Work / Thinking of moving to Poland after university...? Which courses to take before? English teaching/translating? [3]

If your planning to relocate to and work in Poland, your best bet is to get a degree in engineering, get hired by a western company, and get a transfer to Poland. Living in Poland on a western salary would be very comfortable.

Teaching English is ok if you just want to goof around. Don't expect big bucks unless your a really, really good businessman and marketer. I do some freelance teaching (actually, mentoring) for social contact, but I wouldn't rely on it to butter my bread.

Translating is also a very good option and in great demand, but you have to have experience in a specialty area (like science, medicine, business or law) to make a go of it. I'm a scientific translator, and have no shortage of work. Again, experience counts for a lot, as does self-drive and discipline. Freelance is the way to go, and you can make a pretty decent living.

USA, Canada / Have an American passport and moving to Poland. Do I STILL need a visa? [17]


Citizenship is granted automatically if you can prove that two of your grandparents were Polish. Again, he would have to discuss that with the consulate and get expert help, but, if he has the proper documentation, it wouldn't be a long and arduous process.

USA, Canada / Have an American passport and moving to Poland. Do I STILL need a visa? [17]

You really need to talk to a lawyer who is familiar with Polish residential visas. There are plenty in Chicago. Or at least visit the Polish consulate. Citizenship is definitely worth considering. Sorry, but you are not going to get the detailed answers you need on a web forum.

USA, Canada / Have an American passport and moving to Poland. Do I STILL need a visa? [17]

@Harry: I'd consider that a pretty lucky find, especially if your friend recently signed the contract and is a non-Pole.

USA, Canada / Have an American passport and moving to Poland. Do I STILL need a visa? [17]

Yes, you will need a resident visa to permit here. Generally not much of a problem to get as long as you do not plan to work here and have sufficient demonstrable income/savings. Otherwise, major hassle from someone for the US.

Notice that you have two Polish grandparents. You could try applying for citizenship. You qualify for repatriation. Documentation can be a problem; you have to prove that your grandparents were from Poland.

Best contact an immigration lawyer and ask his advice.

Also, noticed that you were inquiring about apartments in Warsaw. Warsaw isn't cheap, as are the other larger cities in Poland. Frankly, it's a lot cheaper to live in rural Indiana. If you want to make your retirement dollars stretch, consider living in a small town near Warsaw, like £owicz or Skierniewice, for example. Rents are much cheaper. From Skierniewice, you can take the train to downtown Warsaw and get there faster than many people who live in Warsaw itself can. Train connections are very frequent- hourly at least.

Also, I see that you expect to live off of $1200 a month. That pretty much rules out Warsaw, and definitely anything in the heart of Warsaw (walking distance). A small one bedroom apartment alone is going to cost at least $800 with utilities or more (anything less, and you're getting into substandard housing territory). You'd have to live a very frugal existence. Nothing worse than living in a big city and not having the money to enjoy it. You'd be a lot better off living in someplace like Skierniewice. Rents are less than half of what they are in Warsaw, and the commute to Warsaw is convenient.

If you plan on working here, definitely look into citizenship. Otherwise, it's just not going to be possible, especially since you don't know the language.

Travel / Where can you get a good cuppa coffee in Wroclaw? [7]

The coffee at Bernard on the Main Square is outstanding. Highly recommend it.

Law / Polish citizenship claim (father naturalizes as a citizen of Poland) [5]

That's correct. You are a foreigner just like any other, and the fact that your father is now a citizen is irrelevant. He would have to have been a citizen at the time of your birth to make any difference. If you want to get Polish citizenship, you will have to do it just like any other foreigner, as your dad did.