Study / Studying in University of Lodz as an Indian student? What's the city like - is it safe here? [56]

The English speaking countries and the rich Western European countries.

Study / Studying in University of Lodz as an Indian student? What's the city like - is it safe here? [56]


Same in Poland. Practical education is terrible or non-existent. Sorry, but you've gotten some bum information about studying in Poland. Also, you will not be able to work as a student in Poland or earn money in any way, and there is no financial aid available. Pick a richer country, or stay at home. Poland has nothing to offer you.

Study / Studying in University of Lodz as an Indian student? What's the city like - is it safe here? [56]

Why would you want to study in Lódź? It's an ugly and depressing city. Or anywhere in Poland, which is not one of the rich European countries? You could get at good or better and education in India.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


Actually, it was entirely the banks' fault. They loaned money to people who couldn't pay them back on the speculation that something magical would happen. They were well aware of the fact that they were investing in a speculative bubble.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


Statements like this indicate that said family is barely known to you. It might be best to keep it that way, rather then expose yourself to unknown and unknowable potentially dangerous self-imposed obligations and losses. You have never provided a good reason why you, in particular, should get involved, from which I conclude that you have none, If so, it would be wisest to keep a very healthy distance and let better qualified and more knowledgeable parties handle the matter.

Sorry, but I read and reread your posts, and there is not one single detail that indicates that this isn't some type of scam or ruse. Even if it's not, I also can't see any way you would be able to actually help, considering your lack of detailed information about their situation, and the fact that the lines of communication are so poor that you will almost certainly never be in possession if sufficient factual information.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


Didn't attack him at all. It sounded to me like he was being taken advantage of. I missed the deeply buried reference to him being somehow related to them.

Actually, I'm still not sure that this isn't some type of scam.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


Not close family, for sure. He writes about them as if he barely knows them.

Law / Problems in Poland - Swiss mortgage, bankruptcy, jail, mental health etc [26]


I won't even try to be delicate about this. Why and did you become involved in this matter? How do you know these people, and how well? Why should you trust them or believe what they say? What makes you think that they are not trying to defraud or deceive you?

Why this particular family, and not any of the other tens of thousands in the same position?

What makes you think that you can help? Per your own admission, you lack expertise and knowledge in this area.

Also, in what capacity are you acting, and with whose funds? If it is not your personal money at stake, and you are representing some organization, then clearly you are in way over your head and likely to do more harm than good. Better back off and let someone competent deal with it, or not.

There is nothing about the family you have described or about their situation that tugs at my heartstrings more than hundreds of thousands of other families in Poland. In fact, there are plenty of families in much worse shape.To top it off, this is a situation solely of their own making. They are responsible for getting into it, and it should be their responsibility for getting out of it. I don't see how you think you are helping, or can help, for that matter.

You really need to step back, take a better look at the whole situation, get the facts you need and think real hard about whether you should be involving yourself in this problem.

Sorry, but there are way to many red flags in your posts to ignore.

Law / Tourist visa to Poland for Indian citizen, invitation letter. [57]

No. It's pretty much a lost cause. Scratch Poland off the list of countries you will visit in your lifetime. And the term for a guy who has a "girlfriend" that he met on the internet and not in real life is "wanka". Grow up, kid. You're making yourself look ridiculous, and no consul or anyone else is going to take you seriously.

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


This is a big red flag. If you are having trouble making it in a Western country, where opportunities abound and the job market is relatively favorable, you are probably going to have a much harder time in Poland, where good opportunities are few and far between and competition is fierce.

It is extremely difficult to set yourself up as an independent consultant anywhere in the world unless you have balls so big you need a wheelbarrow. And by balls, I mean heavy-duty qualifications, abundant experience, a voracious, insatiable carnivorous appetite for self-promotion, and plenty of savings to tide you over until you can build up a solid client base, which isn't going to happen overnight. Don't think that you are going to be welcomed with open arms; quite the opposite: Consultants have to fight viciously, mercilessly and relentlessly for every single penny they get, especially when they are starting out.

Law / Need advice regarding work permit in Poland (coming on Denmark visa) [10]

Theoretically, yes. Practically, it's going to be very difficult to find a part-time job as a foreigner. Make your plans on the very safe assumption that you will not be able to earn any money whatsoever during your stay in Poland.

USA, Canada / Would like to move back to Poland from New York after living in USA for 20 years. [155]

That degree is not worth very much on the Polish job market without abundant heavy-duty experience. Everybody, their mother and their dog seem to have a degree in economics in Poland. Pretty close to the top of the list of useless majors in Poland, right up there with psychology and philosophy. Read an interview with the minister for the economy a few years back, and he said that if Poland stopped granting degrees in economics altogether, there would not be a shortage of economics grads for thirty years.

Competition for entry level and junior positions is therefore incredibly fierce, and wages are abysmal, especially in a place like Grajewo, which is in the one of the poorest parts of the country. Lots of people are willing to work for nothing at all in unpaid internships, just to get their foot in the door.

Sorry to disappoint you, but if you want to make it in Poland, the only reasonable option is to get hired by a Western company, and get transferred to Poland at Western wages. That would be a lot easier to do with an IT or engineering degree, or with a masters in a math-heavy and very-much-in-demand economics-related field like econometrics, financial mathematics, financial engineering or actuarial science. You're not going to get very far with just a bachelors in economics.

So your dream of moving back to Poland is not totally unrealistic, just unrealistic until you acquire some serious qualifications and experience. Spend the next five to ten years working on that, and it will be much easier for you to pursue a promising career in Poland.

By the way, I moved to Poland for a twelve-year long sabbatical myself. It was great fun because I had degrees, qualifications and experience that put me in great demand, and plenty of savings. Poland is a great country to live in if you have cash and something truly useful to keep you occupied. Otherwise, it can be quite depressing.

Work / Software Engineer in Wroclaw. Reasonable salary for this position? [16]


It isn't, and there are companies in Wrocław that will pay that, or more. Don't sell yourself short. And don't fall for the story that Wrocław is substantially cheaper than Warsaw. The cost of living is just a smidgen lower, if anything at all.

Life / Cost of living in Wroclaw (rent price too) [119]


If that's your plan, go to an advanced country where the R&D money is, not someplace like Poland. Nokia are notoriously low payers in Wrocław. I know a bunch of engineers there, and all of them are looking for better jobs because if low pay and very limited opportunities for advancement.

And, frankly speaking, I find Silver Forum a depressing place to work: five engineers crammed into small offices, and a creepy security system that sends the message that you are untrusted and not welcome. Not a friendly workplace by any stretch of the imagination. It actually stifles creativity.

Sorry, but I think your plan of coming to Poland with a wife and baby in tow is a waste of your time, which would be better spent exploring much better options in Western European or English speaking countries. Like I said, go where the R&D money flows in abundance. And make any decisions based on savings potential in absolute dollars.

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


Depends what you mean by "expat". If you mean heavy duty, super qualified engineering, financial, legal or business consultant or administrator sent by his home office for an extended stint in Poland, it's way, way too low.

If you mean slacker or backpacker with no skills or experience, it's way to high.

If you're a fresh out of school single engineer, it's pretty much spot on. Not really tempting for a couple, though. Explore better opportunities in Western Europe or English speaking countries. The deciding factor is that your savings potential would be low.

Life / Cost of living in Wroclaw (rent price too) [119]

That's 9000 PLN gross, 6000 net. Good for a single male, not so tempting for a married couple, and bad for a couple with children. It would not be worth your time to come to Wrocław for so little money, especially since the chances of your wife finding work are essentially zero.

A two bedroom apartment will cost 2500 to 3500 PLN all inclusive, rent, administration fees and utilities included except for internet /phone/TV.

Transport for you and your wife will cost about 200 PLN, and probably more if your wife is going to rely on taxis to get around. You won't be able to afford a car.

Food and household expenses, including diapers and baby food, will set you back another 1500 to 2000 PLN.

Then there are large purchases like clothing, furniture and electronics to take into account, as well as entertainment. Which your wife is going to desperately need, or she will go crazy in Wrocław. And, of course, babysitting.

That leaves precious little left over to save up for a rainy day fund. Forget about substantial savings. And forget about trips back to India, Pakistan or Bangladesh to visit family.

Sorry, but you are going to have to make at least 3300 Euro or more to make moving to Poland with a wife and baby worthwhile. And even then, your savings potential will be dangerously low at a time in your life when you can ill afford it. Stay in the UK, or explore better options in Western Europe or other English speaking countries.

USA, Canada / Girlfriend Re-entering Canada! CBSA issues - how long does she have to leave the country before re-entry? [4]


With precious few exceptions, none of which are pertinent to your girlfriend's case, staying in any foreign country is a privilege, not a right, and the host country can withhold or cancel that privilege at any time at its discretion. This is true of Canada, the US and Poland, and every other country in the world.

The fact that she would have to get a residence permit in the future does not seem unfair. After all, she can return without any problems if she gets the residence permit.


Hardly. I'm American and have been treated harshly for no apparent reason by American border guards when returning from Mexico, and that was in the 1980's long before the war on terrorism was ever even thought of. It's the price we have to pay for national security.

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

Youth unemployment is very high in Poland, and even during the summer, jobs that students can do are very hard to find, even for Polish students, and even harder for foreign students.

It is exceedingly unlikely that you will ever be able to find a job in Poland, or ever earn a single penny for your living expenses, so make your plans on the very safe assumption that you will have to pay for everything yourself with no help from Poland. If you cannot pay your own way 100% for sure, forget about coming to Poland to study.

Travel / Suggestion for nightlife in Poland [28]

How you stumbled upon Poland as a party destination is beyond me. While Polish girls are certainly pretty, they can be quite cold upon initial encounter, and I can't imagine that many will want to spend time with drunken horny Indian boys unless they are paid well by the hour.

Sounds like you would be much better off visiting Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Romania or Bulgaria than Poland. Like someone said above, Poland is not the party destination you are looking for. I highly recommend Durres in Albania. It has a lot more of the type of thing you are looking for, at much cheaper prices and a much more attractive setting with much better weather. Plus the food is superb, the wine is out of this world and dirt cheap, and the girls are gorgeous and friendly. No need to pay them by the hour just to have a drink with you. Lots of fun clubs that are full and keep the party going until the sun comes up. Ten times the fun for a fraction of the cost.

Like Harry said, you might want to revisit that decision. I think you are setting yourself and your friends up for a major disappointment with a big price tag.

By the way, on the list of party places of the world, £odź ranks something like 9784, right after Ouagadougou and Pyongyang.

News / Poland: A Successful case of low criminality in Europe? [97]


It's always been like that where I live in the States. Even now. The best correlation I have found is that the greater the density and age of trees, the lower the crime rate. For some reason, the criminal element is wigged out by lots of big, old trees.

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]

@Gość: The point is that, when you are on a limited budget, there isn't all that much difference between Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław on the one hand, and £ódź, Katowice or Sosnowiec on the other. You can't take advantage of what these cities have to offer that makes them unique.

Study / Looking to study at Warsaw university of technology - should i apply as a Polish or American citizen? [20]

The problems you are going to meet are:

1) Practical courses at Polish universities are abysmally underfunded and out-dated, with obsolete equipment that belongs in a museum.

2) There is precious little R&D done in the field in Poland, and therefore limited opportunities for cutting edge research projects or internships. There are cities in the US with higher R&D budgets for aerospace than all of Poland.

3) Polish universities do not network well with local business and industry, which is limited in the aerospace field anyway, so job prospects and the ability to make contacts that will be useful in your future career are limited. To put it in perspective, the aerospace industry in the rather small US state of Connecticut is much larger than in all of Poland even though it has a tenth of the population.

It is highly unlikely that you would want to work in Poland after you graduate, or pursue a doctorate there. So scratch that plan. You're already thinking about moving West, so Poland is not in your long-term plans.

If you want to work in richer countries like the Western European or English speaking countries, either study in those countries, or at the best school you can in China. In your field, Poland doesn't offer more in any respect than China does, and probably a lot less.

In short, go where the R&D dollars are, or make the best of what you have at home.

Study / Warsaw School of Economics vs Jagiellonian University [10]

Sort of. But I don't find it strange at all that one would want to avoid an ugly city. For example, when I was in England, I visited a friend at Lanchester Polytechnic in Coventry. I found the school and the town both to be mind-numbingly hideous. Maybe even more so than Bochum in Germany, which was purposely designed to be mind-numbingly hideous, with astounding success. Honestly, I couldn't imagine spending four years of my life in either of those places. I did study at UCSD, a college campus that, like Bochum, was designed to be utterly repulsive (they call the architectural style "brutalism" for good reason). However, unlike Coventry or Bochum, San Diego was a gorgeous city, and even the campus didn't seem all that bad because the weather was perfect practically every single day.

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]


A lot of 65-year-olds do regret not having made choices that would enable them to have a more secure retirement. I'm getting close to that age and I'm starting to hear it a lot from my contemporaries, especially the academic crowd.


Couldn't have said it better myself. Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław can be lots of fun if you have the cash. Not so much if you don't.

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]

You're forgetting that a foreigner living in Poland cannot live as cheaply as a Pole living in Poland. Losing your home-court advantage comes with a cost, probably one that largely offsets the difference in cost of living, at least until you spend a couple of years in the country, learn the ropes and make useful contacts that can save you a heap of money.

Travel / Suggestion for nightlife in Poland [28]


Why Poland? It does not seem to be a natural choice for your purposes.

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]


I studied in Greece, on Crete. The tourists stay almost entirely along the coast. The interior of the island is gorgeous, with it's tiny villages each with it's own style of wine, olives and cheese. Plus there are several breathtaking canyons where you can hike all day and see precious few other people.

I also spent a vacation in Macedonia, and would love to go back. The lakes are spectacular, and your money will go a lot further than it will in Poland. The food and wine were spectacular, too.

Real Estate / The law of land inheritance in Poland - an other family member wants my portion [5]

Is there any particular reason you are asking for a useless general answer to this of a bunch of anonymous unqualified clowns (like yours truly) on some internet forum instead of consulting with a lawyer who can give you an actually useful answer for your particular case?

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]


That's correct. Maybe fifteen, twenty years ago, being Swedish would be a selling point, but not now that Poland is in the EU. One of the elements of Polish culture is that the women are rather mercenary and concerned more than anything else about financial security. A generalization, I know, but as a rule, it's true.



It's actually quite a bit higher than I would expect for an unspecialized IT support job.

I think you will enjoy Poland more as an occasional vacationer with a fat Western paycheck than as a resident with a skinny Polish paycheck.


Trust your "head-brain" on this one.

Life / Concerns of a Swede who is about to go to Poland for work [53]


You're two main considerations should be 1) savings potential in absolute dollars; and 2) career advancement. You are correct that this job would not help you achieve either goal. Unless it's at a very high level, IT support is the cotton picking of the 21st century. It will do little to advance your long-term career goals.


There is a big difference between visiting Poland and living there long-term.


There is a big difference between finding a job and finding one that pays well and advances your career or educational goals. As for the salary, it is about the maximum you can expect on the Polish job market. You would be able to lead the lifestyle you mention, but forget about substantial savings. That is, unless you get carried away with the wine and women, in which case you may have trouble making ends meet.


There are less productive ways of spending a gap year working in Poland. On the other hand, there are plenty of more attractive options. Explore those instead.


Consider doing your masters in petroleum or geological engineering. Job prospects, lifetime earning potential and lifetime savings potential are stellar, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. These fields are also recession-proof, unlike many other areas of civil engineering.

I would normally advise against a gap year unless it is spent productively advancing your career and beefing up your skills and qualifications. Unfortunately, as I said, your year in Poland with this offer would just be an extended vacation that puts your life on hold for a year. Don't waste your gap year on "cheap alcohol and attractive women", and don't go on "gut feelings" or silly romantic assumptions. Figure out the actual costs and benefits in terms of dollars and cents, both short-term and long-term.