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Help!: American moving to Poland (IT consulting)

posts: 19

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Jan 5, 10, 21:36 #1

I am a 30 year old American that wants to move to Poland. I have been dating a Polish girl for over a year and trying to find a way to live in this great country. I have worked in America for 6 years with IT consulting and graduated from Purdue University with a Computer Technology degree in infrastructure and security. I am currently learning Polish and dedicated to learn the language. I have no problem working hard and feel no challenge is to great. I am not looking for help in moving costs but I do require sponsorship to work in Poland.

I am looking for work as well as a person that can help me with required documents and understanding the process in becoming a Polish citizen. I would love to stay around Wroclaw as I have been to this city many times. In the last year I have been to Poland 3 times and would love to make this my home.

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,756 Joined: Jul 3, 08 ♂	Edited by: McCoy Jan 5, 10, 21:39 #2
all the best to yourself

jwojcieThreads: 3 Posts: 816 Joined: Jan 3, 09 ♂	Jan 6, 10, 00:06 #3
IBM is just moving into the town (Wroclaw). From what you've wrote, you seem just about right for them (maybe except salary expectations ;-) ) Rumour is it would be 2nd line support global service center. They are already hiring.

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Edited by: jwojcie Jan 6, 10, 00:36 #4

PS. I made some effort, because I felt personally interested what IBM will be really doing here, so:
1.good forum, in Polish (ask your Polish girl for help):
http://www.wss.pl/frmThread.aspx?gid=27&tid=70168&id=435023

From what I understand:
a) for now then need few hundreds of people
b) at least four local agencies are recruiting for IBM:
AG TEST HR (ibm@praca.testhr.pl), Hays, Accea and Natek.
c) this is 1st and 2nd line support (various specializations and jobs positions are/were avaible)
d) they are looking rather for low costs employees...
e) day and night shift system
f) last but not least salary is rather poor even for polish IT standard

ergo try rather NSN probably the biggest IT employer in Wroclaw. They used to pay relatively well.
Anyway you will probably need really downsize your salary expectations if you want live in Poland...

Henryk	Jan 6, 10, 00:45 #5
jwojcie: last but not least salary is rather poor even for polish IT standard how much salary they pay, they must pay less than those on offer to India call centres.

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Edited by: TheOther Jan 6, 10, 00:54 #6

jwojcie:

last but not least salary is rather poor even for polish IT standard

Just another dirty trick to lower their costs and increase their profit. Now let's see what IBM has in mind for their US work force:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/05/news/companies/ibm_jobs/index.htm

Quote:
"Only 'satisfactory performers' who are 'willing to work on local terms and conditions' should pursue the jobs"
"IBM not only is offshoring its work to low-cost countries, now IBM wants employees to offshore themselves"

You see what's going on?

cyberJThreads: - Posts: 4 Joined: Dec 5, 09 ♂	Jan 6, 10, 01:16 #7
Good luck with the move. I'm from the UK but lived in Warsaw for 15 months and was the best time ever in my life :)

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Edited by: jwojcie Jan 6, 10, 11:09 #8

Henryk:

how much salary they pay, they must pay less than those on offer to India call centres.

I have no idea about India salaries, beside it is not exactly call center (except 1st line maybe). Rumour is that in similar center located in Brno (Czech Republic) IBM is paying for 2nd line support between 1400$ - 2000$ net (as for today's exchange rate). Another rumour is that so far they are proposing in Wroclaw (Poland) about 20%-30% less. Time will show if the job market is deep enough for them to do that. For now they are looking for few hundred of people but initially they stated that their goal is big center about 2000 of people. I suppose they will have to adjust to local median, otherwise they will have big changeability in workforce.

TheOther:

Just another dirty trick to lower their costs and increase their profit. Now let's see what IBM has in mind for their US work force:
...
You see what's going on?

You right but only partially. I have no idea how big (if any) is part of this center designed for USA market. I'm sure that some not small part is for European markets (including Poland) (so they are looking for people with specific language skills like French for example). With all due respect to USA economy, EU economy as a whole is bigger and I think it would be stupid for IBM not to create some support centers here. There is no chance in hell that any kind of more sophisticated IT support can be made just in India simply because of a language barier. I've seen how it is working in Poland, if there is an Indian product (yes, they are making some of their own stuff now), and even if there is producer support center located in India, they need Polish intermediary between them and their client, and this intermediary, because of practical reasons is much much more than just copy-paste (entire fully operative polish support and polish development team is in place).

Anyway, this is a bit of topic, IBM is just starting and their offer doesn't look like interesting and challenging at least in my eyes. There is plenty of others IT companies in Wroclaw more "development" oriented. It just looks that they are looking rather for technician guys not engineers.

jwojcieThreads: 3 Posts: 816 Joined: Jan 3, 09 ♂	Edited by: jwojcie Jan 6, 10, 11:27 #9
PS. schumacher, good luck! and don't get depressed if sometimes in Poland your job interview will look like this one ;-) The Origin of Job Interviews - The Armstrong and Miller Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b56eAUCTLok&feature=player_embedded

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Jan 7, 10, 00:09 #10

schumacher:

I am a IT consultant myself, with only 18months of experience, still a lot to learn...but i have been searching for work on Poland as well (not only wroc, but krakow and gdansk).
It seems that for someone who can't speak Polish (or do not have a very specific skill - for example: 10 years XP in SAP - its close to impossible to find a job.)

Wish you the best of luck and i am looking forward to ear more from you in the future.(where you searched and fortunately found work).

Pedro

ChrisPolandThreads: 3 Posts: 143 Joined: Oct 15, 09 ♀	Jan 7, 10, 19:52 #11
I disagree. It may be difficult but it is not impossible. The issue is if a candidates skills are desirable enough to overcome the fact that he/she does not speak Polish. I asked around at NSN and Sygnity and REC. They all employ some IT people who are not Polish and do not speak Polish. Keep trying and good luck! kielbasastories.blogspot.com

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Jan 18, 10, 23:59 #12

Schumacher,

Speaking from experience I agree with xampolas - It's not impossible, but very close to it, and the word "difficult" doesn't really do the task justice. Getting up in the morning is "difficult", ordering a taxi from my local taxi company is "difficult", but getting a job if you don't speak polish or you don't have the kind of skills that xampolas refers to is on a whole different level.

Chris, out of interest, do you know how the english guys got the jobs with these companies you mentioned?

All the best in your job hunt guys.

I've put some of my own experience and advice on another post:

http://www.polishforums.com/work-study-43/it-easy-find-job-within-mont hs-moving-poland-40830/

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Jan 19, 10, 15:55 #13

Yes, if someone doesn't have the skills required it is nearly impossible to find a job and would be even if you spoke Polish. I am referring to people who have the skills required.

I do not have close personal contact with the non-Polish speaking people any more than one would have in the kitchen while making coffee, but they do exist. Of course, some of the people are "home office" big wigs sent to Poland, but not all. I don't know if the non-Polish people used a headhunter or applied directly.

You can also try Rusada. They employ some English people and some other English-speaking as well. I'm sure that they are not Polish-speaking because they have Polish lessons. I asked one English man in the kitchen how he found his way there and he said he applied in response to a job ad in England. Also the Polish people do not have English lessons. It is understood that you have to speak English to work there and I think their boss is English. (I'm sure that he is not Polish)

And about the difficulties of getting up in the morning, I can suggest an old Russian alarm clock like my father-in-law has. It gets the whole street awake.

TrixityThreads: 15 Posts: 48 Joined: Sep 26, 09 ♂	Jan 19, 10, 22:05 #14
Hi Chris, The English connection would definitely help. As for the alarm clock, my 3 month old is a very good alarm clock...the only problem is she tends to go off every three or four hours during the night as well! Actually I think that's why it's difficult to wake up in the morning! ;-)

frdThreads: 8 Posts: 1,956 Joined: Feb 3, 09 ♂	Jan 19, 10, 22:31 #15
did you know that helpdesk people call themselves "IT consultants with huge IT consulting experience" ;) ? I'd read every cv with it consulting involved with a certain distance...

ChrisPolandThreads: 3 Posts: 143 Joined: Oct 15, 09 ♀	Jan 20, 10, 13:19 #16
Trixity: As for the alarm clock, my 3 month old is a very good alarm clock...the only problem is she tends to go off every three or four hours during the night as well! Actually I think that's why it's difficult to wake up in the morning! ;-) I hear ya! ChrisPoland, mother of 2

niemcziekThreads: - Posts: 3 Joined: Oct 5, 10 ♀	Oct 5, 10, 22:49 #17
This thread was the closest thing I could find to my situation. I am an American looking to move to Poland, but I am completely overwhelmed with all the information. I am checking out the polish embassy websites and everything under the sun. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Best regards.

...	Oct 6, 10, 07:54 #18
I am completely overwhelmed Obviously. What's your query?

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Oct 9, 10, 10:41 #19

Looking to study Psychology, preferably clinical, and would like to be somewhere in the Poznan area. Not super particular on locations, but am about the instruction being in English.
I am still in the US until May and will be taking a couple of Polish classes for the basics before my arrival. Hopefully to take some of the stress off.

My question to anyone that knows is, what kind of institutions teach in English? I have found one in Wroclaw that has a Clinical Psych. program in English (also in Warsaw) but am struggling to find others.

Also am curious as to whether or not I can apply for a residence permit once I am on a Student Visa?

Thanks so much. Hopefully you can make some sense out of that mess.

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