Work / Average salary to live&work in Wrocław? Local Credit Suisse opinions. [33]


It doesn't matter whether he comes from Catalunya (Singapore) or Catalonia, I don't agree with importing foreign labour except where strictly necessary. I said the same in the UK, by the way. I have heard all the "best person for the job" arguments and I think it's hard to believe. Firms should recruit from the local workforce for all but the most specialist roles or where economics may dictate otherwise. It is hard to be persuaded that it is cheaper to hire someone from abroad than from within Poland for this sort of role. Let locals earn and pay taxes locally, there's no special advantage to foreign labour doing that (and foreign labour often send their wages out of a country anyway).

There were many raised eyebrows in the UK when a firm there only advertised jobs in Poland and not in the UK (presumably because they wanted to pay less). Locals rightly felt shut out, by the way. But it actually should be illegal to hire anyone from abroad (ie to relocate them especially) for a job not on the official skills shortage list. If you can now produce that list and show me that it says JFCs are on it, I shall probably decide that I am asleep and this is a rather unpleasant dream about globalisation gone mad.

Work / Average salary to live&work in Wrocław? Local Credit Suisse opinions. [33]


Even if from Catalonia (the poster here is not), in Poland there are a good few JFCs who speak Spanish. The relocation bill (if any) for hiring someone from Lublin, or Gdansk, or another town where salaries are less than Wrocław's, would surely not exceed that of relocating someone from another country. Quite apart from that, here in Wrocław I have seen far too much of this as it is, not at CS but other firms. They are probably given tax incentives to set up shop in Poland and hire locals, yet their sites have head scratchingly large numbers of foreign national "managers" or whatever other "specialist roles" from their home country or elsewhere (in their hundreds if not thousands) and far fewer local Polish workers than should be the case. This seems to me to say that something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Work / Average salary to live&work in Wrocław? Local Credit Suisse opinions. [33]

It's probably a salary that quite a few local JFCs would like.

I'd have to assume that someone recruited from Singapore would be needed for Mandarin (assuming it's in demand, I've never seen an ad here requesting it) or another language in demand apart from English, because to the best of my knowledge there's no shortage of JFCs with several years of experience locally who can speak English as well as their native Polish (and even German or French).

Of course, you could be a troll. And frankly I'd be happy if you are, because it's my view that it's completely unacceptable for any local employer to recruit outside of Poland for a role that a Poland resident would do for the same money.

Having been to local firms and met nationals from other countries, I had assumed they were doing software development jobs where there's a skills shortage locally. Unless I am totally confusing the role of Junior (and Senior) Financial Controller, it is not a post where experienced applicants are few.

Work / Average salary to live&work in Wrocław? Local Credit Suisse opinions. [33]

I asked a question, as you're not a local in Wrocław I'm surprised that you feel you can answer. But perhaps you can. So if you have knowledge of why there were no suitable local applicants for the role apparently offered to you by CS then post them here as I'd be very interested to know why the local workforce could not meet CS's needs in respect of a role that sounds very unspecialised.

Work / Average salary to live&work in Wrocław? Local Credit Suisse opinions. [33]

What puzzles me is why Credit Suisse cannot find a Junior Financial Controller among the high number of unemployed in Wrocław, and instead hire a foreign national.

Real Estate / House for rent - cost per month in Poland (Wroclaw). Affluent neighborhoods? [7]

@Monitor, I'm not sure that map is correct. I would say Biskupin is more expensive than for example Krzyki. And Ksieze Wielki the same price as Biskupin??! Whaaat? Perhaps the size of apartments and houses skews the price per square metre, but there's no way Biskupin is the same price as KW when comparing like for like.


For real or having a Monday morning giraffe?

Work / Finding English teaching jobs in Poland [19]


I found that to be reasonably true when I was there, remarkably enough. Most Germans seem to know far less English, even in many major cities.

I also found a larger proportion of Germans to be 6ft 3 plus! And seemed that many supermarkets didn't sell black tea bags or black tea ?!

Law / Right Hand Drive cars in Poland 'indefinitely' but not registered - doable? [21]

Thank you very much, Looker :)

Law / Right Hand Drive cars in Poland 'indefinitely' but not registered - doable? [21]

Is it true that RHD or right hand drive cars are to be given the nod in Poland for proper registration from 01.01.2015?

If so, link to this info, please.

UK, Ireland / The Guardian Newspaper looking to speak to Polish people who have recently arrived in the UK [5]


They won't know your title unless you call it The Grauniad.

Love / Learning a language solely for your partner [21]


I give 'em [them] 2 months before the honeymoon period wears off :)

Love / Learning a language solely for your partner [21]


Not necessarily !


And he's not kidding, as even the Dummies book (and I am a dummy I readily admit) struggles to break it down into easy chunks.

News / Self-important Warsaw mayor [18]

If true, I totally condemn that and all similar. It's nauseating to think anyone would do that.

Love / Want to know the way I can marry my lovely Polish girl in Poland [8]

Well, you never know, PF might have become an integral part of his life to guide him through the wird and wonderful maze that is PL. or he may now post under a different name and be involved regularly. On the other hand, he may be divorced and now living in Ruislip.

Love / Want to know the way I can marry my lovely Polish girl in Poland [8]

Be interesting to hear from the OP.
Did you marry (as it was 3 years ago) and are you still married? If so, children? If not, did you divorce and also remarry or leave Poland for another country or home?

Work / Average salary to live&work in Wrocław? Local Credit Suisse opinions. [33]

Average salary if you get a job at a call centre and speak good English - about US$600

You probably need to make approx. US$1400 a month for a reasonable but still obviously modest lifestyle if you have a family. Probably US$400 more to be reasonably comfortable.

See also https://polishforums.com/work/information-wroclaw-finding-job-chef-average-55372/

Work / Salaries in corporations vs elsewhere in Poland; interview procedures [8]


That's very much how it seems to me too.

And OP don't forget it works out at about 33% less after taxes.

Real Estate / Contemplating moving to Poland with the intention of buying a property out-right and living there [36]


It isn't, unless the person moving to Poland has a lot of money and doesn't need to work or has a 'just can't fail' business idea, has a skill in an IT discipline or similar in demand role, or has a friend in Poland who will give him or her a decent paying job regardless. Even if able to get hired for IT or some in demand role, the wages are something like 1/3 of the UK and probably 1/5 of the USA. Yet the price of most food is nearly the same as the UK (except bread, vodka, beer, apples and a few other staples) and higher than the States. If a person has none of those skills, the best they're likely to get if in or near a city is working in a call centre for US$600 a month. After deducting $400 for rent, there's not going to be much left for much of a lifestyle such as running a car, entertainments, buying nice things, etc. That's why it's usually only those with a job arranged that enter Poland. (If a person speaks Polish, wages in ordinary roles are still not much higher than the call centre unless at manager level, by the way).

Law / VAT number as a sole trader vs a company VAT number in Poland / 'trading as' question [10]

Thanks MIPK. This is now the second invoice from yet another company that I am being asked to pay VAT on, and yet with and no VAT number anywhere showing.


Thanks Legate.

Law / VAT number as a sole trader vs a company VAT number in Poland / 'trading as' question [10]

Merged: How do I check a company or person's VAT number?

I read on another thread that someone NIP might also be their VAT number. However, that was later said to be incorrect.

If someone charges me VAT, should their VAT number be on their invoice? And how do I check the VAT number is genuine or the trader is indeed VAT registered?

This is the only site I found ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vieshome.do?selectedLanguage=pl

I'd like to check if someone is registered using their name or business name, but I don't know how.

Life / Broadband internet in Wroclaw (AeraAer Network vs Netia vs Dialog) [4]

List of IPs: wroclawinternet.pl

News / UK to send tanks to Poland. [36]


Absolutely, what's up with people like that? It's sad and actually evil.

Back to the topic please

News / UK to send tanks to Poland. [36]

Funnily enough he was on Yesterday yesterday in Who Do You Think You Are? He modestly confessed he was probably one of 1000 odd descended from the same royal.

Life / Unmetered landline internet in Poland (bez limitu) [5]

That's a relief! I've been glued to Filmon and Youtube for the last 2 days almost solid :)

Work / Tax saving options in Poland [4]

Surely if everyone pays tax on what is due (although ZUS which kicks in from day 1 for a new business and stifles enterprise for that very reason needs an overhaul big time) then we are giving PL (and our own future) a better chance of improving? Better roads, better everything. Surely tax receipts put to use to improve the country (instead of subsidising foreign firms' tax bills needlessly) becomes a virtuous circle in a country such as this which is pretty much still finding its feet? Am I naïve? I like to think not if tax receipt spending oversight is diligent.

Real Estate / Contemplating moving to Poland with the intention of buying a property out-right and living there [36]


When all the Polish people went to the UK and started work on a PAYE or self-employed basis, were they not liable for income tax to the Poland govt and not HMRC for a certain period, eg their first 183 days perhaps? And if they have interest or share divs back home in PL, that interest tax and div tax is due to HMRC is it not?

Real Estate / Contemplating moving to Poland with the intention of buying a property out-right and living there [36]


Doesn't a person have to forget about topping up their UK ISA after that, and also pay tax to Poland on their UK income such as shares and interest on savings?

Real Estate / Contemplating moving to Poland with the intention of buying a property out-right and living there [36]


Sounds like you're ready for your adventure, and hopefully all will go well. Just a quick word on the 2 months in each city thing if you choose that -- it's not easy to find landlords who do 2 just months, most want a 1-year contract, but also most lets are via agents and they charge a fee for the rental like Scotland used to before it was outlawed. So you'll have that extra expense. The fee is anything from 25-100% of a month's rent depending on how you negotiate and how hungry the agent is that month. A small number of agents charge nothing, however, look for bez / 0% / nie / prowizji or similar in ads.

Real Estate / Contemplating moving to Poland with the intention of buying a property out-right and living there [36]

I'd be a tad surprised if the UK doesn't record when a person comes and goes via a passport number or scan. Possibly Poland does too. Remember, the UK is not in Schengen so there is a border when entering the UK and also you show your passport at the airport when leaving Poland for the UK. I'd be surprised if they haven't got a system in place.