I want to move to Poland (but of course we need to find a good job)

The myth that a "higher" education brings prosperity is beginning to fall on it's face. Practical skills are far more important. Show me a welder or a plumber without work compared to the number of degreed people. With the exception of technical or practical fields most degrees are worthless. Every other person here has a degree in "Pedagogy" or "Business" or some other such worthless ********.

More and more courses and universities are moving to the 3+2 model as a result of the Bologna Process. So an MSc/MA/Mwhatever obtained today will more than likely be a true Masters degree.

As for it being 'pretty obvious why it's done' - tell me why most of Europe was using this system before the Bologna Process? In fact, some Magister degrees are 5 years and not 4 - and these are close to an actual Masters.


The problem is that the Masters element is available to everyone. Anyone with an interest in education will tell you that it's clearly nonsense (where the Masters part is seperate) for people to get onto the M level without a decent grade in the Batchelor level - but Poland seems to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that the amount of people who have a Masters must fall - possibly because they'll have a lot of expensive staff doing nothing until they retire.

But I think part of the blame has to lie at the way that Polish students don't embrace relevant work experience, partially because some universities have worthless placements.


What's different from the Yankee homeland? I'd say most degrees handed out to athletes on scholarships (something that's banned in the EU) are worthless from the US.

I can tell you that the whole thing about higher education comes from times just after communism, during the communism period in poland nobody was actualy trying to get higher education. Most people were finishing technical collage courses or work courses. When communism ended and state companies were deregulated and new private companies emerged - in that time workers with a university education were being promoted over people who stopped their education without going to uni. I heard plenty of such life stories from my parents, older people who were never promoted just because they didn't have the paper, seeing youngsters who they worked with overtaking them.

I think that's why there's such notion of getting even the crappiest masters degree...

Oh and I forgot, another reason for going to a uni was running away from the army - at least just until lately.

Makes sense. It plays to the Polish need to be more "intellectual". There is a huge inferiority complex in this society and it manifests itself this sort of overcompensation.

...Never was a truer word spoken.
There is this notion, that without a "magister/Masters degree you are a nobody, not worth talking to, an object of ridicule and fun. Recently, a young, handsome actor who has acted in many films and TV serials (is he gorgeous or what?) was slated for the fact that he didn't have a Masters. What is pretty amazing is that somehow he has managed to make a good living out of being an actor - but still, still, some people have to slate him for not having a piece of paper, which would be as useful to him as a chocolate fireguard.

...it was the same with one ex-President of Poland...the fact that he ended up being a President didn't count for a jot, because....because he didn't have a Masters.

He lied about it, though - considering Walesa didn't have a Masters either (as far as I know...), it wouldn't have mattered - but to lie about it is another story.

...but I wasn't talking about Walesa. He was a run-of-the mill electrician who became a President. Theres not many who can say that.

I think delphi was citing Walesa as another example . . .


emphasisi is on "either" ;)

Hi i m currently in uni and due to graduate in a years time,
I want to move to Poland in a few years to work in design/advertising.
can you help me with any openings generally??

Thanks

Learn Polish. If you don't, then finding employment will be difficult, if not impossible.

Is there no work in that field in London, better chance getting work there than Poland... forget it

ok. moving to poland has always been on my mind and thank god i found this thread. start off, im 19, born in poland, raised in the U.S.(new york), sincei was 3. i speak and write english fluently but have attended polish school for eight years. my family speaks polish such as mom and dad, but me nd my brothers and sister speak english together because it helps here to know fluent english. iv been to poland a couple of times, but im still young to realize the real problems it has. i LOVE the girls there and not the fat and ugly black, spanish, andamerican girlsin new york....yuck! i also fell in love with the techno clubs(smigno klub 139 =p). i have lots of family there and i do miss them all. plus i also met a girl that i want to be with...now iv been ttold that work sucks in poland unless you know the language. i might not right perfect perfect polish but i do speak it fluently and noone can tell im american or vise-reversa. im going to a two year college now and hopefully i can be a translator of some sort, because i was offered a job already to consider...now my question is should i risk it and go there because i really love it there, even though everyonewants to go to US, or should i stay here and suck it up nd MYABE find a job in this recession we are having...please help me(nie mam pojecia co robic!!!!). other places i considered is california but i wont be able to be with the girl unless i marry her so she can be legal in the US... ID LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE!!! thanx...

Korek, I'm an american living in poland. my advice to you is give it a shot. If it doesn't work out, you can always go back home. Be prepared to deal w/alot and IMO finish college in the US. You won't go far w/o a degree unless you give private english lessons. Jobs are also scarce in Poland, so don't be surprised. Good Luck.

-americangirl-
so hows life for you living in poland? are you a student or have a job? i think im going to try it but only after i finish school. i have about a year left. i was just worried about getting a job if i come back but then again you can always find a job in america. but since i have a house in poland from my parents and lots of family, it should be cheaper cause theres no crazy taxes...

I work in poland but I am moving back to good ol' U S A. I've been living here for 3 years and also have polish roots. Like I mentioned before, it will be difficult to find skilled work w/o a degree. What part of PL are you thinking about moving to?

my house in poland is located a little bit down south, but im 10 minutes away from a city called mielec where theres alot of big business boom going around. im also about 2 hours away from krakow and rzeszow so that wouldnt really be an option driving to work there...

simply the culture is different, yeah?
In Poland the company had to see you and you have to be proactive. That is find the companies you like, put on your suit, get your CV to the personally, and wait for an interview invitation. No agencies, not internet CV sending, only personal contact.

That takes time, and I'm sure it's easier to just pop your CV to the job agent, but we are distrustful, aren't we? My Mom has a firm in Poland and would never hire somebody who did not come and asked about it.

though it doesnt hurt to know people as getting started on your own can be discouraging unless Lady Luck shines a light in your face. Many of the people I know have their jobs through family connections or through friends, although networking is a good thing to do everywhere, not just in Poland (but in PL in particular it is a necessity).

Registering with several difference agencies is proactive and if the agency feel you fit the criteria then you do get an interview...We've had them in the UK for years (40 odd), its only recently (IM0) they have turned in to 5hit, the trick is to use small specialised ones who have good clients, going to some ten bob tin pot agency will get you a crappy job with crappy money...Im actually pleased that half of them have gone to the wall in this recession, they deserved it!

Arrgghh!! Arrgghh!!
you forgot some more details- even without loosing documents, everyone action takes months to complete. You cannot apply for nothing on line, nothing you will achieve using the phone, you can't pay for anything on line , over the phone, to pay for everyone application you have to run to anpther office to pay and bring them receipt, no informations are available on the line, personal telephone books are secret in this country- ( and dont tell me otherwise- I'm Polish desperado who moved to this country from Canada after 19 years )- try go to the public phone and see telephone book to find your new friend tel # - good luck, I cant get it for home use- they say- phonebook on line is invasion privacy ( try canada 411- personal and business + reverse- type # and you will get address and name lol)

They issued for me my mandatory( or jail and fine) ID booklet some 30 years ago , and after they they say - no this document does not proof you are Polish citizen- you have to apply for search on it- the f... gov extorting cash for some idiotic paper without picture stating I am Polish citizen- when asked - how

What's worse- officials are swollowing your original documents like it is their property, they took my kids birth certs- long forms
and my car's ownership
They take all expensive translations
No information is available on line- I'm talking about real info- with examples and real life situacions- like in Canadian gov websites- all they are posting is official so called dziennik ustaw ( lets say - official gov legisltion bulletin)- where nobody can find info on needed problem- cooked up by lawyers, using impossible jargon, -way of informing citizens making sure nobody understands anything- but gov is ok- we posted dziennik- and if you are moron- its your problem

Guys- I'm gonna finish now, but I could go on and on like this for hours

Not true. Setting up as a sole trader here can be done in as little as two weeks - including waiting time for documents to be posted. In fact, it can be done in a week if there isn't too much going on at the Urząd Miasta.


You don't need to in many cases - and in most cases, they need to see you in person anyway.


Wrong. You can actually do quite a bit by telephone. I get answers to many enquires over the phone on a daily basis.


Funny - most payments are made either online or in the same office.


Plenty of information is available online! Some isn't, sure - but what country (apart from Estonia, maybe?) has everything online?


I'd rather have the factual laws than nonsense hypothetical situations. Laws we can use to achieve a result - hypothetical situations are good for nothing.

As for reverse lookups - they're mostly illegal in the EU, so Poland is no different.

If Canada is so great, why don't you stay there?

It can be done in the UK instantly, I set up a LTD company in the UK in about 20 minutes all online, in Poland it took two weeks.


Ahh thats the fcuking problem - helloo


as long as your willing to wait and wait and then get transferred same as most countries really.


Theres is a real lack im afriad, why the hell did you start your company if it was all so readily available?

Hang on a minute im feeling a business opportunty coming on, how to rent an apartment in England. I'll only charge £30 / hour....


Ive been eating Polish shite cake for a few years now, whats the problem mate exactly ill try and help you.

Aha, I was just reading about this. Those online limited companies are a waste of time, because you still have to comply with the Companies Act - which means having the articles of association and whatelse printed on a certain grade and colour of paper, among many other things. While it's true that you can get away with it

But the UK is really progressive in this sense - and a Ltd company really means nothing in the UK. At least in Poland, a Spolka z o.o suggests that they're serious. But hey, different countries, different systems.


Is it really such a bad problem that they want to verify who you say you are? Seems much more secure if you ask me...


Where on earth are you dealing with that does that? I have to deal with four places regularly - the Urząd Miasta, ZUS, the Foreigners Office and the Urząd Skarbowy - and all of them are a dream to work with if you have some common sense. I've even found that the tax office is willing to bend the rules a bit in terms of what information they give over the phone!


Saves time - and time is money for many people, I suppose. What makes more sense - spending hours persuing Polish webpages, or paying us to get straight answers?


It's not really about the how, but more about the getting - people don't have time to mess about with landlords and so on, so they can pay us to find them a decent flat with a decent landlord at Polish prices rather than expat prices. If you consider that expat prices might be 500-1000PLN more than what locals would pay, the first month alone would see them saving money.

Go to companies house and try and differentiate between a on line listed limited company and one that was hand written. There all the same, a listing on companies house requires certain criteria and its got nothoing to do with paper.

You and your company are full of shite, oh sorry its just you....Biased beyond belief, perhaps i'll make it to one of your meetings and we can discuss face to face.

Ask Companies House what they think of Ltd companies that don't have printed articles of association and memorandums ;) UK company law is every bit as arcane as Polish company law, it's just executed differently.

Have you considered San Diego instead?

Just kidding...

Hi, i just visited poland and totally loved it, the people are very kind, even to a turban boy from india lol :p
And i am planing to go there and find options to settle, start a cafe or something . and looking for options/properties and how i can get a long term visa so i can stay there for ever its such a lovely place ..