Any decent tech/computer jobs in Poland if you don't speak Polish? (have Polish citizenship)

I have Polish citizenship (from my Polish parent) but I barely speak Polish - I understand some, but we grew up speaking Dutch at home due to an international marriage and other personal reasons. I understand Poland is growing fast in tech, but I'm not sure how realistic it is to find a good-paying job there if I don't speak Polish and was to relocate to Poland.

Some questions I have:

- Are there actually decent-paying jobs in Poland where Polish is not required (especially in tech/programming/high-tech)?

- For someone with my profile (citizen, programming + computers + gadgets, but no formal work record or experience), is it realistic to get hired locally, or should I focus on remote/foreign companies first?

- What cities or industries in Poland are most open to English-only tech workers?

- Any advice on how to bridge the "no experience" gap (projects, internships, communities, etc.) so I can start building a real career there?

I'd really appreciate concrete examples or people's own experiences.

@Luuk▲ 0▼ 0

The Netherlands used to be (still is?) heavily invested in Poland. They used to advertise for jobs for students of Dutch philolgy (that department moved from where I work a couple of years ago so I don't know if they still are doing that).

Your best bet might be contacting Dutch (Belgian?) companies where you are and start learning Polish, as someone who doesn't speak/understand Polish is not generally an asset in the workplace (as they require constant handholding and special translations etc etc).

Have you checked resources like...

facebook.com/groups/krakau/

I don't know if you'll get much feedback here from people with first hand knowledge (for a number of reasons).

@mafketis▲ 0▼ 0

Luuk,
As with Polish tech workers in the Netherlands, Dutch tech wannabes in Poland MUST know at the least the basics of the national language in order to operate and survive comfortably! No two ways about it.

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

I wouldn't say that's entirely true. When it comes to work, there are plenty of opportunities at international companies in which English is the main spoken and written language. Most of the lucrative tech jobs in Poland are at organisations exactly like those. If you don't speak English and only Dutch, THEN you're in trouble. But that's rarely a problem, as most Dutch speak excellent English, in my experience.

For life in general, it'll be a struggle without speaking Polish if you don't have support from Polish-speaking family, friends or partner. Dealing with the bureaucracy (all 100% in Polish), healthcare (ditto if you don't go private), tax office, and renting or buying a home - all that will be a struggle to navigate if you can't speak the language. Employment will be the very least of your worries.


I wouldn't move to Poland just for its job market. If you're a Netherlands citizen, it would be smarter to get a job there, build your career up a bit, and then relocate to Poland and work remotely while being employed by the NL company. They'll pay you much more than a Polish one, and probably more than an international company in Poland, too, because even they still pay people less in PL than they would to people at offices in their countries.

If your main aim is living in Poland, that's what I'd do. And while you're getting set up, take frequent trips to Poland to prepare yourself for living there - support network (any family you have here), look at places to live, start learning a bit of Polish if you want to. But I wouldn't just move to Poland and then try to get work, sort out a place to live, etc.

And talk to a good PL-based tax lawyer. You will want to be set up as a contractor and get yourself into a good situation tax-wise. Poland actually has very lucrative tax breaks for tech workers, but there are rules around this and you need to know what the are.

@TechWorkInPL▲ 0▼ 0

Speaking English as native English speakers with other native Anglophones, fine. Apart from that, couldn't imagine working/living somewhere without knowing the target language That's almost hell on earth, pure frustration, exercise in futility.

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

I contacted a Polish/international bank with a presence in the Netherlands, and they even offered me an unpaid internship. I initially agreed, but once I realized I would need to be there every day and work without pay, I decided it was not the right fit for me. Looking back, I now feel a bit disappointed at myself that I didn't handle it better.

I get some gigs from friends to fix computers and stuff, so it's not that I'm just doing nothing. I'd prefer a good steady job, and I'm told it would be easier for me if I move to Poland as they like when their tech speaks English (I do) and another language. However, in Poland I'd have to only speak English or Dutch.

@Luuk▲ 0▼ 0

Poland is a pretty big tech offshoring hub (although this will change as wages rise and offshoring moves further east). So, English - the business lingua franca - is useful if you need to deal with your employer's customers (the people paying them to write code, maintain systems, etc), and people at other offices abroad (e.g., executives, other tech staff like system architects).


The 'living' part is difficult but not impossible in Poland, expecially if you've got some help from native speakers every time you need to deal with the urzad dzielnicy, urzad skarbowy, etc. It's not as easy as in other countries, like in the UK (and US?) where Polish-only-speakers get a lof of government support when it comes to language. But it can be done. Krakow is full of 'expats' who don't speak much Polish beyond 'good day' and 'thank you'.

The 'working' part, though is no problem, as I said, with the right employer. And there are plenty of those, and they're the ones that pay the best. Especially if you skip PL-based employers entirely and work remotely for someone in Western Europe. Get paid Dutch wages, spend them in Poland - very high standard of living in local terms.

@TechWorkInPL▲ 0▼ 0

Guess my experiences as a multi-lingual Yank student, later part time temp, were different from yours, that's all.

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

So, do you suggest that I contact employers in the Netherlands that I found through AI and that have a strong presence in Poland, and tell them I'm willing to work either here or in Poland? I guess not everyone is willing to be available in both countries, so that could be an advantage for me, I hope.

@Luuk▲ 0▼ 0

Merely curious as to whether you go by Luuk in The Netherlands and Lukasz in Poland.

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

I go by Luuk, but I obviously know it is Łukasz in Polish. I know many Polish words and I understand a lot, but it's like going through thick mud as I no longer have anyone local to speak Polish.

@Luuk▲ 0▼ 0

Poland's tech sector - of which offshoring is a massive part - is a very particular area, but I think some other kinds of international companies are similar, like in finance. If all your employer's customers and other employees are Polish, then maybe you'll have a harder time if you don't speak Polish. But if they're overseas, as is the case with offshored tech work, English is key.

Having said that, AI is really shaking things up right now in that world (it's layoff city right now), and rising wages in Poland are making it less of an attractive place to get your tech work done cheaper. So, who knows what the future will bring...

@TechJobsInPL▲ 0▼ 0

Can't much argue w/the end of para.1.

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

It sounds like you'll pick it up pretty quickly and won't be totally lost at sea when you arrive. That's an advantage you have over most new arrivals in Poland.

Do you have family in Poland? That would be really helpful, as they can help you with all the bureacracy, e.g., what a PESEL is, how and where to get one, etc. Maybe they can also provide a place to stay until you can rent an apartment. Having any kind of support network like that is a gigantic advantage when emigrating.

Re. work, I honestly wouldn't try and kick off your career by moving to a foreign country and getting your first job there. All the people I know who emigrated as 'expats', with skills and education, have established career histories first. It's hard enough just starting out in your field, let alone doing it in an alien country, away from family and friends, which you have to get to grips with as well. Take an internship or two in the Netherlands, try and get a junior position, then when you're ready Poland will still be there.

@TechJobsInPL▲ 0▼ 0

My mother took care of it - I have a Polish passport, a PESEL number, EU drivers license, and all other documents needed to legally live in Poland. I have a family member in Poland to stay, but it's away from a city, which I would prefer, so I don't think I would stay there.

Thanks for your advice, I still think it was stupid to refuse the internship. I know better now...

@Luuk▲ 0▼ 0

Got the lingo in tow, you should fit in Poland just fine. Powodzenia!

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

Judging by the fora that have posted here over there years, they were losers and outcasts in their own country who only gained a shred of decency in post communist Poland by arriving with 100 pounds.

@umustbejoking▲ 0▼ 0

I don't know any 'fora' in real life (you mean forum members btw - fora is the Latin plural of forum).

But most of the people I know who moved to Poland did so well into their careers, and arrived with income sources already. Many had families and kids already, bought/rented houses straight away. Doesn't really fit your 'losers and outcasts' theory, does it?

But what do you do for work, my friend? Any advice or insights to share here?

@TechJobsInPL▲ 0▼ 0

If your Polish is on a basic level, moving to Poland will get you to a good level faster than you might've expected, especially if you mingle with Polish people and watch Polish TV.

@Ron2▲ 0▼ 0

Amen, Ron!

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0

100 pounds in 1992 would be like 50k zloty.

bro do not come to poland b4 u actually get a job in Holland.
you will get eaten up alive.
work in your native country first.

@umustbejoking▲ 0▼ 0

He might be fine. People do make the move like that. But why make life harder for yourself? He wants to work in probably the #1 field where companies are cool with you working remotely and working across different timezones. To be earning Dutch wages from a Dutch company but be living and spending in Poland, at Polish prices, is basically a dream scenario.

It's the smartest thing to do, rather than move to Poland, get a junior tech job here on a junior wage, struggle with that and adjusting to a new country.

My honest advice: get set up in NL, learn your trade, gain the trust of your employee so they're fine with you moving abroad, and then when you move to Poland, you can afford to rent any apartment you like in whichever city you want, you don't have to struggle at all, you can basically afford to live a damn good life - many people do it and it's a damn good plan.

@TechJobsInPL▲ 0▼ 0

A Pole working for Dutch prices will be a lot happier certainly than vice versa!

@Lyzko9bda5804d1f▲ 0▼ 0