Salary indication job in Poland

Let me introduce myself first: I am a Dutch student, who expects to graduate as a Master of Science in International Business somewhere this summer. I would like to move to Krakow somewhere in July or August. I found a job that requires the skills that I have (university degree in finance, and fluent in both Dutch and English) My problem is that the company is asking for a wage indication. It is an international company and the function is in the area of customer care / account management for international clients. If I have to make an educated guess myself, I can take the wage I could earn in the Netherlands as a starting point (between 2200 and 2500 euro (gross) a month, which in Zloty amounts to between 8500 and 9500 zl), and divide this by 2 (I’ve been to Poland a couple of times, and if I have to make a rough estimate, the cost of living is about 1/2 to 2/3 of the cost of living in the Netherlands). This leads to a minimum salary of 4500 zl a month (gross). If I ask the people I know in Poland to give me an indication, results vary from 3000 to 4000 zl, which is quite a bit lower then I expected. Can you give me some insights about acceptable salaries for somebody with my qualifications, and how much I would need to live a decent life in Krakow? I don’t want to make an outrageous salary indication to this company, but I also don’t want to work for less then I am worth.
Thanks

i think the key thing here is not wanting to work for less than your worth... and i imagine as you have the skills they require (university degree in finance, and fluent in both Dutch and English) you are probably worth quite a lot...

i have a number of freinds working for large multinationals in warszawa and krakow... they command salaries not far off what i would expect them to earn in the UK... which is a lot of money in poland....

ill try to help as well but I have only ust recently moved to Poland. I cant tell you much about what salary you should ask for but in regards to enough money to live a comfortable live maybe I can help. Im paying 800 zl a month for a flat In torun Its near the centre but being in Krakow I think prices might be about 1000zl. Food usually costs about 120zl a week and then you need to think about transport , will you buy a car or use public transport. Prices are not very expensive here for things like busses, trains etc but it depends on how far you want to travel ( I live 3 hours from Warsaw and it costs me 78zl to get there and back) I honestly believe that the figure you mention 4800zl would easily be enough to have a comfortable life in krakow, however later if you would like to buy a house you might find it more difficult , Im not sure what the rules are on loans and mortgages for foreigners. As bubba mentioned It sounds like you are doing highly skilled work and the fact that you meet all of their requirements is a big bonus for you. With this in mind its very important you dont go too low with your salary demands. I know I haven't really answered what you wanted to know but I had to try. Good luck

People who are seconded to work in Poland from another country earn what they would have earned in there own country plus the usually bonuses and allowance associated with working overseas. ie housing allowance, travel etc..

I would remind you BubbaWoo that I heard on polish radio that doctors and specialist were asking for a pay increase to equal 5000zl a month for doctors and 7000zl for specialist... say no more! keep in mind that the average wage in Poland is 2500zl a
month...(don't forget the tax)

The best advice I can give to any young person in Poland starting off is to learn a trade and be a skilled trades person, you will be the next generation of Polish rich. We have all heard of stories of people with high educational qualifications ending up working as cleaners and in banks.

it is true that the wages are higher for non poles working in poland, but that i beleive is the same the world around, i have travelled and worked throughout the world and it seems that there is a common point that when you travel for work you are paid more.

not quite sure what youre reminding me of lef... could you expand...

if you want to make big money, make own business. as long as im staying in poland almost 7months, i met some POlish, and talked about salary in Pland, they said around 2000zl. she worked in car accesories as a secretary(pretty big co). and for people who works as cashier around 1030zl.

Hi John,

I am sure you can ask more than 4.500 Zl as Dutch native speaker for a job in Krakow. You can propose 9.000 Zl as start salary as native Dutch speaker with a University Finance or accountancy degree.

I can see it is nearly dead topic, but anyone realised that people who get 4500 per month gross will get nearly 3000 per month as their net pay? It is not good enough, if You are young, educated and looking for the future...
I

As I have worked on international hr strategies and staffing solutions, let me give a rather professional overview on this. Sorry if this can sounds a bit downer but this is market view from a recruiters purview.

From a hiring perspective, unless I am looking for a person to do local legal accounting for Dutch companies I would not want to pay the premium for a dutch national with masters in business. Also for those premium jobs, one would be looking for experience as well before paying a premium.

If the role is basic, I can hire dutch native intern through aisec for less than 3k zl gross. If I need Masters in international business to do finance work, I can hire them from the local Polish universities and hence I would not want to pay a premieum for a dutch native.

From my side, I would advice you to stay in Netherlands for a couple of years and build your experience in a certain field and later move to a country of your choice to command a premium pay.

Jan 30, 07 [12:21] - Attached on merging:
How about the salaries in poland?

What are the salaries like in poland? Heard that its very tiring and you should work long hours irrevelant of the pay you get. And someone let me know about the city Gdansk and Gydnia, pardon me if the words are incorrect, and finally on a good note to say its good to see people from all races and religions mix with polish people. Since am about to meet my gf in scotland sooner this year.

Thank you for your advice. I can see the opinions differ quite a bit on this subject. I had the same 2 thoughts as emerge in this topic: I am young, and want to build a future, hence I need a decent salary. Especially since a lot of my friends and family live in the Netherlands; it should be affordable for me to visit them from time to time. Second, I know that it is useless to demand a ‘Dutch’ salary, because the cost of living is lower in Poland, and the company will just hire a local (although they do need a Dutch native speaker). I have decided to give a salary indication of 5000 – 6000 PLN, which is about 1/2 to 2/3 of a Dutch graduate salary. I told them that this is not a salary demand, just an indication of how I would calculate an acceptable salary. Now I just have to wait what they will send back to me…

Missed to add about Philips, they have rather impressive operations in Poland.. Try their website for some options which might be best of both worlds..

Thanks, I already looked at Philips, as a Dutchman living in Eindhoven (Philips city...), that is one of the first companies to take a look at!! They do have operations in Poland, unfortunatly not in Krakow, the city that I fell in love with... (and with a special somebody in that city...) Ofcourse it is a ridiculous assumption I will find the ideal company in Krakow, and another city is not a deal breaker for me. At this moment I only looked at Krakow, but I am interested in posibilities in Poland in general. I like to hear some experiences other non-Polish speaking foreigners have in Poland as starters (besides the many teaching English topics on this forum).

John,

A Polish friend recommended me for a Finance position at a large company in Krakow, and that makes difference (I think). Earlier I also visit a recruitment agency in Krakow and my impression was that there are good opportunities to find a job for experienced professionals. I do not know how the situation is for starters.

About you? Do you get the job and do you get your desired salary?

I have an interview with the company in march (this is the earliest opportunity for me to travel to Poland). They have invited me to this interview without replying to my salary indication... So I just have to wait, and see what this interview leads to. I already discovered that if i broaden my horizon beyond Krakow, and include Warsaw, Poznan and Lodz in my search, a lot more becomes possible.

ironh, I saw in you profile that you are Dutch. Do you speak Polish? What company are you working for? You can contact me by PM if you don't wish to post it in the forum.

HI DUTCH.I AM POLISH living in US. SINCE 10 years ago...but I used to study in KRAKOW. I am not suprised that you felt in LOVE with the city and especially not suprised that it is a SLAVIC woman...)))) They are usually very very loyal women...I mean those living in POLAND. Those who tasted life in WESTERN WORLD change in a matter of one year...so woatch out!!! HAHAHAHAHHA. GOOD LUCK IN A DIFFICULT POLISH MARKET...but that's going to chnage in the future as POLISH economy will grow substancially and need skilled workers buddy...so THUMBS UP for you BUDDY....))) BE AS GOOD AS BEEHAKKER IS AND U WILL SURE MAKE IT BIG IN POLAND...)))

Hi, I would like to find out what should i expect in term of salary if working in Wroclaw as a professional. I am not too familiar in this area and not sure what is the tax percentage that i should look into before getting my net pay. can someone please help me? thank you.

Would you be working for a domestic or international company? How big the company is?

Hi hello,

The company is an international company but this position is located in Poland. I am not sure if i could expect the same kind of living standard as in Warsaw as this job is in Wroclaw.

As far as the "standard living" is concerned, I think both Warsaw and Wroclaw can offer about the same (I find Wroclaw to be a nicer city to live overall). Your potential salary depends on the kind of profession you have. It could be from 2000 zl to 10000 zl a month.

I've just read high salaries in Warsaw is a myth and other cities are doing good too and there's less competition to get a good job.

mmmm..thats the bottom line, depends on the kind of profession!

thanks for the reply, hello. by the way, what is the expectation of the living expenses in wroclaw, do you know? for example, the rental for apartment, food, others? appreciate if you could tell me more on this, thank you.

Is there any online calculator where i can calculate the tax to be paid based on the income?

infor.pl/kalkulatory/wynagrodzenia.html

hi ironh, thanks for the link, unfortunately i dont understand the language. but nevertheless, thank you very much! :P

Hi lissa,

Another calculator (which you can download in excel) can be found here:

en.randstad.pl/rpl/employer/salary-calculator/

Examples of the costs of products can be found here:

expats-in-poland.com/?mod=fs_cost_of_living

Hi John,

Thank you for the information, indeed it is useful for me to know more about the living in Poland.

So have you been relocated to Poland yet? wish you all the best!

> Another calculator (which you can download in excel) can be found here:
>
> en.randstad.pl/rpl/employer/salary-calculator/
>
> Examples of the costs of products can be found here:
>
> expats-in-poland.com/?mod=fs_cost_of_living

Thanks for a great excel sheets, I guess there are not any english versions available anywhere.