FAQs
I have noticed that people often ask similar questions on the blog or by email so I have put together this FAQ. I will add to it as and when I think of stuff.
Life in Poland
Do you like living in Poland?
Yes, very much so. Of course some things frustrate me (mainly the bureaucracy and poor level of customer service) but other things about Poland more than make up for this. For example I much prefer the weather in Poland (4 distinct seasons with cold winters and hot summers) and the fact that I have a better standard of living here. There are no hoodies where I live, people don’t have to lock their doors where I live and I pay less tax here than in the UK.
What do you do for a living/what jobs are available for foreigners?
I run my own company [www.whitelandcomputing.com] that builds websites and does other internet related stuff such as online retailing. I have one full-time employee and one part-time graphic designer. 90% of my income is from the UK which means I have the advantage of earning GBP but with my living costs in PLN. Most of the foreigners I know here are also self-employed and doing computer related stuff, property, journalism, teaching English or translating/proof-reading etc…
Unless you speak good Polish it will be hard to find work apart from teaching English or possibly with an international company in a larger city.
Is it easy to make friends in Poland?
I think this depends on where you are living and what you are doing more than anything. They say that most friends are met in the workplace. Because I work from home and don’t go out that often I haven’t had so much opportunity to make many new friends. We have great neighbours with whom we socialise, plus I have some ‘aquaintances’ from the gym where I train but I wouldn’t say they were friends as such – more drinking buddies. However this doesn’t bother me too much because I regularly see my old friends in the UK and my family. Through my wife we now have some ‘couple’ friends who we meet up with occasionally too. Speaking Polish helps because I only know a couple of people here that speak English to a conversational standard.
How does it feel to be an immigrant?
Personally I quite like the fact that I am ‘different’. In general when people realise I have a funny accent they are more friendly or want to ask me where I’m from, what I’m doing here etc.. Because the UK and Poland are EU countries I don’t feel totally out of place. Also because my grandfather was Polish I am entitled to Polish citizenship so I feel part British, part Polish and generally quite European. Knowing that I have this connection to Poland makes me feel a little bit at home here and not on someone else’s land.
Do I miss home much?
Well that depends on where I define as “home”. Now that I am established in Poland and have sold up everything in the UK I think of Poland as my “home”. In Poland I now have my house, car, family and business. Here is where I pay my tax and spent most of the year.
Do I miss the UK?
To be honest, no. The only ties I have there are my family and we see each other regularly. In fact I now spend more time per year with my parents than I did when I lived one mile down the road from them. I only am in contact with a couple of friends from childhood and I visit them everytime I pop back to the UK. However I really miss a good curry and south-London style kebab, so I always make sure to get my fill when I am over.
