Work / Is a salary of 2,550 zloty enough for living in Warsaw? [6]

@Zlatko

You could survive. Barely. But I wouldn't call it living.

Study / Polish citizens non EU citizen step daughter - study in Poland [3]

No. Not unless they actually become EU citizens.

Work / Job opportunities for experienced US Civil Engineer in Poland - any hope? [30]

@Mohammadreza

First of all, you will have to land a job BEFORE you come to Poland. You will not be able to enter Poland to seek work there.

Second, the market for engineers from almost all non-EU countries has dried up considerably because of the massive influx of Ukrainians over the past few years. IT jobs that formerly went to Indians, Pakistanis and others from the region now go preferentially to Ukrainians.

Third of all, the wages for engineers in Poland are lower than in the West, so that most engineers from foreign countries either move on to the richer countries of the West, if they can, or give up and return home with a few years. Very few stay long enough to become permanent residents, never mind citizens.

If you are interested in working as a civil engineer in Poland, then your best chance is to find work with an international company that does business in Poland, and apply for a transfer to Poland.

But then the question arises, why Poland? If you true goal is to move on to the richer countries of Western Europe, which it most probably is, you might as well concentrate your efforts on finding work there from the start, instead of using Poland as some type of "stepping stone". Or try the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand (lots of opportunities in hydro-engineering), or the Gulf or South Korea.

Study / Permanent card for International Students in Poland? [16]

Yes, that's correct. One year only counts as six months, and four years only counts as two years. That means that you have to spend at least three more years as a temporary resident with a full time job on a real work contract. Very few graduates are able to fulfill that requirement. It's so difficult, that it might as well be impossible.

Law / Visa and work permit problems. Is permit valid for the specific employer in Poland? [12]

No. You completely misunderstand what a work permit is.

A foreign worker cannot apply for or receive a work permit.

It is the employer who has to apply for a work permit to hire a foreign worker.

That is why the work permit is employer specific and non-transferable, and is not worker specific.

Genealogy / What does my Polish name mean? [400]

Szmulik means "Little Samuel". It is a common Yiddish name.
Hewczak means "Son of Eve", as in "Adam and Eve".

Language / Polish-American Grandma used to say this word! [18]


It's German dialect, not Polish. Puppke is a diminutive of Puppe, which means doll in English, so little doll is a good translation.

Your grandma apparently lived in an area under German or Austrian rule at the time, and/or spoke a dialect of Polish which was heavily influenced by German.

Life / 3 year old special needs child, moving to Krakow what options are there? [6]


No. Nothing of that sort exists. Any programs would be exclusively in Polish. There is a long wait list for public programs, and you would not be able to afford private care.


That is too little for a couple with a special needs child to live on in Poland. You would have difficulty even if the child did not have special needs. Even if you did manage somehow to cover your basic living expenses, that would leave you with essentially zero left over to put in your savings account. You wouldn't be able to scrape together even a modest rainy day fund.

You are going to have to rethink this moving to Poland matter. Unless you are making substantially more money, there is no point.

By the way, 90,000 PLN works out to only about $20,000 US. While some things are cheaper in Poland, things related to children, especially foreign children, are quite expensive. With the cost of your relocation figured in, as well as the extra costs of a special needs child, you would be living a monkish, hand to mouth lifestyle, at best. Or you would quickly go bust hand have to leave empty-handed, with little more than the shirt on your back.

As for your spouse finding a job, forget about it. Just ain't gonna happen.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but your plan does not make any financial sense, or any other kind of sense.

Good luck!

Study / Need info on Stay permit in Poland - student after graduation [4]

Unfortunately, I do not know much about tertiary education in Ireland. A degree FROM A GOOD UNIVERSITY in Ireland would be more saleable on the international job market than one from Koźmiński, though. And there would be no need to learn another foreign language than English. The job market and wages are better in Ireland than in Poland, and many Polish people have moved to Ireland to live and work. There are also certainly a lot more Indians living in Ireland than in Poland; about 20 times as much for a country with about one eighth of the population.

Do your research on sites that deal with foreign students in Ireland. Good luck!

Study / Need info on Stay permit in Poland - student after graduation [4]

Upon successful graduation, you can apply for a one-year temporary residence permit, during which time you are permitted to look for a job.

BUT, in order to get that permit, you have to provide acceptable documentation that you have the means to support yourself for the whole duration of that year in Poland without becoming a burden to the state. Few recent grads from India are able to do so.

Work for Indian citizens in Poland has become harder to come by because of competition from the recent massive wave of immigrants from the Ukraine. as very few Indians bother to learn Polish during their studies beyond, perhaps, the bare survival level, they don't offer much that the Ukrainians don't. Besides, most Indians who study in Poland do so not to find work in Poland, where wages are very low for recent graduates, but to gain access to the richer Western European countries, particularly the UK, where job opportunities are much more abundant and wages are much higher.

Make your plans on the rather safe assumption that you will never be able to earn a penny in Poland either during or after your studies. If you are not happy with that, then it would be best to look for a better place to study.

If you are able to afford it, then study AT A GOOD UNIVERSITY in an English speaking country, or if you know the local language already, AT A GOOD UNIVERSITY in one of the other richer Western European countries, like Germany.

If you can't afford it, then it would be better to study AT A GOOD UNIVERSITY in your home country. A degree from an IIM is worth a lot more than a degree from Koźmiński on the international job market.

And rather than studying generic business or finance, study one that has excellent job prospects like the math intensive fields like Financial Engineering, Financial Mathematics, Econometrics or Actuarial Sciences. Otherwise you'll probably end up stuck in some windowless basement doing data entry or basic bookkeeping for 3000 PLN a month with no chance of advancement or escape.

Generally, studying in Poland for Indian students does not make much sense, unless they already speak Polish and know enough about Poland to make realistic and concrete plans for their future careers that specifically involve Poland. The type of questions you are asking indicate that you are not in the class of students.

Love / Why do Polish guys stare a lot? And what does that mean? [14]

How are a random bunch of complete strangers on some internet forum going to help you figure out what some guy, Polish or not, is thinking?

I assume you are an adult, and an adult would simply ask him directly face to face. Which is what I suggest you do. Keep acting like a silly pre-teen, and you may pass up the best thing that might have ever come your way. Have you even thought of inviting him out for a pizza or coffee? That would be a good first step.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]


Ahh, The Mexican. I took some of my friends to the one in Łódź. When the food came out, it actually looked apetizing. But after one bite, I said "Polak to zrobił". "Pol-Mex", as you said, though there wasn't anything even remotely Mexican about it except the appearence. There was a better take on Tex Mex in Gdynia, of all places. And in Wrocław, there was a place that gets a solid E for effort. Not bad, but not great. And there was a The Mexican right next to the university, but I never stepped foot in there after the fiasco in Łódź. I've also been to an OK-ish place on the square in Kraków.

Unless a lot more Mexicans move to Poland, or a lot more Poles travel to Mexico, any concept of "Mexican" food in Poland is going to filtered through knockoffs of American fast food joints, adapted either for Polish tastes, or more likely those of American tourists and ex-pats. It's no accident that restaurants of these types are found almost entirely in tourist areas (except the one in Gdynia which was weirdly off the beaten track, go figure).

If you want to experience a good authentic international food experience in Poland, try the Georgian and Armenian restaurants along the highways (NOT Chaczapuri, a chain that you find near town squares). They were opened to cater to truck drivers from Russia, not locals, and the food is great. And authentic, as confirmed by an Armenian friend.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]


That's a good example of what I mentioned above about returning emigrants. The inspiration for them is a pi$$-poor chain of wannabe "Mexican" fast food restaurants in Chicago called Taco Burrito King. For some bizarre reason, this chain became very popular among Polish immigrants in Chicago. There is plenty of great authentic Mexican food in Chicago, but it is TBK that has cemented the idea of what Mexican food is, and should be, in the mind of countless Polish immigrants.

By the way, I've eaten at TBK in Chicago, and found it amusing how many of the other patrons were speaking Polish. I wasn't amused by the food, that's for sure. Better than Taco Bell, but then, what isn't?

Chipotle, another "Mexican" chain started by McDonalds, is another chain popular with Polish Americans. Why, I don't know. It's bland and lifeless, and a far cry from real Mexican food. When I returned to Chicago from Poland, though, my Polish friend there was quite enthused about it. I told him he's nuts and took him to several real Mexican restaurants. He was not impressed because it did not conform to his perception of what Mexican food should be, namely Chipotle.

He was also enamored of the hamburgers at a chain called Five Guys. When I took him for real good hamburgers, he was disappointed that they were nothing like the chain version. For him, the ultimate burger was Five Guys, and anything else was judged based on its similarity to their product.

On the other hand, I have taken three trips to Puebla, Mexico with my Polish friends, and they absolutely loved authentic Mexican food. Puebla is the culinary capital of Mexico and the food is ultra-diverse and to die for. However, I suspected they appreciated it so much is because their minds and palates had not yet been poisoned by the likes of TBK or Chipotle.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]

Diverse international cuisine is a hallmark of countries that have experienced substantial immigration with the establishment of distinct and stable immigrant communities. or whose citizens are well traveled, like the US and the UK.

As far as the first is concerned, Poland has received relatively little immigration. The only established immigrant community is the Vietnamese, who are an odd group that are mainly invisible. They have opened restaurants, but few if any serve Vietnamese food, serving a highly Polonified form of "Chinese" food instead. The only other large group of immigrants is the Ukrainians, who started to come in large numbers only about five years ago, and whose culture and cuisine are not radically different from the native cuisine. They haven't been in Poland long enough to establish stable communities yet, and whether they do or do not will be affected by their ability to rapidly integrate into Polish culture, which I estimate is rather high.

Compare that to the US or the UK, which have abundant immigrants from all over the world, and myriad immigrant communities and neighborhoods dating back a very long time. Or Germany, where millions of Yugoslavs and Turks were invited as "Guest Workers" during the sixties.

As for the second, Poles have not had the opportunity to travel extensively abroad to exotic locations. The exceptions are Tunisia and Egypt, where Pole take advantage of cheap off-season package resort deals. They do not come into much contact with the local culture and cuisine there, though. as they generally stay in the resorts, which serve them Polish meals. Otherwise, travel is mainly restricted to the nearby countries in Europe. There has been extensive emigration of Poles to the richer countries of Western Europe, especially the UK and Germany, where many of them do encounter a vibrant international cuisine. It is primarily among those emigrants who return to Poland that a desire to see more culinary options in Poland is developing. Returning migrant workers to Italy have awakened a great appetite for Italian food in Poland, and pizza is ubiquitous and has "gone native". Migrant workers to Germany brought back a craving for Turkish kebabs, which are likewise ubiquitous.

Compare that to the US or the UK. The taste for Indian food in the UK owes a lot to the fact that so many citizens were dispatched a solidiers or civil servants to the subcontinent when it was under their rule. In the US, a lot of the craze for diverse cuisine is due to the fact that so many American soldiers saw duty in Europe and the Pacific in WWII, and were later stationed there for decades. Also to the fact that the US borders with a county that has a vastly different culture and cuisine, which is not the case for Poland. After WWII, Migration of Americans to Southern California and Texas skyrocketed, and elements of Mexican cooking were adopted into the local cuisine.

None of this has happened in Poland, which is why the international food scene is still in its infancy. Add to this the fact that until thirty years ago, there were few restaurants of any sort in Poland, and that disposal income among younger Poles, the ones who are most adventurous and most likely to try new foods, is still relatively low.

Law / UK Citizen - Detox Centre Fine from Poland [26]


She wasn't trolling. She gave you her honest opinion, which is what happens when you post on an internet forum. If you don't want to hear others' opinions that are not to your liking, then you might want to rethink the wisdom of asking for advice on an internet forum.


You don't "need to deal with it". You could just ignore it and move on with your life.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]


A lot of Polish kids won't touch any other kind of fish, even the same fish breaded and fried in a different shape.


I have. A lot. Kids love them.

google.com/search?q=fishburger+z+paluszkami

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]

The bułka z frytkami was thought up by Polish customers of a Kebab stand in Szczecin in 1992, and became a cult hit. Pretty much a well established local tradition now. No connection to British chip butties.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]

Bułki z frytkami are a signature dish in Szczecin. And fishburgery are quite popular, especially with kids.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]

The word "kiełbasa" is of Turkic origin, and buckwheat originated in Yunnan, China.

UK, Ireland / How to gain probate in Poland from UK England [3]

Type polish solicitor london into google and you'll get plenty of hits. Your situation is very common so I'm sure they all have some experience with it. I'm also sure that there are some in just about every larger city in the UK, as well.

Food / Which ingredients/vegetables/fruits/meats are nonexistent in traditional Polish cuisine? [125]


Many centuries ago, and several times since.

Poland lies within several culinary continua on the Continent.

The first is the North Sea/Baltic continuum, spread primarily by the Hanseatic League in the late middle ages, and latter by the Prussians and Swedes. Foods like herring, smoked eel and salmon, red beets, kisiel, chłodnik, and staple foods like rye, barley, oats, buckwheat and, later, potatoes (originally from the Americas), are all typical of this zone.

The second is the Central Germany continuum, which reaches from Alsace and Loraine to Poland. Cabbage, sauerkraut and beans, both green and dried (also originally from the Americas) were big staples.

The third is the Southern German/Austrian continuum, and its sister branch in Hungary, which was highly influenced by Turkish cuisine. Schabowy, makowiec, sernik, gulasz, knedle, the many types of kluski and the przysmak Jon mentioned are all imports from this region, when Poland was under Austrio-Hungarian rule.

The fourth is steppe/central Asian cuisine. Pierogi and gołąbki are probably originally from there, though both have completely "gone native".

Some dishes were borrowed from Russia, especially the ubiquitous sałatka jarzynowa, which was originally developed by a Belgian chef in Moscow.

A lot of Polish cuisine died out during WWII, and food shortages afterwards under Communist rule did not help. But some new "fusion" dishes were promoted by the Communist government, especially Fasole po bretońsku and ryba po grecku.

There were also some French and Italian influences on Polish cuisine, too, going back to the late fourteenth century when many French and Italian monks moved to Poland after the Black Death. A lot of the vegetables that are attributed to Bona Sforza were actually introduced by monks, as were carp.

After the fall of Communism, Poles have started to experiment with various cuisines, especially Italian and "Chinese" (usually cooked by Vietnamese immigrants, and highly toned down and adapted for Polish tastes). They are not quite at the modern Fusion stage you are thinking of, though I'm sure you will find some adventurous chefs in the big cities that are experimenting with new ingredients, techniques and combinations. Younger Poles, especially those who have spent some time abroad, are much more adventurous than their elders who grew up during Communism and were accustomed to extremely bland food.

Work / Business ideas for Poland [63]

@Jedynaczek34gff

I highly doubt you would find even a single customer. 500 PLN for a Yelp review? You've got to be kidding. No one is going to pay you that much when they could get it done for much cheaper than that, or even do it themselves. Or have their kid or a nephew do it. You've priced yourself way out of the market, and/or greatly overestimate the market for services in your price range.

As for peddling your services door to door, very, very few business owners are going to even give you the opportunity to make your pitch. They don't have time for any more uninvited solicitors promising to make them rich.

Sorry, but it's just another hare-brained scheme that's going to go nowhere. The big problem is that precious few business owners are going to value your services as much as you would like. And practically none are going to think that a silly yelp review is the best way to spend 500 PLN of their advertising budget.

Law / Poland student visa refusal - 'intention to leave' [51]


Almost certainly a waste of time. An appeal is not a "second chance". When you lodge an appeal, you have to provide positive evidence that the consul who refused your request violated the law. What do you think the consul did that was not in accordance with the law?

Law / A parent born in Poland. Obtaining a Polish birth certificate? [38]

Cieśliński is a fairly common surname, and is widely spread in Poland. It's probably used by several unrelated families. If you don't have an exact place of birth, it is going to be very difficult to downright impossible to find anything.

If all you have is "somewhere in Poland", that's pretty much the end of the line.

Work / Salary for work in Lodz (customer service / finance IT) [8]

I'll second that. A degree in literature is worth nothing on the Polish job market. Go back to school while you are young and get a degree that enables you to earn enough money to live the life you'd like to live. Shoot for high-earning engineering fields like petroleum, geological or biomedical engineering, or math-intensive financial fields like financial mathematics, financial engineering, econometrics or actuarial sciences.

The future belongs to those who can do high-level applied math and science. The rest are destined to become a slave class.

Work / Business ideas for Poland [63]


You'd be lucky to get $10, max, for that. That is, if anyone is willing to pay you anything at all.

And forget about translating unless you have some expertise in a specialty field such as medicine, science, technology, serious finance or law. The streets are crawling and the gutters are lined with unspecialized, unexperienced translators who will jump on any available work for paltry rates. You can't compete against them and feed yourself.

Work / Salary for work in Lodz (customer service / finance IT) [8]

3000 net (4500 gross) would be living hand to mouth, with the hand not always reaching the mouth. Sooner rather than later, you'll have to call mom and dad to help you out.

4000 net (6000 gross) would be monkish, with little in the way of fun and practically nothing in the way of savings. You'll get tired of that lifestyle pretty fast.

5000 net (7500 gross) would be rather modest, but tolerable for a recent grad, as long as you avoid alcohol, tobacco, drugs and dating.

Your salary will depend on your level of IT skills, but with no work experience, you'll end up in the lower end of that range rather than the higher.

No matter what anyone tells you, your cost of living will be substantially higher that that of native Poles until you learn how to spend and save like they do. Not knowing Polish and not knowing the local culture will increase your cost of living.

Genealogy / Polish surnames of Hungarian / Ruthenian / Rusyn origin [14]

Try Hungarian. From "paitas". Influenced by Polish "pajda", which is a word of Turkish origin. My guess is that the protoplast was a Vlach, an ethnic group that once dominated the highlands of the Carpathians. The Górals are descended from Vlach herdsmen, as are present-day Rumanians.

Law / My partner is Polish lives in UK more than 10 years [17]


This is another point. If they arrest and deport him, he will be detained in custody for the whole time until the trial. If he turns himself in, he will have provided good evidence that he is not a flight risk.

I am sure your boyfriend knows all this already. Just make sure he acts soon, or, as Dolnoslask said, he will be turning a minor drama into a major crisis that will have consequences for him the rest of his life.

Law / My partner is Polish lives in UK more than 10 years [17]

The people he has to sort it out with are all in Poland, and he has to appear in person, in Poland.

If they issue an international arrest warrant, that becomes part of his UK criminal record and can affect his chances of getting a good job or renting an apartment or getting a credit card, etc, in the UK. His main priority should be to turn himself in before they issue and execute an international arrest warrant.