Moving to Warsaw from UK to do a contract work for a company

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Oct 24, 10, 13:45 #1

Hi All,

I'm in the final stages of negotiating a contract to work for a company who want to open an office in Warsaw (they currently have offices in US and UK).

I'm not concerned about money as I currently live and work in London comfortably and will be looking for a similar or increase on my current salary.

The company is setting up a new entity as part of this venture and as such have offered me the choice to be paid by their London office as a worker aborad or by their Polish office.

My initial thoughts were to go with the Polish office as to ensure being paid in the currency which will form the bulk of my expenditure as to not get caught out by currency movements.

I'll be seeking a financial advisor at some point but was wondering if anyone on here had any experiences with a simialar choice?

My wife (Polish) and I are looking forward to the potential move but there is a strong possibility we will return to the UK in 5 or so years when the children start school. On that basis is it better staying under UK tax law etc? Does anyone know the pros/cons?

There are several other concerns which I'm hoping some people have opinions or experiences of:

PropertyWe have a property in the UK we will probably choose to rent out for the first year, at least until we know the job works out and we are settled. Has anyone done this before and are the tax implications complicated? I've looked on the gov websites but am getting properly confused between residential and overseas lettings.
Health system Stay on an E111 card for the years or swap to the Polish system?
Child Benefits Child Trust Fund and Child Benefit etc? Will we lose that and is there a Polish equivalent?
Removals Company Any good/bad experiences on this front or recommendations?
Warsaw itself The office will be right in the centre (pałac kultury) and for the first few months at least we would like to live closeby. Anyone recommend any good areas? Have heard Praga disctrict is a no-no? Also for further down the line can anyone recommend any nice suburbs with strong commuter links?

I know it's more of an essay than a forum question but me and the wife are currently equally excited/nervous. Would be good to hear from some people who have already been through it.

Thanks.

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Oct 24, 10, 14:06 #2

ppywriw:

Child Benefits Child Trust Fund and Child Benefit etc? Will we lose that and is there a Polish equivalent?

If you're not paying tax and NI in the UK you are not eligable for them, as for Poland, from what I gather from a friend its means tested so if you earn enough to live comfortably in London, you wont qualify for anything in Poland. Plus I think the trust fund is being abolished and if you earn over £44K you wont be getting child benefit anyway in a little while, even if you do contribute in the UK

ppywriw:

PropertyWe have a property in the UK we will probably choose to rent out for the first year, at least until we know the job works out and we are settled. Has anyone done this before and are the tax implications complicated? I've looked on the gov websites but am getting properly confused between residential and overseas lettings.

If you are letting out your property, you are liable for tax on that, its classed as earnings (got a friend who is going to work in our Aus office who is in the same position).

Im sure Harry will be able to help you with what areas are decent.

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Edited by: warszawski Oct 24, 10, 15:47 #3

ppywriw:

The company is setting up a new entity as part of this venture and as such have offered me the choice to be paid by their London office as a worker aborad or by their Polish office.

In my opinion, the option would be to go for,

Salary - UK paid
Expenses - House/Apartment,school fees,car, Bupa or Medicover, daily expense allowance paid by PL office.

ppywriw:

Anyone recommend any good areas

Warsaw is a little different to London, it is not so much areas, but enclaves or buildings. If your kids are young you may want think about private pre-school or you may want to be surrounded by families with similar needs as yours, therefore I would consider:

Zoliborz, plenty of green parks around plac Wilsona, good metro (tube) easy access to center, in my opinion the best area in Warsaw especially Stare Z.

Mokotow, with children the only interesting parts would be Pod Skocznią, there are two english speaking pre schools, ul Biały Kamień close by Pola mokotowskie park and close to the metro, ul Parkowa next to Lazienki Park.

Muranow, there are a few nice apartment buildings in this area and nice parks it is also very close to the stare miasto, the only negative is the lack of pre schools. But very easy access to the center.

You may want to join up to this website http://www.mumsandtots.com/ there are probably similar families with young children.

ppywriw:

Also for further down the line can anyone recommend any nice suburbs with strong commuter links?

There is only one commuter link option that is the metro http://www.urbanrail.net/eu/war/warszawa.htm

The railway system is still under developed, in respect of feeding Warsaw with fast commuter trains from the burbs

Suburds - Kabaty or Mlociny both at the end of the line.

Good luck

♂ [Suspended]

Edited by: delphiandomine Oct 24, 10, 16:36 #4

ppywriw:

# Removals Company Any good/bad experiences on this front or recommendations?

If his van is big enough - I can thoroughly recommend this guy - http://atrans.wikidot.com/ - he has done a splendid job for several PF members, including myself with a vanload from Aberdeen to Poznan. The only problem is that his English is limited - but if he meets your needs, I could liase with him for you. There's actually another guy on a different forum who used him and was positively glowing about his service - even saying that everything was packed to perfection.

I wouldn't normally recommend any Polish business in such a glowing way, but this guy is really top notch and thoroughly trustworthy.

ppywriw:

My wife (Polish) and I are looking forward to the potential move but there is a strong possibility we will return to the UK in 5 or so years when the children start school. On that basis is it better staying under UK tax law etc? Does anyone know the pros/cons?

You don't have a choice - you'll fall under the Polish, not the UK system as you'll be resident here for more than 185 days a year.

ppywriw:

## Health system Stay on an E111 card for the years or swap to the Polish system?
# Child Benefits Child Trust Fund and Child Benefit etc? Will we lose that and is there a Polish equivalent?

You'll have to move to the Polish system, and there won't be anything such available to you here as it's all means tested.

But - in terms of money, what you lose in benefits/taxes/etc, you'll probably gain in terms of the cost of living being much lower.

somalia	Oct 24, 10, 17:08 #5
If I were you, I would pay the money and use a good Accountancy company, they can save you lots of money with their advice. They will also advise you which month to relocate back to the uk to avoid even more taxes. Remember repatriating is just as important as relocating when it comes to what you may be liable for.

♀

Oct 24, 10, 18:13 #6

If you are renting out your property in the UK you MUST inform your mortgage company - this will entail paying a slightly higher premium. If you do not inform them, in the event of a fire etc on your property they will NOT PAY OUT. Also any damage caused by your tenants will not be insured.
You will have to pay tax on these earnings, however you can claim 10% wear and tear on the property, the mortgage interest and any other repairs etc you will have to do during and after the tenants leave. Always take a good deposit from the tenants and have someone look over the property now and again. You do not need to engage an agent (they usually charge 10-15% of the gross rent- if you do, can deduct costs)
Get a contract drawn up formally that will allow you to visit the property unannounced. Without a contract you will not be able to get the tenants out.
I have personally done this and know that it works. This is a good time to have work done on your property e.g. new windows and offset the costs against the rental charge.
Check your tax situation on the websites-also you may be able to claim the Single person Tax allowance but need to clear up the question of 'residency' and being 'domiciled'. Look into this as this will SAVE you money.
Not complicated, but must get tax form to complete. There is no difference in which month you leave the UK and come back to the UK.

1jolaThreads: 33 Posts: 2,737 Joined: Sep 23, 08 ♂	Oct 24, 10, 18:35 #7
ppywriw: My wife (Polish) I hope your wife survives the culture shock.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Oct 24, 10, 18:55 #8
terri: Get a contract drawn up formally that will allow you to visit the property unannounced. Not legal, except in extraordinary situations.

AmathystThreads: 30 Posts: 3,968 Joined: Nov 10, 06 ♀	Oct 24, 10, 19:46 #9
terri: If you are renting out your property in the UK you MUST inform your mortgage company Not to mention his insurance company (buildings), if he doesn't do that if his fixtures and fittings go missing (Ive know of people rip houses to the bare brick in the 6 years I worked for an Insurance Loss Adjusters) his insurance will be null and void and he wont be able to claim a single penny.

terriThreads: 1 Posts: 385 Joined: May 3, 09 ♀	Oct 24, 10, 20:08 #10
terri: Get a contract drawn up formally that will allow you to visit the property unannounced. Not legal, except in extraordinary situations. I also d out a house in the UK to 3 young lads. We had an agreement that I would visit them whenever I wanted - it worked out fine. There were never any problems if I turned up on the spec.

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,389 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Oct 24, 10, 21:03 #11
delphiandomine: You'll have to move to the Polish system, and there won't be anything such available to you here as it's all means tested. 99% of International companies provide private medical insurance in the package.

somalia	Oct 24, 10, 21:18 #12
Many good companies also will reimburse you with what you will lose in child benefit. Infact they will pay for any specialist advice you may need concerning tax or monitory matters.

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