I am starting a new business life in Poland (coming from Sydney)

Hello,

I am 36 yrs of age and have just quit my good, secure job in Sydney because I decided the time is right to move to Poland and explore business opportunities. The immediate plan is to find a job teaching English and/or working for a company who may need people to service their English speaking clients but I will keep an open mind and consider any job to support myself. This should give me a pretty good idea to see how things work there and to familiarize myself on the local customs. I can speak basic Polish which is of course very advantageous but I am keen to improve and I am confidant it will. I also have family there so I won't be totally alone.

My ultimate goal is to setup a little cafe somewhere and build from there. I am also interested in the idea of setting up an import/export company but I will think about this more once I have established myself.

My mother is a little bit nervous about my plans, nevertheless one must not let fear and uncertainty get in the way of their dreams and aspirations. Anyway I have already committed myself so there is no turning back now. Besides the initial challenges of starting a new life in an unfamiliar place, I am encouraged by the economical and political situation in Poland. It fills me with great hope and optimism for her future.

The reason I am writing this post is to see if there are others out there who are thinking of emigrating to Poland or seeking business opportunities there? I would love to make contact (or contacts) with like minded people or hear your opinions. Perhaps you are already there doing it? If so, I would love to hear from you.

Who knows maybe we can meet up and share in this adventure together.

Thanks for reading.

Zac

Zac...

Very inspiring story.

I'm Polish and have been living in the US for about 20 years now, but have been lately thinking about doing the same thing as you - going back to Poland. Especially, since the US, is no longer the "land of opportunity" as it once was.

Keep us updated on your story, I wish you the best of luck.

Pawel.

Hey!

Thank you very much for your reply Pawel and I happy to know that my story was inspiring to you :) I will definitely continue this post and share my experiences with all who are interested.

I would love to go the U.S for a holiday but I would not go there seeking a new life for myself. Australia on the other hand is a great country and there are many opportunities if you are prepared to work hard for it but unfortunately I can't afford the time because my babsia is getting old. To fulfill my aspirations and to spend much of the little time of have left with her is to simply move to Poland. In my book family comes first and business comes second.

Besides, the economic situation looks very promising so it is a good time to go especially for those wishing to get into business of some sort. Poland has a robust internal consumption, the zloty is weaker against the main currencies which makes it good for exporters, inflation is stable and interest rates are low. It makes pretty good business sense to invest in Poland right now.

What are you doing in the U.S right now? If you were to go back what will you do?

Zac

Well, America is a great country too and we also have many opportunities if you are prepared to work hard. It works better for some than others; I wish you well in your future endeavors. That goes to you and pawel, and I mean it sincerely.

Zac,

good luck to you, just make sure you have all the papers in order. Are you still a Polish citizen? That would help, otherwise you would need all the permits to do business in Poland since you are not from the Schengen zone.

Good luck to you Zac .....

Where in Poland are you planning to re-locate to?

I am considering moving to Poland in the next year or two, but this will be decided by a number of factors. At the moment I live in London with my wife and two kids (9yrs & 8yrs), but a move to Poland, (Warsaw the most likely destination as we already have a network of friends/family there as well as some property), has alway been in our minds.

Family comes first for me also, so I have to decide whether the education the kids receive in an International School in Poland will compare well with getting an education here in UK.

It will be good to hear about your exploits in Warsaw - I am often in Poland so maybe a meet-up in Warsaw or Krakow is possible.

Great decision.

Oz is experiencing one hell of a property bubble.

In five years time you will be laughing to yourself.

The economy in Poland will slow down in 2012, if you are not established in Poland, it will be difficult to find anything. This forum is full of qualified and experienced English teachers who have been in Poland for years, those without an established database struggle. Poland circa 2011 is not Poland circa 2005


If you want to put your children in an International school the fees will be around 15,000 Uk pounds per annum for each child, the quality of the education is not as good as a UK private, the new trend in Warsaw is to send kids off to boarding school in the UK. The quality of life is good and your money will go further, the real question is what will you do here to support your family financially. A family of 4 requires 10,000 PLN per month to live without school fees, car/mortgage and private health care. There is a cheaper life but it is not really a life.

I am living now over 7 years in Warsaw, and would not dream of going back to my native Flanders. Never ever considered teaching though.
Give me logistics anytime :)
Good luck to you :)

She's right. You should rethink your decission.


10,000 on what? Food, clothes & entertaiment alone?
It just made me think what peasants we, the average Poles, must seem to be for you rich foreigners... Now please someone tell me that life is hard in so called Western Europe. Many Poles have to live for wages below 2,000 PLN per month.

A family of four 2+2
Food
Petrol x 2 cars
Extra classes for kids
UPC/ telephone
Monthly fees for apartment/ house

10,000 PLN + - 5% depending on month

Wedle

You said without mortgage and car.

I have not included mortgage/rent or HP for car.

I am only talking about monthly running costs.

Not many families have two cars. 10,000 zl a month is excessive.

hmmm, 10000zl plus is over the top,people earn 4000zl a month and are not starving, Wendle your giving young Zac a wrong perception of Poland, I don't personally believe Poland is a country for a young person to take up a career, cafe shops come and go with little profit and massive headaches and red tape...Stay in the land down under and just pay Poland a visit..listen to your mother for a change.

Yes , those people are Polish, not foreigners coming here with their families.


The only family I know that does not have two cars is because only one adult has a driving license. If you live on the outskirts of Warsaw and your kids are at university then I would expect 3 or 4 cars in the family.

10,000 PLN is not excessive it is the bottom end of comfortable for a 2+2, there is a cheaper life to be had for foreigners in Poland, but it is not really a life. Better stay in your own country and save up some money.

Good to know :)
So then are Poles justified in their whinings about how life in Poland is sad, dull and unsatisfactionary? No wonder they emigrate.


It should be stated stright-forward: he can't expect such salary from an incidental work.
Zac should also know that teacher's market is currently in a malaise (according to many PF thread), most cafes etc can't even manage a full year, and a call center work is not a good idea. You need to have a better plan.

3-4 people living in 40-50 m2 is not a life. I absolutely understand why Poles go overseas to work, if their only option is minimum wage.


a.k regarding some of the threads on this forum, I can't help but think most of the posters really believe Poland is still locked in rok 2,000. It is 2011, life has moved on and so has the expectations, competition and needs.The smartest thing anyone out there could do is to convince your current company that Poland offers excellent geographical location for expansion eastwards. Every month I am meeting at least 1-4 companies that want to set up office in Warsaw, getting ready to move eastwards. It is always better to use your companies money than your own to fulfill your dreams.

Utter and complete nonsense. Ever heard of public transport?


Are you really that spoilt?

People keep saying that but its just not true, where the **** do these people get their information from? Yeah sure Poland has positive growth and a few other positive signs but consider where theyve come from. Its like taking an African country that had no water and then giving them an ample supply, all of a sudden people start saying things are picking up in Africa.

Poland aint got nothin going on, yeah sure some signs point to positive growth, but unless you speak fluent Polish and know people in high places or willing to pay bribes..... Youre fcuked dude.

Most Poles live off much less than 10k PLN - try 3.5-4k for a couple who both have poorly paid jobs. It ain't pretty but that's the reality.


A lot of the people that live on the outskirts of Wawa are financially well off, so yes i would agree with you here about having 3-4 cars in the family.


He's a british Pan, he doesn't ride public transit.

Hey Sky,

I have since changed my view after reading up on some recent opinions and articles and I now think that America is still the land of opportunity. It does not matter where you are really, if you have a good idea or a sound business plan and prepared to work hard towards your goals then one can be very well rewarded for their efforts especially in a place like America. The same goes for unskilled workers and the uneducated, if they have a plan and willing to invest their time and energy wisely to fulfill their goals and aspirations then I can't see why they can't make it to. I guess it all comes down to ones vision, knowing who he or she is, their attitude and the right personal attributes.

Anyway thanks for waking me up to this fact and helping me put things back in persepctive :) I think all the negative economic news coming out of America and elsewhere has affected my better judgement.

Thanks for the well wishes to :)

Zac

What about health insurance and medical policies in Poland for a foreigner?
How much it will cost every month roughly?
In Poland in a textile company how much a senior level engineer can earn per month?
What is the weather and climate in Poland in different parts of a year?
Thanks in advance.

Hey Aphro and thanks for posting!

I will first go over on a holiday to get aquainted with the place and to do a bit of research. Once I am there, I will engage a solicitor to assist me with the legal aspects on working and doing business in Poland. I am an Australian citizen but I plan to become a Polish citizen in the future. Again I will get a solicitor to assist me with the legal aspects. Btw I believe Poland does not recognize dual citizenship but apparently I can still apply for citizenship and passport as long as I can prove that one or both of my parents was born in Poland.

Zac

You're welcome and just to be clear, yes, we have many problems here just like anywhere else but overall it's a pretty darn good country to be living in, just like Australia. You'll see ups and downs anywhere you go and many people like to 'whinge' no matter what. I have many Australian friends and they seem to be enjoying living here in the US although many miss their families.

I think it boils down to making a decision, hopefully a somewhat well educated guess and sticking to that decision. Forget the past and focus on the future, too many people dwell on "what iff's" and "should've - would've", so stick to your plans, keep an open mind, be ready to improvise and I'm sure only the sky will be your limit. Cheerio.

Hey Polanglik and thanks!

I have family in Warsaw and Krakow but I plan to do a road trip to see as much of the country as possible. As for where to settle down, that is yet to be decided.

If you do decide to go back to Poland what will you do there?

I will let you know when I am in Warsaw or Krakow so watch this space around April :)

Btw re where to send your kids to get the best education, I wouldn't have a clue about this but if I had the money I would probably send them to an international or private school. You should post a new thread :)

Zac

From the figures Wendel quotes, you want to avoid Warsaw, its sounds very expensive. Mind, thats where the best paying jobs are.

I am in total agreement here, these posters who read that Poland is the land of opportunity are being influenced by false information, sure there are more forms of entertainment and choice, the vast majority of Poles can't afford the full extent of it.

Poland's growth is due to FDI. EU funds and well managed figures, the west needed a success story to encourage the former soviet countries into Nato and the EU. Poland was chosen to be that success, because it is a country you can do business with.


As I previously quoted, there is a less expensive life, but it is not really a life. You have got to be a very special couple to accept it, especially if one of them is a foreigner. It would be enough to drive a person to drink.


The wealthiest people in Warsaw live in Zoliborz, Mokotow, Centrum and Konstancin.


I do take the Metro sometimes, if you don't need to, you don't do it.


So a young married couple with a baby on the way living in a two/three room flat with their parents is what you would call comfortable living. I call it a lesser life, nothing about being spoiled.


I would not put off anyone trying for a better life in Poland, but I think its about time posters stopped with the rose tinted glasses cr*p. Unless you have money to support you or a well payed job to walk into. Understand what you are about to put yourself through.

Wow there are some interesting posts already and some of it not so rosey.

It looks like teaching english is no longer a viable option. Well at least I have some money behind me so it's not like I will be desperate to find a job to survive but the reason why I want a job is to experience life as a local and try and to improve my Polish. I really don't care what the job is and how much I get paid, I will consider this as positive progress.

Like I said, I am just coming for a working holiday to get a feel for things, do research and explore potential opportunities. I have to be there on the ground to see for myself because that's the only way I will be able to do fulfill this mission properly. When the time is right I will come back and give something a shot.

If my adventure does not work out then fine. I will learn from the experience and move on to a new plan whatever that may be.

Btw it would be very interesting to see how many foreigners are currently operating in Poland. I will try and talk to as many as possible and get their views. You know in Australia, there are many foreigners (especially Asians) setting up shop. Most seem to be in the food game. What I find interesting is that alot of them do not even speak any english. I simply point to what I want on the menu and they bring it out. Too easy!

Speaking of food, I am curious to see and experience the food scene in Poland.

Thanks to everyone for their posts. I will respond to them shortly.

Zac

Zac will that be your first time in Poland?