Law / Permanent residence card for E.U. citizens in Poland and Schengen travels [5]

Why would you not want to show your Spanish ID card? That sounds odd.

Work / Possible lifestyle in Poland? Job offer - 12K to 13K PLN. [40]

There are lots of threads about that in this forum and your questions have been asked and answered many, many times. Look for yourself.

Work / Possible lifestyle in Poland? Job offer - 12K to 13K PLN. [40]

Reasonable for what? Without further information about yourself and the job, no one can give you an answer. It might be very good, and it might be very bad. You're going to have to provide a lot more detail to get a good answer.

Where are you from? What passports do you hold?

How old are you?

What degrees do you hold, and in what fields? Where did you earn them?

What work experience do you have, concretely?

Describe your skill set.

What languages do you speak, and how well?

Have you ever lived in the EU before? Where, and for how long?

What kind of job is it? Seniority level? Most importantly, in which city will you be working?

How much do you expect to save each month? Do you have debts or obligations back home?

What are your long time plans and career goals?

The more detail you provide, the better the answer will be.

Oh, and one last question? Why Poland, of all places? Wages there are much lower than in richer countries. and the cost of living is high compared to wages, making saving up very difficult.

Work / Finding work as an EU citizen (Polish) in another EU country [21]

As Gregy said, with a Polish passport, you can live and work wherever you want in the EU.

As for finding work, you'll find it, but it won't pay great with your degree and experience, especially if you are going to rely on the internet for your job search. Consider going back for a masters, preferably in a math-heavy field like financial mathematics, financial engineering, actuarial sciences or econometrics. In those fields, you will have little difficulty landing a decent job. Much easier than with low-math finance.

While you're doing that, aggressively build up your personal network so that you don't have to rely on recruiters or the internet to find a job. Also, pick a target country and start learning the language.

As hard as it may be for someone in your generation to believe, my generation, that is, the generation that makes the hiring decisions, rely much more on word of mouth for filling the best positions. The only thing you will ever see on the internet are the table scraps. The feast takes place "in real life", face to face, or friend of a friend.

One advantage that you have is that you speak Arabic as a native. Muslims in Europe have an alternative banking and finance system. You may be able to find work in that sector.

In all, give yourself two or three years to beef up your qualifications, learn a language, build up a personal network in "the real world" (Linkedin does not count), and do your research, and you could end up with a nicely paid job in London, Frankfurt, Zurich or other European financial center. Go now and you will certainly end up with a lower paid job and fewer opportunities to advance.

If by "support", you mean "money", no. No one is going to give you any money to get established, find a job or learn the language. That's why arranging a job BEFORE you go is so important. Otherwise, you would have to rely on your savings or your family for the time it takes to find a job, and that may take a considerable amount of time.

Work / Finding work as an EU citizen (Polish) in another EU country [21]

Well, you're not going to get much of a useful answer without providing a lot more information about yourself.

Are you a full Polish citizen with a Polish passport?

How old are you? Married or single? Kids and ages?

What degrees do you hold, and in what fields? Where did you earn them? The same for your spouse.

What work experience do you have, concretely? The same for your spouse.

Describe your skill set.

What languages do you speak, and how well?

Which target countries and cities do you have in mind, and why?

Do you have family in Poland or elsewhere in Europe? Have you ever lived in Poland or elsewhere in Europe?

Generally, though, it is best to arrange a job before you come, and the best way to find a job is by word of mouth from the contacts in your personal network. Recruiters and internet job sites are far inferior. So make sure your network is well developed.

Life / Living in Warsaw costs - will my earnings be enough to live on? [22]

You could try and see if they bite, but don't accept any offer that is less than the amount I gave above, or you'll end up in the red.

Life / Living in Warsaw costs - will my earnings be enough to live on? [22]

Allow 1) at least 4000 PLN a month for living expenses, plus 2) the total cost of your travel to and from your home country and visa/residence permit divided by twelve, plus 3) the monthly amount you want to send back home together with money transfer fees. Then multiply the total by 1.5 to get the MINIMUM gross salary you should ask for.

That's how much you would need to break even. That's assuming that you are a young single male that doesn't smoke or drink or spend money on chasing girls, and is satisfied with a rather modest lifestyle with few frills or luxuries. Also, that you are not going to be saving anything more than a very modest rainy day fund. If not, you are going to have to increase that amount accordingly.

Frankly, it's going to be hard to get paid that much for a team assistant position, unless you have extraordinary skills and/or experience. If you need to save money or have debts or obligations back home to pay, then Poland is probably not the place for you. The cost of living might seem low, but compared to the even lower wages it is very high, which makes savings potential very low indeed.

Life / Where can I buy Zoloft (Medicine for OCD) in Poland [5]

That is a serious psychiatric drug. No legitimate drugstore will sell you that drug without a prescription. It doesn't matter whether you think you need it. It only matters whether the physician taking care of you thinks you need it. Self-medicating will cause you a lot bigger problems than you have right now.

Life / Cost of living in Katowice, Poland [53]


If you are a recent grad and this is your first job, AND the job will DEFINITELY help you obtain better paying work in your field of study, according to senior professionals in your field, it may be worth considering for a year. Otherwise, forget about it. It would just be an extended "vacation" that you could better spend expanding your skills and network at home with a much better outcome. The money is not enough to make it worth while. Only the value of the experience you get counts.

A lot depends on your education, skill set and experience. The more you have, the less attractive this job is.

Work / Moving to Poland with Family - cost of living and salary? [46]

8500 PLN net a month is about 30000 USD gross a year. Hardly tempting for a senior business analyst. Street sweepers make that in the richer areas of the US.


That's 4500 PLN right there. That will leave you with only 4000 PLN to support a family of three. A one-bedroom apartment will cost you anywhere from 1800 to 2500 PLN all inclusive. Leaving less than 2000 for food, entertainment and sundry expenses. Food and baby supplies alone will eat up almost all of that, leaving you with practically nothing left over for comfort or fun. If you are paying your own travel to Poland, you will have to deduct that as well, together with the costs of your visas and residence permits. That means you will lose out or only be able to save up a small amount toward your mortgage.

For you, it will be like living as a student. For your wife, it will be like going to jail. She will go crazy with nothing to do besides take care of the baby, fix your meals, and wash your dirty socks and underwear. She will certainly not be able to find work, and probably not be able to meet anyone to socialize with. There are very few Indian women in Poland, and they do not associate with each other unless they happen to be of the same class/caste/clan, which doesn't happen very often. Unless she speaks very good English and is a very assertive, outgoing and persistent person, she will not be able to socialize with Poles. If she is shy or reserved, she will be very, very lonely. Do you really think she will last long under such circumstances?

The problems with living in Poland for you are 1) very low wages (a third or a quarter of what you would make in the US or the richer European countries); 2) high cost of living relative to wages; 3) abysmal savings potential; 4) high travel/visa costs compared to wages; and 5) no Indian community for you or your wife to socialize in.

If you were coming alone, and leaving the wife to work and support herself and the child in India, you might just be able to do it, if you live like a monk on cabbage and potatoes. Especially if your employer is paying your travel costs to and from Poland. If not, you might even lose out on the deal having to send 4500 PLN a month to the bank back home.

No point in asking for more money. There are much better jobs to be had in the US and the richer countries of Western Europe, and probably India as well. I suggest you look elsewhere than Poland for a job if saving substantial amounts of money is a priority. And remember, the best jobs are practically always advertised solely by word of mouth, face to face, so network, network and network some more, aggressively and constantly. Recruiters and job websites get only the table scraps.

Work / Recruitement Process / Interview with an IT company in Poland [13]


They ask, if course. It does, after all, give them an enormous advantage in negotiations, and I can't blame them for asking. But the honest ones do not insist or hold it against you if you kick the ball back in their court. I would be very wary of an employer who did. That would mean that they want not only an advantage, but an unfair advantage.


Overshooting is just as bad as undershooting, and it is often difficult, and even impossible, for a job candidate to even make an educated guess about what the employer is willing to offer. Making an educated guess is always a foolish move when you can just ask outright. An honest employer will have nothing to hide and disclose it without hesitation.

Sorry, but being the first to disclose a figure always diminishes or utterly destroys the job candidate's ability to negotiate. Like I said, it can, and always will, be used against them not only in the hiring process, but for the duration of their employ.

It's just a big game of "I'll blow you if you blow me first", and we all know who loses.

Work / Recruitement Process / Interview with an IT company in Poland [13]


Naming a figure is always a damned if you undershoot, damned if you overshoot proposition. There is basically no right answer to the question, and any answer you give can and will be held against you, so best to kick the ball back in their court without answering at all, because it is never in your best interest to reveal that information.

If they are truly interested in hiring you, they will make an offer without any hesitation. If not, they won't, which means that you lost exactly nothing.

Also, you are correct in calling this an unpleasant situation. One should seriously consider if they really want to work for a company that puts them in an unpleasant situation and puts them at an extremely unfair disadvantage during, or even before, the initial interview. It's probably a sign of things to come.

Love / Fell in love with a Polish girl, but find it difficult to approach her [620]

Indeed. Sorry, Stubbs, but you sound a bit feeble-minded.

Work / Recruitement Process / Interview with an IT company in Poland [13]

Why don't you ask the company you are applying to? The only figure that counts is how much they are willing to offer you. "Averages" and "ballpark estimates" are quite useless when only specifics count.

Also, insist that they make an offer, and never let them pressure you into telling them what your salary expectations are. That is absolutely none of their business. ALWAYS throw that ball back in their court. And ALWAYS take your time responding to any offer. If they try to pressure you, then you can safely assume that the company is a lousy place to work. You will rarely, if ever, be wrong.

Work / Information about jobs for Indian students in Poland [286]


No. There are very, very few jobs for foreign students in Poland. Practically none.

If you need to work to fund your studies, then forget about Poland. Poland is only for foreign students who can afford to pay all the costs for studying and living 100% from their savings or from family contributions. No financial aid or jobs are available. Make your plans on the very safe assumption that you will most definitely never be able to earn even a single penny during your stay in Poland.

Life / Buying a laptop in Poland - where/whats a good deal? [32]

Windows allows you to change your keyboard setting easily. I use the Polish keyboard for both Polish and English, and switch to the German or Danish keyboards when I have to write in those languages.

Work / Working in Warsaw as a Oracle DBA / IT manager - what's the best salary that I can get? [48]


That may be true, and I myself did take a massive cut in savings potential when I lived in Poland for twelve years. But, having already had more than enough in the bank to retire quite comfortably, and having no obligations to anyone besides myself, I could have afforded to.

If you still need to save up for retirement, or if you have or plan to have a family, especially children, thumbing your nose at $100 k a year would be very foolish indeed. A wise choice would be to keep working in the States and take extended vacations from time to time in Poland.

Believe me, the older you get, the more important potential savings will become for you, until you reach the point where there is little else you think about unless you have enough stashed away. Personally, I think you're setting yourself up for some major disappointment and a lifetime of regret, because I get the feeling that you are acting on some silly romantic idealization of life in Poland, and life in general. While I thoroughly enjoyed my twelve years in Poland, I can assure you that any romantic fantasies you may have are going to be dispelled very quickly. Poland has a way of doing that.

Work / Working in Warsaw as a Oracle DBA / IT manager - what's the best salary that I can get? [48]

That's $48,000 a year. Probably half what you are making in the States, or less.

Using raw wages as a basis, that's a rather large opportunity loss.

However, raw wages are not the best basis for calculating opportunity loss or gain between countries. Savings potential is by far more important. The lower wages together with the high cost of living relative to wages in Poland will enormously reduce your savings capacity, which makes your opportunity loss even greater. This is the main reason that very few Americans are tempted to take up employment in Poland, and why so many Poles leave to work abroad.

No matter how you cut it, financially wise, you will take a big hit by coming to Poland.

That might be an acceptable sacrifice if you had other long-term goals in mind that would enhance your savings capacity to the point that you could soon catch up and then exceed your current projected savings, but it's difficult for me to imagine that a stint in Poland would do that for you. Perhaps you could elaborate on the specifics of your strategy.

Oh, and to address your original question, the salary offered is surprisingly high for a project manager position, and I doubt that you will be able to get much more.

Law / Can non-EU spouse/dependent work without work permit in Poland? [26]

Probably not unless she has some exotic specialty or experience that makes her highly in demand. In any case, if you need her to work, make sure that she has a job BEFORE you come to Poland. You cannot assume that she will find work AFTER you come. In fact, it's safest to assume that she definitely will not.

Work / Recruitement Process / Interview with an IT company in Poland [13]

ALWAYS assume that they are 100% not interested in you until they tell you that you are definitely hired. NEVER wait for an employer to make a decision. NEVER, EVER trust them when they say they will get back to you soon. ALWAYS assume they won't. ALWAYS continue looking for a better job, even AFTER you get hired. NEVER take a rest. Like a shark, you have to swim at all times, or else die. NEVER put your eggs in one basket, and ALWAYS cast your net very wide.

If you haven't heard from them in a month, two at the outside, it is a very safe bet that they have completely forgotten that you even exist.

Law / Can non-EU spouse/dependent work without work permit in Poland? [26]


She can search all she wants, but chances are extremely small that she will find an employer that is willing to get a work permit for her. Make your plans on the very safe assumption that she will definitely not find any work in Poland. If you are not going to be earning enough money to comfortably support the both of you, then don't come to Poland.

Law / PESEL and Zameldowanie czasowe (temporary residence card) are no longer necessary in Poland? [8]


As long as you have your documents in order and are polite, the bureaucracy is nothing to be afraid of. If there is a problem, it is because it can sometimes be slow to get things approved, especially with your residency permit. But zameldowania takes five minutes, at most. Go to the Urząd Miejski on Piłsudzskiego and Zapolskiej (in the back of the building), take a number, wait in line, fill out a very short form while you are waiting, hand it to the clerk together with your rental contract and a copy of the deed you get from the owner, wait a minute while the clerk enters it into the computer and prints out a copy for you, and basta. Piece of cake!

Again, if there is a problem with that, it is usually because you end up with a landlord that doesn't want you to register, and is unwilling to give you the papers you need. Make sure that, when you are renting the apartment, you make it very clear that you will be registering and need a real official paper contract with your name and the owners name on it and a copy of the deed (wyciąg z księgi wieczyste). You can't register without them.

Work / Companies and pay for a Native English Teacher in Warsaw? [46]

I'm sure she will thank you when she is 57 and finally lands a job in a school in England- cleaning toilets.

Study / Bachelors in Civil / Mechanical Engineering Degree in Poland [39]


It always comes down to money, especially, in a field like engineering, R&D spending. The "relics of communism and the nanny state" is another myth that's frequently trotted out, usually by nationalistic conservatives. True fifteen years ago, but it has been twenty six years since the transformation, and a lot has happened since. Sure, there are still some lasting effects of communist times, but not of the sort you seem to think, nor to the extent. Brain drain is by far a bigger problem, and will remain so for a long time.

Work / Companies and pay for a Native English Teacher in Warsaw? [46]

I'm a socialist, and a rather ascetic Buddhist. Probably the least materialistic person you can come across. So much for assumptions.

Study / Bachelors in Civil / Mechanical Engineering Degree in Poland [39]

Polish engineering students regularly complain about these things:

1) instruction is long on (often antiquated) theory and very short on practical work, and what little there is is severely underfunded and antiquated;

2) students receive very little attention, guidance and direction- it's nothing like engineering school in the US, for example;

3) there are very few partnerships with business and industry, so cash is limited, and it is difficult to build up a network of useful contacts; and

4) there is precious little R&D money in the country, so there is a shortage of interesting projects to work on;

5) job prospects and wages are very low; and

6) it is difficult to get degrees recognized abroad, ESPECIALLY for civil engineers.

If you are going to study civil engineering, then study it at a good engineering school in the US, the UK, German, Switzerland, Sweden or the Netherlands (the last has LOTS of extremely innovative, huge scale civil engineering projects for a tiny country).

Also, if you are going to study engineering, study petroleum or geological engineering. They are a lot more profitable than civil engineering, and recession-proof to boot. Civil engineers took a beating during the financial crisis.

Otherwise, you are probably no better off studying civil engineering in Poland than in your own country.

Foreign students complain about the following:

1) practically no chance of finding part-time work to finance studies;

2) low quality of courses taught in English;

3) practically no chance of finding work in Poland after studies;

4) difficulty in getting degrees recognized, as above.

As for racism, it is no worse than in other European countries, and maybe even better as far as overt racism is concerned. By far the most common form of "racism" you will meet with is "benign neglect". Nobody will bother you, but you may be ignored and not included in the lives of your fellow students. You won't be EXcluded, but you won't be INcluded, either, unless you are assertive and a bit aggressive about making friends and make the first move. If you are shy, Poland is an awful place to be a foreign student.


That's pretty much a nationalistic myth propagated during communist times that persists. Polish engineers are no more "sought after" than engineers from, say, India, and far less so than engineers from advanced Western countries.

Travel / Family Places to visit in Warsaw that would interest a 7 year old.. [7]

£owicz would be a great day trip. It's only an hour away. The town is cute, and there is a small skansen behind the city museum on the square that your kid might like. Also, the view from the top of the cathedral tower.

Very close to £owicz are:

Śromów, with it's interesting folk museum that she will find fascinating (no, it's not a boring, dry museum. It's one of a kind and kids love it. REALLY love it.),

Arkady, a really cool park with artificial ruins, the ideal place for a picnic; and

the impressive palace in Nieborów.

All this can easily be done in a rather unrushed day trip, with time to spare.

Work / Companies and pay for a Native English Teacher in Warsaw? [46]

.... and learn to say "Would you like fries with that, sir?" You're going to be saying that a lot.

Work / Companies and pay for a Native English Teacher in Warsaw? [46]

You're mixing up two completely unrelated things: the decision to hire, and the decision how much to pay. The rules for the former are extremely strict and not within the discretion of the headteacher. Any decision they make must be defensible to the Ministry of Education, the EU and the courts of law, and the reasons for that decision must be recorded in great detail in accordance with the policies of the Ministry, the EU, international treaties and local law.

The decision on how much to pay does lay somewhat within the discretion of the individual school, as you point out, but even then, they are well aware that they may have to defend in court any egregious behavior such as discrimination or favoritism. They are going to have their legal ducks in a row, too.

Nothing you wrote contradicts what I wrote.

Work / Companies and pay for a Native English Teacher in Warsaw? [46]


Bullshyt. They have to rigorously apply the extremely detailed pointing formula handed down by the Ministry of Education, no exceptions, when deciding whom to hire. There is little room for discretion. And no, they cannot award experience gained at a private language school any points.


That's another matter entirely, and they do have discretion there. Even so, no one is going to count "experience" gained in a private language school.