what is it like to live in poland
Poland is also one of the easiest places to get European citizenship past descent, so it'southward non surprising that many people are considering moving to Poland.
How practise I know what I'm talking nearly? I think I accept a unique perspective on the subject as I'm originally Shine, but I left years and years ago. Until I considered moving to Poland again and I did for a few months here and at that place and had a perfect expat experience myself equally I wasn't registered for anything and was basically dealing with the same things expats and digital nomads have to bargain with in Poland.
I besides have a foreign married man who visited a few times, hung out with lots of expats from around the world in Poland, led groups of foreigners around and noticed the language issues, and had our first son in Poland on an expat experience (which wasn't planned). If something isn't covered in my post below, shoot me a message in the annotate section below!
Is Poland Good for Expats?
Poland has some challenges for both expats and locals, and requires a learning curve. The relatively low cost of living compared to other European countries is attractive.
The country is one of the peak ones for investors, which isn't surprising as many new companies enter the Polish market. In fact, there'south even Amazon Polska at present. The median salary might exist 3700 PLN, merely if you lot alive in Warsaw, Wroclaw, Gdansk, Krakow it'south non unusual for a xx-30-year-old to make 10-15k PLN, which gives you a pretty comfy life.
Information technology takes some adjusting… including simple things similar finding the correct public bath (men's toilets are marked with a triangle, while women's toilets are marked with a circle), taking your shoes off instantly when yous enter someone's house and being handled kapcie – similar someone's invitee slippers.
Or the fact that Polish sandwiches called kanapki are made with only one piece of staff of life and served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anything you want really. Poles even eat Kaizer rolls in 2 separated pieces, unless it's on the get.
One thing is of import to mention because people tend to believe Poland is overly cold. Winters tend to become colder than in other spots in Western Europe, it's still non zilch to northern United states of america winters.
Do They Speak English in Poland?
English language is fairly widely spoken in Poland in bigger cities equally just over a third of Poles overall reported every bit being able to speak English to some degree. But, this doesn't you won't encounter bug in public institutions, shops or with some people.
I even so remember a situation in which my friends were trying to buy cheese at the big supermarket in Warsaw and the code wouldn't scan and they kept going back and forth with the lady who could only say "no cheese" and trying to take it abroad, and my friends responding "why". Until some other customer came over and helped.
Still, the situation is improving every bit more and more companies enter Poland and more people demand to speak English language.
Moving to Poland: Is It Easy?
If y'all have a job offer, it's easy to movement and and then sort everything out once you arrive. Salaries are depression if you're coming from a country similar the United states of america or U.k., just the toll of living is lower and therefore the standard of living is much higher.
The main reason my friends moved back to Poland after living away and expat friends decided to stay in Poland was because they wouldn't be able to beget the aforementioned standard in other countries. While it'south definitely not an ideal place, it makes a lot of sense to alive in Poland.
Y'all need to arrange your Karta Pobytu as an expat. It'southward basically like a residency. The process isn't quick, because bureaucracy is slow in Poland but it'due south not impossible.
My personal advice: if you're moving to Poland because of your partner and planning on getting married, exercise information technology elsewhere. I investigated the process a lot and information technology was seriously easier to become married in Timbuktu and then found information technology in Poland than get married to a foreigner in Poland.
Yous need to petition from the Supreme Court to exempt the greenhorn from certain things that aren't possible for them as a greenhorn and they tend to brand sure this procedure becomes lengthy and awful. Then you demand a translator fifty-fifty if a greenhorn speaks Polish and a agglomeration of other unnecessary arrangements which aren't cheap.
Cost of Living in Poland as an Expat
Unlike the majority of members in the European Union who adopted the Euro, Poland has the Polish zloty.
The cost of living in Poland is lower than in most places in Europe. Accommodation cost is low, but keep in heed that apartments are small – nigh Poles are used to very small apartments from the 80s, so it's not unusual to meet a family of 4 living in a 2-bedroom apartment 50m2.
Groceries, going out to consume, public transportation are relatively cheap. The downside is the high cost of gas, so that'south why public transportation is mostly used. Clothing and consumer electronics are the same prices equally anywhere else in the EU which, if you compare to salaries, makes them pretty pricy.
Finding a Job in Poland
You lot tin can naturally curlicue through LinkedIn, but the biggest task sites are pracuj.pl and also Goldenline (Smooth version of Linkedin). If you lot see an international visitor you lot might besides reach out directly or see their individual job offers.
Many expats living in Poland tend to work as:
- Automotive manufacturing
- Food manufacturing
- Banking & finance
- Information technology
- Construction
- English language instructor
Advantages of Moving to Poland
Apart from the low price of living, there are other advantages of moving and living in Poland.
Greenery
I never see it mentioned past whatever expats or even locals, merely Poland is so green. The country has plenty of dark-green spaces fifty-fifty in cities – large parks everywhere, lots of trees and random flower gardens.
I never noticed it until I lived in other places around the world. What in Italy people would call a park in Poland that would be a piece of grass. It's nothing like American suburbia with lots of houses without any nature around information technology.
Effectually the state, you lot'll also take forests, lakes, mountains and seaside… all within a few hour drive or train ride.
Healthcare
Healthcare is an advantage. While Poles similar to complain nearly it, because public hospitals aren't fancy and look times are long, doctors and nurses are well-educated and knowledgeable.
Service is incomparably better than Italy, France, Netherlands and you always have an option to do everything completely privately – I decided to give birth privately since I had no public insurance in Poland at the time and information technology was incredible. Comparable with other places it was likewise inexpensive!
One effect with the doctors is that while they're great they can be very direct and people can get offended.
Free education organisation
If you're willing to send your kids to a public school or kindergarten, it'southward free for expats as well. In fact, college is free for residents equally well (I even got paid to study, considering you can get a scholarship for proficient grades).
If you desire an English language-speaking schoolhouse you lot'll be looking at private ones, but they're too affordable if yous compare them with other places.
Go along in listen that Poland has a very strict school system (similar to the German organisation) and the aforementioned applies to universities because you don't actually have elective subjects. When kids move from Poland to the US they commonly skip about 2-three grades or pass SATs afterwards middle school.
Compared to Poland as I had a hazard to study there, I establish the university in the United kingdom a joke considering it seemed like I was basically back in high school.
Proficient travel hub
Bigger cities tin can exist a corking hub to travel all around Europe, every bit you lot can find a lot of cheap flights. Another plus is that thanks to the developed public transportation arrangement you don't need a car at all. With trains, buses, trams and metro you tin can travel all around the state easily.
Poles love Foreigners
Poles might complain that you don't speak Shine, ignore you a chip at first, but then they'll become fascinated with yous. Polish people tend to dearest foreigners… although unfortunately many as long as they're white, straight and not Muslim (more on that in disadvantages).
Long maternity leaves
One affair I'm sure jealous of my friends working regular jobs is maternity leave. It'due south not unusual to run into women who haven't been back at piece of work for years. While getting paid. How is it possible?
First, you tin can statutory twenty weeks of maternity (or 31 if yous have twins). Later on that you can get a parenting leave of 31 weeks. Commonly, you become paid 100% for maternity and 60-fourscore% for parenting, so overall you become 80% of your pay.
During this fourth dimension you also accumulate a standard vacation of 30 days a year, plus depository financial institution holidays, so about 45 days that gyre over for the side by side year. It'southward as well very common to go so-called L4 which is a get out during pregnancy. Since maternity and sick is paid by the taxes and non the employer in one case the visitor finds a replacement they basically don't want to pay for two employees and tell you to ask your doc to go abroad. Basically. Most of my friends were washed working at 16-20 weeks.
Basically, if y'all have two kids around 2-three years after you won't be working for a few years.
Disadvantages of Living in Poland as an Expat
Politics
Politics, politics, politics. Hierarchy is nevertheless pretty communist-way, and then it'south difficult for expats to get through a lot of red tapes to become the residency in lodge and really anything else.
Fifty-fifty getting a passport for a Smoothen baby built-in abroad is a mission and requires a lot of paperwork – it'southward seriously the hardest I ever had to do and my kids accept multiple passports then I have something to compare it to.
Faith is important
Conservatism combined with the Catholic religion not being separated from the state is alive and present in Poland. While many younger Poles say they're very liberal, the state has a long way to go.
You probably heard most diverse protests due to violations of women'south rights and anti-abortion legislation. It'south due to the church's presence.
Church clashes happen on a regular footing. Some Poles might tell yous "but we're not that religious" but a bulk even so underlines the importance of going to churches on special events like Christmas or Easter, and everyone storms the cemeteries on All Saints Twenty-four hours "considering it'southward a tradition".
Religion as a subject is also taught in schools weekly. It basically teaches kids most Bible, all the prayers by heart and so on. You tin can switch your kids to Ideals which is supposed to be more than philosophical.
The upside to this is the number of public holidays you get.
Intolerance combined with historical background
From a sociological standpoint, Poland has a very long history of facing national disasters like WWII, conquest past enemy superpowers, Holocaust and people are very scared in a style to let others in. Let's exist real: I still remember my own grandma was worried not to cantankerous the Vistula river considering if "Russians come up they destroy bridges and yous won't be able to come back" and my parents were freaking out not to give whatsoever data on the phone because "someone must be listening".
Permit'south not forget that Poland still had food ration cards, merely similar those in Cuba, when I was a toddler and my mom was driving me to school with a Fiat 126p that people think are so "absurd". They weren't, trust me.
The ruling party is and so popular because they desire to keep "Poland for Poles" and defend the old ways, so they're very against liberalism and a lot of people support these ideas. Now, before you freak out – not all ideas are bad because things are never blackness and white.
Personally, I think what'southward incredible in Poland is that the majority of people are very hospitable and beloved any alibi to welcome a new person into their abode for dinner. In fact, yous instantly become an aunt or uncle (ciocia & wujek) to all the kids once you come over to the house twice and y'all're absolutely not related.
That said, Poland isn't the friendliest identify for LGBTQ people in smaller towns. This is a serious issue in Poland that has recently been under scrutiny past the European community along with women's rights. While in Warsaw you might exist fine most of the time, many places take a long way to go – they even declared "LGBT-gratis zones".
Poland is surely a very white place in terms of race. At that place were countless campaigns near non allowing immigrants as well. While Vietnamese immigrants are well-known every bit they came to Poland years ago (hence why there are a lot of Europeanized Vietnamese take out spots (that have very picayune to do with actual food in Vietnam) and they used to sell at markets), let's just say that if you're black you volition become a reaction.
While in big cities these days in that location are tourists and expats of different races, but when they show up you discover. Everyone seems to notice and give them a side wait. Half curious, half "what are you lot doing here" kind of await and my black friends who visited Poland all agreed they were given the attention.
I also realized recently while talking with Europeans side by side to my American friends is that many European people, Polish people included, don't sympathize the American standpoint and making a huge deal well-nigh the "white privilege" and racism. If you're American, it might come off every bit a stupor because it's much more than defined and talked about in the US. It comes from US history, but however it seems difficult to empathise to Europeans and then when y'all chat with them near it, so my advice would exist to feel the room before expressing your opinions on those topics.
Hard to buy a dwelling house
Information technology'south hard to buy a home, peculiarly as a foreigner. The Polish mortgage organisation is quite difficult to sympathise and it's not easy to get a mortgage fifty-fifty for those born and raised in Poland. Even if you lot have a job many banks will turn down yous if you're non earning PLN, or will give you lot only a small loan.
That'southward on top of something that not many people realize – y'all demand permission from the authorities to buy a house in Poland as a foreigner.
Language barriers
The language barrier is a problem because Polish is a tough language to learn. Y'all won't accomplish annihilation in whatsoever Shine institutions if you try to speak English. Trust me, we tried 😉
This applies to making friends slightly and might non exist easy to blend information technology properly if y'all don't speak the language (although it's the same in every country, in the netherlands it was actually harder).
In Poland friends are usually split into iii categories: znajomy, kolega or przyjaciel. The get-go is an acquaintance, the second is someone you know improve, and the 3rd is a true long-term friend. Information technology takes time to become the latter, but don't give up.
Drinking
It'due south non a secret that Poles like to drink and many foreigners can't handle it (maybe apart from Irish). If you attend a Smoothen wedding people basically drink a shot of vodka or liquor before every dance. It takes getting used to.
Yet, don't become a wrong idea – Shine people are very hospitable and cherish traditional values when it comes to the family unit.
Overall, no country is perfect and I think information technology'south important to mention all the issues, fifty-fifty if they don't concern you. Poland can be a good place to live with good access to healthcare, long holidays and cheap costs. ofliving.
Source: https://annaeverywhere.com/poland-expat-guide/
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