Salary expectations in Poland

Hey again.
Thanks for the answer!
You are the Polish expert, so I will trust you on your word :)
There is no damage done, to try to speak to them, so I’ll give it a go anyway. If it’s a “no”, I can always try something else.

It’s not, that I am trying to milking the cow, and closes my eyes to realities. But with debt commitments in Denmark, I would have to make a minimum on the level about 9.000 PLN. I’m very much aware that I can’t expect the same start salary in Poland, as in Denmark (16.000 PLN + pension). The main reason to seek out is the adventure!

There are always other jobs to seek, and I got plenty of time. Since you are an “insider” in Poland, maybe you can give me a hint to where the good language jobs are posted?

Thanks

Danish embassy? :-)

It's amazing that someone who's only skill is speaking native language would expect to get paid 4137 USD a month!You must be out of your mind dude.Couple of days ago "Work&Travel" students working at Hershey chocolate plant in Pennsylvania staged a protest demanding to be paid more (thay are paid $8.35/h).Now,check the comments under this news on yahoo.There is plenty of Americans claiming they would be glad to work there for $8.35/h because the job market is so bad.And you have a punk (no offence) who wants to make $50000/year only because he speaks some stupid Danish.Hey,you don't need to pack your luggage,I can tell you that.


Agree.My bro speaks 4 languages and in Poznan he was offered 2700 PLN/month BEFORE TAXES.He asked for 3500 PLN and they never called him back,that means that they found someone to do it for offered 2700PLN.

Hey.
“It's amazing that someone who's only skill is speaking native language would expect to get paid 4137 USD a month!” – I did not say that I expected that! I said that it

is the start wage in Denmark, and I was aware to get paid a lot less!

And the Danish language is not my only skill.. Read back, and you can see that I got an Master in Politics from a Danish University..

But the way.. I’m sorry to read the hard tone from you :)

You won't have a hope in hell of making 9,000PLN to start in Poland. For a start - you need to consider that the Polish tax burden is a minimum of 38%. Then there's the part that someone without experience isn't going to get that kind of cash in any industry in Poland.

In Poland, the normal way of doing things is to start off on an exceptionally low salary, only for it to rocket upwards very quickly as you gain experience. Essentially, you can hope for 3500/net at the very, very most - and that's in a job that is in demand AND where you can use Polish. In your case, with your qualification - the very most you can expect is 2000/net a month.


The only jobs which you'll be able to do in Poland are jobs requiring communication with Danish speakers. Basically, either call centres - or companies which sell to Denmark. Both of those jobs are going to pay you 2000/net at the very, very most. I mean - if you want adventure - I can probably get you a job tomorrow in a call centre. But you'll earn 1500zl/net a month.

Poland's not a place for the poor and inexperienced, that much I can tell you for free.


I can believe it - I know someone that has someone speaking 3 languages (Polish, German and English) working for him, and he's paying her 2000zl/gross a month.

Martin - A master of Politics? There's over 200 graduates of that being churned out every year in Poznan alone. It's seen as an 'unemployment' degree in Poland. Likewise - with Danish - there's several universities here churning out fluent speakers of Danish every year. And that's just in Poznan.

Why not try Luxembourg?

Yeah,I understand that but Poland is not Denmark.I don't know what's the cost of living in Denmark but I would guess that it's way higher then in Poland and one have to take it into account.


Don't take it personally,I only judge it from someone's living in the US which is supposedly a rich country, point of view.That's all,a little insight into global economy,you know?

Anyway it seems to be better for you if stay in Denmark and enjoy it because I can bet an arm that nobody in Poland will give you what you expect to get.Peace.

I'll see your arm and raise you a leg, too.

He'll be lucky to get a quarter of 9000zl a month.

Thanks for the answer again :)
I’m only here to learn from you.
As you can read, I do not know so much about the polish labormarket, so I’m only trying to get a feeling with it.

Luckily a master in politics isn’t an unemployment degree in Denmark, so there are opportunities here.
But I would love to try to live in a foreign country, and I hope it is an Eastern Europe country, due to my big history interest, especially for Poland.

I don’t consider myself as poor and desperate to earn a lot of cash quickly. I got a humble approach to my “foreign adventure”, so slow down. I know I’m on deep water.

As you mentioned my “only” skills are at Master in Politics, and the fluent English and Danish speaking. I hope it is enough to get me a job someplace in Poland, but only time can tell that.

Global economy.. Yes there are also news in Denmark :)

Martin, do not listen to Delphi, he's a "doomsday master" of all times :-). Just try your luck and perhaps you will get what you want. Clearly, whoever comments here (including me) do not know your circumstances nor your capabilities. Perhaps you will luck out (fingers crossed). And btw (to Grubas): I had been earning $5K/mo. 12 years ago when I lived in US. Now I earn a tad :-) more in PL.

It's all good.If it's gonna make you feel better I can tell you that you wouldn't get the kind of money you expect to in the USA neither.I lately applied for this kind of job (these makalakas didn't even respond!) here and it was paying $12 or $13/h what roughly translates into $28000 a year with no benefits.Welcome to the global economy World!


Yeah, I know but it was 12 years ago.I am telling him about now.6 years ago I had an entry level job paying $11/h with no experience whatsover after 1 phone call and 7 minutes interview and now I don't have any after responding to dozens of adds online.I do refuse to work for minimum wage $7.25/h as long as I get unemployment.

Hey Zman.
Nice to hear some optimistic tones.
I really just think they got the wrong impression of my intentions. – I’m not looking for a job to me Mr. Rich guy in Poland. (But in some way, that has being filled in my mouth)

I’m just a new well educated person; there hope to get a little out in the world to develop his work and personal skills.

Personal economic really don’t interest me. I just want it to go smooth, not to be rich.

As you mention, no one here knows my capabilities, and perhaps I don’t know them myself. Short said. It’s on the top level in Denmark, but with no experience. – So I’m very looking forward to see how far it will get me :)

A tad more than 5000 dollar a month in Poland. Well, then you can’t complain :)

Martin, Moet Chandon is about 50 Euros here, so figure for yourself if it's that cheap of a country! I somehow have to manage! :-)

Hehe.. I love expensive wines. But unfortunately my budget can only manage the lower price level, - with the bigger headaches as a consequence :)

I can figure out, that you have a big foot inside the Polish system. Maybe you can give me a hint where to explore the job possibilities for academics ? At the moment I’m seeking in the Google jungle, with limited success.. :)

Yeah I agree, Mr D seems to be all over the place, If you took his advice on business matters you would probally be bankrupt, It was not so long ago that people were saying that they would not teach english for less than 50zl a hour,, My only comment about coming to Poland is not to expect too much, costs are pretty expensive, rent included, wages are still low. Every one in Poland claims to be a expert or hold some degree...You may have to settle for the unemployment pension in Poland!

Mr D is a person trying to act a mega fool among fools:) MEANING he was unsuccessfull in his own country and starts a consultancy services here for expats who are dumb.The advice he can give is common knowledge a person can have thus he starts his DRAMA in Poland with the help of hos polish GF?WIFEwho I talked to already and cant provide chit!Maybe for ENGLISH TEACHERS!who take pride to come to live a cheap high life with a pretty woman they cannot have in there native country.BUT REMEMBER POLAND IS CHANGING ALSO.I hire consulants and when chatting to his SECRETARY* i made my decision what kind of consultant he could be..maybe for individuals coming from east: NO OFFENSE Mr D

Martin,

I am Danish and have been living and working in Krakow for the past two years, using my native language skills as the primary asset (I also have a M.Sc. but this is not very relevant in relation to what I'm hired to do). Your demands of 9.000 PLN is a little off, I started out with 7K and now has 8K (incl. medical care and other social benefits) and that is a VERY WELL PAID job. I know other Danish natives who earn a lot less doing exactly the same job. I know that the job market in Krakow for Danish natives is under-populated these days, as I frequently receive phone calls and emails from recruitment agencies trying to tempt me to change. You can send me a private message through these boards if you have any further worries.

Don't let other users scare you from coming to Poland, it is in many ways a fantastic country but has, like Denmark, also its flaws.

BR
Benz

Another lunatic, I see. Anyone WHO TYPES like this really shouldn't be listened to.


If it doesn't interest you, why are you looking for such a high salary in a country which doesn't offer it? As I said - I could get you a job in Poznan tomorrow with your knowledge of English/Danish - but it would be poorly paid.


Who the hell would get out of bed for less than that an hour in a big city, except those desperate for beer money?

I hasn't occured to you to think exactly why the callcenters are in Poland and not in Denmark in the first place? ;-)

Secondly, it's a callcenter job, your education doesn't matter. You will never be well paid in a job like that, period. Not in any country. You can't make 50k/month as a cleaner no matter how many Phd's you have. But like all freshmen you have to start somewhere. Very few students go directly to a well paid job. A callcenter in a big company is not a bad start for someone who is skilled and want to advance. Only problem I see is this loans you talked about.

It's a great start actually - I know several people in Poznan who have started pretty good careers after starting in a call centre. The Easyjet call centre here is well known as a "gateway" job.

At least one big company (Allegro) gets the vast majority of their staff from their help centre, too - I know one guy who has a fantastic job there, all because they spotted that he was capable in the call centre.

...but then you would need to learn the Polish language. I doubt any company would hire any person with unrealistic salary demands to work on the Polish market having no Polish language skills. Many Polish people speak English well enough to beat foreigners to these jobs so unless you have some very specific qualifications for that particular job it is a long road. I have tried that myself and either turned down the job myself because of "low" salary or been turned down because of insufficient Polish language skills.

Hey Benz, I will send you a PM. But they require to messages here, before I can contact you. - So one to go :)

there are quite a few Danish in Warsaw too. I think your best bet is to get in contact with this Benz chap on this board- sounds nice enough. Another idea is to actually find Danish companies that have sites in Poland and perhaps send out your cv's in Danmark with the intent of relocating to Poland.

Poland is a great country- I have lived here for 9 years. Don't listen to the "haters" on the board- and 8,000 to 9,000 pln per month is not outrageous--all you can do is ask. I am sure this company is well aware of the social system in Danmark and needs to provide an equal standard for the applicant.

No, not necessarily - the Easyjet call centre in Poznan will hire native speakers of languages, on the same salary as locals. But then - of course - to progress, you'd need the language.


I just can't see it happening at all - not unless he had some very specific skills and they worked already in English/Danish. Many companies claim to do so, but most of them are still using Polish as a day-to-day language.


That's not a bad idea at all. Difficult to pull off, but doing this (and learning Polish in the process) would seem to be a good way in.


They're not looking for a Danish person though - they're looking for a Danish speaker. That's the crucial difference - why would the bother to pay Danish standards when they can get a graduate of Danish philology who likely already speaks English for a Polish salary?

8-9000 is outrageous for a helpdesk job to be honest - especially as he doesn't even have a qualification in the relevant sector. The job ad has been pulled, but from what I saw - there's no way they would offer anything close to that. As I said above - more realistic would be 2500/net.

(now - someone that was relocated should expect 8000-9000 minimum)

Hey. The job i posted is not necessary the job I want, or expect to get. More an example of what kinds of job I can find at the internet.

I'm open to almost anything :)

To be honest, this is the problem - if you were skilled in a specific area where there's a shortage (for instance, an IT graduate with a degree from a very good university) - you'd have no problem getting a job for 4000/net. But as an unskilled foreigner, not speaking Polish - you're competing against untold amounts of Polish people - who do speak Polish.

If you really want the adventure here - you need to set your sights accordingly. Entry positions in Poland will range from 1500zl-2500zl net in a big city - okay, let's assume the company wants a Danish speaker, so you can go up to 2000zl-3000zl net - maximum.

It also depends on the corporation. If you work in a corporation where the top dogs speak English then you are off to a good start as you will be understood by them.

Indeed, a crucial difference. And one that determines if you get about 3,500zl/month or >6,500zl/month.

I know several Polish people having studied Danish philology in Gdansk or Poznan, and they get only half of what a native speaker pulls. Danish is a very difficult language to learn (let alone pronounce), and maybe the employers know this. What is more, unfortunately many Danish people do not appreciate the effort foreigners make while trying to speak Danish, if it is not flawless sometimes they even hang up or ask for a native. If you are employed in a call center/outsourcing center then you are on the phone many hours every day. I guess this is why a native speaker takes home double that of a non-native speaker...

Anyway, it is a fact that the nordic speakers are paid the most. That is a fact. We are a scarce resource :)

ahahahahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahahahahahahahah mass emigration,2 euro hr minimum wage, third world road system...yea just like Denmark...

it's not for everyone. some people handle it quite well, and some people fail miserably.

You just have to cut out some of that nonsense that Brits often engage in, i.e expensive nights out all too often. If you have kids and have to pay off a mortgage, it becomes a necessity to be disciplined on all levels. The biggest problem is that inflation is killing many here. PO saw a rise in wealth and just assumed that everyone would enrich themselves accordingly.