Life / Moving to Krakow (and other questions) [23]


Bad decision. The job market is much more competititve in Poland than in the UK, and without an advanced degree, special qualifications, high-level experience in high-level positions, and knowledge of the local language, you are at a very big disadvantage. Your experience as an office worker won't count for much. Office workers are dime a dozen here. Chances are remote to the extreme that you will find anything in Kraków besides working in a call center, which pays very poorly. So poorly, that having your own apartment in the center of the city is going to be challenging or downright impossible.

Teaching is probably not an option open to you if you want to live in Kraków. It is the most competitive market for English teachers in the country, and the market is way oversaturated with job-seekers who are better qualified than you, even if you were to take the CELTA. Taking the CELTA would probably be just a waste of money in this case.

Your best bet is to stay in the UK and take advantage of the oportunities available to you to beef up your qualifications. Your chances of finding gainful employment for a decent wage are much, much higher there than in Poland, and you will not be able to expand your qualifications in Poland. However bad your chances of finding work in the UK may seem to you, they are absolutely rosy when compared to your chances of making a go of it in Poland. There's a darn good reason why so many Poles emigrate to find work in the UK, and so few Brits emigrate to Poland.

If you want, you could keep looking for a job in Kraków while still in the UK. Like I said, the chances are remote, but you might hit on something. If you're going to be making less than 3500 more more net AFTER TAXES, you are unlikely to break even. Problem is, for wages that high, there are few, if any, jobs in Kraków for non-Polish speakers who do not have a degree.

Whatever you do, don't come to Poland on the hope of finding a decent-paying job once you get here. That just ain't gonna happen. At best, it would be a very expensive vacation at a time in your life when you can little afford to spend time and money goofing off. See a career counselor and examine your options at home.

Life / Costs of living Warsaw vs the provinces [8]


1500 to 2000 PLN, including building association fees and all utilities except internet. Maybe a little more, depending on what you mean by decent.

Work / Moving to Lodz - will my 2500 PLN salary be enough? [52]


More like over 95%. Even in Wrocław, more than 80% of the prewar architecture is neglected and needs major attention.

£ódź does have a lot of fine art-deco buildings, most, unfortunately, dilapidated. However, if you read up on art-deco in £ódź, you'll appreciate the city more for what it once was. I used to like visiting my friend in Bałuty. The view from his balcony was interesting: the surrounding buildings were shored up with telephone poles. Here's a picture:

nieznana-epoka.com/s/cc_images/cache_3714080504.jpg?t=1354681607

However, it had a certain charm, like a de Chirico painting. Created a eerie atmosphere in the early morning when I would go out to drink my coffee.

UK, Ireland / Calling a friend from UK to Poland. Cheap option? [13]

If you both have internet access, Skype is totally free, and you can talk for hours and hours. Sound quality is excellent, and you can do video, too. I keep in touch with my family in the States and my friends all over the world with it.

Life / Does Magic Jack work in Poland? [11]


Why? Skype is free. Yesterday, from Poland, I spoke to my former students in London, Norway and Georgia (the country, not the state) for hours and it didn't cost me a dime.

Sound quality is excellent, and video usually works fine, too.

Real Estate / Cost of room in Warsaw? Where to look for accomodation? [31]


That's about 1700 to 1900 PLN with utilities and fees, so about 850 to 950 per person, and way below market value. Expect there to be serious problems with the apartment (very hard to get to the city center, bad building or neighborhood, very small rooms, poor condition, reeks of cat urine, cockroaches, extremely small "kitchen annex" that is essentially useless for cooking, microscopic bathroom, bad windows (means heating is going to be VERY expensive), dampness and mold, or something else major). Another problem that you may have, which is very important for you, is that the landlord may not permit you to register your address there.

For example, one place I checked out that was unusually cheap turned out to be an apartment built over a car alarm shop, next to the main railroad tracks in a rundown part of town with poor access to the city center. Not exactly a good place to study. Another was in a building that reeked so bad of cat urine that I almost vomited when I went in. Another had rooms so small that there was no way to fit both a bed and a desk in them. Yet another was so far out I might as well have been living in a different city.

For your own room, like I said, the cheapest you're going to pay is 600 PLN for a VERY TINY room in a student apartment, to 1500 PLN in a two-bedroom apartment.

My advice is not to even waste your time checking out these unusully cheap places.

As for fees and utilities, it depends a lot on the heating and building association fees, but expect to pay 300 to 400 PLN per person, and 500 to 700 per two persons, plus or minus, over the rent price you see in the . Bad windows could double that, so have someone competent check out the place for you amd make sure it's OK before signing anything.

Also, remember that, in Poland, a two room apartment means only one bedroom.

Real Estate / Cost of room in Warsaw? Where to look for accomodation? [31]

researchers

For a no-frills two room apartment, that is, one bedroom and a living room that may or may not be open to the kitchen, expect to pay at least 2200 PLN with all fees and utilities (heat, water, gas, electricty, but not internet). In other words, at least 1100 PLN per person if two people stay there.

For a three room apartment (two bedrooms), add about 500 PLN to the above. Beware that the second bedroom is usually TINY. If you're looking for two good-sized bedrooms, add about 700 PLN to the above. That is, 1300 to 1500 PLN per person if two people live there.

For a single room in a student apartment, expect to pay anywhere from 600 PLN (all utilities and fees included, except internet), for a TINY room for one person, to over 1000 PLN for a room big enough for two people. That is, 600 to 800 per person.

You could do it slightly cheaper if you and your friend are willing to cram both of you into a tiny room, but consider 500 PLN per person the bottom limit.

Those are the minimum prices you're likely to see. Remember, the best and cheapest student apartments have been taken already at this time of the year, or soon will be.

Life / Where do artists like to live in Poland? [21]


Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław, Trójmiasto, Poznan and Katowice, approximaely in that order.


In Kraków, Nowa Huta and Podgórze, both very interesting neighborhoods, are the places favored by young artists now. Kazimierz has become rather trendy, and artists are moving on from there. In Wrocław, Śródmieście is the place for young artists. In Trójmiasto, Orłowo is the place for serious artists. Not cheap, but beautiful. In Katowice, old, "scenic" neighborhoods like Nikiszowiec are popular among artists.


Au contraire. Thriving artist communities in the smaller cities, especially in Kazimierz Dolny and £owicz. Other good places are Cieszyn and Jelenia Góra. A lot of artists seek out quiet villages, especially in Bieszczady, Suwałszczyzna, Kaszuby and Ziemia Kłodzka. I have an artist friend who lives in Wisła, which on the map, and in real life, looks pretty isolated (but gorgeous), but has excellent transport connections, including a direct express train to Katowice and Warsaw.


Lots of better places than that for younger artists on a budget. Dresden Neustadt, for example, has a fantastic art scene. The festival there in June is a must-do.

Work / Salary and cost of living information - Krakow [257]


If your very careful, disciplined and frugal, you'd be able to put away at most 300 Euros a month. Perhaps a bit more if you are extremely careful, disciplined, frugal and lucky, like you don't get sick or have to go to the dentist, for example, or have to travel back to the Netherlands for a wedding or funeral. Not much, but after a year or two, you'll have a rainy day fund to fall back on.

The biggest hit a westerner takes when moving to Poland to work is how little money they are able to save in terms of dollars or euros. Like someone told you before, if you're coming to Poland for fun, adventure and experience, fine, go for it. If you're coming to Poland to make money, forget about it with your qualifications.

You're much better off keeping your job in Belgium, and improving your qualifications and building up your experience there. In five years or so, if you work and study hard, you may be in a position to get a job as a project manager or something like that for a western company doing business in Poland, and get paid at western rates. That would be a smart course of action. Learn the language before you come, and read up on Polish law and finance.

Work / Salary and cost of living information - Krakow [257]


1500 PLN with utilities for one person in a two-bedroom apartment, all costs and utilities included. Living alone, a studio apartment will set you back about the same, and a one-bedroom apartment will cost about 2000 PLN or slightly more. Depends what you mean by "medium/expensive". If you mean expensive, you could pay double the prices I gave above.


600 to 1000 PLN per month, depending on the diet you eat, including household items and toiletries.


Anywhere from 30 PLN and up a night, if the only thing you have to pay for is beer. Really depends on what you mean by "going out".

All in all, it'll cost you about 3000 PLN to live a no frills life in Kraków. And that really means no frills, and no money left over at the end of the month, and no security blanket. The fun doesn't begin until you make 5000 PLN or more after taxes.

Law / Opening "Budke Gastronomiczna" [37]


It's not worth the invcstment, then, if this is all that you exect to make. Certainly not worth the risk, and the food business is a very risky business indeed.

Might as well try to make a living as a teacher already, or work in a call center. Better yet, translate. There's plenty of work if you have a specialty.

Life / Planning to relocate to Wroclaw, Poland [17]

A one room studio apartment with all utilities and internet included is going to cost 1600 PLN or more. Maybe a little less if you live on the fringes of the city, but the commuting time will not be worth the savings.

Transportation will cost 90 PLN a month if you get the Urban card. More, even much more, if you don't.

Food is going to cost you about 900 PLN for a no-frills diet. 600 PLN perhaps for a small woman, but a man will have to eat a very spartan diet at that price. 300 PLN is just impossible. Your diet would consist solely of potatoes, onions and pasta. I spend about 1000 PLN for food, and that's mostly cooked and eaten at home. And you'll have to figure in household supplies.

Entertainment is expensive if you like nightclubs and alcohol, or want to see the latest films in the cinemas. I know expats who spend over 1000 PLN a month on going out.

In short, living in a studio apartment, you'll need at least 2700 PLN per month AFTER TAXES just to survive as a single man who doesn't smoke or drink. Less than that, and you're life is going to be grim and spartan to the extreme. Even with 2700 PLN a month, you'll have no money left over at the end of the month, and you won't be able to save anything up or send home. Life doesn't begin to get comfortable until you make more than 4000 PLN AFTER TAXES as a single man.

Love / Cheated on... instead of the PL boyfriend the other lover announced it on FB? [26]

I don't think you're mature enough to be in a serious relationship. In any case, it's patently obvious that this one is not going to work out. Break it off completely, never ever contact him or any of the other parties involved again, do not respond to their attempts to contact you, grow up, and then find someone else.

Work / Is there a market for teaching Dutch in Poland [22]

Agree with delphiandomine. Finding Poles interested in learning Dutch is easy. Finding students who are willing to pay is not. And finding reliable and dependable students is a whole other thing entirely.

Charging 60 PLN will attract few, if any students. That's my price for teaching English, and if it weren't for word of mouth, I would have few students indeed. Quality long-term students paying decent money comes only after you establish a reputation for yourself. Until then, you will have to put up with unreliable students who cancel lessons a lot or quit after a few lessons. You might bring in a few zlotys, but it's definitely not going to be much, and you won't be able to count on it. You certainly cannot assume that you are going to regularly bring in even 500 PLN a month.

Study / Portugese erasmus student moving To Poznan. Job, rent, language? [9]


I'd stay at home and study my butt off for those college levels so that I can get into the best school possible. Perhaps help out at your parents cafe and save up a little money, which you won't be able to do in Poland. Nothing wrong with visiting your friends there for a week or two, but spending a year there is a bit unrealistic.

Work / Dutch speaker (native) experienced in Finance: job opportunities in Poland [63]

sobieski:
be able to join the Mon-Fri crowd.

MatteoCarati:
What do you mean by that?[/quote]

That option is generally for higher level managers and consultants on short-term contracts with foreign companies doing business in Poland. Sometimes also for instructors or product demonstrators. It's rarely for more than a few weeks, a few months tops, although it could be longer if you are visting branches in several cities. You would be paid at the foreign rate, and the company would provide accommodation, flights and perhaps a per diem. Unfortunately, the jobs for which this is the practice are all beyond your level.

Have to agree with the others that expecting to make decent money in Poland with your qualifications and experience is unrealistic. The best you're looking at is 2500 to 3000 PLN a month after taxes, and unless you get into upper level management or administration, or become a highly qualified specialist or consultant, you're going to top out at 4000 to 5000 PLN, and that only after at least five years. To make more than that, you have to be highly qualified, very experienced and in demand.. You have to be an ambitious self-starter and go getter, and have a great network of useful connections. You also have to be lucky.

Real Estate / Day of exchange of contracts with property sellers in Poland [12]

Indeed. I would not authorize any transfer of funds unless you are in FULL possession of the property, and the sellers have completely moved out for good. There is something fishy going on here. If you can't arrange things exactly to your liking, then follow your instict and pull out completely. Otherwise, you're likely to get ripped off.

Study / Portugese erasmus student moving To Poznan. Job, rent, language? [9]

Agree with the others that the only work you are likely to find is in a call center, and with your level of education and lack of experience, it's likely to be sales-related cold-calling, the worst kind of call-center work available for the lowest pay. Lousy job for barely enough to survive on, if you live like a monk and count every penny. Handing out leaflets isn't an option, as you will never make enough to survive. Teaching in a language school is flat out, and tutoring will only bring in a small amount of money, if you find anyone to tutor at all.

The question is why aren't you getting an education yourself? That should be your highest priority right now. Your future is bleak without salable qualifications.

Food / Is KALE sold available in Warsaw? Anyone fancy jarmuż in Poland? [5]

In Poland, Kale is a home-grown vegetable that is easy enough to get in the countryside. It's rarely sold in Polish stores, although you may see it in vegetable stands in January. Also, you're looking at the wrong time of the year. Kale is a winter vegetable, and requires a good frost before it becomes really tasty. December and January are peak kale season. It's one of the few green things available fresh at that time of the year. At the beginning of July, gardeners haven't even planted kale yet.

Australia / Polish language books for donation in Melbourne [4]

Try:
St Ignatius' Church
326 Church Street
Richmond Vic 3121

(03) 8420 6789

They serve the local Polish community, and would more than likely find a good home for those books.

Life / Polish way of life? [34]


This is by far the best encapsulation you will find:

youtube.com/watch?v=V2sedTLIRWU

Law / trying to leave Poland with a traffic ticket [8]

Delph is right on this one. It's just not worth the worry. Get it sorted out.

Study / Vistula University in Poland. Any experience? Any student? [57]


Tell your friend that, whatever's he heard, studying at a lousy universtity in Poland is not a backdoor to the EU. Whoever gave him that idea is full of stinky moist brown substance. He's been scammed.

Yes, he should withdraw from Vistula. It's a complete waste of time and money. He should consider studying in his own country. If he's a SERIOUS student, there are far more better places to study than in an English-language program at a Polish university. Those programs are usually very bad, and the diplomas are useless, especially from schools like Vistula and C.C.

Law / Jobs and Economic Status in Poland [64]


Actually, more like the major building firms not getting paid for a lot of the work they did to prepare for EURO 2012. They'll be in court for many years trying to recover a fraction of what they are owed. The city of Wrocław is being sued left and right. A lot of the minor firms and subcontractors were wiped out.

Law / Jobs and Economic Status in Poland [64]


You did. Development in the infrastructure and building industry have slowed down considerably. A lot of my civil engineer friends have lost their jobs, or soon will. Even managers. Granted, it took longer to collapse in Poland than elsewhere, but collapse it did.

Law / Jobs and Economic Status in Poland [64]


Apples and oranges. Poland was far behind the west 10 years ago, and, in spite of the growth, still has a good deal of catching up to do.

Law / Jobs and Economic Status in Poland [64]

You forgot about all the British and Irish boyfriends of Polish girls who moved back to Poland to be close to their families. They're a perennial broken-record on this forum :)

Law / Jobs and Economic Status in Poland [64]


There are a lot of scams operating now that prey on unsuspecting citizens of developing countries, promising them a good life in the EU using Poland as a back door to the wealthier western European countries.

Apparently, this forum has gotten a reputation as the place to look. This forum is littered with posts from people from India, Nigeria and other third world countries asking about work, study or even paper marriages in Poland, and all seem to have fallen for the BS spread by scam artists, and regurgitate the absolute nonsense they have heard. It's amazing how many third-worlders post here.

Study / Vistula University in Poland. Any experience? Any student? [57]

@Researchers: Fake "university" run by some rich Turkish guy. For God's sake, it doesn't even have a Wikipedia article, neither in English nor in Polish. That's a HUGE red flag right there. Students are losers who couldn't get into real schools, and foreign suckers seeking a foot-in-the-door of the EU. Agree with the others that the diplomas issued are worth diddly-squat, even inside Poland. Your classmate will simply waste his time there, and get nothing out of the experience except an empty bank account. Poor little dope!

Work / Relocating to Poland, looking for a IT job in Krakow/ Katowice / Wroclaw. [13]


Finding a job is one thing. Finding a job that pays well enough to make relocating a realistic option is another.

Your best bet is to get employed by a foreign company at foreign pay rates. This usually isn't a viable option unless you are able to work at least as a project manager, research director, regional sales/marketing manager or very high-level specialist/consultant. Otherwise, you'd be paid the going Polish wage, which is not at all that attractive, especially if you have a family to support. You might be able to leverage your knowledge of languages into a pay increase, but that depends on the particular employer and job in question.

Contact international companies like HP, Nokia and IBM and see if they have any high-paying job opportunities that fit your qualifications and experience in Poland. It's best to land a job BEFORE you come. Competition is tight, especially for well-paying jobs, and you will be at a disadvantage not knowing the local language and having only a bachelors degree, though your experience could count for something.