Teaching at a Polish University - PHD required? or being a foreigner enough ;)

Welcome to Polish reality.

With plenty of overtime and all their salary in the lowest tax bracket they don't earn that much less.

Remember that figure is probably gross meaning most of your salary will be in the lowest tax bracket but some (it hits you later in the year, just in the run-up to Christmas) will be taxed at a higher rate.

Many academics have other jobs. I know one who is also a security guard at a factory. Also bribery is normal in the education system, partly due to the low wages.

The people I really feel sorry for are the honest ones who end up retiring with a 1000zl pension and nothing else to live on.

I have to take issue with that, Jon. It certainly was the case years ago, but now, although I can't say it doesn't happen, I haven't heard of a case for a long time, at least not at my university.

No sense opening new topic. If this is net value, then you can survive, provided that you own a flat in Warsaw, otherwise you will have to share apartment.

Good that it's changing. It doesn't seem that long ago that admissions tutors always used to buy a nice new car mid-autumn.

One other way that academics up their salaries (in some universities anyway) is by also holding nominal roles as senior administrators. The actual work is done by real administrators (on less than 2000zl netto) whose jobs have become dead end because of this. Not a very sustainable way to do things.

Oh, I could tell a few tales! A friend of a friend (yes, I know) had to pay 10,000 USD to get his daughter into a good med school. That was ten years ago. Another close friend's tutor used to brazenly tell the students (back in communist times) what she wanted each year (one year it was a three-piece-suite of leather furniture). Wouldn't happen now...I hope.

Obviously I don't own a flat... The figure should be netto, but I was already dangling when I heard about the figure so I could even have misunderstood...

How much are the average price for living in Warsaw?

Factor at least 2,000zl (including bills) for a decent (but not superb) two-room flat in the centre. 3,500zl per month is going to give you a fairly miserable standard of living.

Wow haha hmmm maybe I should just move back to Canada where I was earning $75 / hour (200zl / hour), made about 9000zl a month (for a higher book time of hours) and worked maybe 5 hours a week...

..but Poland has its charms - so its worth living here ;)

These numbers people are quoting still seem shockingly low. I find it hard to believe someone would work 10 or 14 hour days for 'chump change'

Private schools and colleges must pay more $$$ to foreigners.

Most of students of private schools don't know English, so they don't need foreign professors.


Maybe university owns some housing, which could be rent below market prices for employees. Unlikely, by why not to ask. Google says that there is some "DOM PRACOWNIKA NAUKOWEGO UNIWERSYTETU WARSZAWSKIEGO" Phd students can live there.

Thank you for your search! :)
I will ask! I will not be a PhD Student, but I'm not that far... :)

I've been there (near Sluzew market) a few times and it isn't very nice. One tatty room, shared bathroom and primitive kitchen. The Belwederska one is better, but it's students not staff.

In Poland between minimum and average salary, taxation differs by ~3% points only. It's not so high tax free amount which would make a person earning minimum wage nearly not to pay any tax, as it is in UK.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_threshold

And that's the biggest gripe in PL - no tax free allowance, therefore even minimum pay is taxed.

If this is a legitimate question, I don't know why it's titled with such a ridiculously condescending statement. If this is your idea of a joke you're probably better off not teaching anywhere, Poland included. Take it from someone who holds a Ph.D.