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Residence permit in Poland. Starting an own business is enough to get this?


Peruvian  
24 Mar 2017 /  #1
A school want to hire me as an English teacher. They said I could start a business with just myself so I would be in charge of paying my own taxes and all. I just don't know if starting this kind of business would be sufficient enough to get a residence permit so I could actually live in Poland and do the job.

Any ideas?
Thanks
Lyzko  41 | 9615  
24 Mar 2017 /  #2
With the little I've seen of your English, I'd be quite surprised if any self-respecting school would even want to hire you!

To teach Spanish, perhaps, but not English:-)
DominicB  - | 2706  
24 Mar 2017 /  #3
Thanks

Someone is joking with you. There is no way that you will be granted a visa and residence permit on the basis of having your own business without a proper work permit and full-time work contract.

The fact that the "school" wants you to open your own business is a sign that they are not going to pay you well enough to live. The fact that they offered you, a non-native speaker, a job to teach English in Poland, when there is no shortage of non-native speakers in Poland, is very, very suspicious indeed. Either they are totally incompetent, or they are a scam outfit, or both.

In any case, there is no realistic way for you to survive by teaching English in Poland. Or Spanish, for that matter. Forget about it and make realistic plans. Poland has nothing to offer you.
Lyzko  41 | 9615  
24 Mar 2017 /  #4
Hear, hear, DominicB! Smells fishy to me as well.
OP Peruvian  
25 Mar 2017 /  #5
Thanks, sorry for my lazy English I just posted a quick question, wasn't trying to be proper (didn't think I'd be judged while asking for advice) since I speak native English I just have Peruvian nationality because of my parents. They did offer a contract, just suggested this as another option. I guess I'll just do it by contract, was just curious to know if that other way was actually possible..
DominicB  - | 2706  
26 Mar 2017 /  #6
@Peruvian

The golden age for teaching English in Poland is long over. You're twenty years too late. Schools try to save money, and wages have stagnated while the cost of living has increased. Quality full-time contracts are harder to come by, and most schools offer "garbage contracts" and pay their teachers as independent contractors (that is what they mean by starting your own business: they shift the hassle and expense of doing business from them to you). Few schools are willing to go through the hassle of hiring teachers from outside of the EU as there is no shortage of teachers within the EU, or even within Poland itself. The best an unqualified newbie can expect is a very frugal, hand to mouth existence with little in the way of fun. It is entirely possible that they will not pay you enough to cover the cost of your relocation, your certificate and your very basic living expenses. A viable career option it is not.

When you ask a question like this, you have to provide more detailed information about yourself, or else you just get a generic answer. Where are you from (passport)? Where are you now? How old are you? What is your educational background? What qualifications do you have to teach English? And why, of all places, Poland? Where is this school, and how much are they offering?

Avoid Callan method, "direct method", Avalon and Berlitz schools like the plague. They are scam outfits that pay extremely poorly, if at all.

It is also suspicious that a school in Poland is hiring in March, when the school year ends in two months. Something is not right with that. Generally, newbie English teachers either do not work during the summer, or work at greatly reduced wages. There is little high-paid quality work available, and what little there is, goes to more experienced teachers. So count on three months with little or no income. How do expect to survive the summer?

And yes, the quality of your writing does indeed matter, and, yes, you will be judged by it, wherever you go. Your sloppy writing hardly inspires faith in your ability to teach English.
Sparks11  - | 333  
26 Mar 2017 /  #7
people here are missing the actual obstacle to your residency. as an american who does this and knows many more in the same boat, heres how it goes. if you have american citizenship you can open a sole proprietorship (only americans and eu people are allowed to do this) . if youre Canadian or australian or peruvian, you cant. its just how it is. you could open an LLC. but thats more complicated. once you have the business going and have been pay ing Taxes and ZUS for a couple months, you can apple for residency and will probably be accepted if you earn at least around 5k pln/ month.
Carxxx  
27 Mar 2017 /  #8
To get residence by just opening a business is hard. The immigration authority need to see that your business contribute to poland society.
Marsupial  - | 871  
27 Mar 2017 /  #9
Its basically because the USA and EU are important to Poland vs say Australia which is almost irrelevant much like Peru.
DominicB  - | 2706  
27 Mar 2017 /  #10
The immigration authority need to see that your business contribute to poland society.

More importantly, they are going to want to see proof that your business will bring in enough money to support yourself and pay your taxes.
Lyzko  41 | 9615  
27 Mar 2017 /  #11
Poles are slowly growing tired of their country being used as, what many see, as a sort of dumping ground for cheap, foreign labor.
DominicB's absolutely correct in his judgement:-)

As far as "lazy English" therein lies the double standard, as I seriously doubt whether or not I with my "lazy" Spanish could even think seriously about getting a respectable position teaching Spanish in PeruLOL
OP Peruvian  
28 Mar 2017 /  #12
@DominicB Thanks for the detailed answer.

The job is actually for a Kindergarten teacher position, the school works with immersion language teaching. They needed mostly someone with Child Care experience that speaks fluent English, so kids can be exposed to the language during school time. The job is for the next school year, not this one.

My passport is from Peru. I am currently in Prague as an Au Pair, I enjoy the experience of working with kids and living in this area. I'm 27 years old, Bachelor in Engineering, studying Child Care & Education and have been working in Child Care for about a year. It's what I want to do, Engineering wasn't fulfilling for me.

Why Poland? Mainly because some expats I met told me that there are a lot of jobs available in Prague and in Warsaw; and that getting a work permit and the residency afterwards was easy compared to other countries in Europe. I was inclined to apply to Warsaw because my sister lives in Poland too (married to a Polish man) and I thought it would be cool to be close to her for a period of time. I am thinking two years, or one.

I think you are right with the "garbage contract" offer, they are offering me 4000 PLN gross with a contract, 20 days payed vacation, or 5000 PLN gross if I do it as a contractor; but I don't think this will be possible. So I don't know if what they are offering with the contract would be enough.

I have another interview next week, hopefully that one is better. I am just looking while I'm still in Prague, just thought to see if some doors would open and I could come back again.
Atch  23 | 4275  
28 Mar 2017 /  #13
studying Child Care & Education

Are you doing a degree? If so have you nearly completed it? I'm just wondering because how would you continue your studies if you move to Poland? There is no way you could live on that salary in Warsaw. I suppose if you live with your sister you could just about manage but after you've paid her something towards your keep, your budget would be really tight.
delphiandomine  86 | 17823  
28 Mar 2017 /  #14
I think you are right with the "garbage contract" offer, they are offering me 4000 PLN gross with a contract

Ask them for a sample contract and send it to me, I'll soon tell you if it's a legitimate offer or if they're simply being crooks.

If it's the trilingual nursery in Warsaw (which I suspect it is...), then I've already seen their model contracts and the English one differed from the Polish one.

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