poland is no exception.
You might consider living in a shared apartment to cut back on rent. That's what young Poles with that level of income would do.
As for translation work, it's something I did a lot when I was living in Poland, and got paid very well. BUT, I am a senior scientist and pathologist who is native in English and learned Polish to a high level, so I was the type of translator that was most in demand, and I had zero competition. And all of my work came by word-of-mouth, and I never had to look for it.
As for teaching, if you are not a native-English speaker, you're going to have a hard time finding a clientele that is willing to pay much. You can try, but don't count on it.
A word of advice. I notice that you are coy and vague about your country of origin, something I often see here on this board among people from poorer countries. And also about your educational background. If you go into negotiations with an inferiority complex, they will sniff it out like dogs and take advantage of you. Quickly make your peace with who you are and where you are from so that you can negotiate with self-confidence and pride. If you are a Bulgarian Gypsy who studied at Southbank or Trinity St. David, that is nothing to be ashamed of. If you go into negotiations like a simpering puppy, the big dogs will rip you apart, and 3500 PLN netto is going to be the best you can expect. If you don't appreciate your own value, why should they? Grow a pair, and proudly lay them on the negotiating table for all to see and admire.
What are the languages you speak? You can sometimes negotiate a higher wage based on that. It's also going to make a big difference if you are planning on learning Polish.
Another word of advice. Good jobs are almost entirely advertised by word of mouth, face to face in the real world. Recruiters and internet sites get the table scraps, the $hit jobs that nobody in the know wants. The main reason you went to university is to acculturate yourself into the professional community in which you will eventual operate, and to build a network of real-world contacts, especially among senior academics and senior professionals in your field. Exploit that network now, and see if they have any leads. And, more importantly, if they don't, then ask them who they know that might, and so on, and so on. One of the things I drill into my students is the importance of real world networking.
A second tactic is blind carpet bombing. Send out 500 CV's and generic, but well written and self-confident, PAPER cover letters to department managers in your field (not HR departments; they are the enemy). You can often hit upon openings that have not yet been advertised. I just advised a younger colleague to do just that, and he ended up with 50 offers, five of which were much, much better than anything you will find on the internet, at double the pay. Young people like you don't appreciate the magical power that dead trees and well-written English have over people in my generation, who are doing the hiring.
