RELOCATING TO GDYNIA, Poland - salary question

Is 43k annual salary enough to live in Gdynia?

Yes, but not well.

@Nikki2

Not if you are coming from outside of Poland and factor in the cost of your travel and relocation. It's barely tempting for a recent graduate from Poland. That gives you only about 2500 PLN in hand each month. Once you deduct the cost of your travel and relocation, that leaves precious little to live on, potatoes and cabbage at best, and you might even end up in the red. You will need at least twice that to justify moving to Poland.

Sorry, but it is just not possible without living in abject poverty, and even then it may not be possible at all. If you are from outside of the EU, it's certainly not possible.

Hi,
I am an Indian with 6+ Years of professional IT experience, in Banking Datawarehousing Domain.
I've been offered a position of Senior IT developer.
My work location is GDYNIA,Poland and Monthly would be 13000 PLN (Gross).
It would be very grateful , if somebody can help me out in knowing the Work Culture, About People, Cost of Living, Entertainment,Transportation, Average Salary in Gdynia, Poland.

And also Net Salary after Tax deduction, Taxation in Poland and How much one can save after all the expenses?

Your Valuable Information is much appreciated.

DominicB

And what if you are from the EU? It can't kill my finances? ;)

I only travel abroad once a year so I think I can manage :))

How is the freelance market like? Of course I want some extra cash!!

@Nikki2

It's not going to be much fun on 2500 PLN a month.

What kind of work do you hope to get? Where are you from (passport)? What education, qualifications and experience do you have?

@DominicB

Still waiting to hear from the company if I will get an offer so I want to know how much I should negotiate if they want to offer the role to me.

It is an analyst role examining emerging markets with a multinational company in Gdynia. It's entry-level and I am currently in the UK so I'm looking to get out asap.

I'm a dual EU national but neither country offer these roles at entry level (I have 1.5 years exp after university in total). I have bachelors and masters in disciplines relevant to this role obtained at UK universities. One of the EU countries pays even worse than Poland and the other one has higher salaries than Poland but even higher rents (two thirds of salary).. so both options aren't plausible right now.

As for freelance, I normally look for translation and editing (I am fluent in 4 languages so flexible with this), although I can consider English tutoring on the side for extra cash.

@Nikki2

Well, budget at least 1500 PLN a month for your own basic apartment, all inclusive. That leaves 1000 PLN left over for food and all other expenses. It's going to be tight. You'll survive, but it won't be much fun. And forget about savings. If this is the only job you can find, then perhaps it is worth considering. Entry-level wages all over Europe are very low, and Poland is no exception.

You might consider living in a shared apartment to cut back on rent. That's what young Poles with that level of income would do.

As for translation work, it's something I did a lot when I was living in Poland, and got paid very well. BUT, I am a senior scientist and pathologist who is native in English and learned Polish to a high level, so I was the type of translator that was most in demand, and I had zero competition. And all of my work came by word-of-mouth, and I never had to look for it.

As for teaching, if you are not a native-English speaker, you're going to have a hard time finding a clientele that is willing to pay much. You can try, but don't count on it.

A word of advice. I notice that you are coy and vague about your country of origin, something I often see here on this board among people from poorer countries. And also about your educational background. If you go into negotiations with an inferiority complex, they will sniff it out like dogs and take advantage of you. Quickly make your peace with who you are and where you are from so that you can negotiate with self-confidence and pride. If you are a Bulgarian Gypsy who studied at Southbank or Trinity St. David, that is nothing to be ashamed of. If you go into negotiations like a simpering puppy, the big dogs will rip you apart, and 3500 PLN netto is going to be the best you can expect. If you don't appreciate your own value, why should they? Grow a pair, and proudly lay them on the negotiating table for all to see and admire.

What are the languages you speak? You can sometimes negotiate a higher wage based on that. It's also going to make a big difference if you are planning on learning Polish.

Another word of advice. Good jobs are almost entirely advertised by word of mouth, face to face in the real world. Recruiters and internet sites get the table scraps, the $hit jobs that nobody in the know wants. The main reason you went to university is to acculturate yourself into the professional community in which you will eventual operate, and to build a network of real-world contacts, especially among senior academics and senior professionals in your field. Exploit that network now, and see if they have any leads. And, more importantly, if they don't, then ask them who they know that might, and so on, and so on. One of the things I drill into my students is the importance of real world networking.

A second tactic is blind carpet bombing. Send out 500 CV's and generic, but well written and self-confident, PAPER cover letters to department managers in your field (not HR departments; they are the enemy). You can often hit upon openings that have not yet been advertised. I just advised a younger colleague to do just that, and he ended up with 50 offers, five of which were much, much better than anything you will find on the internet, at double the pay. Young people like you don't appreciate the magical power that dead trees and well-written English have over people in my generation, who are doing the hiring.

@ruban_rk,

Please share me your contact details, will reach out to you for some details.

Hi,
I am an Indian with 5 Years of professional IT experience (Programmer).
I've been offered a position of IT developer.
My work location is GDYNIA,Poland and Monthly would be 12000 PLN (Gross).
It would be very grateful , if somebody can help me out in knowing the Work Culture, About People, Cost of Living, Entertainment,Transportation, Average Salary in Gdynia, Poland.

And also Net Salary after Tax deduction, Taxation in Poland and How much one can save after all the expenses?

Your Valuable Information is much appreciated.

You will be just fine in Poland on that money

Anything over 10k gross puts you in the upper middle class category. The average salary in Poland is 4k to 5k gross so you'd be making more than double.