Travel / Non-EU citizens coming to Poland for 2 weeks. Do they need tourist invitations? [10]

No and no.

Work / Can I find a job in Poland that requires speaking in English? [82]


No. It's basically worthless on the job market. There is a huge glut of business graduates worldwide. Business degrees don't count for much unless they are from a top business school, and even then, they don't mean much without plenty of actual business experience.

Work / Can I find a job in Poland that requires speaking in English? [82]


Practically zero. If you need to earn money to support yourself, then Poland is not the country for you.

As for studying international business, that is a bad idea, especially if you are going to study it in an English-language course in Poland. English-language courses in Poland are generally of inferior quality and are not respected by employers anywhere, in Poland or elsewhere. This is particularly true with a vague subject like international business, which is worthless unless it is studied at one of the top schools in the world, like London School of Economics, Harvard or Stanford.

As for finding work in Poland after your studies, the chances, again, are practically zero. You might have a small chance if you studied something like computer engineering or financial mathematics, but the wages would be far lower than in richer countries.

If you want to do business, then about the worst thing to study is business. Study a field that requires a lot of advanced applied mathematics, like petroleum, geological or biomedical engineering, or econometrics (not economics), financial mathematics (not finance), financial engineering or actuarial sciences. The world needs more people who can do advanced applied mathematics. It doesn't need more graduates in "international business".

Law / If I change my job in Poland without obtaining a new work permit, will this affect my residence visa [21]

Your new employer would have to apply for a work permit to hire you. Not many employers in Poland are willing to go through the trouble of applying for a work permit for a non-EU citizen.

Law / Can dependent Visa holders take up employment in Poland? [51]


Practically zero unless she get hired before she comes to Poland. She would stand a much higher chance of applying directly from India.

Work / Question about working on your own in Poland [6]

Bug off, troll.

Admin, you can delete this thread.

Work / Question about working on your own in Poland [6]

Don't blame the government. It is your responsibility to earn your keep and pay your taxes. If you can't do that by freelancing, then you are obligated to find other ways to support yourself, and to reschool yourself as needed. Don't blame others for your foolish choices.

Sorry, but if all you are bringing in is a paltry $650 in Poland, it's time to pack the bags, go home to mom and dad, and get some real qualifications that will help you get a real job that pays real money. Welcome to the real world!

Also, for a freelance journalist, your writing is simply awful. You come across as a half-wit.

Work / Question about working on your own in Poland [6]

Basically, if all you are bringing in is a measly $650 as a freelancer, you're a failure as a freelancer and should consider getting a real job instead of expecting a handout. The government is making you a pauper. You are.

Classifieds / Someone help me with the Polish visa appointment! [203]

No. Any "agency" that promises to help you with this is a fraud. They will take your money and run.

All you can do is wait and keep trying as you are now. There is no magic solution.

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]


Try a more realist 1500.


2500, after you deduct the 500 more for food and the 1000 or so for relocation expenses.

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]

Great minds think alike! A few minor quibbles. As for vegetarian cooking being cheaper, that depends on whether you base your diet on local produce IN SEASON. In the winter, vegetables besides cabbage, potatoes, onions and carrots can be quite expensive, even more than meat. This is especially true for warm climate crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and such. It's the same thing with fruits. Anything except for apples can be quite expensive out of season, even insanely so.

As for safety, there are only two major problems, both of which are easily avoided if you are observant and proactive: drunk people and football fans, especially in groups. Practically all violence towards innocent bystanders in Poland comes from on or the other of these sources, so religious avoid them and you'll be fine.

Real Estate / Need advice on my stay in Krakow [12]


Food and routine household items will set you back at least double that, even if you cook at home. 600 a month will buy you cabbage, potatoes, onions and rice, but little besides that. Even an egg will be a luxury. You will get tired of that rather quickly.

You are leaving out some things:

First of all, you have to deduct the cost of relocating to Poland for you and your wife. That includes all travel-related expenses, including trips to the embassy for visas, shipping. and the cost of your visas and residence permits. Amortize that over 12 months and that's about 1000 PLN a month right off the top just for you and your wife to be in Poland.

You do not include entertainment and vacation expenses. These can be quite considerable if you expect to fly back to India for vacations or visits. Even without that, count on spending at least 500 PLN a month, and that's the bare minimum. Your wife is going to go stir crazy with nothing to do and no one to talk to, so keeping her mind occupied is going to be a high priority, and a considerable expense. You surely aren't expecting her to sit cooped up in an the apartment like a prisoner, are you?

There is no Indian community in Kraków to speak of. Most Indians there are single males who come for a year or two and then leave. Few bring families, and even fewer stay for longer periods, so there is no critical mass or motive for building a community. You will probably meet some other Indians, but they are not going to be organized into anything resembling a community. There is nothing even remotely resembling an Indian neighborhood, or a street with Indian shops. The Indians in Kraków live scattered willy nilly around the city.

Your wife will especially have trouble because Indian women tend not to have anything to do with other Indian women who are not of the same caste, clan, class, religious group or language group. They also refuse to speak to each other if their husbands are not on the same socio-economic level. There are maybe a hundred Indian women, predominantly students and wives, in a metropolitan area of about a million people, so it's quite possible that your wife will not meet any Indian women at all that she would feel comfortable socializing with, and vice versa. Without speaking Polish, she will have great difficulty socializing with the natives. If she is not assertive and willing to make the first move in breaking the ice in spite of repeated failures, she will be ignored, as if she didn't exist at all. Poland is not a good place for shy foreign women.

Transportation will cost you about 100 PLN for each of you minimum, and that's only if you rely on public transportation and buy monthly tickets. If you or your wife need to take taxis, and you will, it will be considerably more expensive.

On top of this, you have to add your savings goals. If you are not able to save at least 2000 PLN a month as a couple, then there is probably no point in coming to Poland to work.

In short, your estimate of 3800 PLN a month for basic living expenses for a couple is totally unreasonable. Count on at least 5500 PLN, and that is for a rather basic lifestyle without any trips back to India or to the expensive countries in Western Europe. Add 2000 PLN in savings, and your are talking about a gross income of at least 11,000 PLN a month gross just for a basic, no frills lifestyle. You'll need a lot more if you plan on traveling or if you have more ambitious savings goals.

Word of warning: Poland is the wrong country to come to if you have debts to pay off or family to support back in India. Focus on finding a job in a country with much higher wages if that is the case.

Study / Masters in Architecture and Urban planning at Warsaw University Of Technology [4]

If you are studying for fun, entertainment or diversion, and have the money to pay for it, then practically every major university has a program that would suit your purposes.

If you are studying for serious, as in investing in a degree in hopes of it landing you a job in the future, them forget about it and pick engineering instead. An architecture degree, even from a good school, is one of the most worthless degrees on the job market. Even more so from an English-language program at a Polish university. It would be a complete waste of time and money.

Life / Fellow expats: Polish people compared to Czechs/Slovaks? [23]

There's two posts on this thread, and he started another thread back in November called "Are Poles as unfriendly as Slovaks". It's listed in the "Similar Discussions" down below. Sorry, but I get the impression that he's an active trouble seeker, and that he doesn't take the hint when people ignore or avoid him, which seems to be exactly how the Slovaks he currently lives among have been treating him. Your mileage may vary.

Life / Fellow expats: Polish people compared to Czechs/Slovaks? [23]


He's not a "character", and yes, I do know exactly what you mean by that. He's more of a creep. You seriously don't pick up an antagonistic vibe from his posts? He's pretty darn full of himself. My guess is that he would land one in the kisser PDQ in Ireland.

Life / Fellow expats: Polish people compared to Czechs/Slovaks? [23]


More like an obnoxious weirdo. There isn't a country on earth where you will fit in, least of all Poland. You really have to get your head out of your a$$.

Law / British National (Oversea) in Poland wants to work and settle down [4]

1) Not necessarily Poles. But you should be able to meet fellow Chinese and other people in Singapore who have worked in Poland, or who know people who work or have worked in Poland.

2) IT skills are more saleable than just Mandarin, especially if they are higher level skills or if you have lots of experience with an exotic tool set.

3) They are all scam artists. Use your head, boy. Any agency that promises anything like that is, at best, going to take your money and run. At worst, they will get you into the EU, kill you, and sell your organs on the black market. Avoid all "agents" or "consultants". They won't help you.

4) Warsaw, Poznań, Łódź, Gdańsk, Kraków and Wrocław, in that approximate order.

Life / Fellow expats: Polish people compared to Czechs/Slovaks? [23]

That's not exactly what I meant. Both on this and his previous thread, there was something in his posts that came across as antagonistic. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm not the only one to pick up on it.

Life / Fellow expats: Polish people compared to Czechs/Slovaks? [23]

@BulgarB

You started a similar thread on this forum a couple of months ago, and this is what I answered:

"If you are expecting people to dance around you and kiss your a$$, then Poland is the wrong country for you."


If that's the case, the problem might be with the OP, rather than with the Czechs and Slovaks.


Dozens of times, back in the eighties when it was still divided. But visiting it recently, I hardly recognized the place. It's a totally new city, with a totally different type of energy. The OP seems a bit eccentric, and eccentrics are probably tolerated more in Berlin than in Poland, the Czech Republic or Slovakia.

BTW, I lived in Wrocław for eight years, and think it is by far the best city in Poland. I used to live in Skierniewice, but I was not that charmed by Warsaw. In Wrocław, the Japanese Garden and the Botanical Gardens are much more interesting than Park Szczytnicki.

Life / Fellow expats: Polish people compared to Czechs/Slovaks? [23]

@BulgarB

If you are going to come to Warsaw, then you will have to flush all those silly, juvenile, romantic delusions out of your system, grow up and start thinking like a responsible, rational adult that is able to make his way in the real world. Warsaw is not a city for silly dreamers, and you are going to turn a lot of people off with the sort of kiddie nonsense you have been writing. It's very down to earth, in the sense that is very down to business. Money talks, and bull$hit walks. If you are looking for "friendly" and "laid-back", then you are probably barking up the wrong tree. It's a good city to live in if you are earning enough to enjoy what the city has to offer. If not, not so much. The language of Warsaw is money, more so than any city in Poland.

By the way, your English is rather good. Great job! Keep up the good work!

Travel / Places to see in Lower Silesia region (between Wroclaw and Czech border) ... suggestions? [6]

Tons of things:

Castle Książ
Peace Church in Świdnica
Underground Nazi city in Osówka
Chapel of Skulls in Czeremcha
Sanctuary in Wambierzyce
Pleasant walk on the pilgramage trail in Bardo
Fortress in Kłodzko with tunnels (wear good walking shoes)
Gold mine in Złotystok
Cave of the Bear in Kletno
Kudowa Zdrój (Spa town, great place to spend the night, eat out, go for different spa treatments and massages, right on the Czech border)

Hike through Błędne Skały in the Table Mountains

The drive from Kudowa to Špindlerův Mlýn in the Czech Republic, nice mountain resort town,

The drive back into Poland to Szklarska Poręba.

Jelenia Góra.
Miniature Park and Uranium Mine in Kowary
Karpacz- ski resort, good places to eat, especially the Jewish restaurant. Also see the Wang Viking Church.

Tons to see. All of the things I've written I would classify as "must see". They are all great.

Law / British National (Oversea) in Poland wants to work and settle down [4]

First of all, you do not have a regular British passport, so you do not enjoy the rights that come with that. You do not have the right to live and work in Poland like UK citizens do.

You have the right to visit the Schengen zone, including Poland, for 180 per year. You are not allowed to work OR SEEK WORK during that time. The other 185 days, you are not allowed to be in the Schengen zone, including Poland, unless you have a visa or residence permit.

If you want to work and stay in Poland, then you will have to get a work visa. To do that, you have to find a job BEFORE you come to Poland. Then the company that wants to hire you will have to apply for a work permit to hire you. If it is granted, then you can apply for a work visa.

The biggest problem is finding someone who will hire you. Don't waste your time looking on internet job sites or asking recruiters or headhunters. You will not find a job that way.

The best jobs are never advertised online. They are advertised solely person to person, face to face in the real world. Your goal is to expand you network to include people in your field that work or have worked in Poland, and use them to bypass human resources and get directly in touch with the manager who will be making the decision whether to hire you or not, whether for a Polish company or a foreign company doing business in Poland.

Frankly, if all you have to sell is eight years of clerical experience, you are going to have a hard time finding an employer willing to hire you, and any job you might get will be very poorly paid. There is no shortage of clerical workers in Poland, even ones who can speak Mandarin, that the local and EU labor force cannot supply. You're going to need a lot more than that to make it in Poland.

Work / What is the average accounting/auditing salary in Poland? [42]

Senior accountant with 20 years experience? And they are offering you only 7000 PLN a month gross? In Warsaw? That is very, very low. Like half of what you should be expecting, or less.

You would have to be pretty desperate to take a job with such low wages. You could survive on that in Warsaw, as a single person, but forget about any savings.

Real Estate / Landlord accuses of not paying rent. Poland. [6]


That would be supremely stupid. Best find another place to live ASAP.

Study / Overview of the WSGE university in Poland [42]

... for sanitizing crappers.

Study / Overview of the WSGE university in Poland [42]


Which stands for European Certificate in Toilet Scrubbing.

Work / Driving jobs in Poland. (HGV and bus/coach) [11]

Such jobs pay very low. Very, very, very low by western standards. So low that the only foreigners they are attractive to are Ukrainians and Belarusans, with whom you will have to compete for any job openings.

My advice is to get a certificate in a high-demand specialty branch and get a job in a western country for a company that ships to Poland and beyond. Poland is not the place to come if you intend to work in a blue collar occupation and don't speak fluent Polish. There is a massive glut of unskilled labor, and it's gotten a lot worse in the past few years after the Ukrainians started coming in droves.

There is a good reason why Poles move west and so few westerners move to Poland. You might want to revisit your decision to come to Poland.

That's assuming you are from an EU country. If not, you don't stand a snowball's chance of finding blue collar work of any sort in Poland.

Study / Overview of the WSGE university in Poland [42]

Who are happy that they don't have to scrub toilets anymore because of all the third-worlders you send them, clutching worthless diplomas from worthless English-language programs in Poland.

News / WOSP in Poland [161]


I'm not disagreeing with that, but Poland does not have anywhere near the funding, or the political will, to do it without significant help. The Polish government is having a hard time funding healthcare because the country's taxpaying population has been depleted by mass migration of its best and brightest, leaving the country relatively enriched in the old and hopeless, especially in those areas known as "Poland B". You may not appreciate how far Poland still has to go until you see the inside of a provincial hospital. It was a real eye-opener for me.

News / WOSP in Poland [161]

Frankly, I'd sooner trust Owsiak to spend the money wisely than the current government. Don't hospitals in Britain rely partly on charities and charity drives to fund major purchases like medical equipment. Here in the States, a lot of the rooms, buildings and pieces of equipment have a tag saying "Donated by...." or "In memory of..." on them. Even the bench in the smokers hut at my hospital has one, as does, weirdly, the microwave in our break room. Hell, the whole hospital is named after the man who donated the land and money to found it.

There is even a Masonic organization, the Shriners, that specializes in building and operating hospitals for burn victims, never mind that a good percentage of the hospitals here were founded by different religious groups. Every NFP hospital has a foundation that is essentially a large charitable organization.