Work in Poland – what you should know?
More and more foreigners choose to work in Poland. No wonder – Poland is very opened for foreign workforce. In the following article we’ll explain why is that and how to navigate through Polish job market.
What foreigners work in Poland?
The biggest Polish ethnical minority are Ukrainians. According to the Ministry of Interiors Affairs They have been emigrating to Poland for economical reasons since about 2015. Also – since 24th February 2022 about 2.5 millions Ukrainians arrived in Poland as war refugees. Despite their separate status they also participate in Polish job market.
Another formidable minority in Polish job market are Hindus. It is because India is a very poor country. Average pay there is ₹32,840, which equals about 1600 PLN. On the contrary, Polish minimum wage is 3490 PLN.
Yet another commonly met minority are Belarussians. They also emigrate due to economical reasons, but political ones must also be accounted for. Belarus is authoritarian state known for its harsh persecution policies.
Work in Poland – contracts
Contract of employment
It is the most common and most desired form of contract in Poland. Those who signed are allowed to:
- Have 20 days of paid leave per year (26 if they have over 10 years of proven work),
- Receiving public healthcare,
- Retire having turned 67,
- 3 months notice period.
But not everyone is eligible for this form of employment. In order to work in Poland based on contract of employment, one must work under company’s supervision, in fixed hours and place.
Contract of mandate
It is called umowa zlecenie in Polish. It is reserved for those who don’t meet aforementioned criteria for contract of employment. For example – those who work flexible hours outside company’s headquarters (i.e. distributors of leaflets) will receive this kind of contract.
People who sign contract of mandate also receive public healthcare. However – they are not automatically allowed to have any form of leave, let alone paid one. They have to negotiate it.
Contract work
It is the least commonform of contract. It is used when individual or a company obliges to deliver a very specified effect. Usually it is signed by artists, freelancers, interpreters, programmists and the like.
Under contract of work minimum wage is not applied. Contract work must not specify place and hours of work. If you use this contract, you will pay only income tax. However – this means that you will not be able to have a leave or receive public healthcare.
Do I have to speak Polish? Will Polish language course Wroclaw help me?
Each companies has its own requirements for its employees. This means that in international, non-Polish speaking companies you will not be required to know a single word in the Polish language. But those companies are minority in a Polish job market. Most of them require its workers to speak Polish.
The exact levels vary from company to company and from job to job. However, taking a Polish language course Wroclaw may be a good choice. A practical, speaking-focused Polish language course will help you get your dream job.
Total immersion
Switching from international to Polish-speaking environment may be optimal for your Polish language results. Why? Because you will constantly interact with our language. It’s called total immersion. Exposing yourself to Polish language 8 (or more!) hours per day multiple day a week will do wonders for your proficiency.
Work in Poland – where to look for it?
Polish companies seek potential workers on a few big portals. Here we are going to discuss them.
Pracuj.pl
It is a biggest job board in Poland. It is not branch-focused. Here you’ll find offers for kind of jobs, varying from mundane blue collar ones, to top management white collar ones.
You can filter offers by multiple factors such as:
- Level (from internship to top specialist),
- Language requirements,
- Night shifts,
- Opened for Ukrainian citizens,
- Working time,
- Form of contract.
This portal has two VERY important features. Only here you can trace your application status! You will get real-time notification when they are:
- Delivered,
- Opened,
- Analyzed,
Another one is the ability to compare yourself to another candidates. You will see their experience, financial expectations, educational status and the like.
RocketJobs
This job board is reserved for white-collars only. It began as a place for marketing-related postings. However, it became very popular and know has offers for all kinds of office jobs, varying from IT to office management.
You can also filter your offers by factors similar to those mentioned in the previous heading. However – you’ll not be able to trace your CV status.
OLX.pl
Actually, it is a general bulletin board. But it has a job-dedicated section where you’ll find plenty of offers. What is important – here you’ll be able to see whether a company seen your application. However – you’ll not see what recruitment process’ stage your CV is on.
This portal contain many offers you’ll not find in the two previous ones. It is because users can post their offers for free, which attracts companies that want to save some money.
Work in Poland – what is in demand right now?
If you want to see what jobs are in demand in Poland right know, you should check Occupational Barometer regularly. Right know 58% of counties need a carpetenters. 79% has an urgent need for electricians. 96% of them will hire a truck driver immediately!
Of course those are not only professions available in Poland. It has a list of all professions, so everyone can check theirs. It also contains a list of those that suffer from overstaffing right now. Occupational barometer is a good tool for looking for work in Poland, but also for planning a career.
Summary
In the following article we gave you a short review of Polish job market. The exacts details may differ depending on your industry, but most general rules apply everywhere. Most companies post their offers in one of three mentioned sites. Also – they must sign one of three contracts with you – other forms are just not allowed by the law.
We recommend that you take Polish language course Wroclaw in order to prepare yourself for work in Poland. This way you’ll be able to apply for far more jobs than with English only.