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Finance Work in Poland - is it hard for a non-Polish speaking person?


cms 9 | 1,255
12 Mar 2017 #31
I think that you're doing the right thing by pursuing an interview with BNP. I hope that went OK.

Much of the advice given above is dysfunctional. Being outright rude is being dressed up as being brutally honest. I don't consider you a silly boy - I think you have an admirable commitment to further education and a good path mapped out for your personal life.

With your background and languages, you have far wider horizons than BPO work. What is correct however is that even if you were to start in banking or consulting then you would normally start off via an entry level job or an internship, even if you have a good academic background. As I said before though, French gives you a huge advantage, if you can get your Polish up to speed. This is because it's hard to find French speakers in Warsaw period, let alone those who have a financial background - I have first hand knowledge of this. If the banks do not offer you work then maybe try big French corporations like Orange, Auchan or Axa. They would all have large finance teams and possibly need French language help with e.g. Corporate reporting.

I don't know if the Kozminski has university status or not - that might be more down to politics and bureaucracy than merit. I do know that it has proper accreditation for its MBA, a good list of adjunct and permanent staff and a pretty good alumni network in Warsaw - it generates several hundred hits on my LinkedIn. I suggest you visit and get a feel for the quality and prospects before you commit and I would question the marginal benefit of doing a second masters rather than just finding a really good internship or doing an MBA at some point in the future.

Long term then you say you are not a hedge fund type person - you can build a finance career in Poland but probably to have a real successful time here you would need 2-3 years experience in Western Europe or the US at some point.
MrComric 3 | 26
12 Mar 2017 #32
Thank you for the response,

Further, thank you for all the information and the valuable advice from your personal experiences. I decided now to take up an extra internship at a private bank (UBS) in Luxembourg - EIB is a public bank - to gain more experience.

I have already read about Kozminski that it has a triple accreditation for its Master in Finance & Accounting (EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB). But using the Linkedin search options, I found that the majority of the Polish HF-bankers are SGH-graduates. So I'm a bit troubled given this contradictory information,

MrComric
Harry
12 Mar 2017 #33
So I'm a bit troubled given this contradictory information,

Let me help you out here: nobody who can get into SGH to do a particular course would dream of doing that course at Kozminski.
delphiandomine 88 | 18,163
12 Mar 2017 #34
I found that the majority of the Polish HF-bankers are SGH-graduates.

It's a matter of prestige. SGH has tradition and it is public, whereas Kozminski is much more focused on something practical.

Kozminski is better in terms of actual programme, but SGH has the name and traditions. However, in your case, it's unlikely that SGH actually offers anything worthwhile, whereas that course in Kozminski is one of the few good English courses out there.
cms 9 | 1,255
14 Mar 2017 #35
Kozminski was not established when many of those people were studying. In any case as discussed abov SGH is more prestigious for undergrad especially for straight academic things.

Good luck at UBS - hope it works out for you


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