Are there any jobs for Americans in Poland?

I am traveling to Warsaw from the U.S. next year for an extended stay. I was wanting to apply for a Visa once I am there and perhaps stay awhile longer.

I would like to be with my boyfriend, who I miss very much and can no longer live thousands of miles away from.

I was wondering what options may be open to me for jobs? For a work Visa. I'm sure there aren't many with my skills/qualifications but it's always good to ask! I am bilingual, I speak both English and Spanish. I do not know much Polish, but I am willing to learn what I can of course. I am a certified cosmetologist here in the U.S. with 5 years of work experience. I have a strong resume in retail, fashion and management. I also have experience and qualifications for childcare. I can get a job easily here, but I am doubting my chances overseas.

He has family it Cracow, so I am willing to work there as well. The location isn't limited.

Honestly I would work as a waitress, or a housekeeper, or just about anything to stay. My boyfriend tells me it will be much easier once we are married, but we do not want to rush into that.

Any suggestions or advice?
Thanks!

You are OVER-qualified to work as a waitress, seriously, a secretary in a serious company should be the absolute minimum to shoot for ; ). Perfect English + Spanish + retail/management = a lot of job opportunities in Poland (meaning a big city like Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw, or Gdansk).

Kraków is a rich city with low unemployment rate (31 VIII 2014 - 5,4%). You'll definitely find a job as a waitress or childcare. I would search for job in western companies if I was you with your perfect English and Spanish as a helpdesk,biuro,sales etc.

No you won't, if you don't speak Polish you have zero chances of getting a job in these areas.
Try Capgemini, you're languages will get you a call center job, the pay is OK and you'll be working with a lot of other foreigners so you'll make lots of friends quickly. Learn the lingo in the meantime and then try to get a better job.

Exactly, the best option would be BPO or SSC jobs, for which Kraków is getting very popular.

First of all, finding work is going to be difficult because you are not an EU citizen. Your employer will have to apply for work permission for you, which is a costly hassle for them. IF you had real solid qualifications in something that is really in demand, they might be inclined to go though the process. But face it, you really have nothing to offer that is not already in abundant supply on the Polish job market.

As for outsourcing or call center work, the only thing you have to offer is your English, and that is not worth very much anymore UNLESS you also have expertise in some IT field. Without that, you're probably going to get stuck doing cold-call sales or first-contact bill collecting, both lousy jobs that pay peanuts. Probably too little to be worth your while.

As for other jobs, without Polish you are severely crippled. There was a time when you could make a go of it as an English teacher, but those days are gone. Not very many schools would be willing to go through the hassle of applying for work permission for a non-EU citizen anymore unless they were something real special.

Frankly, I don't see your options expanding much once you get married. At least in Poland. It would be A LOT easier for both of you to make a go of it in the States than in Poland. Financially, a move to Poland would be very hard to justify. If you're serious about getting married and all, have him explore opportunities in the States rather than exploring opportunities for yourself in Poland. If you're not serious about marriage and all, then cut him loose so that you both can find more realistic partners.

Doesn't that pay like just US$500 or 600 a month, when as rent alone is that much?

Ah, yes. Thank you for your input.
I think you misunderstand when I say after we are married it will be easier. I don't mean easier to get a job, rather easier to get a visa.

if I were you I would start learning Polish

Yes. That's true. As an American you can only visit Poland as a tourist for a few months. For longer period you need to find a job here. And to get a job the company must apply for work permit for you. It's an extra hassle for them, so they will not bother doing that for simple jobs which many Poles can perform. You should target more specialized job offers, where your native knowledge of American English could be used or get employed by one of relatives of your boyfriend.

Try the American Consulant in Krakow. Also do some research onus companies in Poland like Pepsi and Colgate. You should have no problem finding a job.

Yeah with English and Spanish as your languages you should have no problem earning 4500+ in Krakow. You can try the foreign affairs website to see if there are any consulate positions open. Administrative start out at least 25k in American dollars, that would be 75 k in Zloty that would be roughly 6250 Zloty a month. Hotel management will bring you about the same, mostly in tips.

as others have mentioned - "outsourcing" is your best bet - aka working in a call centre ;)

If you can stomach the work, you will earn a 'liveable' wage by Polish standards, and your English & Spanish should get you a job fairly easily. There are Droves of Spanish in krakow living the Eastern European dream by doing this.

yes, but they don't need work permit and are native speakers.

Plus their own economy has tanked, with huge youth unemployment. Given the age of so many, it'll doubtless make for plenty of international marriages.

Hello,
I guess I would consider myself Polish & American, as I was born in Poland and all my family still resides here. I am looking to travel to Poland and perhaps stay for a bit as well but I would like to find work. Graduated here in the US back in 2004 & speak Polish just fine, no accent in English, not sure if that matters though. My primary work here in the states has been banking, with over 10 years in this field.

Can someone point me in a direction of where to look at or possibly a recruiter from Poland who could help would be great?
Appreciate any feedback as I am looking forward to move for a little bit and see how it goes. I do have family in Łódź and Bełchatów and smaller cities. Any help in pointing me to a good resource would be greatly appreciated?

Dziękuje Bardzo za pomóc, miałem tylko 5 lat jak rodzicie przyjechały do Ameryki. Ja wjem że cienszko jest pracę znaleść, ale bym kicał spróbować? Dziękuje. . .

R.Ski

your Polish needs work (esp written) how often do you read online news and stuff like that?


Dziękuję .... rodzice przyjechali .... wiem cieżko .... znaleźć....kicał (jak królik?) ale chciałbym

It all depends on whether you have documentary evidence that you are Polish. If so,m then it might be easier to go for a job. If not, it is very unlikely that prospective employers will go to the bother of getting a work permit, unless you have skills which are in high demand.

I would look on every Polish job website, find a job that interests you and make enquiries about it. Don't expect miracles though. The banking industry is letting people go in Poland, so the chances of a well-paying job are minimal. Other than that try call-centres.

oops, should be ciężko

@PolishBound
Does your bank have a branch in Poland? Is transfer possible?
Check your options online.
You can look at different job options at pracuj.pl

Be prepared to take a huge pay cut. You're better off staying here, save up your money and then move to Poland after you're financially secure.

The pay cut is bad enough. What is going to hurt a lot more is the massive decrease in savings potential.

The only way this is going to work is if you get hired by a US company that does business in Poland, and request a transfer to Poland at US wages. Works best if you have a good track record in B2B sales with management experience.

You really do need to polish up your Polish if you intend to do this. It's very clear that you do very little reading in Polish. Start reading fiction literature now. Intensively.

They will be living from paycheck to paycheck and never will be able to save up a nice nest egg.

Its a bad idea economically to go and work in a foreign country for 1/2 the pay or less.


Her chances are drastically diminished without any jedzyk polski

@PolishBound

Try praca.pl there are several adverts for financial experts, consultants, etc. Imo stack your money for a few years then move to poland.

Who would anyone want to go work for peanuts in Poland?

Save your money and then you can buy up all that cheap property, thats if the Germans don`t beat you to it!

Well quite a few people including on this forum moved from a high income country to pl. Money isnt everything. Poland offers a way different lifestyle and its a way better place to raise a family than the west. It comes down to whether things like traditional values, safety, christianity, homogeneity, etc is important to you or your fam. Im resettling to pl for those very reasons. The us esp chicago is not a good place to raise a family

It is when you don't have it.

As for the rest, it's romantic idealizing. Grass is greener syndrome. If those are the reasons you are relocating to Poland, you're in for a bit of a shock. If you are really interested in relocating, best do so with a firm grasp of reality rather than silly romantic notions.

and the grass isn`t always greener on the other side.


Its a great place to make and save money for the future:)

Dominic I've spent years in Poland as my whole family is there so im keenly aware of what the reality is. The life in PL is different from the US - especially major left leaning cities in the US. The reality is that in Poland there's no ridiculous debates about safe spaces, 70 genders, or other bs that Polish parents have to explain to their kids. There's no antifa gatherings nor are conservatives disliked in the major cities like they are in US. In Poland you can stick to your traditional values and no one will fault you for it. In fact, in Poland people encourage conservatism, Christianity, etc. whereas in the US you can't even put a Christmas tree in a public place (but of course jews are able to put a 20 foot menorah in front of the white house) It's a way better place to raise a family than US imo. Also, it's a very homogenous country with nearly everyone being either Polish or Ukrainian and Christian. It's a country where almost everyone has the same roots, religion, traditions, etc.


Exactly - not a good place to stay and raise a family though.

Hi everyone. My name is Maggie, I am American, and my Canadian boyfriend just signed a 2 year hockey contract in Katowice. We have been together for 5 years so he asked me if I would be interested in working over there so we could be together more so than me just visiting. I love travel- I consider myself to be pretty adventurous, personable, and adaptable and the thought of possibly working in Poland intimidates me but also excites me. Additionally, I am Polish which makes the opportunity to go live in Poland even more enticing. I am currently looking to the process and costs of obtaining a visa. I have my Bachelors in Business Administration and my Masters in Healthcare Administration. I do not know Polish but am open to the idea and willing to learn. I know the options will be slim for work over there for someone in my predicament but, I wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions at all. I would do nearly any job/ any hours so that I can contribute in our relationship-pay for travel, attractions, experiences, groceries, for basically any expenses along those lines and if nothing else just to save for our future whilst being there with him. Thank you for reading this and for any advice or job opportunities given. If call centers are likely the only thing that seems applicable for me- I would love suggestions on where I would go to apply, thank you so much!

Maggie