Moving To Krakow May (a place to live and work?)

Hi my name is Matthew.

So after a few times going to Poland i decided to go next may to Krakow and see how it goes , so i'm looking for a place to live and a job, and would be greatfull for some advice, help and maybe to meet some people

Why do you want to move to Poland?

I have been there a few times and spent some time there, and i really like the culture, language and people so i want to go and see how things work out, Should be taking a Polish course in October

Its kinda early to be looking for those things, dont you think?

Yeah maybe, i'm not sure how long these things will take so i'm trying to get a headstart really, if i could find a job then that would be great

Yea I feel ya.
Which fields can you work in? What languages do you speak etc?

Well at the moment just English, But i am taking a Polish course in October and have been trying to learn as i don't want to go there be ignorant and expect everyone to talk in English to me as i hate that, so i will try my best. I krakow has a big tourist industry and must be something for an English speaker. I work in Hotels and have all my life which i know will need English speakers.

But again i can't expect the staff to speak English so mayhbe this wont work.

Phtoa where you from?

Okay, yea actually it might be hard for you to find a job considering your only language is English. Or at least find a decent paying job.

Learning Polish will def be a help, but you'll still need to have some relevant experience to be hired within a hotel or such.

There is a big tourism industry in Krakow for sure. If I were you I'd save some of those British pounds and start a small business here based on tourist coming from Britain (or something).

I'm from Denmark/Us.

I would suggest you to learn a different language but not polish if you want to find a decent paid job.
In krakow if full of multinationals looking for people with at least a major European language other than English
That would help you to work in a customer service environment or even in a back office / finance / HR and so on.
Forget about Polish for now unless you are happy with 2000 zloty a month for the next 10 yrs

Sorry for the bluntness but you better be prepared

Just how do you think someone without knowledge of the language is going to get on in Poland?
Finding somewhere to live/registering with a doctor/.simple trip to the supermarket.etc
Ok if you have Polish speaking friends perhaps, that can help out, but without any knowledge of the language, simple everyday tasks are going to be a struggle.

yeah would be good but trying to start a business must be hard, any suggestions ? lol But i do have alot of experience in a hotel as i have worked in them for about 11 years now and i'm currently a duty manager but yeah im trying to learn Polisdh but not so easy lol


It's ok i'm prepared been there a few times and i know it's not easy, my aim was to just go and see how it goes really and try pick up Polish, i know paybe to learn another but i relaly like the language and would rather learn Polish, then i'm not like every other brit lol

I completely understand this but have known people to do it. And as the saying goes unless i try i will never know, maybe it wont work and maybe it will, i do know a little bit of Polish and i'm taking a course in october so i can go with something

Pam:

I am in the same situation however he has to prioritize which means well paid job first hence more money to live and then the rest.

I do not speak polish however I found many people in the shops at the doctors and even my landlord who speak English

I have never had problems in the banks or post office. Few weeks ago I went to the train station in Warsaw and there was a ticket office for english speaking.

The only people I have difficulties are old people as they do not speak the language however this is a minor problem.

I think money to live come first your every day needs.

At least this is my case. Everyone is different

Where you from Lordfab and what part did you moved to?

I am coming straight from UK and I live in krakow.
I found that many ppl speaks english in the city in the big shopping centre etc...
I do not have to go to the doctor as I have a private one however I am sure if you ask for an english speaking one there will not be any problem

I tell you some more I am going to learn another west European language in Poland not Polish, as a professional in my sector it would help my career and broaden my job opportunities.

There is time to learn polish for me also I might not be in Poland any more in 4-5 yrs
I think I can survive :-)
if you really have a passion for the language absolutely study it and learn it, however in my opinion money and lifestyle come first passions and hobbies later.

I know plenty of successful people in Krakow who don't speak a word of Polish. Though learning the language will make things a lot easier for you in the long run.

So what made you go there if you don;t mind me asking? and what sector do you work in, did you find accomation before you went or did you just go? did you go on your own?

sorry for all the question, as you may know i have alot to sort out and doing this on my own thats why im looking into it so early.

The language thing yeah i do have a passion for it and i'll be taking a course here in october and see how i get on with it. alot of people say learn another language apart from Polish but for me i want to be able to speak Polish really.

Hopefully i can be one of those succesfull people ;-)

Sorry but these you listed are mainly 2000 a month jobs.

Company like Capgemini for customer service people with a European language pays easily 4.5K net a month.
We are not talking about Senior positions or managers.
I do not work for the above company however I know this for sure.
I do not think a Multinational would offer this money to a British candidate with French language for instance , if they try you can smile in their face and walk off. But trust me they will not do it.

True,12 years back I had to call my wife in states to ask what is salt or sugar called(sol and cukier) and passed by salt maybe 20 times as that time was sold in plastic packs and I was looking for some cardboard boxes,lol also travelling by train was a problem etcand sometimes even now when the cashier tells you amount If I dont get it I just try to hand em the biggest bill I have and infact always need a babysitter with me for running aroun uzjad this uzjad that...the worse is when they make the decisions for you thinking its good while im thinking something else.

12 yrs ago is not exactly today ! people have changed and the spread of english language and english schools in Poland has made our life easier.

Obviously I can say that there are cities more " English friendly " where people speaks English everywhere and also many signs and informations are in English

For example I would have never been able to buy and understand how a tram ticket works in Warsaw but in Krakow the information at the bust stop and on the tram are in english as well.

Of course if I live in a little village or in a middle size city all the everyday tasks would be even more difficult.
That's why the choice of the place where to go to live is important as well. an International big city helps he integration.

You mean a European language like German, French or Spanish ? Or Norwegian, Danish or Flemish, which basically mean they have to import foreigners from these countries ?

Yes I mean all those languages plus Portuguese, Swedish, Italian, Dutch for example.
I am sure you are aware that Poland is populated by people of those nationalities working for multinationals

When you want to work with English, most of the times you need to speak a second European language but I think it is not impossible to find an English speaking job in Krakow, only the possibilities are not as many as it would be when you speak another European language as well.

Maybe try to look on Google ¨English speaking jobs in Krakow¨.

One of the best website to look for job is indeed.com There is a version in polish as well.

There are many jobs in Poland for English speakers only, obviously all depends of what your skills are.

So It's not "people with another European langage" but people who are fluent in English and one more language, which is very rare in Poland.


So how much would they offer ?

Thanks for all your feedback. I'm trying to get a job for when i go and somewhere to live but maybe it wont be possible but i can try. But atleast from your feedback i know it's possible for me to find a job somewhere. Just may take some time. But i am trying to learn Polish.

If you learn polish and I am sure you will be successful as I can see you have passion for the language obviously it will help a lot , not as much as another european language but it will.

Do not be scared and try you have nothing to lose :-) good luck and when you come to Krakow give me a shout I will be happy to help.

Thank you i appreciate that Lordfab. Are you on facebook? Yeah hopefully i will pick it up as im trying before i get there.

I must addmit i am abit nervous as it's a big step and im doing it by myself and don't know anyone there. I do have a great pasiion. Don't know where it came from i just fell in Love with Poland when i first went, like anything in life you don't choose to. But none of my friends understand why, but then they havn't been

May I ask why exactly Krakow? I am trying to find some info about different (bigger) towns in Poland, maybe even for a future move. So why Krakow and not some other city. Which ones have you considered?

Yeah know worries. So i have been to a few places. czestochowa, bialystock, krakow, warsaw, orzysz, gdansk, gdynia, sopo, hel and a few other villages, i found Krakow to be the most cultural with alot of nationalities and always something happening. I also think it would be the best place for me to find a job with having alot of tourism.Some people may disagree but this is just my opinion and the place i prefer. But i have considered Sopot as i really liked it there